Melanie Writes: For the Love of Contemporary

September 18, 2013

For the Love of Contemporary

I've read some great YA contemporaries of late. Aristotle & Dante was my favorite--perhaps my favorite book of the year. As I enter into revisions on my MG novel, I'm on to MG contemporaries for a while (and a little YA fantasy for fun), but if you're looking for a great read, check these titles out!

The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth LaBan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very skillful exploration of tragedy as a theme, with an interesting cast of characters and a hook that draws you in right at the beginning. Our present day MC is Duncan, who arrives at his boarding school to discover that the boy who had the room before him left him a pile of CDs. On the CDs are hours of recordings, recordings that hold the secret to what happened to that boy, Tim, the year before--a mystery that plays out in a heartfelt way that kept me turning pages.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book contains some of the loveliest writing I have encountered in a novel of late. I think that speaks to the author's background in poetry--absolutely gorgeous, uncluttered prose. And paired with such a wonderful and touching story. I loved every single page. Ten out of five stars!