Spring Break Recommendations for you TBR Pile
| Our guest contributor is Eddie Young. He is a first time contributor and we are thrilled to have him. Eddie can be found reading voraciously, traveling, watching and analyzing films, or seeking out local hidden food gems when he's not writing or teaching. He is an educator passionate about creative writing who offers inspiration and community. He is a graduate of Pomona College and the Breadloaf School of English. |  |
| As we all know, spring break is upon us (or already here), and it’s the perfect time to catch up on our TBR (To-Be-Read) piles. I thought I would suggest some YA books that both my mentees and I have loved over the past few years for your spring break reading pleasure: We Are Not Free by Traci Chee is for the realistic historical fiction buffs. This book confronts the US’s Japanese internment camps during WWII through a kaleidoscopic cast of narrators. Apparently, these narratives were inspired by Chee’s own family history, and the poignancy of these characters’ experiences is both timely and urgently necessary. |  |
 | Legendborn by Tracey Deonn is the story of a young African-American woman, Bree, who stumbles upon a secret society comprised of the heirs of Arthurian legends. When she discovers they are somehow involved in the death of her mother, she infiltrates the group to uncover its secrets. This book is a great pick for both reluctant and strong readers. It has fast-paced fantasy action, enemies-to-lovers romance, and a compelling twist on Arthurian legend that incorporates socio-historical commentary. |
| The Getaway by Lamar Giles takes place in a not-too-distant future where class inequity and climate change have forced some people to basically become indentured servants at an amusement park resort called Karloff County. When the government collapses and a group of the world’s most powerful people arrives at the park, our protagonist, Jay, learns the chilling lengths people are willing to go to maintain power. This one is for your junior horror fans. The ideas are more disturbing than the details, but definitely read it with the lights on! |  |
 | A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson is a trilogy perfect for your true crime aficionados and mystery nuts. Pip begins a senior project that seems heavily inspired by the podcast Serial in which she tries to clear the name of a local man convicted of killing his girlfriend when they were in high school. As Pip delves deeper into the mystery, she uncovers long-hidden secrets that lead to a trilogy. I’ll say that I found the first book to be what I expected, but the second book surprised me and the third book blew me away. Mentees who have devoured all three books have generally said similar things (one mentee read the series in reverse order and still enjoyed it!). |
| Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson is another great mystery series (five and counting), so of course you should begin with the first book. This one is a little bit of a cozier mystery than A Good Girl’s Guide. Ellingham Academy is a secluded school for especially gifted young adults, and it is also the site of an unsolved murder from over 70 years ago. Stevie Bell is admitted to the school with the express intent to solve this cold case, and she quickly runs awry of a modern-day murderer. I haven’t met a mentee who didn’t enjoy this series. The series has a great cast of quirky characters who all grow in realistic ways that resonate with adolescents and adults. |  |
 | Paper Girls by Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang is a graphic novel heavily influenced by such cinematic and literary classics as Back to the Future, The Goonies, and A Wrinkle in Time; however, it has a modern sensibility that resonates with mentees. Four paper girls (maybe this one is close to my heart because I delivered papers in high school) go on a journey through space and time to help save…reality after being attacked by a mysterious alien being. |
| The Honeys by Ryan LaSala is a horror/fantasy hybrid that both terrifies and makes you yearn for summer to get here already. A non-binary youth returns to a sinister summer camp after the mysterious death of their sister and finds that they have to contend with a mysterious group of girls nicknamed “the Honeys” to get to the bottom of things. This book deals with gender identity and social dynamics in a chillingly entertaining way. |  |
 | I’m sure you all have probably witnessed the phenomenon that is Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, but the platonic to romantic love story between Nick and Charlie is one of the few books on this list that my mentees read repeatedly and sometimes have to negotiate who gets to read it on a particular day. This series deals with important subjects like healthy relationships, body image, bullying, and identity with a light but deft hand. I even found that I gained better socioemotional skills reading it! |
Hopefully, this list gave you ideas for your spring break reading! I’d love to hear about books you and your mentees have loved.
RSS Feed