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YA Romance Titles for National Romance Month

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- Written by  By Ava, Evgenia, Amanda


In honor of National Romance Month, we’ve compiled a list of swoon-worthy YA books! ❤️❤️❤️

  1.THE SECRET OF A HEART NOTE

the Secret of a Heart Note book Cover

Sometimes love is right under your nose. As one of only two aromateurs left on the planet, sixteen-year-old Mimosa knows what her future holds: a lifetime of weeding, mixing love elixirs, and matchmaking—all while remaining incurably alone. For Mim, the rules are clear: falling in love would render her nose useless, taking away her one great talent. Still, Mimosa doesn’t want to spend her life elbow-deep in soil and begonias. She dreams of a normal high school experience with friends, sports practices, debate club, and even a boyfriend. But when she accidentally gives an elixir to the wrong woman and has to rely on the lovesick woman’s son, the school soccer star, to help fix the situation, Mim quickly begins to realize that falling in love isn’t always a choice you can make.

By: Stacey Lee

mickey and Minnie kissing gif

2. RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE

red, white, and Royal Blue Book cover

A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends...

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him. 

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

By Casey McQuiston

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3. THE MUSIC OF WHAT HAPPENS

the Music of What Happens

Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn't want to think about, ever.

Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His "wives" and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won't like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he's the only one who can keep the family from falling apart.

Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what's considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites.

Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they're willing to risk -- to get the thing they want the most.

LIKE A LOVE STORY is everything you ever needed—it’s angsty, hilarious, beautiful, and wholeheartedly swoon-worthy.

By Bill Konigsberg

Michael Buble kissing gif

Magical Fantasy Middle Reader to Cure End-of-Summer Blues

Adventure, friendship, and magical realism come together in this heartwarming, whimsical story. Perfect for fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Penderwicks.

The Girl who Sailed the Stars, by Matilda Woods Book Cover

 

Great for late the late Elementary age kids (or really anyone) who need a dose of magic, thrilling adventure, and heartwarming self-acceptance. Like Neil Gaiman's Stardust, a wonderfully fun book about how the only person you need to worry about impressing is yourself.

" This follow-up to The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker carries just as much heart and charm as Matilda Woods's first novel. The characters, story, and illustrations will dazzle readers."

“You can’t lose with text by Matilda Woods and illustrations by Anuska Allepuz. It’s impossible not to love whatever magical thing they create, and The Girl Who Sailed the Stars is no exception. This book was whimsical and imaginative from page one, and I loved discovering new things alongside the curious and bold Oona—the sea cats are also a delightful part of this universe. Pick this one up as soon as you can!”
— Melissa Music, The Story Shop, Monroe, GA

The Girl Who Sailed the Stars By Matilda Woods, Anuska Allepuz (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Matilda Woods, Anuska Allepuz (Illustrator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780525515241
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - June 25th, 2019

The Boy, the Bird & the Coffin Maker By Matilda Woods, Anuska Allepuz (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Matilda Woods, Anuska Allepuz (Illustrator)
$7.99
Unavailable, Out of Stock, or Out of Print
ISBN: 9780525515234
Published: Puffin Books - May 28th, 2019

New Nonfitcion Picture Book for Young Aristis!

Mary Blair's Unique Flair: The Girl Who Became One of the Disney Legends

 

Even as a child, Mary Blair loved color, and all she wanted to do was to make art. But becoming an artist wasn't easy. Her parents worked hard to provide her paper and paints, and Mary worked hard to enter contests and earn a spot at a school for the arts. She even had to work hard to find her place at the Walt Disney Studios. But Walt was easily impressed by Mary. When she joined his trip to South America, Mary had never seen such color. She collected that color and used it in her concept art for Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, and even the It's a Small World attraction at Disneyland.

