A 2012 Publishers Weekly Best YA Book
A 2012 School Library Journal Best Book
A 2012 Kirkus Reviews Best YA Book
A 2012 Library Journal Best YA for Adults Book
A 2012 BookPage Best Children's Book
A 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Young Adult Literature Winner
A 2012 Los Angeles Public Library Best Teen Book
A 2012 Lambda Literary Award Finalist
A 2013 YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book
A 2013 Carolyn W. Field Award Winner
A 2013 Rainbow List Top Ten Book
A 2013 Capitol Choices Noteworthy Titles for Children and Teens Book
A 2013 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choices Book
A 2013 James Cook Teen Book Award Winner
A 2014 Tennessee Volunteer Book Award Nominee
A 2014 Texas Tayshas Reading List Top Ten Book
A 2014 Milwaukee County Teen Book Award Honor Book
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A 2014 Illinois Abraham Lincoln HS Book Award Winner
A 2014 Tennessee Volunteer State Book Award Winner
A 2014 Washington Evergreen YA Book Award Winner
* "Quite possibly the best teen novel featuring a girl questioning her sexuality written in years."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "Another thoughtful, and often breathtaking, achievement for King, whose star is ascending as quickly as one of Astrid's planes."—Booklist, starred review
* "At once much more than a coming out novel and one of the best coming-out novels in years.... Funny, provocative, and intelligent, King's story celebrates love in all of its messy, modern complexity."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* "Will appeal to any mature teen resisting the pressure to conform or rebel [and] anyone who wants to define herself on her own terms."—School Library Journal, starred review
* "For kids struggling with their own truths, it can be hard to believe how much light there is once you come out of the cave. This is a book that knows and understands that, and it's one that readers will believe."—The Bulletin, starred review
* "A furiously smart and funny coming-out-and-of-age novel."—The Horn Book, starred review
"Astrid is a model of strength and compassion.... Good reading for everyone."—VOYA
"King has penned a work of realism that is magical in the telling."—Cooperative Children's Book Center
Even people who have fans can be fans, and below, 8 young adult authors talk about the time their love for a writer, an actor, or a boy-band hottie boiled over into the writing of a fan letter. Prepare for adorable:
Welcome to another edition of YAs That Get it Right, which is all about YAs that truly nail an element of the teen experience. In honor of Pride Month, today is all about LGBTQIAP+ YA, brought to you by those who know it best. A few of these were pulled from earlier posts to make […]
Andrew Smith writes some of the richest, realest fiction on the YA shelves, even when he’s writing about nightmarish alternate worlds and grasshopper plagues. In February’s genre-bending Grasshopper Jungle, a delicate love triangle between a sexually confused boy and his girlfriend and male best friend plays out against the backdrop of a terrifying man-eating bug apocalypse. […]
Despite the questioning nature of the name “A.S. King,” the author’s evocative, unique, magical-realism-inflected works are often the answer—whether you’re looking for a thoughtfully written work with multiple perspectives (Please Ignore Vera Dietz), or a stellar LGBT addition to your YA shelves (Ask the Passengers). And now, King is back with Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future, about a girl who develops the […]
As a child of the 80s and 90s, I’m hard-pressed to remember a time when reality TV didn’t rule the airwaves. It’s become such a basic cultural facet, whether it’s served up competition-style or you’re just watching a bunch of strangers claw each other’s eyes out (metaphorically, of course…mostly), that it’s amazing to think there […]