Here we are in the lovely month of June! We hope you’ve been enjoying the sunny weather with a good book and an iced tea or coffee. Speaking of brewed beverages, the editors at Young Adulting have been brewing up lots of fabulous content for you this summer (including our new mailing list! Sign up here!). Let’s dive right in!
YAing Updates
First, let’s start with what’s been going on here at Young Adulting this month! In our June author spotlight, editor Hannah Luppe interviews Heather Fawcett, the Sunday Times and internationally bestselling Canadian author of books for adults, kids, and teens, including Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries, Even the Darkest Stars, Ember and the Ice Dragons, The Grace of Wild Things, and more. Heather talks fairies, fantasy, and writing advice:
I love MG and YA stories that centre around sibling bonds. At the heart of my YA series, Even the Darkest Stars, is a relationship between two sisters, and it’s something I frequently explore in my MG novels as well. One of my favourite MG series is The Penderwicks, which centres around four sisters having a variety of down-to-earth adventures, like writing and performing in a school play. The charm of that type of story comes from the unique personalities of the sisters and how they bounce off each other, and I’ve just always wanted to write something like that. I think those types of close bonds create a sense of warmth and homeyness in story, which can function almost as a kind of safe space to explore more difficult subjects, such as illness and loss.
5 Questions for Heather Fawcett
Don’t forget to check out extra content in our recorded interview!
We’ve also published some marvellous reviews since I last wrote you! Here’s a recap:
- “As a non-Muslim reader, I feel honored to have read this book and to have been invited to witness one of the most sacred traditions in Islam through Adam and Zayneb’s perspectives.” Carolina Leyton reviews Love From Mecca to Medina by S.K. Ali
- “Ed Butt’s characters are so distinct from one another that their voices and personalities linger in your head long after. Despite writing the book for middle-grade readers, the author doesn’t shy away from revealing the reality of war and the cost of peace.” Toke Adejoye reviews This Game of War by Ed Butts
- “Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words provides a space for transgender and non-binary youth to share the experiences and challenges they face growing up.” Hooria Bilal reviews Growing Up Trans: In Our Own Words Edited by Lindsay Herriot & Kate Fry
- “A buried treasure has the potential to refresh a town’s understanding of its own history. In Below the Surface, thirteen-year-old, curly-haired Theo is on summer break uncovering Cedarbrook’s most puzzling mysteries.” GiGi Kang reviews Below the Surface by Allison Finley
- “Iris Hollow and her two sisters Vivi and Grey went missing mysteriously ten years ago. When they returned home one month later, their dark hair turned white, their eyes went black, and strange, magical things started happening around them. No one knows what happened to them during the month they were gone, and neither do the three girls.” Ariella Sebba reviews House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
As always, check back every Tuesday and Thursday for more reviews of upcoming and new releases.
Industry News
Submissions
OwlKids Books is accepting general submissions for picture books, non-fiction books, early fiction, and graphic novels until July 1st! Check out their list of published books and their submission guidelines to see whether your manuscript is a right fit!
Advice
Check out this clip from the UBC Creative Writing Department’s “An Insider’s Guide to Children’s Publishing” panel! Publicist Sam Devotta talks about a day in the life as a publicist! This segment provides insight on the industry for anyone looking to publish children’s literature or pursue careers in publishing.
As always, please do send us your news related to children’s and young adult literature at young.adulting@ubc.ca so we can feature them in future newsletters. Our newsletter is published on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of each month. And remember to keep up with us on Twitter and Instagram!
Take care, and happy reading,
The Young Adulting Editors
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