Top 5 Young Adult titles for September 2021
by Sophie Green
Looking for some new YA titles to read this September? Take a look at our top picks, from supernatural thrillers to advice on how to own your choices.
Endgame, by Malorie Blackman
It is 20 years in 2021 since Malorie Blackman's groundbreaking series began with 'Noughts & Crosses', which charted the deeply forbidden romance between Sephy (a Cross) and Callum (a nought) - a love affair which had repercussions for their families for generations. 'Endgame', the breathtaking conclusion to the series, influenced by the unprecedented global events of recent years, is full of twists and turns and emotions, with its incredible characters reaching a dramatic conclusions to their stories.
Grown: the black girl's guide to glowing up, by Melissa Cummings-Quarry
Being a teenager and trying to understand who you are and what you stand for is hard. Period. But if you're a Black girl and don't always see yourself represented in the books you read, the films you watch, the adverts you see or the history you're taught, it can be even tougher. From understanding identity to the politics of hair to maintaining squad goals to dealing with microaggressions to consent to figuring out what career you might want, 'Grown' has got your back. Natalie A. Carter and Melissa Cummings-Quarry share stories and offer honest, practical advice that will show you how to own your choices.
Green rising, by Lauren James
Gabrielle is a climate-change activist who shoots to fame when she becomes the first teenager to display a supernatural ability to grow plants from her skin. Hester is the millionaire daughter of an oil tycoon and the face of the family business. Theo comes from a long line of fishermen, but his parents are struggling to make ends meet. On the face of it, the three have very little in common. Yet when Hester and Theo join Gabrielle and legions of other teenagers around the world in developing the strange new "Greenfingers" power, it becomes clear that to use their ability for good, they'll need to learn to work together.
The hideaway, by Pam Smy
'The Hideaway' tells the story of a boy, Billy McKenna, who runs away from a difficult situation at home and takes refuge in an overgrown graveyard. While hiding there he meets an elderly man who is tending the graves in preparation for a day in November when something magical is set to happen. The book is written in two alternating narratives, both different aspects of the same story. One thread tells of Billy's experience of hiding away in the graveyard, his mixed-up feelings and emotions, and the supernatural events he eventually witnesses. The other tells of his mother's situation at home and the police search for Billy.
Not here to be liked, by Michelle Quach
Falling in love wasn't part of the plan. Eliza Quan fully expects to be voted the next editor-in-chief of her school paper. She works hard, she respects the facts, and she has the most experience. Len DiMartile is an injured star baseball player who seems to have joined the paper just to have something to do. Naturally, the staff picks Len to be their next leader. Because while they may respect Eliza, they don't particularly like her - but right now, Eliza is not here to be liked. She's here to win. But someone does like Eliza. A lot. Shame it's the boy standing in the way of her becoming editor-in-chief.