 

"A smiling, button-eyed Blair is pictured alongside Cinderella's silver carriage, Alice's upside-down mirror, and Wendy's nursery room window—all projects Blair created concept art for. Lee's art also imitates the bold, blocky figures that Blair designed for It's a Small World, her magnum opus, a ride that fosters goodwill and worldwide peace. This wonderful biography not only shows how Blair has influenced Walt Disney Studios, but it also captures her verve for life and bountiful imagination. Share this one with young, aspiring artists, especially those willing to break the rules."(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

Beautiful and newly modernized Fairy Tale

Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO (Hardcover)

 

Hilarious and smart, Tallulah the Tooth Fairy CEO is a modern take on the classic tooth fairy story by Tamara Pizzoli with illustrations by Federico Fabianiis that is perfect for powerful little leaders ready to take on the world—one tooth at a time.

Meet Tallulah. She’s the Tooth Fairy CEO. Tallulah knows practically everything about being a tooth fairy. How to collect teeth. Dispense money. Train other fairies. And it’s all in the Teeth Titans Incorporated Employee Manual.

But when something happens that’s not covered in the manual, what's a fairy to do?

"It’s refreshing to see a woman of color not only represented as a classic fantasy figure, as they are often depicted exclusively as white, but also as a successful businesswoman and entrepreneur . . . Illustrations are smooth and give a sleek modern feel to the piece. A fun, solid addition to contemporary fairy tale collections." –School Library Journal

YA books for those wishing for a sequel to The Greatest Showman

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         Written By: Alannah, Amanda, and Ava

 


 

The Greatest Showman was a smash hit when it came out last year. Quite frankly, it’s difficult to find anyone who doesn’t like it. Here’s a list of some of our favorite YA books which share some of the same themes as its wonderfully catchy soundtrack! (BTW, MSL=Most Suitable Lyric)

 

1. What’s The Greatest Show? CARAVAL!!!

Caraval Book Cover

Scarlett Dragna and her sister, Tella, are forced to endure their powerful, and cruel, father. But this year, Scarlett’s invitation to Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—arrives. But Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner. 

People say everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Both CARAVAL and the Greatest Show share themes of the fantastic wonder and dazzle that can only be produced by one’s imagination.
MSL: Impossible comes true, it’s taking over you/This is the greatest show!

By Stephanie Garber

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2. It’s going to take A Million Dreams for Amelia to STAY SWEET.

 Stay Sweet Book Cover

For as long as she can remember, Amelia Van Hagen has been one of the Meade Creamery girls - a tight-knit group of friends who manage Molly Meade’s ice cream stand. That is—until she finds Molly Meade dead. The stand is transferred to Grady Meade, Molly’s grand-nephew and business entrepreneur. He is determined to save what he sees as Molly’s failing business, even if it means pushing the girls and Meade Creamery’s traditions aside. How can Amelia save the stand for future generations of girls like her - and her rapidly falling heart?

Hope and the value of hard work are both very apparent over the course of A Million Dreams and STAY SWEET!
greatest showman gif

MSL: I think of what the world could be/A vision of the one I see/A million dreams is all it’s gonna take

By Siobhan Vivian

 

3. Frances sees The Other Side despite the RADIO SILENCE

Hello, I hope somebody is listening, Radio Silence Book Cover

What if everything you set yourself up to be was wrong?

Frances is been a study machine with one goal. Nothing will stand in her way; not friends, not a guilty secret – not even the person she is on the inside. Then Frances meets Aled, and for the first time she's unafraid to be herself. 

In both this book and song characters are introduced to a new, exciting world of possibilities that they never could have imagined - one that could alter the course of their lives forever.
MSL: Don't you wanna get away to a whole new part you're gonna play/

'Cause I got what you need, so come with me and take the ride /To the other side

By Alice Oseman

I couldn't just run off and join the circus gif

 

4. If America doesn’t win THE SELECTION, her love life with be Never Enough

the Selection by Kiera Cass Book Cover

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance to live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. When America meets Prince Maxon, she realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

The themes of unforeseen opportunities and the longing for more in one’s life are explored extensively in THE SELECTION as well as Never Enough!

MSL: You set off a dream in me/Getting louder now/Can you hear it echoing?

