Trends in Teen Fiction

A couple of weeks ago, a librarian colleague asked for some input on the trends in teen fiction for the year. Since I am getting ready for my team’s big Best New Titles Booktalk this fall, I have been knee deep in teen fiction.  Here’s what I’m seeing:

• Secrets, Lies, and Unreliable Narrators – We Were Liars has been one of the most anticipated and talked about titles this year, but it isn’t the only one that will keep you guessing.  Just a quick scan of the ARCs on my desk shows Little Blue Lies by Chris Lynch and Little White Lies by Katie Dale.  There are secrets in We are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt and What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn.
• Fish Out of Water – I have a small running list of teen fiction on this theme, and I’ve added three books to it already this year: Wild by Alex Mallory, Searching for Sky by Jillian Cantor, and Starbird Murphy and the World Outside by Karen Finneyfrock.
• Multiple Perspectives – Of course there are the dual perspective romances following the popularity of Eleanor & Park, but there are also books that use multiple narrators to tell the story, like The Art of Secrets by James Klise, The Truth about Alice by Jennifer Mathieu, and A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall for example.

I’ve also seen at least three teen novels in 2014 or early 2015 that are about the rapture, which strikes me as an odd little mini trend.  That said, I did like the two rapture books I’ve read so far.  I’ll be curious to see what my colleagues come up with for #YAlittrends.  Watch the Teen Librarian’s Toolbox for updates.