YA Book Slam!

Facilitated by Etienne Vallée in the West Wing

@awesomlibrarian on Twitter

Interested in having a lively discussion about new books? With so many books out there, it is impossible to catch all of the good ones. Many of us rely on book reviews, blog posts, and twitter updates, but word of mouth is a powerful tool to learn about the books that your teen readers wanted to read yesterday but didn't know existed. For this session bring your top ten books of 2018 or 2019 to share and inspire so we can build the best collections!

Last year over 30 people attended Library Camp 2018's YA Book Slam, so we only got to present a book each. Click here for the list of books that were presented.

I plan on bringing the following books. As others share their list, I will post them here as well. I've linked my selection to my blog, in case you are interested in reading a review of the books.

Etienne Vallée's selection (7-12)

• Allen, Rachel. A Taxonomy of Love. 2018. 336p. ISBN 978-1419725418.
• Chiang, Sylv, with art by Connie Choi. Tournament Trouble. Book 1 of the Cross Ups series. 2018. 188p. ISBN 978-1-77321-008-7.
• Ely, Lindsay. Gunslinger Girl. 2018. 422p. ISBN 9780316555104.
• Gardner, Kati. Brave Enough. 2018. 320p. ISBN 978-1635830200.
• Hartfield, Claire. A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919. 2018. 208p. ISBN 9781328699046.
• Jacobson, Jennifer Richard. The Dollar Kids. 2018. 403p. ISBN 978-0-7636-9474-6.
• Killeen, Matt. Orphan, Monster, Spy. 2018. 423p. ISBN 978-0-451-47874-0.
• Lam, Aaron. The Fake-Chicken Kung Fu Fighting Blues. 2018. 2018. 149p. ISBN 978-1-4594-1272-9.
• Larson, Hope. All Summer Long. 2018. 170p. ISBN 978-0-374-31071-4. A graphic novel!
• Spotwood, Jessica, Ed. The Radical Element: 12 Stories of Daredevils, Debutantes & Other Dauntless Girls. 2018. 320p. ISBN 978-0763694258.

Caitlin Bennett's selection:

• Chmakova, Svetlana. Awkward. 2015. 224p. ISBN 978-0-3163-8132-1.
• Draper, Sharon. Stella By Starlight. 2015. 320p. ISBN 978-1-4424-9497-8.
• Fordham, Fred. To Kill a Mockingbird. 2018. 273p. ISBN 978-0-0627-9818-3. Graphic Novel.
• Reeder, Amy. Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur. Book 1 of the Moon Girl and the Devil Dinosaur series. 2016. 136p. ISBN 978-0-6063-8353-0.
• Reynolds, Jason. Ghost. Book 1 of the Track series. 2016. 192p. ISBN 978-1-4814-5015-7.
• Rhodes, Jewell Parker. Ghost Boys. 2018. 214p. ISBN 978-0-3162-6228-6.
• Slater, Dashka. The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives. 2017. 320p. ISBN 978-0-3743-0323-5.

Kristin Whitworth's selection:

• Caletti, Deb. A Heart in the Body in the World. 2018. 358p. ISBN 978-1-4814-1520-0. Girl runs crosscountry, with her father driving an RV. In flashbacks, she has increasingly uncomfortable flashbacks with a boy. A great read for people who would benefit from seeing red flags earlier.
• Wells, Martha. All Systems Red. Book 1 of The Murderbot Diaries. 2019. 176p. ISBN 978-1-2502-1471-3. Told from the perspective of a security android conducting a security detail on a planet. It interacts with humans. Fast science fiction read, three other books in the series.

Helen Brock's selection

• Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X. 2018. 357p. ISBN 978-0-0626-6280-4. Verse novel. Teen poet in Harlem receives a lot of unwanted attention, grew up in a very religious family. Excellent audiobook!
• Stone, Nic. Dear Martin. 2017. 210p. ISBN 978-1-1019-3949-9.
• Thomas, Angie. On the Come Up. 2019. 447p. ISBN 978-0-0624-9856-4. Daughter of a famous gunned down hip hop legend. She raps and hopes to get out of the neighborhood. One of the few people of color at her school, she is harassed by the guards there. After a particularly bad incident, she records a song about that event. Her message is misinterpreted, and she is seen as being very militant hoodlum. Does she have to act this way to become famous?

Heather Raab's selection

• Ahmed, Samira. Internment. 2019. 387p. ISBN 978-0-3165-2269-4.
• Anderson, Laurie Halse. Shout. 2019. 296p. ISBN 978-0-6700-1210-7. Tells the story of her sexual assault and of her life in general.
• Benway, Robin. Far From the Tree. 2017. 374p. ISBN 978-0-0623-3062-8.
• Emmich, Val. Dear Evan Hansen. 2018. 368p. ISBN 978-0-3164-2023-5. Two boys who don't belong, one commits suicide, the other one is mistaken by the dead boy's parents as being a good friend. Through this lie he begins to feel lie he belongs. Audiobook incorporates pieces of the musical.
• Owens, Delia. Where the Crawdads Sing. 2018. 370p. ISBN 978-0-7352-1909-0.

