Unconventional YA Love Stories. A List of Romantic Reads to Finish off the Week.

2/15/2017

Who knew that the day after Valentine's day was going to be so busy. After a day full of meetings, I was left thinking about a little more romance. I decided to put together a quick list of "romance" books that I like. I don't drift to the genre automatically. i tend to select realistic fiction when I get the chance. Some of these my not seem like traditional romance selections and others will. The one guarantee is that these books are reader approved. I like them and these are books that students have always liked. In this short post I will list the author attached to the authors website when possible and each cover images is linked to a Kirkus review so that you can have an outside view of the book. Enjoy!

We start with a Rainbow Rowell selection, Eleanor and Park.

Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss was one of my first attempts at reading YA romance. I enjoyed the experience.

I think that Jerry Spinelli's Stargirl is an interesting take on the a story. What do you think?

I don't think I have ever had more fun with a Romeo and Juliet remake than I did with Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies. Zombies with a touch of classic vinyl, what more do you need.

Benjamin Alire Saenz's Aritstotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is one of the most important romance novels written in the last ten year. Just sayin' and clearly my opinion. :)

Every Day by David Levithan takes an interesting approach to the challenges of young love. Romance and little bit of fantasy never hurt anybody.

In my opinion, Angela Johnson's The First Part Last deserves all of the praise it garnered when it was first published in 2003. Maybe it is time for new generation to explore this novel.

Only a few books have premiered with as much success as John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. If you don't know this book maybe it is time to find out what the fuss was all about. Oh, and then there is that movie.

This next book by Jennifer Niven took me absolutely by surprise. I loved it.

I think there is no question that Sarah Dessen is the queen of the YA romance novel. If you a hesitant to embrace the genre, try this one.

Perhaps I am just sucker for YA romance novels built on music, but David Levithan and Rachel Cohn's Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist is a winner. Once again, the novel is better than the movie, but that is worth a night on the coach as well.

While Sarah Dessen might be the queen of the YA romance novel, Simone Elkeles is the queen of the edgy YA romance novel.

Dr. Steve Bickmore
Creator and Curator

Dr. Bickmore is a Professor of English Education at UNLV. He is a scholar of Young Adult Literature and past editor of The ALAN Review and a past president of ALAN. He is a available for speaking engagements at schools, conferences, book festivals, and parent organizations. More information can be found on the Contact page and the About page.

Dr. Gretchen Rumohr
Co-Curator

Gretchen Rumohr is a professor of English and writing program administrator at Aquinas College, where she teaches writing and language arts methods. She is also a Co-Director of the UNLV Summit on the Research and Teaching of Young Adult Literature. She lives with her four girls and a five-pound Yorkshire Terrier in west Michigan.

Bickmore's
Co-Edited Books

Meet
Evangile Dufitumukiza!

Evangile is a native of Kigali, Rwanda. He is a college student that Steve meet while working in Rwanda as a missionary. In fact, Evangile was one of the first people who translated his English into Kinyarwanda.

Steve recruited him to help promote Dr. Bickmore's YA Wednesday on Facebook, Twitter, and other social media while Steve is doing his mission work.

He helps Dr. Bickmore promote his academic books and sometimes send out emails in his behalf.

You will notice that while he speaks fluent English, it often does look like an "American" version of English. That is because it isn't. His English is heavily influence by British English and different versions of Eastern and Central African English that is prominent in his home country of Rwanda.

Welcome Evangile into the YA Wednesday community as he learns about Young Adult Literature and all of the wild slang of American English vs the slang and language of the English he has mastered in his beautiful country of Rwanda.

While in Rwanda, Steve has learned that it is a poor English speaker who can only master one dialect and/or set of idioms in this complicated language.

Blogs to Follow