YA Displays help you sort out Summer Reading

We’ve got so many good books in the Young Adult collection that sometimes it can be overwhelming to pick something. Have you noticed the displays around our space on the second floor? These are a good place to start if you just can’t decide what to read next.

There are two tables within the collection that feature nine different themed bookmarks as well as book picks from each of them. Here are some of the books I’ve picked out for my own summer reading that I found on our bookmarks:

Riot by Walter Dean Myers: It’s been years since I’ve read one of Myers’ books, but this summer would be a great time to explore some of his titles in our collection. Riot centers around Claire, the daughter of an Irish mother and a black father, who faces some harsh realities in Civil War era New York City. This book can be found on our Historical Fiction bookmark.

Ship Breaker by Paulo Bacigalupi: Bacigalupi is an amazing speculative fiction writer. I am looking forward to diving into this book about a teenaged scavenger in a futuristic world who has to decide whether or not to rescue a girl he finds in a ship’s wreckage. Find this and other titles on our Adventure and Survival bookmark.

Girl Genius: Agatha Heterodyne and the Beetleburg Clank by Phil and Kaja Foglio: This graphic novel, about a girl genius descended from mad scientists, sounds like a fun summer read. Find it on our Bio/Gear/Steampunk bookmark, and at  741.593/Foglio/Girl in the main 2nd floor collection.

Huntress by Malinda Lo: It’s hard for me to pick just one book from the Girl Warriors bookmark. I've been eager to read this one since it came out. Summer is a great time for catching up on reading, and this story about two seventeen year olds on a dangerous journey to the city of the Fairy Queen is way up on my list.

Terrier by Tamora Pierce: I’m a fan of Pierce, and I have been since fifth grade. I loved this first book in the Provost’s Dog series – Beka is a tough and smart hero, and she uses her police training to help the people in the lower city where she grew up. Despite its place on our Nomance bookmark (books that feature little or no romantic elements), there are so many rich human and animal relationships in this book that it’s utterly satisfying. It would be a great summer re-read.

Pegasus by Robin McKinley: I’ve recently begun reading McKinley’s books, and am looking forward to this one, from the Here Be Dragons bookmark, about a world where human-pegasi bonds are the norm, but an intense one may threaten the world.

Honorable mention from the Here Be Dragons bookmark is Un Lun Dun by China Mieville – Deeba goes on a beautiful and frightening journey through an alternate London-verse and finds herself becoming a hero.

You’ll also see LOL: Humorous Books, Mystery/Thriller, and Contemporary bookmarks. We have an upright shelf which currently features some of the amazing books that have come out over the last year – both the Iowa Teen Award and Iowa High School Book Award have their own bookmarks so you can catch up on the good new stuff. And don’t forget to stop in the Teen Center – right by the magazines we have a display that changes monthly based on feedback from our Teen Advisory Group.

You may be stumped about what to read next, but we’ve got some places you can look!