The 5 YA Books I'd Reach for Today by Laurie Faria Stolarz

For this month on the blog, we’re chatting about our favorite YA reads. Honestly, it’s wayyyyyyyy too difficult to choose just five. I have so, so, so many titles that I love (and for various reasons, including content, plot, character, style, setting, voice, emotional resonance, etc., etc.) Also, my favorites change with my mood. 
 
But, if you’re asking me to pick, today, what my five favorites are? My mood has me reaching for these:
 
1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Prior to reading the novel, Selective Mutism was something I hadn’t really heard much about, so I was fascinated by this piece of the novel – the idea that trauma could steal one’s voice or that silence could become a coping mechanism, a brain’s way of protecting the self. So interesting. The story itself was relatable too; the trauma aside, I felt Anderson did a really excellent job of conveying the teen high school experience with its cliques and pressures. I also loved how Anderson played with form a bit. And, the narrator’s voice??? So, so good. Add in interesting characters and page-turning drama. I was sold.
 
Here’s the publisher’s description: Freshman year at Merryweather High is not going well for Melinda Sordino. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, and now her friends—and even strangers—all hate her. So she stops trying, stops talking. She retreats into her head, and all the lies and hypocrisies of high school become magnified, leaving her with no desire to talk to anyone anyway. But it’s not so comfortable in her head, either—there’s something banging around in there that she doesn’t want to think about. She can’t just go on like this forever. Eventually, she’s going to have to confront the thing she’s avoiding, the thing that happened at the party, the thing that nobody but her knows. She’s going to have to speak the truth.
 
 
2. Burned by Ellen Hopkins
Omg, this one was a wallop of emotion for me. I’m a big fan of Hopkins’ and love her other work too, but this one just stood out for me. I loved that the novel didn’t skirt any issues. It’s raw and heartfelt, posing questions about faith, love, loyalty, and good versus evil. The free verse was so artfully done. I loved how Hopkins played with structure, fully conscious of every word and line, and how they appeared on the page. So good.
 
Here’s the publisher’s description: It all started with a dream. Just a typical fantasy, but for a girl raised in a religious—and abusive—family, a simple dream could be the first step toward eternal damnation. Now Pattyn Von Stratten has questions. Questions about God, and sex, and mostly love. Will she ever find it? Pattyn experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control.
Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of rural Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she finds instead is love and acceptance, and for the first time she feels worthy of both—until she realizes that her old demons will not let her go. Those demons lead Pattyn down a path to hell—not to the place she learned about in sacrament meetings, but to an existence every bit as horrifying.
 
 

3. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

I've read this book so many times. It explores that period of time when you’re not quite a kid but not quite ready to be an adult, and meanwhile people are aging/maturing all around you, and your perception of them is changing. You begin to see your parents differently – more human. And, you begin to see your friends as moving on a different path from yours… It’s a graphic novel, and the story and imagery are equally lush. This is a book I read in awe, page after page. There’s so much here – so much nuanced goodness. The characters are distinct, interesting, and unexpected. The writing is smart and brimming with nods to theme and subtext. I LOVE this book.
 
Here is the publisher’s description: Every summer, Rose goes with her mom and dad to a lake house in Awago Beach. It's their getaway, their refuge. Rosie's friend Windy is always there, too, like the little sister she never had. But this summer is different. Rose's mom and dad won't stop fighting, and when Rose and Windy seek a distraction from the drama, they find themselves with a whole new set of problems. One of the local teens - just a couple of years older than Rose and Windy - is caught up in something bad... Something life threatening.
 

4. Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block
Like Hopkins, but in a very different way, I admire so much what Block is able to do with language. She’s a sheer poet with her words, descriptions, and sense of rhythm. Her characters are unique, interesting, textured, nuanced, and fearless. Her setting is nothing short of magical. I remember reading the book for the first time and being in sheer awe at the language and word choice.
 
Her is the publisher’s description: Francesca Lia Block’s dazzling debut novel, Weetzie Bat, is not only a genre-shattering, critically acclaimed gem, it's also widely recognized as a classic of young adult literature, having captivated readers for generations. 
This coming-of-age novel follows the eponymous Weetzie Bat and her best friend Dirk as they navigate life and love in a timeless, dreamlike version of Los Angeles. When Weetzie is granted three wishes by a genie, she discovers that there are unexpected ramifications….
 

5. Stolen by Lucy Christopher
I haven’t read a lot of novels that are told in the second person point of view, so I love that about this one. The whole novel is structured as a letter to the main character’s captor. From the first page, I was hooked by the character’s voice: her anger, though complicated and nuanced, was fascinating to read. I loved how richly textured and complex the main character was; there was nothing black and white here, only shades of gray. It was fascinating to follow Gemma’s arc through such a traumatic experience – and to see her come out a survivor (no spoilers in that since we know she’s okay from page one). The novel is suspenseful and uncomfortable and explores Stockholm Syndrome in a way that felt authentic. 
 
Here is the publisher’s description: A girl: Gemma, 16, at the airport, on her way to a family vacation. A guy: Ty, rugged, tan, too old, oddly familiar, eyes blue as ice. She steps away. For just a second. He pays for her drink. And drugs it. They talk. Their hands touch. And before Gemma knows what's happening, Ty takes her. Steals her away. To sand and heat. To emptiness and isolation. To nowhere. And expects her to love him. Written as a letter from a victim to her captor, Stolen is Gemma's desperate story of survival; of how she has to come to terms with her living nightmare--or die trying to fight it.