7 YA Books to Read in August 2016
As summer vacation winds down, most of us are gearing up for the semester ahead. But August isn’t just for back-to-school prep and “summer reading” assignments. There’s still time to devour Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, or take a peek at our most anticipated August reads. With Sabaa Tahir’s blockbuster follow-up A Torch Against the Night, and Katharine McGee’s uber-glamorous The Thousandth Floor, we could see a couple of franchises emerging this month. (Both have been optioned for film.) But for the most part, August’s must-reads are literary debuts tackling underrepresented issues of mental illness, abuse, and loss. Issue-based books are having a moment this summer, but each makes a poignant and thunderous statement all its own. Check out some of our favorite August releases, and get ready to be moved.
1/8Enter Title Here by Rahul Kanakia
Release date: August 2nd
After suing her high school for changing its grading policy and penning a scathing op-ed in The Huffington Post, chronic overachiever Reshma Kapoor lands herself a literary agent and a book deal. Under the impression that publishing a novel will win her a spot at Stanford, Reshma starts fictionalizing her life story, thinking — in an ironic and very meta twist — that readers won’t care about a ruthless valedictorian like herself.
2/8The Smaller Evil by Stephanie Kuehn
Release date: August 2nd
17-year-old Arman follows Beau, a charismatic cult leader, to the Evolve compound, where thousands of devotees pay thousands of dollars to reach their highest potential. When Beau disappears, Arman must figure out how to escape the mountaintop sanctuary and make sense of what’s happened to his mentor. In a starred review, School Library Journal says The Smaller Evil is “a Gillian Flynn-style take on cults and self-help retreats.”
3/8Unscripted Joss Byrd by Lygia Day Peñaflor
Release date: August 23rd
Written by the on-set tutor for the child stars of Gossip Girl, Unscripted Joss Byrd shows what life on a film set is like once the cameras stop rolling. The daughter of a single stage mom, 12-year-old Joss Byrd must deal with very adult problems such as a crush on a co-star, a secret learning disability interfering with her professional life, and portraying a victim of child abuse in her latest film. Kirkus calls it an “engaging behind-the-scenes look at a lonely young Hollywood star's tragedies and triumphs.” (P.S. the launch party at Books of Wonder in NYC will feature a panel of child actors.)
4/8A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Release date: August 30th
Undoubtedly the biggest book of the month, A Torch Against the Night picks up where An Ember in the Ashes left off. In a fantastical reimagining of ancient Rome, teen soldiers Laia and Elias are on the run from the Martial Empire as they try to free Laia’s brother from prison. Sabaa’s publisher, Ben Shrank, said in a statement that the book is “that rarest of rarities…a sequel that is more ambitious, more surprising, even more heart rending” than its predecessor. It also got starred reviews from Booklist and Publishers Weekly, so this is definitely one to check out after you’ve finished An Ember in the Ashes.
5/8The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
Release date: August 30th
Okay, this book might have the most gorgeous cover we’ve ever seen, and we know our book covers. Set in Manhattan during the year 2118, Katharine McGee’s debut follows a handful of privileged teenagers at the literal top of the world, where they throw parties, fall in love, and come of age in a high-tech, ultra-luxurious future that is full of secrets. It’s already been optioned for an ABC TV series, so we could see this becoming the next Pretty Little Liars.
6/8Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
Release date: August 30th
Protagonist Charlotte Davis starts cutting herself after her father commits suicide, and ends up on the streets after her abusive mother kicks her out. After undergoing treatment, she finds herself in Tucson, Arizona, creating art and entering a dysfunctional relationship with her musician coworker. This book deals with self-harm, sexual assault, forced prostitution, and loss. It’s been incredibly well-received on Goodreads, with advance readers saying it’s “haunting and heartbreaking but so very beautiful.”
7/8Tell Me Something Real by Calla Devlin
Release date: August 30th
The first novel from Pushcart Prize-nominee Calla Devlin, Tell Me Something Real follows three sisters during 1976 as they cope with their mother’s terminal illness and adjust to life with Caleb and Barb, a patient and his mother who move in with them while he undergoes treatment. In a starred review, Kirkus says it’s “hands-down one of a kind.”
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