YA Contemporary Fiction
DEAD WEDNESDAY by Jerry Spinelli
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Perfect Day.
Worm murmurs it on the bus–not loudly; he’s shy, after all–but soon it’s picked up by the rest of the eighth graders as their mantra and their cheer. It’s the second Wednesday in June, “Dead Wed” in Worm’s small Pennsylvania town, a day that school administrators designed to scare the eighth graders out of future reckless behavior but that every eighth grader knows as the day they can get away with anything. In homeroom, they will each receive a black shirt and a card with the name and picture of a teenager who died in PA last year as a result of preventable car accidents or dangerous stunts–and from that moment, every eighth grader will be “dead.” No teacher can acknowledge their presence, not even to stop them from walking out of school if they feel like it. Perfect Day.
But Worm’s perfect day veers off course almost immediately when the dead girl from his card, Rebecca Finch, starts showing up in real life. He’s the only one who seems to be able to see her or speak to her, although she’s 100% real and tangible. Becca doesn’t know how she ended up back on Earth, but she’s positive it has something to do with Worm. She’s here to save him–because let’s face it, Worm hasn’t really been living. As Mean Monica once announced, he needs to get a life. As Becca drags Worm on an impulsive jaunt around his hometown, Worm starts to realize that there is more than one way to “be bold” and that maybe Becca needs some saving of her own.
This novel is exquisite. It exists somewhere between middle grade and YA, between fantasy and realistic fiction, but the book is full of betweens. Becca is caught between life and death, Worm between middle school and high school, childhood and adulthood, responsibility to his parents and individuality, a desire to be noticed and a desire to fade into the background. The narrative is masterfully woven, sending readers on an undulating emotional journey that builds to its climax so subtly that it is both unexpected and grounded. There is humor, realistically cringe-worthy teen interactions, and true heartache (warning to parents: this may upset you more than it will your kids), and Worm’s personal journey is authentic and meaningful. This book is a must-read for middle schoolers and an excellent pick for M.S. book clubs.
SUNNY SONG WILL NEVER BE FAMOUS by Suzanne Park
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Sunny doesn’t get why all the adults in her life are so hung up on get social media accounts. After all, it was her mom who got her into posting videos in the first place, after turning toddler-Sunny into a viral, Gangnam Style-singing sensation. And Sunny has enough followers of her own now that she’s been able to monetize her sites and earn some money for college (and, okay, vintage clothes).
But when Sunny takes her top off, not realizing she’s still live-casting a cooking video (#brownieporn), she finds herself shipped off to “digital detox” camp in Iowa. On a farm in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by other so-called social media addicts who are as reluctant to be there as she is, Sunny is desperate to get back online. But when she starts connecting with the cutest boy in camp, she starts to wonder if maybe there is something to be said for being social without the media.
A cute, light rom-com featuring a Korean American protagonist, SUNNY SONG WILL NEVER BE FAMOUS invites readers to think about the “why” behind their social media usage. Are we online for the fame or attention of follows and views? Or are we there for the connections and relationships we can form? I’d recommend this one to YA contemporary readers, especially those looking for a fun beach-read type book.
AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT by Tahereh Mafi
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In just a year, Shadi’s life has been upended. Since her brother died, her mother has unraveled. Her father is in the hospital, likely to die, and Shadi can’t even pretend to be sad about it. Her sister only speaks to her to pick a fight. Her best friend hates her. And worst of all, her country has gone to war with Iraq, and though her family doesn’t come from Iraq, because Shadi wears hijab, her entire community seems to blame her for the tragedies and consequences of 9/11. As Shadi shuffles through her life, trying to keep her head down and to keep her grief at bay, her ex-best friend’s brother suddenly reappears in her life, and her delicate balance collapses. She will finally have to confront the traumas in her life and process the heartbreak that preceded it all.
A story of love, family, heartbreak, and forgiveness, this recent-historical novel will appeal to readers of YA contemporary fiction and difficult, gut-wrenching romances. The poetic prose elevates what would already have been a beautiful narrative into something truly exquisite. I highly recommend it to YA readers and book clubs.
RADHA AND JAI’S RECIPE FOR ROMANCE by Nisha Sharma
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Radha was one dance away from winning the international kathak dance championship when her world turned upside down. Her mother was having an affair with one of the judges. Not only did that call all of Radha’s dance achievements into question, but it meant that her family was breaking up. Life as she knew it was over.
