Most Anticipated Books of 2020
It is extremely difficult to keep track of all the amazing books that are constantly being published. I find out about a lot of them through Twitter or Goodreads or word of mouth. And while I'm certain I'll end up reading a lot of other good books that will be published next year, these ones are definitely the biggest on my radar of forthcoming Middle Grade and YA novels.
Here are my top 10 most anticipated books of 2020:
1. My Life as a Potato by Arianne Costner
I read this fun middle grade novel this past year as an ARC. I thought it was a hilarious fun story and I hope that all of you will enjoy it as much as I did. Costner thought of the premise while watching a mascot pulling some crazy moves while watching a high school game. And I'm certain there must be a school out there somewhere that has a potato for a mascot just like in this book. You can read my review of it here and pre-order here before it's out on March 24th!
2. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
I've heard a lot of amazing things about this book thanks to Twitter and I'm super excited for its release on February 25th. The blurb on Goodreads asks "Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?" A book about books (we all know these are my favorites) and science fiction? Sounds like an amazing combination to me and I can't wait to read it! You can pre-order your own copy here.
3. The Witches of Willow Cove by Josh Roberts
This is a fun middle grade fantasy book that I also discovered thanks to Twitter. All you need to know is there is a seventh-grade teenage witch and weird stuff starts happening in her home town. Sounds like a great premise with an interesting mystery. I'm looking forward to reading this as well and sharing it with my seventh graders. Released on May 26th, you can pre-order from Amazon here.
4. Parachutes by Kelly Yang
This year I read The Front Desk by Kelly Yang and I absolutely loved the story, based on her own life as an immigrant to the US. You can check out my review here. Parachutes is another story about parachutes (i.e. teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the US while their wealthy parents remain in China. As Kelly Yang's first YA book, I think this shows a lot of promise and I am anxious to connect with her new characters as they struggle to understand their immigrant stories amidst dealing with typical teenage drama and separation from family. This one is also out May 26th and you can purchase a copy here.
5. Spellhacker by M.K. England
I absolutely loved M.K. England's The Disasters (my review here) so when I saw that they had another book coming out I just had to jump on it. This one sounds like it will be just as entertaining and suspenseful as the last novel so I'm excited. It's described on Goodreads as a heist book which I am always down for but I look forward to meeting these new characters and the fantasy world that they live in. It's coming soon--out January 21st and you can purchase a copy here.
6. This Coven Won't Break by Isabel Sterling
One of the sequels that I am most anticipating this year is the sequel to Isabel Sterling's These Witches Don't Burn that I read this fall (read my review here). If it is as good as the first book, it will be a great, suspenseful fantasy action story with a little bit of LGBTQ thrown in. I'm really looking forward to reading it but we will have to wait until June 2nd! Pre-order a copy here.
7. We Free the Stars by Hafsah Faizal
Another sequel that I am dying to read is Hafsah Faizal's We Free the Stars, a follow up to her We Hunt the Flame (my review here). This is an Arab inspired fantasy world. So far I have fallen in love with the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. And I can't wait to see how Faizal finishes up the duology. This one is out July 7th so I'll be crossing my fingers to receive this one as a birthday present! You can purchase a copy here.
8. Dark and Deepest Red by Anna-Marie McLemore
I saw this one thanks to Goodreads and was absolutely interested when I read the premise and a couple of the reviews. It's a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's story of the red shoes plus the dancing plague of 1518. Reviews mention Romani culture and a trans character as well. I love fairy tale retellings and the fact that this one is a little more obscure means it is all the more fascinating to me. Luckily this one is out January 14th so I don't have to wait too long! You can purchase a copy here.
9. Efren Divided by Ernesto Cisneros
I only found out about this book recently but it is an OwnVoices middle grade novel and it is exactly the type of book that I love to give my students. So many of my English Language Learner and Latinos in Action students deserve to read books about kids like them. Efren the main character was born in America but his parents weren't and their family lives in constant fear of deportation. This is something I know my students deal with on a daily basis and I cannot wait to get this one into their hands. Efren Divided is out March 31st. Pre-order one here.
10. Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega
I always love a good paranormal novel--so how can I resist one that is described a a mash up between Coco, Stranger Things, and Ghostbusters? A supernatural fantasy story is just not one thing that I can resist. I've seen a lot of hype about this one on Twitter and so I think that it will definitely make it on my list of books that I read this year. Claribel Ortega's debut middle grade novel will be out April 7th and you can buy it here!
Here are my top 10 most anticipated books of 2020:
I read this fun middle grade novel this past year as an ARC. I thought it was a hilarious fun story and I hope that all of you will enjoy it as much as I did. Costner thought of the premise while watching a mascot pulling some crazy moves while watching a high school game. And I'm certain there must be a school out there somewhere that has a potato for a mascot just like in this book. You can read my review of it here and pre-order here before it's out on March 24th!
2. The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow
I've heard a lot of amazing things about this book thanks to Twitter and I'm super excited for its release on February 25th. The blurb on Goodreads asks "Can a girl who risks her life for books and an alien who loves forbidden pop music work together to save humanity?" A book about books (we all know these are my favorites) and science fiction? Sounds like an amazing combination to me and I can't wait to read it! You can pre-order your own copy here.
This is a fun middle grade fantasy book that I also discovered thanks to Twitter. All you need to know is there is a seventh-grade teenage witch and weird stuff starts happening in her home town. Sounds like a great premise with an interesting mystery. I'm looking forward to reading this as well and sharing it with my seventh graders. Released on May 26th, you can pre-order from Amazon here.
This year I read The Front Desk by Kelly Yang and I absolutely loved the story, based on her own life as an immigrant to the US. You can check out my review here. Parachutes is another story about parachutes (i.e. teenagers dropped off to live in private homes and study in the US while their wealthy parents remain in China. As Kelly Yang's first YA book, I think this shows a lot of promise and I am anxious to connect with her new characters as they struggle to understand their immigrant stories amidst dealing with typical teenage drama and separation from family. This one is also out May 26th and you can purchase a copy here.
I absolutely loved M.K. England's The Disasters (my review here) so when I saw that they had another book coming out I just had to jump on it. This one sounds like it will be just as entertaining and suspenseful as the last novel so I'm excited. It's described on Goodreads as a heist book which I am always down for but I look forward to meeting these new characters and the fantasy world that they live in. It's coming soon--out January 21st and you can purchase a copy here.
One of the sequels that I am most anticipating this year is the sequel to Isabel Sterling's These Witches Don't Burn that I read this fall (read my review here). If it is as good as the first book, it will be a great, suspenseful fantasy action story with a little bit of LGBTQ thrown in. I'm really looking forward to reading it but we will have to wait until June 2nd! Pre-order a copy here.
Another sequel that I am dying to read is Hafsah Faizal's We Free the Stars, a follow up to her We Hunt the Flame (my review here). This is an Arab inspired fantasy world. So far I have fallen in love with the setting, the plot, the characters, everything. And I can't wait to see how Faizal finishes up the duology. This one is out July 7th so I'll be crossing my fingers to receive this one as a birthday present! You can purchase a copy here.
I saw this one thanks to Goodreads and was absolutely interested when I read the premise and a couple of the reviews. It's a retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's story of the red shoes plus the dancing plague of 1518. Reviews mention Romani culture and a trans character as well. I love fairy tale retellings and the fact that this one is a little more obscure means it is all the more fascinating to me. Luckily this one is out January 14th so I don't have to wait too long! You can purchase a copy here.
I only found out about this book recently but it is an OwnVoices middle grade novel and it is exactly the type of book that I love to give my students. So many of my English Language Learner and Latinos in Action students deserve to read books about kids like them. Efren the main character was born in America but his parents weren't and their family lives in constant fear of deportation. This is something I know my students deal with on a daily basis and I cannot wait to get this one into their hands. Efren Divided is out March 31st. Pre-order one here.
I always love a good paranormal novel--so how can I resist one that is described a a mash up between Coco, Stranger Things, and Ghostbusters? A supernatural fantasy story is just not one thing that I can resist. I've seen a lot of hype about this one on Twitter and so I think that it will definitely make it on my list of books that I read this year. Claribel Ortega's debut middle grade novel will be out April 7th and you can buy it here!
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