Riot Headline The Best Books of 2024
Lists

4 More YA Books About Aliens and the Unknown

Tirzah Price

Senior Contributing Editor

Most of Tirzah Price's life decisions have been motivated by a desire to read as many books as humanly possible. Tirzah holds an MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has worked as an independent bookseller and librarian. She’s also the author of the Jane Austen Murder Mysteries, published by HarperTeen, and Bibliologist at TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations. Follow her on Twitter @TirzahPrice.

Lerner Books.

With distance learning, teens are having to manage their time and attention now more than ever. Procrastination is especially tough for young adults. We are all wired to put things off, but we can learn tools and techniques to kick this habit. This book is a user-friendly guide to help teens get their tasks done. Simple, straightforward, and with a touch of humor, it's packed with practical solutions and easily digestible tips to stay on top of homework, develop a sense of time, manage digital distractions, create easy-to-follow routines, and get unstuck.

Welcome to Halloween season! I am so thrilled to embrace all things creepy and horror, and that includes speculative books that explore elements of the unknown, such as aliens. Whether you’re in the mood for something on the lighter end of the spectrum, or an unsettling book that has you questioning everything, we’ve got you covered with these three newer releases and a backlist title!

Bent Heavens

Bent Heavens by Daniel Krause

This is hands down one of the creepiest books I’ve read in a while! It’s about Liv, whose dad disappeared two years ago, not long after he claimed he was abducted by aliens and set traps in the woods to catch them. Liv doesn’t believe in aliens, but out of loyalty to her dad, she checks the traps each week with her friend Doug. Just as she decides to give up and destroy the traps so she can move on with her life, she finds something in one of the traps that proves her dad wasn’t lying, and he hadn’t lost his mind—in fact, he might have been telling the truth all along.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

In a future where an alien race called the Ilori has invaded Earth after a violent misunderstanding, humanity lives in treacherous times and any expression of emotion is dangerous—so by extension, all art and media is forbidden. Ellie runs a secret library, which is one day discovered by an Ilori commander. He knows he should report Ellie, but instead he’s drawn to human music and can’t get enough. Together, he and Ellie must figure out a way to break the rules and save humanity and Ilori from more conflict.

When the Sky Fell on Splendor by Emily Henry

Five years ago, Franny’s life and her community were changed forever when the local steel mill exploded. Now, she and a group of friends who call themselves The Ordinary spend their time investigating the supernatural and strange, everything from ghosts to supernatural experiences that they then share on their YouTube channel. They know it’s mostly just harmless fun, until the night they see something in the sky that just can’t be explained away, and their lives change once more.

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

This book is a few years old, but so worth reading if you haven’t had the chance to pick it up yet! Reese and her debate partner are out of state at a competition when birds begin falling out of the sky, grounding all planes. They get in a car to drive home from the southwest to San Francisco, only to end up in a car accident when a bird flies into the car. They wake up in a military hospital, and are quickly sent on their way without any explanation—but everything has changed after this experience, and Reese finds herself searching for answers about what really happened the night of the crash, which leads to her uncovering a global conspiracy.


Want more 3 on a YA Theme? We’ve got you covered.