By Kiera Cass

Never Enough Gif

 

5. In the SILENCE OF WINTER, Oliver says This Is Me

Silence of Winter by Avery Blake Book Cover

Normal is overrated. At least that's what Oliver Cromwell tells himself when he's being bullied for being different. He's a lover of all things paranormal, and when his nose isn't shoved into his sketchpad, drawing haunted houses and monsters, he and his best friend Bailey hang out in abandoned buildings and take long—very non-romantic—walks through graveyards looking for ghosts. Everything changes when they actually find one.

The characters in both this book and song express a wonderful lack of fear in presenting their true characters to the world, other people’s opinions notwithstanding.

MSL: But I won't let them break me down to dust/I know that there's a place for us/For we are glorious

By Avery Blake

this is me Gif

 

6.  SERAPHINA wishes that she could Rewrite the Stars.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman Book Cover

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear humans and dragons. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen's Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

A deep struggle against the restraints of the characters’ societies is central in both Rewrite the Stars and SERAPHINA.

MSL: What if we rewrite the stars?/Say you were made to be mine/Nothing could keep us apart/You'd be the one I was meant to find

By Rachel Hartman

greatest showman gif

From Emmy Award-winning actor Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver comes a new out-of-this-world middle-grade series

Alien Superstar by Henry Winkler and & Lin Oliver!

No one is shocked by the six-eyed alien strolling around the Universal back lot. The tourists just think he's part of the show. It doesn't take long for Buddy to land a role on a popular TV show, playing (of course) an alien. He becomes an overnight heartthrob and is suddenly faced with legions of adoring fans, rides in glamorous limos, and appearances at "all-the-shrimp-you-can-eat" red carpet parties. But can Buddy maintain his secret identity while in the spotlight?

Alien Superstar is available for preorder now! 

Find more Heny Winkler titles online or at your local Books Inc.!

 

Alien Superstar (Book #1) By Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver Cover Image
$14.99
ISBN: 9781419733697
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Amulet Books - October 1st, 2019

Bookmarks Are People Too! #1 (Here's Hank #1) By Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver, Scott Garrett (Illustrator) Cover Image
$6.99
ISBN: 9780448479972
Availability: In Stock Now - Click Title to See Store Inventory. Please allow up to 48-hours for Curbside Pickup orders to be processed.
Published: Penguin Workshop - February 6th, 2014

New From Sleeping Bear Press

A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy

by FRANK MURPHY

There's more to being a boy than sports, feats of daring, and keeping a stiff upper lip. A Boy Like You encourages every boy to embrace all the things that make him unique, to be brave and ask for help, to tell his own story and listen to the stories of those around him. In an age when boys are expected to fit into a particular mold, this book celebrates all the wonderful ways to be a boy.

A Boy Like You Page Layout #1

Publisher's Weekly - A Boy Like You

Reviewed on 1 July 2019

Excerpt: The story is directed squarely at boys, but Harren’s illustrations show representations of all kinds of kids and families. Being a boy can mean many things, Murphy suggests, but being “a smart boy, a brave boy, a kind boy” are the first important steps toward manhood.

 

A Boy Like You Page Layout 2

Contributors

Author: Frank Murphy

A graduate of Rutgers University, Frank is currently a second grade teacher in the Council Rock School District in Newtown, Pennsylvania. Frank lives in Holland, Pennsylvania, and has two sons, Griffin and Chase.

Illustrator: Kayla Harren

Kayla Harren is the author and illustrator of Mary Had a Little Lizard, and the illustrator of a number of other projects, including Hannah's Tall Order. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota.

 

A Boy Like You Page Layout 3

Order your copy of A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy & Kayla Herren now! 

New Review! - The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin

 

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Teen Advisory Board Member Tiffany Reviews The Girls of No Return

The Girls of No Return by Erin Saldin

 by Erin Saldin

Erin Saldin's The Girls of No Return is a lacerating young adult debut about girls, knives, and redemption. The Alice Marshall School, set within a glorious 2-million acre wilderness area, is a place where teenage girls are sent to escape their histories and themselves. Lida Wallace has tried to negate herself in every way possible. At Alice Marshall, she meets Elsa Boone, Jules, and Gia Longchamps, whose glamour entrances the entire camp. As the girls prepare for a wilderness trek, Lida is both thrilled and terrified to be chosen as Gia's friend. Everyone has their secrets – the “Things” they try to protect; and when those come out, the knives do as well.

