New and recommended young adult books in May
As the weather turns rapidly colder, consider snuggling up with a blanket, a cup of tea and one of these thrilling new releases. A new solo release from bestselling New York Times author, Amie Kaufman, is our Book of the Month, but we also have a captivating new story from YA darling, Will Kostakis, a debut YA from Australian fiction author, Tegan Bennett Daylight, and a new one from US based Australian author, Jen Wilde. Let’s get into it!
YA BOOK OF THE MONTH
The Isles of the Gods by Amie Kaufman
We love Amie Kaufman’s books – they’re always action-packed fantasy, filled with sassy dialogue and memorable characters. Her latest novel is set on the high seas with feisty female ship captain, Selly, who must take the handsome yet very annoying Prince Leander of Alinor to the mysterious Isles of the Gods, where he needs to stop the slumbering gods from awakening or the whole world will fall apart.
Full of incredible on-sea action, an enemies-to-lovers romance, assassins, traitors and magicians, this is an exciting story that will thrill current Kaufman fans and win over new ones aged 14+.
FIVE BOOKS WE LOVE THIS MONTH
We Could be Something by Will Kostakis
The latest novel by Sydney-based author Will Kostakis is a brilliant story about coming out, falling in love and learning about where you’ve come from.
The story is based around two characters: Sotiris, a 17-year-old wunderkind, who has just published his first novel, and Jem, a cute, wise-cracking bookseller. This LGBTQIA+ love story will be adored by readers aged 14 and up.
Royals by Tegan Bennett Daylight
When six teenagers are trapped in an empty shopping mall and unable to make contact with the outside world, they must work out why this is happening and how to escape, all whilst looking after a tiny baby. The teens are all very different, but they are forced to work together and get along as best they can in order to escape this contemporary Lord of the Flies, which our reviewer also likened to The Breakfast Club.
An exciting character study in an escape room situation for readers aged 12 and up.
This is the Way the World Ends by Jen Wilde
We love the premise of this story – scholarship kid sneaks into elite private party for the parents and students at her school and discovers something much more sinister going on.
When autistic scholarship student, Waverley, crashes the party in disguise, she quickly uncovers an evil plot hatched by the dean of the school while also witnessing a murder – and that’s just the beginning of the shenanigans. This is a high-stakes, pre-apocalypse kind of party and the whole world will be different by the end of the night! With a truly diverse cast and a sprinkling of LGBTQIA+ romance, this is an exciting thriller for ages 14 and up.
Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley
We loved The Firekeeper’s Daughter, the debut novel by Angeline Boulley, particularly its detailed and fascinating depiction of Native American culture.
Bouley’s new title is set in the same world and features Perry, an impatient rebel, who when working at the Native American museum, learns about all the many artefacts stolen from Native American people and the myriad of reasons why they are almost impossible to get back. Guided by a spirit of her ancestors at the museum, ‘Warrior Girl’, Perry gives up on going through official channels and plans her own heist to get the artefacts back. Her way. For ages 16 and up.
Glimpse by Jane Higgins
The latest novel by the author of dystopian adventure young adult story The Bridge is also set in a dystopian world where ongoing earthquakes make the city highly volatile. Jonah doesn’t have citizenship and therefore can’t escape, but his power to catch a glimpse of the quakes before they happen is a useful tool that two warring factions want to harness for themselves.
When Jonah’s friend Baz disappears, he will need to leverage his skills with those in power to help find his friend before it’s too late. An exciting adventure for ages 14 and up.
EVENTS
- Ellie Marney's follow-up novel to her wildly popular crime thriller, None Shall Sleep, will be launched at Readings Carlton on Tuesday, June 6. Find out the details here.
