Letter writing is almost a lost art, but with World Letter Writing Day being celebrated on September 1st, it’s the perfect time to highlight some young adult books that feature the power of the written word. In these books, there are a variety of letters- love letters, pen pal letters, letters from death row, anonymous letters with threatening tones, heartfelt letters from recently passed loved ones, and more. Maybe these stories will inspire you to put pen to paper and send an old fashioned letter yourself! (Hopefully not ones that lean towards the sinister variety, however- that would definitely not be recommended!!!)
We’ll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss (9th & up)
YA F BLISS
Luke and Toby have been best friends since they were little, and the top focus of their friendship has been to help each other survive their rough family situations and hold things together until they’re old enough to escape their small North Carolina town. The reader knows that things aren’t going to end well though, as this emotional, heart wrenching, and moving story is told partially through letters one of the boys sends to the other- from death row.
Out of the Fire by Andrea Contos (9th & up)
YA F CONTOS
Months after she escaped her kidnapper, Cass Adams still feels like she’s imprisoned, thanks to the letters in pink envelopes that let her know that the kidnapper is still at large, and still watching her. With the help of three friends who have also been failed by the authorities who were supposed to keep them safe, Cass is ready to seek answers- and revenge.
All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle (9th & up)
YA F FOWLEY-DOYLE
When Deena’s much older sister Mandy goes missing, everyone- except Deena- assumes that she’s dead. Shortly after the disappearance, Deena starts receiving letters from Mandy saying that the tragic lives of the women in their family is not just a result of bad luck, but is actually a generational curse. Determined to track down the truth, Deena embarks on a cross-country quest to find her sister and uncover the real stories behind the “bad apples” in their family.
This Light Between Us- Andrew Fukudo (7th & up)
YA F FUKUDO
It’s 1935 and Alex, a Japanese-American boy, is excited to get a French pen pal- until he finds out that Charlie is a girl. Six years later, they’re still writing to each other, and have formed a tight bond that will hopefully see them through internment camps in America, prejudice against Jewish people in France, and a world that seems to grow darker with every letter they exchange.
The How and the Why- Cynthia Hand (8th & up)
YA F HAND (WWHS)
Cassandra McMurtrey knows she is lucky. She has a happy, full life, her adoptive parents are wonderful, and she has the best friend a girl could ask for…but she still has questions about her life before she was adopted as an infant. This story is told in two threads; one that focuses on Cass’s senior year and her search for more information about her own history, and another told through letters written to Cass by her mother 18 years earlier.
Sure Signs of Crazy- Karen Harrington (6th & up)
YA F HARRINGTON (STIMSON)
As a toddler, Sarah Nelson survived an attempted drowning by her mentally ill mother, but her twin brother did not. Now 12 years old, she lives with her loving, but benignly neglectful, alcoholic father. Every day Sarah fears that she will begin displaying one of the illnesses that her parents suffer from. In an attempt to come to terms with her life, she pours her feelings, hopes, and doubts into letters to Atticus Finch, the kind and wise main character of her favorite book, To Kill A Mockingbird.
We Contain Multitudes- Sarah Henstra (9th & up)
YA F HENSTRA
Thanks to a pen pal assignment given by their English teacher, Jonathan (an openly gay poetry and music lover with a retro style) and Adam (a star football player with a reputation for being a “throw fists first- ask questions never” kind of guy) end up exchanging weekly letter through the course of a year. Starting as two classmates with seemingly nothing in common, and ending with a romance readers will swoon for, this book told entirely through letters is not to be missed.
This is My America- Kim Johnson (9th & up)
YA F JOHNSON
For the past seven years, Tracy Beaumont has written weekly letters to Innocent X, in the hopes that the organization will help her wrongly accused father and free him before his death sentence is carried out- a reality that is a mere 267 days away. Her family’s desperate situation gets even worse, however, when her old brother gets accused of murdering a young white woman that he was seeing. With her brother on the run, the police on a manhunt, and her world falling apart, Tracy tries to find out what really happened between Jamal and Angela- as along the way she uncovers deep seated and potentially deadly racial prejudices in her community.
Whisper to Me- Nick Lake (9th & up)
YA F LAKE
Whisper to Me starts with a breakup letter that the main character writes to an unnamed boy, recounting the trauma and mental issues that led to the lies and actions that ended their relationship. With elements of a dark mystery, a crime thriller, a love story, a friendship saga, and a coming of age tale, this is a layered work that is sometimes tough to read, but is also quite a page turner.
Everything All At Once- Katrina Leno (7th & up)
YA F LENO
As a beloved best-selling children’s author, Helen Reaves’ passing is mourned by many, but no one is affected more deeply than her niece; anxious, risk-averse teenager Lottie. When Lottie finds out that her aunt left her a series of letters which contain instructions that will challenge her, push her out of her comfort zone, and reveal truths about her aunt’s past, Lottie strives to follow the path her beloved relative laid out.