Need to start your (YA,MG, KidLit) reading list for 2021?
January 1, 2022 9:55 AM Subscribe
This post pulls together a few resources with book recommendations for Yong Adult, Middle Grade, and Children's Literature that I learned about via the Rutgers' University Master of Information program. Don't let these age categories turn you off! As Sammie at The Bookwyrm's Den writes, "Fun fact: reading level is a myth after you hit a certain point. Well … it’s kind of a myth at every point, but that’s a discussion for another time. Once you’re an adult, you no longer have a reading level. You have books that you enjoy and books you don’t." (emphasis mine)
"Jennifer Jazwinski (Jen J.) is an Early Literacy Librarian in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago." Since 2011, Jazwinski publishes the Starred Review spreadsheet
which "collates the stars from six different journals: Booklist, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Horn Book, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly."
Dr. Brad Gustafson and Jennifer LaGarde do weekly BookTalks on YouTube using the #ReadThisNow. If you'd like straight list format, LaGarde publishes one on her website.
Colby Sharp publishes his Awesome Book List (2021) and has already started one for 2022. Sharp is a founding member of the Nerdy Book Club who host the Nerdies every year to promote the best reads of the year.
"Jennifer Jazwinski (Jen J.) is an Early Literacy Librarian in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago." Since 2011, Jazwinski publishes the Starred Review spreadsheet
which "collates the stars from six different journals: Booklist, the Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Horn Book, Kirkus, School Library Journal, and Publishers Weekly."
Dr. Brad Gustafson and Jennifer LaGarde do weekly BookTalks on YouTube using the #ReadThisNow. If you'd like straight list format, LaGarde publishes one on her website.
Colby Sharp publishes his Awesome Book List (2021) and has already started one for 2022. Sharp is a founding member of the Nerdy Book Club who host the Nerdies every year to promote the best reads of the year.
I really enjoyed A Master of Djinn by P. Djeli Clark. The mystery isn’t all that hard to figure out but the world and the characters are very fleshed out and interesting. It’s based on a short story called A Dead Djinn in Cairo if you want a taster first.
posted by Uncle at 10:26 AM on January 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
posted by Uncle at 10:26 AM on January 1, 2022 [4 favorites]
My favorite read of the last year was City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert. It scratched an itch I didn't even know I had to read mostly about women in a book that showed women who wanted and enjoyed sex in a fascinating time period in New York.
It was in the English fiction section of the main library in my small, Swedish city. I remembered it had good reviews, so I borrowed it. The library (in any town in any city I am in) happens to be my main resource for finding good reads. Thanks for this post, CMcG!
posted by Bella Donna at 10:27 AM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
It was in the English fiction section of the main library in my small, Swedish city. I remembered it had good reviews, so I borrowed it. The library (in any town in any city I am in) happens to be my main resource for finding good reads. Thanks for this post, CMcG!
posted by Bella Donna at 10:27 AM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard is absolutely delightful, and I'm very happy to find that there are also several novellas set in the same world. I'll be diving into them as soon as I finish Hands.
posted by mollweide at 11:08 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 11:08 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
One of my kids, 14 and not a reader, asked for some graphic novels for Christmas. Some were from a series popular with the elementary school set, and have "8+" on cover. I came this close to saying something about them being too young for him, but then I remembered we don't believe in that BS around here. Sometimes these retrograde ideas are just lurking in the brain, waiting to come out and crush someone's soul.
posted by Well I never at 11:26 AM on January 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Well I never at 11:26 AM on January 1, 2022 [5 favorites]
I loved Girl Mans Up by M E Girard, excellent YA exploration of gender identity and friendship.
Also Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and all the Simon Snow books that followed, starting with Carry On. Also YA.
I have been finding new books to read using my usual method of just taking out random library books that catch my eye. A method that usually doesn't work, but every now and then I strike gold.
posted by Zumbador at 11:47 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell and all the Simon Snow books that followed, starting with Carry On. Also YA.
