Last week we attended the Centre for Youth Literature’s YA Showcase for 2017. At this fantastic annual event, a host of different publishers share the most exciting new releases for teen readers coming out next year.

Here’s a round-up of some of the biggest, buzziest books from the night…

Thrillers & mysteries

• All of This Is True by Lygia Day Peñaflor – Four Long Island teens befriend a bestselling YA novelist, only to find their deepest, darkest secrets in the pages of her next book. (June)
  
  
• Small Spaces by Sarah Epstein – 17-year-old Tash has long been haunted by memories of her childhood and the day her ‘gruesome’ imaginary friend Sparrow lured a young Mallory away from a local carnival. But as the world around her shifts she starts to wonder if her imaginary friend is truly that – imaginary? (April)
  
  
• The Truth and Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr – Barr’s new novel is both a race-against time thriller where you can’t trust anyone, and the story of first love. (January)
  
  
• White Night by Ellie Marney – We’re thrilled for a new Ellie Marney crime mystery, and perhaps Vikki Wakefield says it best: ‘Gutsy characters, a cracking plot, and the perfect amount of swoon…’ (March)
  
  
• Whisper by Lynette Noni – This is something different for beloved fantasy author Noni – a gritty psychological thriller that takes a serious look at mental illness. (May)
  
  
• I Had Such Friends by Meg Gatland-Veness – Described as Jasper Jones meets 13 Reasons Why. (August)
  
  
• The Lies They Tell by Gillian French – A masterful mystery about the secretive and dangerous lives of wealthy families on the coast of Maine. (May)
  
  
• Mercy Point by Anna Snoekstra – The first YA novel from award-winning crime writer Anna Snoekstra. (July)

Contemporary coming-of-age

• The Universe is Expanding and So Am I by Carolyn Mackler – A long-awaited sequel to The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. This story will explore bodies and push back against societal expectations of beauty. (October)
  
  
• Bonesland by Brendan Lawley – A wild ride through the small-town agonies of adolescence: sex, drugs, love and hip hop. (May)
  
  
• Tin Heart by Shivaun Plozza – After Marlowe gets a heart transplant, she hopes that this means she can stop being ‘the dying girl’. But her second chance at life is about to take an unexpected turn… (March)
  
  
• The Dangerous Art of Blending In by Angelo Surmelis – A raw and emotional story of a closeted gay teen living with a devout Christian household. While this novel tackles some tough issues including domestic violence it’s ultimately a hopeful read. (February)
  
  
• Between Us by Clare Atkins – The story of two teenagers separated by cultural differences, their parents’ expectations and twenty kilometres of barbed-wire fence. (Feburary)
  
  
• If I tell you by Alicia Tuckerman – A heartfelt queer romance set in in rural Australia. (March)
  
  
• The Last Days of Us by Beck Nicholas – Five teens, one derelict Kombi and an unforgettable road trip… This is a perfect summer teen read. (January)
  
  
• P is for Pearl by Eliza Henry-Jones – Eliza Henry-Jones’s first YA novel explores grief, the power of storytelling and familial relationships. (March)
  
  
• Paris Syndrome by Lisa Walker – A charming, funny and poignant novel about love and all things French. (April)
  
  
• The Harper Effect by Taryn Bashford – A sizzling romance about an aspiring tennis player who’s in love with the wrong boy (her sister’s boyfriend) and dealing with the pressures of competitive sport. (January)

Fierce feminist reads

• Amelia Westlake by Erin Gough – Two very different teenager girls come up with a grand feminist hoax to bring down their elite school, and end up falling for each other. (April)
  
  
• Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekiel Kwaymullina – We are super, super excited for this title! A collaboration between brother and sister, this story is about the hope embodied by Aboriginal girls in the face of colonial oppression. (August)
  
  
• The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven – When Izzy O’Neill finds herself in the middle of a national scandal she bites back. This novel is a witty and fierce condemnation of slut-shaming culture. (May)
  
  
• The Poet X by by Elizabeth Acevedo – This blistering debut from an award-winning slam poet features an Afro-Latina heroine who refuses to be silent. (April)

