New YA Books Out This Week, October 16, 2024

Senior Excursion is the talk of Warner Prep. It’s a trip the seniors take and they’re so ready for the exclusive adventure.

But instead of showing up somewhere amazing, the teens are sent to an isolated ski chalet in Colorado. It’s a digital detox program and is going to be SO BORING.

Then one by one, students are dropping dead. What’s going on? Now the teens are bound and determined to figure out what’s going on before they’re taken down—and it’s a surprise blizzard keeping them further trapped that will unravel dangerous secrets and more.

Fancy Augustine, a 15-year-old Haitian American, is desperate for an invite to THE party of the year: Imani Park’s birthday. Fancy’s bestie has gotten an invite and not only that, it turns out that Tilly has had a secret boyfriend all along, too.

Then Fanny strikes a deal with Imani for an invite, but it’ll require that Fanny find a date for the party. Now Fanny promises to make a voodoo potion for her crush Rahim if he plays the role of her boyfriend. But as these promises build up, Fanny finds herself not only falling behind in school but straining her friendship with Tilly and more.

Fans of global retellings will love this romantic take on Chinese folktale.

Prince Xian’s mother was bit by a white snake when he was a young boy and the bite meant a slow and painful death for her. The only way to reverse the curse is a spirit pearl, which was created by the white snake. Now old enough to travel and try to find a spirit pearl, Xian travels to Changle, where an oracle said such a pearl awaits.

Zhen, a white snake, consumed one of those pearls seven years ago, and with it came the ability to transform into a human shape.

When Xian arrives in Changle and meets Zhen, the chemistry between them is strong and immediate. But Zhen realizes that he’s what Xian is looking for not as a partner, but as an antidote to the curse. What will happen when they realize romance may not be in the cards?

This sounds like the kind of campy mystery that we simply do not have enough of in YA. An immediate comparable that comes to mind is the short-lived—way too short lived—Deadly Cool series by Gemma Halliday.

The story follows Quinn Marcelo, who is pretty much your average teen in high school except that she plays the secret role of Peaches the Parrot, the beloved school mascot.

But the Peaches costume is ruined at the Homecoming Game, and now, Olivia’s secret identity is known and she feels humiliated. Making the exposure even worse is that Little Peaches, a real parrot that was used as part of the Peaches’ performances, was stolen when the costume was ruined.

Now Olivia is determined to find out what happened, but she’s going to take everyone down along the way…with rumors and conspiracy theories that might only further harm her reputation.

The name of the high school in this book is Olivia Newton-John High and I cannot stop laughing.

Readers who love post-apocalyptic fantasy will want this standalone on their TBR.

Monsters arrived, taking down the power and cities in their wake. Most people fled west for safety, but the dragon-like creatures continued to follow them. But among those who didn’t leave were Thomas and Cassie. When their paths intersect, they team up, determined to not only survive but to bring hope and a bright future to those who left. The duo will travel west, too, bringing with them an optimism they know their community so desperately needs amid the ruin.

They’ll just need to defeat these little monsters first.

Noni Reid has grown up with a mother who is a renowned Black literature scholar, and Dr. Castine is offered the role of president at Stonepost College in Virginia, she and Noni relocate. They’ve moved into a house on Tangleroot Plantation, and Noni has to reckon with losing her friends, her old school, and an internship she was really excited about.

Cuffee Fortune, one of Noni’s ancestors, built Tangleroot Plantation, and Dr. Castine is convinced that Cuffee is also responsible for founding Stonepost College. She is making it her mission to find proof and use it to change the name of the school in his honor.

Noni is not settling in well. She feels uncomfortable with the history of Tangleroot and specifically, the white slaveholding family who lived there. As she begins to learn even more about the history of the Plantation, she is forced at every turn to face the racist history, legacy, and contemporary realities in her new community.

When she discovers a secret that uproots everything, Noni finds herself in a position where fitting in and making a home become even more difficult.

In 1722, Babylou Mac killed the local preacher’s son after he murdered her mother in front of her and her siblings. To escape to safety, Babylou and her siblings head into the Great Dismal Swamp. It’s dangerous, but the swamp will provide them protection.

Fast forward 300 years and Atlas returns to North Carolina to celebrate Bornday, the day 19 years ago she and her cousins were all born. It’s a birthday the four share with their GrannyLou, but this year, as GrannyLou tells stories of the swamp, they’re not simply folklore. The Dismal seems to be coming alive before their eyes.

When the Dismal sucks GrannyLou in, Atlas and her cousins will begin to unravel the dark history of the area and their family. GrannyLou is not necessarily who they thought her to be—she’s BabyLou, and the swamp is here to showcase to her family the power it holds, thanks in big part to her.