This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She’s the editor/author of (DON’T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
View All posts by Kelly Jensen
June is definitely a quieter month when it comes to new YA nonfiction and YA comics hitting shelves. Traditionally the summer publishing season is this quiet, though we have seen the first couple of weeks of June be bigger publication dates for a few years now.
It is likely we’ll see this softer range of titles in nonfiction and comics through the season. But rather than be sad about how few new titles are out–they will be coming!–here’s your opportunity to slow down and catch up with what’s released so far this year.
Grab your beach blanket or head to your hammock (or your comfy sofa in your inside reading nook) and slip into some great new YA nonfiction and comics for June. As a note: this month’s releases are not as inclusive or diverse as usual, and that’s representative of the smaller number of new books. We’ll see more diverse offerings as fall rolls in, much as we did throughout late winter and spring this year.
All of the books below are available now.
A Most Perilous World: The True Story of the Young Abolitionists and Their Crusade Against Slavery by Kristina R. Gaddy
This work of nonfiction looks at the children of four abolitionists before and during the Civil War, including Frederick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison. What emerges are coming-of-age stories that sound familiar and contemporary, despite the generations separating these young activists from today’s. Readers will learn how activism is passed through families, as well as where and how the four young people in this book worked to separate themselves from their parents.
Whats Up in YA
Sign up for What’s Up In YA? to receive all things young adult literature.
Beyond the Board: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Daring Big Wave Surfer by Maya Gabeira
Readers who love extreme sports and/or who love sports memoirs by and about women, look no further. This is a compelling and engaging read by pro surfer Maya Gabeira. It follows her journey from being a teenager to earning a Guinness World Record for highest wave conquered.
June’s New YA Comics
Arcana: The Lost Heirs by Sam Prentice-Jones
Repeat after me: tarot-inspired fantasy.
James, Daphne, Koko, and Sonny all grew up in the Arcana, a group of witches who protect the magic in the world. Its leaders are secretive and mysterious themselves.