I have been finding new books to read using my usual method of just taking out random library books that catch my eye. A method that usually doesn't work, but every now and then I strike gold.
posted by Zumbador at 11:47 AM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
When I was a kid in the late '70s - early '80s, I started reading my grandmother's Stephen King novels she had laying around her house. Original hardcovers of The Stand, The Shining, 'Salem's Lot, etc. I was around nine years old when I started reading these, and I certainly didn't do it in secret. I guess my parents didn't really know who King was or what his books were about, and my grandmother (who was a fan) didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that I was reading them.
In retrospect, this all seems kind of weird. There were certain movies and TV shows I couldn't watch (though not many) but the adults in my life just let me read unedited Stephen King novels. It all seemed normal to me at the time. I likely didn't understand some of the content, but I loved all the horror and the "adult" nature of the books.
posted by SoberHighland at 12:14 PM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
In retrospect, this all seems kind of weird. There were certain movies and TV shows I couldn't watch (though not many) but the adults in my life just let me read unedited Stephen King novels. It all seemed normal to me at the time. I likely didn't understand some of the content, but I loved all the horror and the "adult" nature of the books.
posted by SoberHighland at 12:14 PM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I really hoovered up A Deadly Education and have the sequel waiting in one of these piles.
Other YA I've read in the last couple years really pleased me because it's generally so unpretentious - interesting, relatable characters and a compelling story told with good pacing. I had a minor breakthrough along the lines mentioned above when I realized that this isn't necessarily written for a "lower reading level" or younger audience exactly, but simply written well enough to be accessible to a wider audience without dumbing itself down. I don't have to feel "guilty" like I'm letting down some imaginary literature snob within myself. Reading is fun!!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:14 PM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
Other YA I've read in the last couple years really pleased me because it's generally so unpretentious - interesting, relatable characters and a compelling story told with good pacing. I had a minor breakthrough along the lines mentioned above when I realized that this isn't necessarily written for a "lower reading level" or younger audience exactly, but simply written well enough to be accessible to a wider audience without dumbing itself down. I don't have to feel "guilty" like I'm letting down some imaginary literature snob within myself. Reading is fun!!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 1:14 PM on January 1, 2022 [2 favorites]
I love reading YA, Middle Grade, and Children’s books because they always always get me thinking about the craft of writing. Ally Carter’s nonfiction YA book “Dear Ally, How do you write a book?” fundamentally changed how I read for the better. It opened new windows and doors for me as a reader and made me feel like I could actually write. Highly recommend it!
posted by CMcG at 1:20 PM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by CMcG at 1:20 PM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
Thanks for sharing this! I buy YA books for my library and this will be helpful. I wish I liked to read YA more but I don’t, so I’m always looking for more resources.
I can’t narrow it down to one but the two books I loved this year that took me most by surprise were Hamnet and Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
posted by lyssabee at 2:01 PM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
I can’t narrow it down to one but the two books I loved this year that took me most by surprise were Hamnet and Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
posted by lyssabee at 2:01 PM on January 1, 2022 [3 favorites]
The World Science Fiction Society presents the Lodestar Award along with the Hugo's. This years entries (winner at the top):
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)
A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)
Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)
posted by Runes at 2:41 PM on January 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking, T. Kingfisher (Argyll Productions)
A Deadly Education, Naomi Novik (Del Rey)
Elatsoe, Darcie Little Badger (Levine Querido)
Legendborn, Tracy Deonn (Margaret K. McElderry/ Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
Cemetery Boys, Aiden Thomas (Swoon Reads)
Raybearer, Jordan Ifueko (Amulet / Hot Key)
posted by Runes at 2:41 PM on January 1, 2022 [1 favorite]
A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking was better than I expected, even after reading really effusive reviews. It was a great fantasy story for any "age bracket," and a very good YA story.
posted by wenestvedt at 4:49 PM on January 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by wenestvedt at 4:49 PM on January 1, 2022 [7 favorites]
I’m learning to enjoy graphic novels and my favorite in the genre last year was Nate Powell’s superb Save It for Later: Promises, Parenthood, and the Urgency of Protest (come discuss on FanFare!). Timely, relevant, sincere, and well-made.
