So many exciting books this month to dive into! Our Book of the Month is a funny, queer romance about an aspiring comedian. We have a new Meg Rosoff, set in New York during a languid, steamy summer - just what we need to warm up! We also have a novel featuring a complicated love triangle, the first in a new dystopian trilogy, a feminist novel set in an alternate 1950s with dragons, and a non-fiction title on financial literacy for young women.

For our children’s book roundup for July, please find the link here.

YA BOOK OF THE MONTH

The Comedienne’s Guide to Pride by Hayli Thomson

When Taylor is accepted as a finalist for a diverse writers’ internship at Saturday Night Live, it turns her life upside down. And if Taylor wants a shot at winning, she’ll have to come out about both of her secrets: she wants to be a comedian … and she’s a lesbian.

The only thing keeping Taylor from self-combusting is pining for Salem’s most bewitching actress - out and proud classmate, Charlotte Grey. So when Taylor finds herself sitting opposite Charlotte, Taylor’s simmering need to tell everyone exactly who she is and what she wants burns hotter than ever …

Suitable for readers aged 13 and up.

FOUR NEW NOVELS TO GET EXCITED ABOUT

Friends Like These by Meg Rosoff

New York City. June, 1982. When eighteen-year-old Beth arrives in Manhattan for a prestigious journalism internship, everything feels brand new. A cockroach-infested sublet and a disaffected roommate are the least of her worries, and she soon finds herself caught up with her fellow interns - preppy Oliver, ruthless Dan and ridiculously cool, wild Edie.

Soon, Beth and Edie are in a heady best-friendship that’s impossible to resist. But with the mercury rising and deceit mounting, betrayal lies just around the corner. Who needs enemies … when you have friends like these?

Suitable for readers aged 15 and up.

Completely Normal and Other Lies by Biffy James

Stella Wilde is secretly in love with the hottest guy in school, Isaac Calder. He seems to love her back, but there’s a problem - he already has a girlfriend, the gorgeous Grace Reyes. When Isaac is killed in a car accident, the entire school is turned upside down with grief. And while Grace can mourn publicly, Stella has to hide her feelings to stop people from finding out about her and Isaac being more than friends.

But how long can Stella keep lying? And when the truth finally comes out, how will it affect her newfound friendship with Grace?

Suitable for readers aged 13 and up.

The Snow Laundry by Mette Jakobsen

Ally is one of 400 homeless young people who have been promised better lives in exchange for their votes. They are now warm and fed but are forced to work for the new administration - and their home is really a prison.

When Ally’s boyfriend Bon vanishes, her search for him leads her to discover that the homeless kids are really lab rats intended for scientific testing. And as Ally delves deeper into her search for Bon, she learns the frightening truth behind his disappearance in this terrifying dystopian world.

Suitable for readers aged 12 and up.

When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill

Alex Green is four years old when she first sees a dragon. Then Alex’s mother disappears, and reappears a week later, with no explanation whatsoever. But she is a shadow of her former self, and with scars across her body - as though she had been attacked by a monster who breathed fire.

Alex, growing to a fiercely independent teenager, is desperate for answers, but doesn’t get any, until the Mass Dragoning. In this timeless speculative novel, set in 1950s America, Barnhill exposes a world that wants to keep girls and women small - and examines what happens when they rise up.

Suitable for readers aged 14 and up.

NEW NON-FICTION FOR TEENS

Money Queens by Michelle Bowes

Due July 20th

From personal finance writer Michelle Bowes comes a self-empowerment guide that covers all the must-know money basics like saving and budgeting and bigger topics like credit cards, buy-now pay-later services, investing and superannuation.

It even explains how to write a CV, what to do when you get your first job and what to expect to pay for when you finish high school. This guidebook is the best friend that every teen girl needs as she learns to manage her money.

Suitable for readers aged 11 and up.

NEWS AND EVENTS

• Debut author Miranda Luby will be discussing her new YA novel, Sadie’s Starr’s Guide to Starting Over with Mark Smith on August 4th online. Find out more and register your interest here
• For a collection of classic YA that deserves a re-read, take a look here.
• For a collection of YA featuring trans and non-binary characters, look here.
• The schools program has been announced for the Melbourne Writers’ Festival and the YA authors are Rhiannon Wilde, Jared Thomas, Lynette Noni and Vanessa Len. Find out more here.
• Classic Australian novel Looking for Alibrandi has been made into a play currently showing at The Malthouse in Melbourne until July 31. Find out more here.