Teens @ the Rowley Public Library

Before we dive into February tomorrow, did you miss any of these YA books that came out in January?

1. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry: A time-bending, beautiful romance about Natalie’s last summer in her Kentucky hometown before college.

2. The Dark Days Club by Alison Goodman: A paranormal adventure set in early 1800′s London from the bestselling author of Eon and Eona! 

3. I Was Here by Gayle Forman: The heartwrenchingly powerful novel from the bestselling author of If I Stay is now in paperback!

4. Kalahari by Jessica Khoury: This breathtaking novel about five teens stranded in the Kalahari Desert is now in paperback!

5. The Radiant Road by Katherine Catmull: An atmospheric, fairy-filled tale of magic, friendship, and self-discovery.

6. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry 40th Anniversary Special Edition by Mildred D. Taylor, illustrated by Kadir Nelson: Celebrate 40 years of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry with this new edition illustrated by Kadir Nelson and wish a forward by Jacqueline Woodson!

7. Once Upon a Kiss by Robin Palmer: An irresistible time travel tale about Zoe Brenner, who gets transported from 1986 to 2016.

2016 is around the corner. Are you ready for the new year? Join me on my 2016 reading challenge! You can do it all at once or space it out over the year. 

When you use the #RTBChallenge2016 I will pick one random person a month and make them a coloring page out of their username! (make sure you accept messages!)

“It was amazing what the mind could recall and re-create - even things the dreamer could never remember when awake. It was like dreaming was a secret doorway into places forgotten or deliberately buried.”

You know that friend who wishes everyday life had a little bit more magic? Here’s what to get them for the holidays. We used our gift guide to round up 8 books perfect for the fantasy fanatic in your life!

Get more recommendations and make your OWN wish lists with our holiday gift guide here!

1. An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

In the cruel Martial Empire, one step out of line means the destruction of everything you hold dear. How far would you go for what matters most? 

2. Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes

Perfect for fans of Game of Thrones, this series is a rush of battles, betrayals, and bargains in the kingdoms of ancient Mytica.

3. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh

Every evening, the Caliph of Khorasan takes a new wife, only to have her executed in the morning. 16-year-old Shazi marries him seeking revenge, but once she enters his palace…she’ll find out that not everything is as it seems.

4. Soundless by Richelle Mead

Fei lives in a world without sound, but after she hears a piercing noise for the first time, she’ll start to question everything she’s ever been taught. 

5. The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Adelina’s been mistreated because of the scars and strange powers that a blood fever left her…but now’s her time to fight back and take what she wants. 

6. Triple Moon by Melissa de la Cruz

Twin witches Molly and Mardi have been sent away to learn to control their powers, but trouble boils around every corner – especially when they meet the handsome Gardiner boys.

7. The Glass Sentence by S.E. Grove

Sophia Tims is on the hunt for her uncle in the New World, which was formed by the Great Disruption of 1799, when each of the continents was flung into a different time period.

8. Atlantia by Ally Condie

Attanya: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because I love science fiction and fantasy books, but I’m tired of authors treating dragons and robots and magic as more plausible than black and brown characters

Jennifer: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because… when I was 13 a white girl told me it was selfishthat all of the protagonists in my stories were Latina because she “just can’t relate to nonwhite characters.” She made me feel guilty for writing about people like me. 

Aiesha: #WeNeedDiverseBooks because…Black Girls are more than sidekicks or “sassy, ghetto friend”

Facts and Figures About Race/Ethnicity in YA and Children’s Lit:

88% of the books on the 2013 Publisher’s Weekly YA Bestsellers were about white protagonists

93% of the authors on the 2013 Publisher’s Weekly YA Bestsellers were white authors

85% of the books on the 2014 Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list were about white protagonists 

90% of the authors on the 2014 Young Adult Library Services Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults list were white authors

91% of the authors on the 2013 New York Times’s Bestseller Lists for YA and Children’s Lit were white authors. 

According to the 2012 Cooperative Children’s Book Center, only 3.3% of books were about African-American protagonists; only 2.1% were about Asian and Pacific Islander protagonists; only 1.5% were about Latinx protagonists; and only 0.6% were about Native American protagonists. That means over 90% of children’s books surveyed were about white protagonists.

#WENEEDDIVERSEBOOKS