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:54 PM on January 1, 2022
posted by MonkeyToes at 5:54 PM on January 1, 2022
I really hoovered up A Deadly Education and have the sequel waiting in one of these piles.
That's one of my favorite books, from any year, of any genre. The sequel is more of the same. It's glorious.
posted by gurple at 9:08 PM on January 1, 2022
That's one of my favorite books, from any year, of any genre. The sequel is more of the same. It's glorious.
posted by gurple at 9:08 PM on January 1, 2022
When I write a children' book, I think about Venn diagrams.
If I'm only in the circle of Stuff I Am Excited To Write About, kids will be bored.
If I'm only in the circle of Stuff Kids Are Excited To Read About, kids will sense that I'm pandering to them.
But if I'm in that magic space where the two circles overlap, I can write passionately and be read passionately.
I think most good kidlit authors have a similar approach. If we're doing our job right, grownups should be able to enjoy our books just as much as kids. So I'm excited to see this discussion and I'm loving the recommendations. CMcg, thanks for starting the thread!
Two of my favorite books of 2021:
Watercress, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin. This is the book I cite when I want people to see how much emotion and nuance you can pack into a single picture book.
The Raconteur's Commonplace Book by Kate Milford. This is book five in Milford's Greenglass House Middle Grade Series. Although the books mostly stand on their own, I'd encourage you to start with Greenglass House and read in publication order, so you can appreciate all the echoes and easter eggs between them. Milford is incredible at worldbuilding, and the series has tremendous cumulative power. All the little evocative details slowly build up into a deeply compelling fictional universe.
posted by yankeefog at 2:30 AM on January 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
If I'm only in the circle of Stuff I Am Excited To Write About, kids will be bored.
If I'm only in the circle of Stuff Kids Are Excited To Read About, kids will sense that I'm pandering to them.
But if I'm in that magic space where the two circles overlap, I can write passionately and be read passionately.
I think most good kidlit authors have a similar approach. If we're doing our job right, grownups should be able to enjoy our books just as much as kids. So I'm excited to see this discussion and I'm loving the recommendations. CMcg, thanks for starting the thread!
Two of my favorite books of 2021:
Watercress, written by Andrea Wang and illustrated by Jason Chin. This is the book I cite when I want people to see how much emotion and nuance you can pack into a single picture book.
The Raconteur's Commonplace Book by Kate Milford. This is book five in Milford's Greenglass House Middle Grade Series. Although the books mostly stand on their own, I'd encourage you to start with Greenglass House and read in publication order, so you can appreciate all the echoes and easter eggs between them. Milford is incredible at worldbuilding, and the series has tremendous cumulative power. All the little evocative details slowly build up into a deeply compelling fictional universe.
posted by yankeefog at 2:30 AM on January 2, 2022 [2 favorites]
The whole Wells and Wong series (Murder Most Unladylike) by Robin Stevens is great. She wrote The Guggenheim Mystery, follow up to Siobhan Dowd's The London Eye Mystery. I read the entire series in 2021 and it rekindled my love of cozy mysteries. One of the short story collections has a section on other mystery readers, which lead me to discover Ngaio Marsh and also pushed me to read Agatha Christie's Sparkling Cyanide. Now I am collecting graphic novel adaptations of Christie's better known stories.
