I’ve got six new YA books for you this week!
My top YA pick this week is Into the Sunken City, a futuristic, treasure-hunting adventure by debut author Dinesh Thiru. Set in the Year 2532, Las Vegas is now a city completely underwater and a veritable treasure trove for scuba divers. Watch out for pirates, kidnappings, and sea monsters to deal with along the way. Sounds fantastic!
Author: Dinesh Thiru
Publication date: January 23, 2024
Genre: adventure, dystopia
Setting: Year 2532; sunken city of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
Recommended for: Grades 8-12
Themes: treasure hunts, scuba diving, death of a parent (father), poverty, sea monsters, siblings, rising sea levels, climate change, kidnapping, pirates
Protagonist: female, age 18, South Asian
Starred reviews: Kirkus and Publishers Weekly
Pages: 368
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
For Jin Haldar, this life is nothing new—ever since her father died in a diving accident, she’s barely made ends meet for her and her younger sister, Thara.
Enter Bhili: a drifter who offers Jin and Thara the score of a lifetime—a massive stash of gold hidden in the sunken ruins of Las Vegas.
Jin knows it’s too dangerous. She stopped diving after her father’s accident. But when her sister decides to go, Jin’s left with only one choice: to go with her.
A ragtag crew is assembled—including Jin’s annoyingly hot ex-boyfriend. From there, a high-stakes heist ensues that’s beyond even Jin’s wildest fears.
Crumbling ruins, sea beasts, corsairs, and a mysterious figure named João Silva all lie in wait. To survive, Jin will have to do what she promised herself she’d never do again: dive.
Author: Tyffany D. Neiheiser
Publication Date: January 23, 2024
Genre: supernatural, thriller
Recommended for: Grades 9-12
Themes: car accidents, abuse, ghosts, stalking, PTSD, Prom night, trauma, alcoholism, fear
Protagonist: female, HS junior, white,
Starred reviews: no starred reviews
Pages: 416
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Charlotte survived the car crash that killed her boyfriend Jerry, but that night, everything changed. Charlotte wants desperately to get back to “normal,” –whatever that means now– and start reconnecting with friends she hasn’t spoken to in months.
And she’s trying to work through her PTSD with the help of her therapist, only she can’t tell the truth about Jerry or what really happened the night he died.
Just when Charlotte thinks she might be moving on, someone starts sending her threatening messages claiming to be Jerry, saying things only he would know.
But it can’t really be Jerry because there’s no such thing as ghosts.
Author: Ann Fraistat
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Genre: mystery, gothic horror
Setting: Madame Clery’s House of Masks, a creepy older home with a questionable past that the protagonist's mother grew up in
Recommended for: Grades 7-12
Themes: bipolar disorder, creepy Victorian mansions, insects, recent suicide attempt (protagonist), seances, masks, ghosts, body horror, mental health
Protagonist: female, age 16, white, recently diagnosed as bipolar III
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly and Kirkus
Pages: 464
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
The house was supposed to be a fresh start. That’s what Libby’s mom said. And after Libby’s recent bipolar III diagnosis and the tragedy that preceded it, Libby knows she and her family need to find a new normal.
But Libby’s new home turns out to be anything but normal. Scores of bugs haunt its winding halls, towering stained-glass windows feature strange, insectile designs, and the garden teems with impossibly blue roses.
And then there are the rumors. The locals, including the mysterious boy next door, tell stories about disappearances tied to the house, stretching back over a century to its first owners. Owners who supposedly hosted legendary masked séances on its grounds.
Libby’s mom refuses to hear anything that could derail their family’s perfect new beginning, but Libby knows better. The house is keeping secrets from her, and something tells her that the key to unlocking them lies in the eerie, bug-shaped masks hidden throughout the property.
We all wear masks—to hide our imperfections, to make us stronger and braver. But if Libby keeps hers on for too long, she might just lose herself—and everyone she loves.
Author: Emma Lord
Publication date: January 23, 2024
Genre: romance
Setting: summertime, New York City, New York, USA
Recommended for: Grades 7-12
Themes: childhood friends to lovers, camping, road trips, self-discovery, adventures, taking chances, personal growth, family problems
Protagonist: female, age 18, white, recent high school graduate
Starred reviews: Publishers Weekly
Pages: 320
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
The day of her high school graduation, Riley realizes two things: One, that she has spent the last four years trying so hard to be a Good Kid for her mom that she has no idea who she really is anymore, and two, she has no idea what she wants because of it.
The solution? Pack her bags and move to New York for the summer, where her childhood best friend Tom and co-creator of The Getaway List ― a list of all the adventures they’ve wanted to do together since he moved away ― will hopefully help her get in touch with her old adventurous self, and pave the road to a new future.
Riley isn’t sure what to expect from Tom, who has been distant since his famous mom’s script-writing career pulled him away.