After a difficult semester dealing with her parents divorce, Radha and her mother move from Chicago to New Jersey. Radha’s mother agrees to pay for her college tuition next year, under one condition: that Radha enroll and complete all of the requirements for a dance track at a prestigious performing arts high school. Radha agrees, but secretly plans to find a way out of the performance requirement. She lost all her dance joy last winter when everything fell apart. But Radha didn’t count on meeting Jai, a skilled Bollywood dancer with a heap of his own family drama. As Radha and Jai’s friendship deepens, they each realize that the decisions they each thought were best for themselves and their families might put their relationship in jeopardy. Can they overcome the obstacles to connect with their inner joy–and each other?
A sweet, fun romance with a healthy dose of drama and heart. Relationships are key as Radha learns to relate to both of her parents individually while Jai learns to accept his family’s support and let go of his need to take care of everyone around him whether they want it or not. A great pick for fans of contemporary YA romance.
FAKING REALITY by Sara Fujimura
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Dakota knew it would be a horrible idea to tell Leo she was in love with him. So then why did she do it? And in the walk-in fridge of his family’s Japanese restaurant–could she get any more ridiculous? Fortunately, the cameras that usually follow her family around for their HGTV reality show aren’t allowed in the Matsuda’s restaurant. The last thing she needs is another public humiliation like last year’s Homecoming.
But Leo’s rejection is just the start of Dakota’s problems. The reality show is in its last season, and the producer wants to give America’s DIY Princess a televised Sweet Sixteen bash. The catch: she’ll need to audition actors to play her date. Could this be the opportunity Dakota needs to get over Leo before their summer trip to Japan? Or will it be yet another humiliating disaster?
I loved the voice and cast of this adorable YA romance. Dakota is a quarter Japanese and Fujimura incorporates Japanese culture and language seamlessly throughout the narrative. I also appreciated the “reality diva” twist: that Dakota stars in an HGTV show where she gets to renovate houses and other building projects. You don’t expect a “TV princess” to show up in steel-toed work boots, and it is awesome. The gradual build of the romance was actually less engaging for me than Dakota’s personal growth, wrestling with issues of privacy and agency and the pros/cons of being a ratings success. Highly recommend to fans of fun, hopeful, but thought-provoking YA contemporary fiction!
HURRICANE SUMMER by Asha Bromfield
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Tilla doesn’t want to spend the summer in Jamaica. She’s not nervous about hurricanes, like her mother. The source of Tilla’s anxiety is her father who she hasn’t seen in over a year–and who she hasn’t forgiven for abandoning her family.
But when Tilla and her little sister arrive in the Jamaican countryside, she finds even more cause to worry. Her father is out of town for weeks and her aunts, uncles, and cousins do their best to make her feel unwelcome. It seems like everything about her is wrong on the island: her poor command of Patois, her “mod” Afro, the clothes she wears, the fact that she has had the opportunity to go to school–all of it brands her as a rich foreigner. The only bright spot is her friendship with her cousin Andre, who also faces discrimination from the family since his skin is darker than everyone else’s. As Tilla struggles to fit in and to find some sort of relationship with her father, the casual bullying of her extended family takes a dark turn, leading Tilla to question her identity and self-worth.
HURRICANE SUMMER explores some of the same themes as THE POET X (family, religion, the sexualization of girls) but in a heavier, more dramatic way. There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the novel warning of sexual violence, and I appreciated the heads up as the story turned darker. That said, while this novel is not brimming with hope, Tilla’s strength and her refusal to break under the bullying–or to let the bullies break Andre–kept me going through, and I’m still thinking about the issues it raised days later. Also, the immersive world-building of summer on the island is thrilling. For readers who enjoy darker contemporary YA, especially about dysfunctional families, this is one that you’ll want to grab!
INSTRUCTIONS FOR DANCING by Nicola Yoon
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Evie used to love romance novels. But that was before she caught her dad cheating on her mom. As she brings a box of her once-beloved books to the library to donate, she’s stopped by an old woman who offers her a weather-beaten copy of a ballroom dance manual in exchange. And on the way home, Evie is horrified to discover that the woman gave her something else, too: the ability to see the future.
Not just any future. Whenever she sees a couple kiss, she gets a vision of the heartbreak that awaits at the end of their relationship. Desperate to cure herself, she goes to the ballroom dance studio listed in the back of the old book. But instead of finding the woman who cursed her, she meets X, an aspiring rock star who basically checks every box on the stereotypical perfect hero of a romance novel list. As Evie and X become dance partners, then friends, Evie wrestles with the question: is love worth a future broken heart?
