Here are some of my favourite overseas YA reads from this year. I’ve followed my tastes freely and it’s lead me all over the place: dark fairytale, contemporary realism, historical fiction, humour, magic realism and fantasy.

(If you’re in the mood for Australian YA, you should definitely work your way through the Readings Young Adult Book Prize shortlist. It contains six very different and equally satisfying #LoveOzYA novels.)

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

I received delightfully dark fairytale thrills from Melissa Albert’s excellent and odd The Hazel Wood. When Alice’s mother goes missing under unsettling circumstances, Alice embarks on a desperate mission to untangle her family’s murky history. Alice’s estranged grandmother has recently died, so Alice’s search starts with the elusive cult book her grandmother wrote, Tales from the Hinterland, and soon spirals into a treacherous road trip with Hinterland superfan Ellery Finch.

Skewing a little closer to horror than I would normally read, The Hazel Wood is a bewitching and bizarre story told with evocative language, snappy dialogue and original fairytales. Ellery and Alice’s foray into a territory that has more to do with psychological space and imagination than mere geography, is gripping. For ages 13 and up.

Big Bones by Laura Dockrill

Bluebelle (or BB) is positive she wants to leave school at sixteen. To placate her mum and the local nurse, she agrees to keep a food diary and start going to the gym. The resulting journal is a hilarious and passionate chronicle of BB’s love of cooking and eating, the time she spends with her best friend Camille and her sister Dove, the social dynamics of the gym she attends, and her part-time job at Planet Coffee. But when an accident affects her family, confident BB finds herself confused, shaken and strangely vulnerable.

In my review of Big Bones I called it ‘a funny and heartfelt story full of smart, snarky humour, and thoughtful commentary on what it is to be a teenage girl in the modern world’. For ages 13 and up.

The Radical Element edited by Jessica Spotswood

I adore historical YA fiction so, quite frankly, I was desperate to read The Radical Element, and had my very high expectations exceeded. Twelve accomplished authors have contributed to this anthology that covers the years from 1838 to 1984 and focusses on young women who have defied rules and expectations. This excellent collection resists genre – many of the stories blend history with elements of fantasy and magic realism – and it also creates space for women of colour and LGBTQIA voices.

Two stories that stood out to me were ‘Glamour’ by Anna-Marie Mclemore, which follows a young Latina woman using magic to alter her appearance and pursue a Hollywood acting career, and Sarvenaz Tash’s spirited story, ‘The Belle of the Ball’, about a keen young writer seeking to break into comedy after being captivated by the TV show I Love Lucy. I was also excited to read the contributions of Stacey Lee, Dhonielle Clayton, Meg Medina and Sara Farizan, as well as get introduced to new authors.

This is the second similarly-themed anthology edited by Jessica Spotswood. The first was A Tyranny of Petticoats, and a third anthology, Toil and Trouble, is forthcoming. All are for ages 12 and up.

The Astonishing Colour of After by Emily XR Pan

The Astonishing Colour of After is an astonishingly different novel that employs magic realism to explore grief, mental illness and belonging. It’s no spoiler to tell you that at the beginning of the book, Leigh and her father are coming to terms with the suicide of Leigh’s mother, Dory. Leigh is visited by her mother in the form of a striking red bird, and she follows the threads of her sorrow all the way to Taiwan, to meet her estranged grandparents. Leigh’s family history unfolds as she explores the unfamiliar surrounds of present-day Taipei and experiences flashbacks of her mother’s struggles.

This was an intense read, made easier by the thoughtfulness and delicacy of Pan’s approach. Mental illness can be bewildering to everyone involved, and this comes across clearly, as well as the experience of being biracial and trying to feel at home in a strange ‘homeland’. For ages 14 and up.

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour

This is quite possibly the loneliest book I’ve ever read, and I mean that as my highest possible recommendation! We Are Okay takes place in an abandoned college dorm during a harsh and snowy winter in upstate NY. Student Marin has survived a shocking revelation about the grandfather that raised her and her dead mother, and has deliberately isolated herself ever since.

When Marin’s closest friend and ex-girlfriend Mabel visits her for three days, there is the possibility of connection, forgiveness, consolation and healing, but the two young women struggle to bridge the gap. LaCour skilfully leads the reader through family secrets, the history of a friendship, and the morally grey areas of human behaviour.

My heart hurt while reading We Are Okay, but I was also equally filled with warmth and hope. It’s a beautiful novel. For ages 14 and up.

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Jordan Sun is a theatre student on scholarship at the elite Kensington-Blaine Boarding School for the Performing Arts, which seems like a Hogwarts-level fantasy to this Australian reader, but I’m assuming this type of school really exists in America. After three years she hasn’t been awarded a single role, and in her desperation, Jordan dresses as ‘Julian’ and auditions successfully for the all-male a capella group, the Sharpshooters.

What follows is a surprisingly thoughtful caper taking place in the very serious world of competitive a capella singing. Jordan is deep undercover among a group of diverse young men, and it causes her to question everything she knows about gender, entitlement, privilege and sexuality. There are welcome moments where Redgate explores the unfairness of the health care system, and the realities of young trans and LGBT people for whom passing or having control over their identity is crucial.

Funny, romantic, messy and suspenseful, Noteworthy is a smart, entertaining and unique book. For ages 13 and up.

Forest Of A Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao

I love imaginative retellings of fairytales, so I was naturally drawn to Julie C. Dao’s wonderful debut, Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, which riffs off Snow White. Dao sets her novel in a fantastical version of East Asia, and focusses on the evil queen character, in the form of a beautiful and low-born young woman, Xifeng. Xifeng is a sympathetic character, troubled by a tough upbringing with her aunt Guma, and clearly affected by an unknown magic or witchcraft. The story of Xifeng’s troubled and prophesied climb to power is fascinating, strange and bloody.

While living in China I developed a soft spot for dynastic soap operas, so I greatly enjoyed Xifeng wheedling her way into the palace of the Emperor of Feng Lu, and navigating the politics of concubines, eunuchs, handmaids, civil servants and soldiers. Dao combines killer storytelling skills with well-crafted language, so if you’re partial to compelling fantasy and twisted magic, you’ll also love this story of a young woman grappling with malevolent powers, both within and without. I’m really looking forward to the next two books in this trilogy. For ages 13 and up.

Leanne Hall is a children’s and YA specialist at Readings Kids. She also writes books for children and young adults.