Today's list is books for teens. Teens can be hard to buy for. These are some of my favorites, but remember you can't go wrong with a gift card (and honoring their choices for what they'd like to spend it on). Consider these for adults who enjoy reading YA, too.
Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang (First, Second, 2020). I loved this graphic novel memoir from superstar Gene Luen Yang. Not only a self-deprecating memoir of Yang's learning curve with basketball and the changes that he and the team go through, this is an action-packed sports story and the book dips its toe into sports history, as well. Sports fans will definitely appreciate this book, but there's a lot for the nerdy quiet kids who don't care about basketball, too.
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender (Balzer + Bray, 2020). This is a wonderful queer teen love story about finding yourself and really embracing your identity and declaring yourself worthy of love just as you are. Felix is trans, but still questioning his identity, obsessed with applying to Brown University and just as obsessed with the idea that he might not get in, and desperate to fall in love and be loved in return, but he's equally afraid of even trying. This is a joyful book that doesn't shy away from tough questions about identity, but definitely ends on a hopeful note. Give this one to teens interested in genderqueer characters and realistic fiction.
Heartstopper Vol. 1 and Heartstopper Vol. 2 by Alice Oseman (Graphix, 2020). Charlie's gay and has been out at his all-boys school since last year. When Charlie meets Nick and Nick invites him to join the rugby team, Charlie's best friend makes fun of him - how could he hang out with a rugby guy? But there's something sparking between Charlie and Nick. The only problem? Nick is straight... or so he thinks. I devoured this delightful graphic novel and have been waiting not-so-patiently for volume 2 to be published in the US. You'll definitely want to pick up both volumes and a gift card for the third (due out in the US in May 2021) if you have a reader who enjoys queer graphic novels.
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (Balzer + Bray, 2020). This intense, moving novel in verse is a perfect choice for teens interested in social justice. Co-written by a member of the Exonerated Five, this is the story of a boy wrongfully incarcerated who turns to art to deal with his anger and despair. It's gorgeously written and would make a great choice for fans of The Hate U Give or Long Way Down.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown (Balzer + Bray, 2020). Malik will do anything to protect his family, even making a deal with a vengeful spirit who tasks him with killing the princess of Ziran. Princess Carina has aspirations of her own and her plans include murdering Malik. This magical fantasy full of political intrigue has a plot full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. I'd hand it to fans of Children of Blood & Bone or The Hunger Games.
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020). Traci Chee explores the incarceration of Japanese American citizens during WWII through the eyes of 14 different Japanese American teens. Rounded up with their families and sent from San Francisco to live in horse stalls in Tanforan and then barracks in larger camps, these 14 teens range in age from 13-20 and give a wide range of perspectives as they grow up and start becoming the adults they will become all while being incarcerated without having committed any crimes. While some chapters are more lighthearted than others, this is a powerful book that is perfect for fans of George Takei's graphic memoir They Called Us Enemy or Ruta Sepetys's multiple-point-of-view historical fiction like The Fountains of Silence.
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson (Scholastic, 2020). If you're looking for something on the lighter side, You Should See Me in a Crown is the small-town-Indiana queer prom rom com of your dreams. Liz Lighty wouldn't be caught dead in her school's super serious competition for prom queen, until necessity drives her to enter the competition in search of the scholarship money offered as a prize. As she gets ready (makeover time!) and her friends help her campaign, Liz learns about herself and challenges her school's too-narrow idea of what a prom queen should and can be. Pick this one if you have fans of books like Dumplin' by Julie Murphy.
For the first 12 days of November, I'll be posting a list of children's books perfect for gift giving this holiday season. Check out the full list of lists here to see what's coming. All the lists link to IndieBound to make it easy for you to find an independent bookstore to buy from (and as an IndieBound affiliate, shopping through those links supports me, too!). Independent bookstores need our support more than ever this year, so please shop local if you can or if you don't have a local independent bookstore, please consider ordering online from my local indie Carmichael's Bookstore.