Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog?
Did you get a chance to touch base with that teen or young adult in your life last week? Take some time this week and talk about what they like to read. If they happen to mention one that interests them, suggest going to the bookstore with them and picking one out.
Hey teens and young adults! Ideas are always needed and welcomed for those adults in your life who may want to pick up something for you.
March’s Theme – National Reading Month
National Reading Month is an author’s dream come true. Throughout the month of March, teens across America will be doing a lot more reading with activities that will take place throughout the month to promote reading. This month we also try to close the learning gap by promoting reading, the cornerstone to learning.
This month, I am centering this theme on my blogs and mentor page. Check out my mentor page and see how I am focusing on it Selma P. Verde – Mentor Page
Another fun thing I am doing to celebrate National Reading Month is to track the number of pages I read this month. So far, I am at 1045 (through last night).
My Book of the Month Selections
Each month I select a Book of the Month which goes along with the theme of that month. On the first Monday Morning Blog of the month, I do a feature and review of that book. I read many other books outside of the Book of the Month. They come from many genres and are mostly fiction (but I have been known to sprinkle a few non-fiction ones in there).
What makes a good YA read?
It can be a hard thing to pick out a good read for someone else. We were at a local bookstore in Red Wing, Minnesota called Fair Trade Books where the owner, Richard DeVoe, of the store greeted Jim and I and asks us if it was our first time there. We said it was, so he responded that since it is your first time here, you get a free book, and I will pick it out for you. He did a great job of picking a book out for each of us.
Everyone likes different books. And for teens, it can be harder because if they aren’t readers, then it will have to capture hem right from the start. Below are three reads that have not been featured as Book of the Month but are popular titles for young adults. I will be reading these in the near future and let you know what I think of them.
Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
This is the debut novel for Rainbow Rowell. It is a story of two misfits from Omaha, Nebraska who meet on the school bus on Eleanor’s first day of school. They come together over comic books and mixed tapes of 80s music which winds up sparking a love story between them. This one has been on my radar for quite awhile and I look forward to reading it in the near future.
Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez
I typically don’t pick up a fantasy book very often but have decided to branch out a little bit and add a few fantasy books to my to be read list this year. This is the first book in the Woven in Moonlight series and is a political fantasy based on recent events in Boliva.
Ximena is the decoy Condesa, a stand-in for the last remaining Illustrian royal. Her people lost everything when the usurper, Atoc, used an ancient relic to summon ghosts and drive the Illustrians from La Ciudad. Now Ximena’s motivated by her insatiable thirst for revenge, and her rare ability to spin thread from moonlight.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
This is debut novel as well. It is part crime fiction and part coming of age.
Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.
A couple more good YA reads
Both of the books in my series, The Way Series, focus on high school and the challenges teens can face. Book one, The Hard Way, focuses on peer pressure and making choices with the approval of peers being a factor. Book two, Shawn’s Way, shows a freshman in high school navigating his way through being the target of a bully. Check out the books tab of my website for more information and how to purchase your own copies, Selma P. Verde – Books
Hopefully one of my suggestions above can help you to find a good read for your teen or young adult. Or maybe spark a conversation about books with your teen. Let me know what good YA reads you know about in the comments below.
