YA Bloggers Share What’s On Their Holiday Wishlist

by Jan Lewis

Photo by AllieCreative on Flickr

We thought it would be fun to find out what books are on everyone’s Holiday Wishlist, so we asked some awesome Bloggers to share theirs with us! Stay tuned… we’ll be featuring more Wishlists throughout the month. We apologize in advance for the inevitable growth of your wishlist after reading these lists. 🙂

Andrea at Reading Lark

Blythewood by Carol Goodman
This Wicked Game by Michelle Zink
Ashes to Ashes by Melissa Walker
Belladonna by Fiona Paul

Stacee at Adventures of a Book Junkie

The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
Sisters’ Fate by Jessica Spotswood
Wings by Elizabeth Richards
Book 3 of the Raven Boys series by Maggie Stiefvater
Ensnared by AG Howard [she’s still writing it]
Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins
Between the Spark and the Burn by April Genevieve Tucholke

Becca at Writers Helping Writers

Structuring your Novel, by KM Weiland. Outlining your Novel was a big boost in helping me get back on the fiction horse and plan out my next story, so I’m looking forward to her other book, too.
The first two books in the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. These are books I know I will read again someday, so I’d like to own my own copies.

Angela at Writers Helping Writers

Days of Blood & Starlight by Laini Taylor
Night of Cake & Puppets by Laini Taylor
Dreams of Gods & Monsters by Laini Taylor

I read Daughter of Smoke and Bone an age ago, and it was so brilliant I knew it would kill me to wait between books, so I decided to hold off until they were all out. I cannot wait to get back into Laini Taylor’s world!

Andye at Reading Teen

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (AMAZING)
Pivot Point by Kassie West (LOVED)
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta (Epic Fantasy)
The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas (So Harry Potterish!)

Jamie at The Perpetual Pageturner

Fault Line by Christa Desir
Champion by Marie Lu
If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
Winger by Andrew Smith
The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan

Jan Lewis

Jan Lewis writes YA fantasy of the contemporary and traditional varieties. She lives in Oklahoma with a husband, two kids, two cats, a dog, and a mother. Instead of unpublished, she prefers to call herself pre-published. While she enjoys drafting, her heart is truly in rewriting and editing. She loves ladybugs, fairies, blue roses, cats, musical theater, and pretty much all things geek.

Post © Jan Lewis and/or Adventures in YA Publishing. All rights reserved.

Posted: Dec 12, 2013

Category: Imported from AYAP

Tags: #yalit | Young Adult Books

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← Previous: Giveaway of WORLD AFTER (5 Copies) by Susan Ee! Next: New YAlit Releases 12/13 - 12/19 →

The first slide is an animation of a science/magic room in a castle. A cartoon character of a mad-scientist looking man in in the foreground says: “Hello! Dr. Frankenstein here to say, Well Done on kid lit zombie week! I’m an expert at reviving the dead, and let me assure you, with a little spark, you can bring dead projects to life. Especially if you dig up parts from other dead things. I’ll even let you have a sneak peek at my laboratory’s store room to consider potential parts for your dead project. If you see something with a yellow glow, that means you should click it. Have fun!”

He points to the right side of the screen and a new scene slides in of a castle science/magic storage room. There are various cartoon Frankenstein body parts scattered around. Some of them have a yellow glow. If you click on them, the images below appear (I’ve added alt text to them, so I hope it works).

The Heart of your story is the main character. The protagonist is the beating core that truly brings your story to life. If your MC doesn't make kids (and their grown-ups) care within the first few pages, your story will flatline. </p>
<p>Your main character needs to be:<br />
• Relatable enough for kids to see themselves<br />
• Unique enough to stand out in the slush pile<br />
• Active enough to drive the story<br />
• Memorable enough to survive multiple readings at bedtime</p>
<p>Where do you find this amazing donor heart? It might be the very thing you loved so much about the manuscript you want to revive. It might be the younger sister from your shelved YA novel. Or maybe it’s the hilarious kid you blogged about meeting at a school visit. Find a character beating with potential and place it in the center of your story.<br />

The Brain of your story is the theme or central message. The theme is the big idea that controls everything else. Picture books are more than stories - they're tiny life lessons disguised with humor and heart.</p>
<p>But your theme needs to be:<br />
• Subtle enough not to trigger the dreaded "didactic" rejection<br />
• Clear enough for a four-year-old to grasp<br />
• Universal enough to speak to both kids and adults<br />
• Fresh enough to prevent agents and editors from responding with "Not another sharing/bedtime/first-day story!"</p>
<p>Check your other dead manuscripts to see if there is a recurring theme, something that really seems to be speaking to you. Find the bit of poetry you scribbled on the back of a receipt to see what theme inspired it. Reread the pep talk you texted your critique partner at 1am. Pick the theme that will drive your story, giving it purpose, direction, and deeper meaning.<br />

The Legs of your story is the plot. Not to be confused with a grave plot.🤪 The plot is what keeps everything upright and moving, as well as providing support for all the other elements. You have very few words to use in a picture book, so you need to do a lot with each plot point.</p>
<p>In general, your plot should:<br />
• Hook readers fast<br />
• Build tension that a child can follow<br />
• Create page turns that feel natural<br />
• Wrap up in a way that satisfies</p>
<p>You can borrow a plot twist (a leg) from one manuscript and the opening (the other leg) from a different manuscript. Consider if the subplot of the middle grade novel you trunked would work better as a picture book. Or maybe your Facebook post about a disastrous camping trip could become a story for kids. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other until you have your storyline.

The Arms of your story are the side characters.

The Torso of your story is the setting. Setting helps a story breathe and connects all the elements of the story. It isn't just where your story lives, it's what makes your story ALIVE. It's the difference between "this happened in a park" and "this happened in that park, the one with the twisty slide that burns your legs and the creaky swing that sounds like a baby crying.”</p>
<p>Your setting should:<br />
• Make your character's world feel real<br />
• Contain your story in a way that makes sense to young readers<br />
• Connect different scenes and moments organically<br />
• Give your illustrator enough room to add visual subplots</p>
<p>Half-finished manuscripts are a great place to dig up settings, since you worked out the place details before the plot petered out. Or maybe you had to cut a second fantastic location from your chapter book. You can also revisit the detailed caption from your Instagram carousel documenting your tour of that delish candy shop. Disinter a robust setting that can house all of your story's vital organs.

After you press the Click When Done circle button, the lights flash with the sound of electricity buzzing. Then the screen goes black and lightning zaps across the screen with the sound of thunder.

The screen then lights up to show the storage room, and all the Frankenstein pieces have been assembled into the whole monster. An upbeat song plays in the background. Then a speech bubble pops up with the words, “I’m alive! I’M ALIVE!” Then the screen goes to black.

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