Featuring heavy themes like toxic relationships and not knowing where one belongs, The Girls of No Return beautifully examines the complex aspects that make up a person’s identity.  I absolutely adored the way Saldin takes us through Laia’s journey of navigating her way through Alice Marshall School and finding herself, both through the inspirational support the school offers and the complex friendship dynamics she has with Gia and Boone.  And it really is complex-Saldin tackles the struggles of being stuck between feuding friends, a longing to please the popular girl, and the obligation one feels to someone who reaches out to them. The reader is also taken on an intense ride, feeling Laia’s roller coaster of emotions and sensing tension as it rises from beneath the surface.  Through it all, the line between love and hate, between friends and enemies, is captivatingly blurred.

The Girls of No Return is perfect for readers looking for a story about finding oneself.

 

New Review! - A Winter's Promise by Christelle Dabos

 

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Teen Advisory Board Member Evgenia Reviews A Winter's Promise

A Winter's Promise: Book One of the Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos

by Christelle Dabos

On the Ark of Anima, some objects can have a life of their own. Ophelia knows this better than anyone, considering that she deals with old artifacts daily at the family museum that she manages. Her skills as a reader, gleaning the past of an object through touch, make her perfect for the job. Still, the looming shadow of suitors and marriage remains, hanging over her. Finally, after ages of refusing her family’s attempts at marrying her off, she finds herself engaged to the mysterious, frigid, and rude Mr. Thorn, and spirited away to his distant home at the Pole. There, she finds herself in a nest of vipers, threatened by cutthroat nobles and ruthless in-laws, with Thorn himself offering little comfort or familiarity. And, of course, there’s still the question of why he chose to marry her, of all of the suitable young women on Anima.

I was enveloped by the beautiful worldbuilding and I found myself extremely invested in the lives of the characters. I adored the elegant, old-fashioned style of writing and felt that it was a perfect fit to the tone of the book. Each chapter built more and more of this fantastical world and its colorful characters. This book is filled to the brim with spellbinding images: people stepping through mirrors, scarves with lives of their own, and gigantic arks soaring in the sky. The world created by Dabos is immersive and wondrous, an interesting mix of magic and some elements of steampunk.

This book would be good for fans of “pseudo-Victorian” fantasy who love a long, winding tale of court intrigue and an extremely slow-burning romance.

 

A Winter's Promise is in stores now! 

Love A Winter's Promise? You're in luck! The second in the series: This Missing of Clairdelune is also available. 

Monthly Bookseller Feature: In July, Andrea Loves....

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff is a new YA Sci-Fi adventure and is set in the year 2380, where the graduating class of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. The golden boy Tyler Jones gets stuck with a group of discipline cases and psychopaths that shouldn’t be in the same room together. In it is a diplomat, a sociopathic scientist, a tech whiz, a warrior with anger issues, a tomboy pilot (who’s totally not in love with anyone, especially Ty), and the mystery girl (cough, cough her name is the title) Ty has just rescued from space who has been cryogenically frozen for two centuries. And who could also set off a war a million years in the making. Meaning Ty’s group of dregs could be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

This is a hilarious, heart-wrenching adventure in space filled with angsty characters who are flawed yet lovable in every way, as well as incredibly lifelike; making readers want to protect them at all costs. Amy Kaufman and Jay Kristoff do a wonderful job of breaking your heart and making you laugh at the same time while anxiously waiting for the continuation in this whole new universe with this ragtag group of misfits.

About Andrea:

Andrea is a native of Daly City and has been a book lover all her life.  Young Adult is her favorite genre right now.  She is currently the children’s specialist at Compass Books Terminal 3 and attends San Francisco State University.

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