A truly exceptional, must-read YA romance! There are too many strengths to list, so I’ll stick with a few of my favorites:
First, these characters breathe. All of them are so alive, so real, so packed with genuine human emotions and motivations. No secondary character is neglected.
Second, this is a romance about heartbreak and loss (don’t worry, there’s an HFN) but it also made me laugh out loud. As with the characters, the plot and prose are packed with the full range of human emotion.
Third, there is a chapter where the narrator summarizes a bunch of romance novel tropes, and it is amazing.
And finally, this sentence: “Sometimes I think love is the reason language was invented.”
FIERCE AS THE WIND by Tara Wilson Redd
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Miho was heartbroken when her boyfriend broke up with her, but she assured him she understood. He’d gotten drunk, he’d gotten his ex pregnant, and he had to take responsibility. What other option was there?
Of course that was before she went on the ex’s Instagram and realized that he’d been dating her all along. The ex wasn’t the Other Woman; Miho was.
As she’s on the beach burning all of the gifts he gave her, she sees a banner advertising the Ironman triathalon, a Hawaii tradition, and it feels like a sign. She’s never been much of a runner, but she can swim, and she can bike. 140 miles sounds like a lot, but Miho is determined. With her friends as her support team, Miho starts training for the race, hoping that by proving she can do this one, impossible thing, she’ll find a way to believe in her future.
The core of this book is community. Every scene with Miho’s friends is bursting with love and laughter. And this community gives the reader–and Miho, though she doesn’t realize it at first–a hopeful support to lean against as she works through some very dark feelings of worthlessness springing from the actions of her ex and the casual racism and classism she encounters everywhere. It’s impossible not to root for Miho as she builds her self-esteem along with building her physical and mental endurance for the triathalon. Recommended for fans of YA contemporary fiction.
SMOKE by Darcy Woods
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Honor’s dad has suffered from flashbacks since he returned from Iraq before she was born, but lately they seem to be getting worse. When she discovers a letter in his dresser announcing a change to his benefits–and a loss of money they count on to make ends meet–Honor is horrified to imagine losing the house. Or worse, losing the greenhouse business that’s their livelihood. Honor doesn’t want to burden her older brother, who already takes it upon himself to protect her from bullies, so she comes up with a plan on her own. If she could set up her own grow-room, she could sell marijuana, just until she earns enough money to pay off the family’s debt. But breaking into the drug business has its dangers, and when she begins to suspect that her bullies aren’t behind all of the mysterious harassments she’s been facing, Honor has to decide what she’s willing to sacrifice–and who she wants to be.
So refreshing to find a book “about” PTSD that isn’t soul-crushing! The depiction of Honor’s dad’s mental illness is gritty and real–as is the anxiety Honor experiences as a result–but what this book is really about is the lengths to which a person will go to help the people they love. So despite the heavy thematic material, the suspense and thriller elements, and the nebulous shades of morality, hope and love are consistent threads. For all her questionable choices, Honor’s deep, emotional motivations compel readers to cheer for her–even at the moments where we’re watching her destroy a relationship. This book is excellent. The drug trade might preclude it from many classrooms and book clubs, but there is a lot of meat for discussion here. I highly recommend it to fans of YA contemporary and character-driven thrillers.
ZARA HOSSAIN IS HERE by Sabina Khan
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Zara may be the only Muslim at her Corpus Christi high school, but for the most part, her life is good. She has two best friends who get her, an awesome social justice club where she gets to make a real difference in her community, the absolute coolest teacher and mentor (who’s queer like her!), and loving parents who accept and support her for who she is. She’s almost done with her applications to all the Ivy League colleges, and her dad’s green card application is just a few months from being accepted.
In fact, life would be pretty great if it weren’t for Tyler.
Zara deals with microaggressions all the time, but football start Tyler takes the racism and xenophobia to a new level. And when his bullying turns violent, all of the good things in Zara’s life are suddenly threatened, including her family’s green card. Faced with the prospect of returning to Pakistan–where she could never be openly bisexual–Zara frantically searches for a way for her family to stay in Texas. Because America is where you come for a better life, right?
Zara finds no easy answers in this nuanced novel about racism, homophobia, and the gut-wrenching flaws in America’s immigration and justice systems. But despite the hard-hitting subject matter and complete lack of sugar-coating, Zara’s indomitable voice and the love and idealism that bind her to her support community keep the novel enjoyable and hopeful even in the darkest moments. An honest and rousing call for change through a character’s frustrating, heartbreaking struggle to be treated as human–highly recommend!
Susan the Librarian 