Here are the recommendations from 23 other panelist members:

• McGinnis, Mindy. Heroine. 2019. 419p. ISBN 978-0-0628-4719-5. High school girl has everything going for her, finds herself in a car wreck and needs to be rehabilitated in time for her softball scholarship. She gets hooked on painkillers. Accurate and gripping description of how her life unravels. Great for readers who know someone or who themselves struggle with addiction. Connect siwth health
• Wilson, Kip. White Rose. 2019. 368p. ISBN 978-1-3285-9443-3. Novel in verse about German resistance to the Nazis.
• A Very Large Expanse of Sea. 2018. 310p. ISBN 978-0-0628-6656-1. Muslim girl as protagonist in a period piece set in 2002. Romance/great voice. Only person in her family who wears a headscarf. First person narration.
• McKinty, Adrian. The Chain. 2019. 357p. ISBN 9780316531269. More high school. A child is kidnapped. In order for that child to be freed, his parents need to kidnap another child, whose parents will then need to kidnap someone else. Takes place partly in New Hampshire.
• Zoboi, Ibi. My life as an ice cream sandwich. 2019. 256p. ISBN 978-0-3991-8735-3. Story that deals with culture, 12 year old main character. Good tie in with the Harlem Renaissance.
• Alifirenka, Caitlin and Martin Ganda. I Will Always Write Back. 2015. 392p. ISBN 978-0-3162-4131-1. 16 year old girl gets to learn about the culture of a boy in Zimbabwe.
• Mathieu, Jennifer Moxie. 2017. 330p. ISBN 978-1-6267-2635-2. High school book, main character is a rebel in school. Gives girls a voice.
• Berry, Julie. The Lovely War. 2019. 480p. ISBN 978-0-4514-6993-9. Greek mythology. Teaches real history as well as a love story, includes music and racial prejudice. There's a lot of back matter in the book, including extensive research. Fantastic audiobook!
• Taylor, Laini. Strange the Dreamer. Book 1 of Strange the Dreamer series. 2017. 536p. ISBN 978-0-3163-4168-4. High school, lyrical writing. Great fantasy so different from the regular fare.
• Taylor, Laini. Muse of Nightmares. Book 2 of Strange the Dreamer series. 2018. 522p. ISBN 978-0-3163-4171-4.
• Doyle, Catherine. The Stormkeeper's Island. Book 1 of the Stormkeeper series. 2019. 320p. ISBN 978-1-6811-9959-7. Accessible fantasy set in Ireland with real folklore. Middle grade book, but high schoolers would enjoy. This is the beginning of a series.
• Krosoczka, Jarrett. Hey Kiddo. 2018. 314p. ISBN 978-0-5459-0247-2. Grades 6 +. Graphic novel that deals with addiction.
• Lyga, Barry. Bang. 2017. 320p. ISBN 9780316315500. Great perspective on the mind of a teen who accidentally shot and killed his sister years ago.
• Forman, Gail. I have lost my way. 2018. 258p. ISBN 978-0-4252-9077-4. Kids who are all lost in their own way and face life challenges. Great tie in to many of our students' lives.
• Silvera, Adam. They both die in the end. 2017. 353p. ISBN 978-0-0624-5779-0. Middle school up. Great read for boys. Captures the reader very quickly. You get a call informing you you will die in 24 hours. Male friendships, etc.
• McManus, Karen. Two can Keep a Secret. 2019. 326p. ISBN 978-1-5247-1472-7. Guilty pleasure that hits all of the high school landmarks. Fun mystery of two teens who work in a haunted house.
• McManus, Karen. One of Us is Lying. 2017. 361p. ISBN 978-1-5247-1468-0.
• Alexander, Kwame. Swing. Appeals to both boys and girls. Great audio
• Abby Iverdine's letter to the world. Middle grades, protagois is 12. Deal with preteen girls who have feelings for other girls. They don't know how to handle. Accept who you are.
• Borden, Louise. Ski Soldier. Biography of the founder of Vail, who comes from New Hampshire. Great connection to the state. Very lyrical and a good read-aloud book.
• Gordon Kormen. Restart. He can't remember anything about his life, but it's a good thing because he was a jerk in the past.
• Symptoms of being human. Student who is gender fluid. Deals with new shcool, new friendship, different emotions. Starts a blog about being them, and provides
• Stranger in the Woods. True story of guy who went to live in the Maine woods, and was gone for 27 years. How did he survive? Great alternative to Walden.
• Gudenkauf, Heather. Before she was found. High school. Horror vibes. Three girls went out, and only one comes back.
• Pierce, Tamora. Tempest and Slaughter. Fantasy stand alone that is still connected to the author's fantasy universe.. Main character starts at 11, goes through puberty at school, etc.
• Takei, George. They Called Us Enemy. Graphic novel of Japanese internment. Great for reluctant boy readers. Comes with a great ted
• David Elliott, Bull. Appropriate for upper middle school. story of the minotaur from his perspective.
• Elliott, David. Voices. The story of Joan of Arc, told in verse.
• Partridge, Elizabeth. Boots on the Ground. Written in a journalistic style. Great photographs, about the Vietnam war. Provides different perspectives from soldiers, local citizens. Gets at the feelings and complicated history of participating in that war and the impact it had on our communities. One of the best Vietnam books out there.
• Susan Collins. The Year of the Jungle.
• The Overdue Life of Amy Biller . Story of a school librarian, husband who disappears, she has to raise the kids by herself, then the husband returns.
• Orange, Tommy/ There There. Different voice for each chapter. Building up to something. Appropriate for high school kids.
• Handsmaid Tale, the graphic novel. Some images might be tricky, but it keeps the reader's attention.
• Jenkins, Stephanie. High Achiever. Memoir about being an addict while dating a police officer. Great audiobook read by the author!
• We will not be silenced