But when Riley arrives in the city, their reconnection is as effortless as it was when they were young―except with one, unexpected complication that will pull Riley’s feelings in a direction she didn’t know they could take.
As she, Tom, and their newfound friends work their way through the delightfully chaotic items on The Getaway List, Riley learns that sometimes the biggest adventure is not one you take, but one you feel in your heart.
Author: Ellen Oh
Publication Date: January 23, 2024
Genre: adventure, romance
Setting: Washington, DC
Recommended for: Grades 7-12
Themes: superheroes, supervillains, superpowers, mean girls, K-dramas, webcomics, grief, writing, art, being stuck in one’s own story
Protagonist: female, HS senior, Korean American
Starred reviews: no starred reviews
Pages: 304
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
When Mina Lee woke up on Saturday morning for SAT prep, she did NOT expect to:
- Nearly be fried by a superhero who turned out to be a supervillain.
- Come face to face with Jin, the handsome boy of her dreams.
- Discover a conspiracy involving the evil corporation Merco that she created.
And it’s all happening in her fictional world. Mina is trapped in the story she created. Now it’s up to her to save everyone. Even if it means losing Jin forever.
Author: Brian D. Kennedy
Publication date: January 23, 2024
Genre: romance, rom-com, classic retelling
Setting: private school in Minnesota, USA
Recommended for: Grades 8-12
Themes: theater, My Fair Lady, school musicals, makeovers, ex-boyfriends, LGBT+
Protagonist: male, high school senior, white, gay
Starred reviews: no starred reviews
Pages: 352
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Wade Westmore is used to being in the spotlight. So when he’s passed over for the lead in the spring musical, it comes as a major blow—especially when the role goes to his ex-boyfriend, Reese, who dumped him for being too self-involved.
Shy sophomore Elijah Brady is used to being overlooked. Forget not knowing his name—most of his classmates don’t even know he exists. So when he joins the stage crew for the musical, he seems destined to blend into the scenery.
When the two have a disastrous backstage run-in, Elijah proposes an arrangement that could solve both boys’ problems: If Wade teaches Elijah how to be popular, Wade can prove that he cares about more than just himself. Seeing a chance to win Reese back, Wade dives headfirst into helping Elijah become the new and improved “Brady.”
Soon their plan puts Brady center stage—and he’s a surprising smash hit. So why is Wade suddenly less worried about winning over his ex and more worried about losing Elijah?
Author: A.K. Small
Publication Date: January 16, 2024
Genre: romance, realistic fiction
Setting: Paris, France
Recommended for: Grades 8-12
Themes: art, artists, fashion design, feathers, plumology, grief, death of best friend, self-discovery, musicians, car accidents, apprenticeships
Protagonist: female, age 17, French
Starred reviews: no starred reviews
Pages: 336
PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY
Alix Leclaire has a plan: graduate high school and land her dream job as a feather artist at Mille et une Plume, where her creations will help define high fashion. Her best friend Jeanne will get a record contract and they’ll take over the Paris art scene together.
But then Jeanne dies.
Alix is lost, until the day she feels Jeanne pushing her to the feather boutique. Soon, Alix is living a life she hardly recognizes—pursuing a passionate affair with an alluring artist, stealing feathers for her own creations, risking everything as Jeanne once did. But then Alix meets Blaise, the dreamy musician who comforts her, centers her, challenges her.
Torn between two beautiful boys and coping with grief, Alix’s art takes on a frightening and wild beauty. Living like Jeanne has given her everything she thought she wanted—but she must decide whether to hide in Jeanne’s shadow or soar on her own wings.
THE LINKS YOU’LL NEED FOR JANUARY
- January 2024 – YA Books – Google Slides presentation – click “use template” to make a copy – share with students and teachers! Remember that this presentation will eventually include all YA Spotlight titles for January 2024.
- Printable list of all January 2024 Spotlight titles – sorted by genre and grade level group; click “use template” to make a copy
- The Ginormous Book List – this week’s YA titles are #3787 – #3792 on The Ginormous.
MORE JANUARY 2024 NEW RELEASE SPOTLIGHTS
ABOUT THE SPOTLIGHT
The New Release Spotlight began in May 2016 as a way to help librarians keep up with the many new children’s and YA books that are released each week.
Each week, school librarian Leigh Collazo compiles the New Release Spotlight using a combination of Follett’s Titlewave, Amazon, Goodreads, and Barnes and Noble. Recommended grade levels represent the range of grade levels recommended by professional book reviewers. See the full selection criteria here.
Inevitably, there are far more books that meet my criteria than can make it on the Spotlight. When I have to make the tough decisions on what to include, I just use my “librarian judgment.” Would I buy this book for my own library? Would my students want to read this book? Is the cover appealing? Does it fill a need?