About Bookshop Staff

Young Adult reviews from the Bookshop Santa Cruz Staff! Read more Young Adult staff recommendations on our website.

Matt de la Peña on ‘Tough Teens,’ reading, and writing

mattOne of our favorite authors has written a blog for NPR about books changing lives. We love it! Just wanted to share it with you as well.

Even more surprisingly, though, when I turned the last page I found myself on the verge of tears. I was shocked. How could black and white on a page make me feel so emotional? I was a tough kid from a tougher family. I hadn’t shed a tear since elementary school. And here I was, choked up. From a book.
-Matt de la Peña, Sometimes The ‘Tough Teen’ Is Quietly Writing Stories

Matt talks with passion about literature in his own life and the lives around him. We’d love to hear any stories you’d like to share about books and reading and the changes they bring. And don’t miss Ryan W.’s review of Matt’s new book The Living.

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

dreamthievesOut Now!

The second installment in the all-new series from the masterful, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Maggie Stiefvater! Now that the ley lines around Cabeswater have been woken, nothing for Ronan, Gansey, Blue, and Adam will be the same. Ronan, for one, is falling more and more deeply into his dreams, and his dreams are intruding more and more into waking life. Meanwhile, some very sinister people are looking for some of the same pieces of the Cabeswater puzzle that Gansey is after….

High school can be awful.

everybodyseeEverybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King
High school can be awful. But it’s slightly less awful when you have a team of sarcastic ants who trash-talk your bullies and provide you with sardonic encouragement at your most difficult moments. If that sounds weird, that’s because it is—but trust me, by the end of this book you’ll be wishing for an ant entourage of your very own. Odd, but very heartfelt, and unexpectedly vivid and real. –Kat, Bookshop Santa Cruz

False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen

The False PrinceWith a murdered royal family and a country on the brink of civil war, Connor, regent of the crown, has a treasonous plot to train one of four orphans in order to pass him off as the long-lost prince. From the start, it’s impossible not to become attached to the orphan, Sage. Embroiled in deceit and duplicity, the cocky street-thief may or may not survive his bid to become the false prince. A heart-racing fantasy full of twists and turns for the audience of Megan Whalen Turner and Suzanne Collins. —Kids Department

 

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers

Grave MercyLaFevers is an artful storyteller who has created a strong lead character. Even though the protagonist is female, she is an interesting and powerful heroine that both genders can relate to. Ismae is an assassin; she is passionate and violent at times, but also intelligent and quirky, making readers feel at ease with her and drawn to her, creating a champion for whom to root, even when she is dispensing with her next target. The tale is one of scheming nobles, political subterfuge, murder, and romance—all of the best aspects of a good read. —Voice of Youth Advocates