Lighthearted YA

Detail from cover art for Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize by Margo Rabb

Reader Rachel M. was in a bookstore recently and browsing the YA section. She saw many great books but noticed that there was a trend toward dark and intense stories. Where are the cheerful young adult novels?

Part of this, I know, is the audience. Middle-grade rollicking adventures like Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, The Phantom Tollbooth, or Sophie Quire are jollier because the audience is younger and the stakes are appropriately lower. Teen audiences are experiencing the intense emotions of adolescence and want their books to reflect that. There are teen romances that are lighter in tone and great fun to read (e.g., When Dimple Met Rishi, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before), but Rachel was looking for something outside the romance genre.

For teens (and adults who read YA) who are looking for lighter fare, I did find some delightful options.

And We’re Off by Dana Schwartz (2017)

If you dream of sketching passers-by in a Parisian cafe…

Nora dreams of becoming an artist — something her grandfather (a well-known artist) supports but her mother deplores. Happily, her grandfather has bankrolled the perfect summer trip. Nora will travel to Europe and then attend an art program in Ireland. At the last minute, her mother decides to tag along. Nora has to give up the trip she imagined but hopes she can demonstrate to her mother at last what art means to her.

Six Angry Girls by Adrienne Kisner (2020)

If you are an activist…

Teens Raina and Millie are unmoored after their plans for senior year deteriorate. Raina gets dumped by both her boyfriend and the drama club. Millie’s mock trial team votes her out. Raina begins to find her way back through knitting and an activist yarn store. She convinces Millie that they should create a rival mock trial team. They recruit other students to take down their rivals and the patriarchy. A fun read that will get you fired up.

Lucy Clark Will Not Apologize by Margo Rabb (2021)

If you are looking for a mystery…

Lucy is suspended from boarding school, and her parents are too busy launching a reality TV show to take care of her, so they send her to New York to live with a distant cousin. In the city, she is hired as a personal assistant for Edith, who, she’s warned, may not be all there. Lucy gets along well with her employer and starts to make a home for herself in New York. But Edith fears that someone is trying to kill her. Though the police and Edith’s relatives don’t believe her story, Lucy vows to help her uncover the truth.

Kings of B’More by R. Eric Thomas (2022)

If you have a soft-spot for ’80s movies…

Best friends Harrison and Linus had planned to spend their whole summer before junior year together. When Linus reveals that he and his dad are moving out of state in a matter of days, Harrison decides they need to have one last perfect day together. Inspired by Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, he plans a day of adventure. Though things don’t go as planned, Harrison and Linus are drawn closer together. Great to see two main characters who are Black and queer in this gem. Author R. Eric Thomas also wrote for Better Things, one of my favorite TV shows.

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