I still have a bunch of 2020 YA books I gotta talk about because YOU GUYS NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEM!! They’re mostly from Macmillan, but there’s a bunch of wonderful titles I’m excited to read.
With only a month away from the new year and century, you’ll want to get your eyeballs into these books! Korean history murder mystery, a magical French history, and a high school basketball team, yes plz.
The Silence of Bones by June Hur
I have a mouth, but I mustn’t speak;
Ears, but I mustn’t hear;
Eyes, but I mustn’t see.
1800, Joseon (Korea). Homesick and orphaned sixteen-year-old Seol is living out the ancient curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Indentured to the police bureau, she’s been tasked with assisting a well-respected young inspector with the investigation into the politically charged murder of a noblewoman.
As they delve deeper into the dead woman’s secrets, Seol forms an unlikely bond of friendship with the inspector. But her loyalty is tested when he becomes the prime suspect, and Seol may be the only one capable of discovering what truly happened on the night of the murder.
But in a land where silence and obedience are valued above all else, curiosity can be deadly.
Why would I want to read The Silence of Bones? It’s a love letter to Korean history. It’s not every day—or any day in recent memory—you get a Young Adult book set in Joseon (aka modern day Korea). A Korean teenager essentially being a sleuth, I’m all for that! And the fact that she’ll be sticking her nose into something that aren’t acceptable in her culture, very excited for that struggle.
Will other readers enjoy this? Yes! Everybody loves murder mysteries.
In the Shadow of the Sun by EM Castellan
It’s 1661 in Paris, and magicians thrill nobles with enchanting illusions. Exiled in France, 17-year-old Henriette of England wishes she could use her magic to gain entry at court. Instead, her plan is to hide her magical talents, and accept an arranged marriage to the French king’s younger brother.
Henriette soon realizes her fiancé prefers the company of young men to hers, and court magicians turn up killed by a mysterious sorcerer who uses forbidden magic. When an accident forces Henriette to reveal her uniquely powerful gift for enchantments to Louis, he asks for her help: she alone can defeat the dark magician threatening his authority and aid his own plans to build the new, enchanted seat of his power – the Palace of Versailles.
Why would I want to read In the Shadow of the Sun? Doesn’t everybody want to read about a French historical fiction with magic in it? I’m excited to see how the magic is interwoven into the Palace of Versailles, and what type of threats Henriette has to face.
Will other readers enjoy this? This book sounds magical, so yeah.
Gene understands stories—comic book stories, in particular. Big action. Bigger thrills. And the hero always wins.
But Gene doesn’t get sports. As a kid, his friends called him “Stick” and every basketball game he played ended in pain. He lost interest in basketball long ago, but at the high school where he now teaches, it’s all anyone can talk about. The men’s varsity team, the Dragons, is having a phenomenal season that’s been decades in the making. Each victory brings them closer to their ultimate goal: the California State Championships.
Once Gene gets to know these young all-stars, he realizes that their story is just as thrilling as anything he’s seen on a comic book page. He knows he has to follow this epic to its end. What he doesn’t know yet is that this season is not only going to change the Dragons’s lives, but his own life as well.
Why would I want to read Dragon Hoops? I love Gene Luen Yang’s work, so I will read any graphic novels/memoirs he puts out. So fascinated to see how he presents the past and the present, and how he begins to understand basketball.
Will other readers enjoy this? Yes!
I really want to read In The Shadow of the Sun, it sounds totally up my alley! Historical fiction and magic, yes please.