I typically read a lot of YA, but I felt like I read a lot of
diverse YA this year, and have challenged myself to read even more diverse YA
fiction next year. My top 5 YA books read this year are typically white, I’ll
admit, but there’s a good one about gender identity and one with different
races, cultures, and a very eye-opening perspective about being an illegal
immigrant.
In order from most recently published to
oldest:
Geekerella by Ashley Posten (2017). I don't like scifi or the
related conventions, and I'm not a fan of fairy tale retellings, therefore
you'd think Geekerella is not the book for me. But it drew me in with the
quirky cover, and when I started the first page, I was hooked. You kind of
forget it's a Cinderella story because the plot is so interesting, and the
characters are great. You're rooting for Elle from the beginning, hating her
evil stepmother and stepsisters, and you also get sucked into the story of
Starfield and the fandom surrounding the show. I totally loved this book and
already want to re-read it! It's going to be a hit.
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart (2016). I LOVED this book.
Beautifully written, with an amazing storyline that wasn't overshadowed by
having a transgender character. Instead of the book only being about a
transgender character and using that attention to build hype, this book truly
stands on its own as a wonderful, touching story about family and acceptance.
The transgender issues were perfectly addressed, though, without being too
easily overcome or coming across as too preachy. I highly recommend this book
to everyone.
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (2016). I loved Everything, Everything when I read it last year, so I
couldn’t wait to read Nicola Yoon’s second book. Natasha is all about science
and facts. Daniel is a poet and a dreamer. Their paths cross by total
coincidence and changes the course of their lives. The book is tied together
from different characters’ points of view, as well as different sections of
facts about science, coincidence, poetry, and dreams. This book is beautiful and
suspenseful because of the ticking clock of Natasha’s family possibly being
deported. Nicola Yoon is quickly rising in the ranks to become my favorite
author, and I already want to re-read both of her books. I can’t recommend her
enough.
Pretending to Be Erica by Michelle Painchaud (2015). I really
loved the concept of this book. The jacket blurb didn’t really explain much so
I wasn’t sure what the story was about, but I started it and loved the writing
so I kept going and was SO thrilled with the subject matter and how it was
written. LOVE. Highly recommend, but can’t say too much because I don’t want to
give it away. Read this book without reading too much about it beforehand.
Can’t wait for more from this author.
Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy (2015). Love love LOVE this book! I
had heard a lot about it but had to wait to get my hands on a copy of it. I
read it in less than a day! Murphy is an excellent writer, and I wanted to
crawl inside her world and live there for a week or so. Willowdean’s mom was a
beauty queen in Texas, and has fit into her pageant dress every year since.
Willowdean, on the other hand, is fat and doesn’t try to hide it. After her
aunt, who was more like a second mother, passes away, Willowdean tries to find
the confidence she used to have in herself, instead of in others.
