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I’ll 100% credit the cold, gray weather, alongside the long stretches of winter darkness for why I have been reading at the pace I am right now. I’ve been blowing through books of all kinds, of every genre, of every format, since the turn of the new year. This is something I used to do, but I have not had the energy nor capacity to read at this rate and with such gusto for a long time. It’s joyful and I’m trying not to lose that enthusiasm by acknowledging this is a season and not permanent.
That is all to say that one of the reasons reading has been dominating my free time is because there are so many good books out right now and there are so many exciting titles hitting shelves. I’ve been excited about all kinds of comics and nonfiction lately. YA has been just bursting lately, and this month’s offerings are no different.
Because of how packed new release days can be, especially in the first months of the year, it feels appropriate to continue pulling out YA comics and nonfiction separately. These two categories of books are special, and they can easily be overlooked among YA fiction. Though we’ve seen better marketing and publicity for both–and especially comics, as those offerings specific to YA readers have expanded greatly–it is still far more common to hear about new fiction than new nonfiction. It’s been my mission for years to get this changed because the breadth and depth of nonfiction and comics for young adult readers cannot be emphasized enough.
Find here this month’s new YA releases for comics and for nonfiction. There’s something for every kind of reader. If you’re not in a reading burst like I am, maybe the book that gets your back into the groove is here waiting for you.
Note that if a comic does not have an illustrator called out, that’s because the author is also the illustrator.
Comics
Dreamover by Dani Diaz
Amber and Nico have been best friends since third grade, but it is not until the end of eighth grade that Amber finally tells Nico that she has feelings that are more romantic than platonic. Nico fesses up, too: so does he.
The former besties, now couple, have had a perfect summer together. But when freshman year begins, Amber and Nico are clinging to each other for support as they navigate a rough transition to high school.
Amber wants nothing more for her and Nico to escape their reality. But when they fall asleep one night and Amber’s wish comes true, is it really what they want?
This one’s especially for readers looking for younger teen main characters.
Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout
Told in two timelines, this comic shares the journey of Emma Bergsma who, in 1943 Amsterdam, is so disgusted by watching Jewish families being sent to concentration camps that she joins the Dutch Resistance. She knows the work she’s going to take on is important.
In 2011, also Amsterdam, Annick needs a bone marrow donor for her oma. Her world is upended though when Annick learns that her oma was adopted, and it’s through a signature on several art prints on the wall–reading “Emma B”–that Annick may discover the truth of her family’s lineage.
West Hollywood Monster Squad by Sina Grace, illustrated by Bradley Clayton
Marvin and his friends want to do something simple: attend a local drag show. Unfortunately, that’s when the pink snow begins to fall, and their city, Los Angeles, is overrun with monsters.
Now the ragtag team of queer teens, drag queens, and a bar owner are those who will be responsible for saving their city. But to do so, they have to resolve their myriad personal and interpersonal issues to be successful.
Nonfiction
There are two exciting young reader adaptations out this month. Here’s a piece I wrote a couple of years ago about the art and craft of adapting a work of nonfiction for adults to the needs and interests of a young adult audience. It’s not easy!
King: A Life, Young Adult Edition by Jonathan Eig, adapted by Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long
Who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr? He was an activist, a leader, a preacher, a father, and so much more–too often, he’s been made into a mythological figure. Eig’s biography has been adapted for young adults, and it captures the full complexity of King’s extraordinary life.
The Swans of Harlem (Adapted for Young Adults): Five Black Ballerinas, a Legacy of Sisterhood, and Their Reclamation of a Groundbreaking History by Karen Valby
Lydia Abarca was the first Black ballerina to see herself on the cover of Dance magazine, and that happened during the civil rights era. Abarca, alongside four fellow Harlem dancers, share their stories of grit, resilience, and, of course, grace.
Over the last couple of decades, we’ve witnessed more and more Black ballerinas make waves in the field. But that attention and acknowledgement was hard won. This book gives a glimpse into those who came before and whose stories are too often ignored, forgotten, or lost to time.
Those Who Saw The Sun by Jaha Nailah Avery
Out this month in paperback, it’s time to revisit–or pick up for the first time–this collection of oral histories from Black elders who all grew up in the Jim Crow South.
This is a preservation of history, compiled for teen and adult readers everywhere.
Who Owns The Moon? by Cynthia Levinson and Jennifer Swanson
The Amazon description for this book is not one of the best I’ve read, which is a bummer because this book sounds excellent (and flipping through the copy I have, looks that way, too, with its design and use of photographs). This is a look at human space travel and all of the advancements made over the decades. Although it certainly tackles topics related to the Moon, it’s about space more broadly, as well as the policies and laws that govern what’s beyond Earth. Some of the topics in this book are space etiquette, technological advances that have helped us better understand the universe, space travel, space debris, and more.