Christelle Dabos has a series called the Mirror Visitor (La Passe-Miroir), which has some really great world building and political intrigue. It is labeled Young Adult, because Ophelia is 17-18, but it did not feel overly teen angsty to me.
posted by soelo at 6:50 AM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
Christelle Dabos has a series called the Mirror Visitor (La Passe-Miroir), which has some really great world building and political intrigue. It is labeled Young Adult, because Ophelia is 17-18, but it did not feel overly teen angsty to me.
posted by soelo at 6:50 AM on January 2, 2022 [1 favorite]
My five year old loved all of the books from the Rabbit and Bear series we discovered this year.
posted by amil at 11:12 AM on January 2, 2022
posted by amil at 11:12 AM on January 2, 2022
With my Christmas money, I pre-ordered a bunch of books coming out through the year. Here's the list, with the YA ones in bold:
January 18: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
January 25: The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord
February 1: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (maybe YA? not sure)
March 1: One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
March 15: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
March 22: Disorientation by Elaine Chou
April 5: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
April 12: An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
April 19: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
April 19: Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
May 3: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
May 3: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
May 10: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
June 7: Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perrotta
July 26: A Strange And Stubborn Endurance, Foz Meadows
August 2: The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
August 2: The Unfortunates, J K Chukwu
August 9: High Times In The Low Parliament, Kelly Robson
August 23: The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
September 13: Monsters Born And Made, Tanvi Berwah
September 27: The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance #3) by Naomi Novik
posted by joannemerriam at 6:20 PM on January 2, 2022
January 18: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
January 25: The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord
February 1: I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (maybe YA? not sure)
March 1: One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
March 15: The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
March 22: Disorientation by Elaine Chou
April 5: The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
April 12: An Arrow to the Moon by Emily X.R. Pan
April 19: Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
April 19: Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse
May 3: I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston
May 3: When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill
May 10: Siren Queen by Nghi Vo
June 7: Tracy Flick Can’t Win, Tom Perrotta
July 26: A Strange And Stubborn Endurance, Foz Meadows
August 2: The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid
August 2: The Unfortunates, J K Chukwu
August 9: High Times In The Low Parliament, Kelly Robson
August 23: The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal
September 13: Monsters Born And Made, Tanvi Berwah
September 27: The Golden Enclaves (The Scholomance #3) by Naomi Novik
posted by joannemerriam at 6:20 PM on January 2, 2022
The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard is absolutely delightful, and I'm very happy to find that there are also several novellas set in the same world
There are a whole bunch of related books, but it’s hard to explain how they all do and don’t fit together. And it can be a bit confusing e.g. The Return of Fitzroy Angursull is sometimes referred to as a sequel to Hands, and while it does continue directly after it, it’s not what I would call a sequel exactly. Here’s the author’s suggested reading order in case it helps.
posted by scorbet at 12:32 AM on January 3, 2022
There are a whole bunch of related books, but it’s hard to explain how they all do and don’t fit together. And it can be a bit confusing e.g. The Return of Fitzroy Angursull is sometimes referred to as a sequel to Hands, and while it does continue directly after it, it’s not what I would call a sequel exactly. Here’s the author’s suggested reading order in case it helps.
posted by scorbet at 12:32 AM on January 3, 2022
I think my favourite thisyear was probably The Mask of Mirrors and The Liar’s Knot by M.A. Carrick (okay that’s two, but they’re the first two in a trilogy. They’re about a young woman attempting a con in a sort of Renaissance Venice-adjacent city, when she ends up with more than she bargained for. They’re full of secret identities and fun. I’d also highlight Scales and Sensibility by Stephanie Burgis, for sheer fun!
I find out about a lot of books via Twitter or other social media like Patreon or Discord - in particular, several of the authors I follow try and highlight other books coming out, and talk about the ones they enjoyed, which often tells me enough as to whether I should investigate further.
posted by scorbet at 1:35 AM on January 3, 2022
I find out about a lot of books via Twitter or other social media like Patreon or Discord - in particular, several of the authors I follow try and highlight other books coming out, and talk about the ones they enjoyed, which often tells me enough as to whether I should investigate further.
posted by scorbet at 1:35 AM on January 3, 2022
I came in to recommend A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking too, and saw that you folks are way before me. The world building is a bit vague at places but the magic system is simply charming.
posted by of strange foe at 1:29 PM on January 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by of strange foe at 1:29 PM on January 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
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posted by CMcG at 9:58 AM on January 1, 2022