Fantasy, dystopia and other worlds

• Reign the Earth by A.C. Gaughen – The first book of a fantasy series that looks perfect for fans of Sarah J. Mass with forbidden romance, sinister politics and richly detailed magic. (Feburary)
  
  
• Wraith by Shane and Alex Smithers – Fast-paced, action-packed cli-fi set in regional NSW that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. (July)
  
  
• Palace of Fires by Bill Bennett – Think ‘contract signed in blood’ for this first book of a new fantasy series that sees a young girl join a clandestine organisation whose mission is to battle modern-day witchcraft. (February)
  
  
• The Girl Who Fell by Violet Grace – An orphaned teenage hacker learns that her mother was Queen of the Fae and her father was a brilliant physicist in this first book of new feminist fantasy series, The Chess Raven Chronicles. (September)
  
  
• Munmun by Jesse Andrews – In this story of two siblings, Andrews imagines an alternate reality where every person’s physical size is directly proportional to their wealth. We’re intrigued. (April)
  
  
• LIFEL1K3 by Jay Kristoff – The elevator pitch for this sci-fi novel was: ‘Romeo and Juliet meets Bladerunner, with Mad Max: Fury Road playing a guitar solo in the background’. Also, giant robots! (May)
  
  
• Ash Princess by Lauren Sebastian – An epic new fantasy about a stolen throne – and the girl who must fight to take it back for her people. (April)
  
  
• Hive by A.J. Betts – Set underwater, this is the first book of a tense duology from Betts that has echoes of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. (July)

For something a big different

• Brontide by Sue McPherson – The much-loved author of Grace Beside Me returns with a candid story about four boys. We’re especially excited that this novel has been specifically written and structured for reluctant teen readers. (June)
  
  
• The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot – This heartbreaking verse novel sees a young girl grieving the death of her mother and finding comfort in her fascination with taxidermy. (July)
  
  
• Scythe by Neal Shusterman – Two teens must learn the ‘art of killing’ in order to survive in this first book of a provocative and chilling new series. (February)
  
  
• Nobody Real by Steven Camden – A renowned spoken word poet, Camden tells the story of a teen girl and her imaginary friend, described by the publisher as stunningly original. (Feburary)
  
  
• Growing up Aboriginal in Australia edited by Anita Heiss – This anthology brings together accounts from well-known authors and high-profile identities, alongside newly discovered voices, to reflect on lives of Aboriginal people in Australia today. (April)
  
  
• Neverland by Margot McGovern – Described as a ‘love letter to adventure’, this novel is an original take on the boarding school narrative that explores the boundaries between reality and fantasy. (April)

Blockbuster releases

• Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi – This debut novel is already one of the most hyped YA books of 2018 – a heart-racing, blood-soaked tale that weaves dark magic with African culture and mythology. The first of a new series. (March)
  
  
• Sam & Ilsa’s Last Hurrah by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn – With graduation looming, twins Sam and Ilsa Kehlmann are determined to throw the party of a lifetime. What could go wrong..? (April)
  
  
• And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness and Rovina Cai – Melbourne artist Rovina Cai is providing illustrations for Ness’s forthcoming book which apparently began with the question: ‘What if Moby Dick was told by the whale?’, and things got weirder from there. (September/October)
  
  
• The Rift by Rachel Craw – The beginning of a new spec fic series from Craw who won readers over with her terrific Spark trilogy. (November)
  
  
• Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff – The much-anticipated conclusion to the groundbreaking sci-fi series, The Illuminae Files.(March)
  
  
• The Dyasters by P.C. and Kristin Cast – The first book in a brand new series from the mother-and-daughter team whose last collaboration was the popular vampire-fantasy series, House of Night. (May)
  
  
• A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Mass – This novella takes place within the world of Mass’s bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses fantasy series. (May)

A final note

Details were mysterious but we can also expect new books from two of our favourite LoveOzYA authors: Lili Wilkinson (The Good Girl in August) and Scot Gardner (Changing Gear in June).

We’re sure there’ll be plenty more brilliant books to come but for now, phew… What a year of books ahead.