Here at the South Huntington Public Library, we firmly believe that a good story should know no bounds. Young Adult novels have been experiencing quite a boom these past years, and the result is an array of well written and exciting stories that often have appeal that reaches beyond the publishers’ advertised audience. In the spirit of spreading the wealth, I’m sure our teen patrons would be happy to share their YA novels with you adult readers, so click Overdrive, Hoopla, or Axis 360 and get to it!
Internment by Samira Ahmed (speculative fiction)
In this story about a girl who is forced into a camp for Muslim-Americans and risks everything to fight this injustice, Ahmed imagines a near-future America that is unfortunately not too far-fetched. Borrowing heavily from the horror and abomination of the concentration camps in Europe and the Japanese-American internment camps in the United States during World War II, Ahmed tries to remind us of our past, in the hope that we will heed the tough lessons that history has tried to teach us. Layla's voice, and her experience, is chilling and truly important in our current political climate.
Ebook and audiobook: Axis360, Overdrive
Caraval by Stephanie Garber (fantasy)
Ever since she was a child, Scarlett has heard stories of Caraval, the mysterious and magical traveling circus experience that is spoken about in rumors and with awe throughout the land. Now that she is about to be married and finally escape her brutal father’s clutches, she is ready to put aside pointless dreams of attending Caraval. But Caraval has other plans for Scarlett and her beloved but exasperating sister Donatella, and she finds herself thrust into a game that seems dangerously real as she tries to navigate the magic and menace of this new world and learn who she can trust with her heart, her life, & her sister’s safety. This story is lush, twisty, and atmospheric- it is definitely a must read, especially for fans of The Night Circus!
Ebook: Overdrive
Audiobook: Hoopla, Overdrive
Legacy of Kings by Eleanor Herman (Historical fantasy)
Herman, best-selling author of adult popular history non-fiction, tries her hand at YA and does it masterfully in this absorbing example of historical fantasy. Rich writing, a well researched setting, complex characters, fast paced action, romantic tension, and plenty of political machinations . . . who could ask for anything more?
Set in Ancient Greece, Legacy of Kings follows a handful of teens (including a young Alexander the not-yet-great) as they strive to prove themselves, as they gather power, as they find their place in society, as they battle and survive, betray, and love. Each character's point of view will capture your attention, and leave you wanting more.
Ebook: Hoopla, Overdrive
Audiobook: Overdrive
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (science fiction)
This clever novel is 2001: A Space Odyssey for a new generation, but it is so much more than a simple update. Obviously a science fiction novel, it also effortlessly weaves in elements of horror, romance, suspense, psychological thrills, humor, social commentary, mystery -- really every genre you could think of, and it all works. The presentation is perfect- readers have to work to access the story, picking up the threads of the plot through emails, schematics, redacted documents, transcripts, and the like. Ezra is so funny, Kady is smart and bold, Aidan is poetic and chilling, the situation is sad, thought provoking, and wonderfully tense. I tore through the 600 pages. Seriously, this book blew me away.
Ebook and audiobook: Overdrive
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (thriller)
In this wonderfully twisty, tightly plotted thriller, 17-year-old Cadence is eager to spend the summer on her family's palatial private island with her three closest childhood friends after a long absence. Surely now that she has returned things will get back to normal. Maybe the debilitating headaches she's suffering from will lessen and she'll finally find out why her summer friends have refused to answer her texts and emails. Perhaps her mother will stop trying to smother her with her protective hovering, but most importantly, perhaps now she'll remember what happened to her during her 15th summer on the island.
Ebook: Axis360, Overdrive
Audiobook: Overdrive
I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall (survival adventure)
After her mother dies in a car accident that leaves her injured, Jess is sent to her estranged father who lives off the grid in the Canadian wilderness. Unused to the survivalist lifestyle, Jess is forced to hone new skills when her father is killed and their home burns to the ground. Hiding her existence from the men who did it and facing a winter completely on her own, Jess is not only determined to survive, she’s going to seek revenge- even if it’s the last thing she does. Those who remember reading Hatchet when they were younger, or who can relate to a life that changes in a blink of an eye, will surely devour this page-turner.
Ebook: Overdrive
Audiobook: Hoopla, Overdrive
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil (horror)
If you have an obsession with reality television, and a bit of a taste for blood-thirsty mayhem, I’m not judging you- rather, I’m suggesting that #MurderTrending might be the gruesome, action-packed, adrenaline-laden entertainment you’ve been seeking.
In it, a teen finds herself falsely accused of murder and quickly sent to prison on an island that is the feature of an app where subscribers can watch the violent anything-goes antics of the criminal inhabitants of Alcatraz 2.0. This creative thriller was insane, but entertaining as heck. Want more? Check out the sequel: #MurderFunding.
Ebook: Hoopla, Overdrive
Audiobook: Overdrive
Sadie by Courtney Summers (crime/mystery)
Any podcast or true crime fans out there? Have I got a book for you!
When her younger sister first disappears and then is found dead, Sadie runs away from home in a quest to discover Mattie’s killer and exact revenge. Shortly after Sadie embarks on this journey, a podcast investigator begins a new case as he tries to find out what happened to Sadie, who is now missing as well.
Dark, depressing, and really powerful, the voices Summers creates are incredibly vivid; This novel is completely addicting. Bonus: the publishers put out a short podcast series called The Girls, which is supposedly snippets taken from West’s “actual” podcast:
https://us.macmillan.com/podcasts/podcast/the-girls-find-sadie/
Ebook: Axis360, Overdrive
Audiobook: Axis360, Hoopla, Overdrive
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (realistic fiction)
Starr Carter is the only witness when her unarmed friend is gunned down by a police officer while they traveled home one night. Torn apart by the denials, the accusations, the rumors, the threats, her own fear and conscience, Starr must find a way to speak the truth in a world that seems determined not to hear her.
There’s a reason this novel was such a blockbuster when it came out. It’s topical, beautiful, raw, thoughtful, real, and important; and if you haven’t read it yet, I hope you take the time now.
Ebook and audiobook: Axis360, Overdrive
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (romance)
The Sun is Also a Star follows the trajectory of one day in the life of Daniel and Natasha, two teens who meet for the first time that day. The storyline constantly splinters off to offer you brief snippets of the lives of others who cross their path, and it is fascinating. As if this weren't awesome enough, there are also explanations of language origins, quantum physics elements, hairstyles, and more. If it sounds random, it is -- and that is one of the strengths of this book; the proposition that the randomness of life is anything but.
Highly (highly, highly!) recommended.
Ebook and audiobook: Axis360, Overdrive
