Top Ten Tuesday: New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021
Unexpectedly this list was split between new-to-me authors I discovered in 2021 – half middle grade and half young adult. I had an interesting reading year to say the least. I spent far less time reading middle grade than I typically do, instead filling my time reading contemporary romance. Or as I see it, escapist literature where you get to be entertained. And in the end, know that everyone lives happily ever after in the end.
But, of the middle grade and YA titles that I read, I found some new-to-me authors. And I’m definitely excited about reading more of their work. And what I love most is that these books are all over the map in terms of genres. I’ve got realistic fiction, alternative historical fiction, and fantasy. And even more surprising is that this list includes two titles from Reese Witherspoon’s YA Book Club. Both of which I really enjoyed – Fable and A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.
Did you discover any new-to-you authors that I need to know about? Share them in the comments below!
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New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2021
Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera
Living in the remote town of Tierra del Sol is dangerous, especially in the criatura months, when powerful spirits roam the desert and threaten humankind. But Cecelia Rios has always believed there was more to the criaturas, much to her familyâs disapproval. After all, only brujasâhumans who capture and control criaturasâconsort with the spirits, and brujeria is a terrible crime.
When her older sister, Juana, is kidnapped by El SombrerĂłn, a powerful dark criatura, Cece is determined to bring Juana back. To get into Devilâs Alley, though, sheâll have to become a bruja herselfâwhile hiding her quest from her parents, her town, and the other brujas. Thankfully, the legendary criatura Coyote has a soft spot for humans and agrees to help her on her journey.
With him at her side, Cece sets out to reunite her familyâand maybe even change what it means to be a bruja along the way.
The Girl Who Stole an Elephant by Nizrana Farook
Chaya, a noblemanâs rebellious, outspoken, no-nonsense daughter, just canât resist the shiny temptations the kingâs palace has to offer. But playing Robin Hood for her impoverished community doesnât come without risks, and when Chaya steals the queenâs jewels from a bedside tableâa messy getaway jeopardizes the life of a close friend.
After an equally haphazard prison break, Chaya barely escapes on the kingâs prized elephant! With leeches and revolution lurking in the jungle, she leads her companions on a thrilling adventure. But after leaving her village as a thief, can she return as a hero? Or will Chayaâs sticky fingers be the beginningâor the endâof everything for the intrepid gang?
Author Nizrana Farook delivers a page-turning tale in a lush, fictional Sri Lankan setting. Just right for adventure fans, the book explores themes of friendship and loyalty, risk and reward, and heroism.
Starfish by Lisa Fipps
Ever since Ellie wore a whale swimsuit and made a big splash at her fifth birthday party, she’s been bullied about her weight. To cope, she tries to live by the Fat Girl Rulesâlike “no making waves,” “avoid eating in public,” and “don’t move so fast that your body jiggles.”
And she’s found her safe spaceâher swimming poolâwhere she feels weightless in a fat-obsessed world. In the water, she can stretch herself out like a starfish and take up all the room she wants. It’s also where she can get away from her pushy mom, who thinks criticizing Ellie’s weight will motivate her to diet. Fortunately, Ellie has allies in her dad, her therapist, and her new neighbor, Catalina, who loves Ellie for who she is. With this support buoying her, Ellie might finally be able to cast aside the Fat Girl Rules and starfish in real life–by unapologetically being her own fabulous self.
Tips for Magicians by Celesta Rimington
Harrison Boone used to sing. His mom was a famous soprano who performed in all the great theaters. But when she died unexpectedly last year, the music stopped for Harrison too. He finds comfort in practicing magic tricks to become a master magician.
If only Harrison knew the right magic to stop his dad from hitting the road for a new job and sending him to live with his aunt Maggie in an art village named Muse in the southern Utah desert. The residents of Muse believe in a magical entity that used to grant wishes to the winner of the town’s annual art contest, but the muse hasn’t been seen in years.
Can Harrison connect with his inner artist, find the missing muse, and win the wish that will give him back a normal life?
The Total Eclipse of Nestor Lopez by Adrianna Cuevas
All Nestor Lopez wants is to live in one place for more than a few months and have dinner with his dad.
When he and his mother move to a new town to live with his grandmother after his dadâs latest deployment, Nestor plans to lay low. He definitely doesnât want to anyone find out his deepest secret: that he can talk to animals.
But when the animals in his new town start disappearing, Nestor’s grandmother becomes the prime suspect after she is spotted in the woods where they were last seen. As Nestor investigates the source of the disappearances, he learns that they are being seized by a tule viejaâa witch who can absorb an animalâs powers by biting it during a solar eclipse. And the next eclipse is just around the cornerâŚ
Now itâs up to Nestorâs extraordinary ability and his new friends to catch the tule viejaâand save a place he might just call home.
A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey
For Lila Reyes, a summer in England was never part of the plan. The plan was 1) take over her abuelaâs role as head baker at their panaderĂa, 2) move in with her best friend after graduation, and 3) live happily ever after with her boyfriend. But then the Trifecta happened, and everythingâincluding Lila herselfâfell apart.
Worried about Lilaâs mental health, her parents make a new plan for her: spend three months with family friends in Winchester, England, to relax and reset. But with the lack of sun, a grumpy inn cook, and a small town lacking Miami flavor (both in food and otherwise), what would be a dream trip for some feels more like a nightmare to LilaâŚuntil she meets Orion Maxwell.
A teashop clerk with troubles of his own, Orion is determined to help Lila out of her funk, and appoints himself as her personal tour guide. From Winchesterâs drama-filled music scene to the sweeping English countryside, it isnât long before Lila is not only charmed by Orion, but England itself. Soon a new future is beginning to form in Lilaâs mindâone that would mean leaving everything she ever planned behind.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene was born two days before the dead began to walk the battlefields of Gettysburg, Pennsylvaniaâderailing the War Between the States and changing the nation forever.
In this new America, safety for all depends on the work of a few, and laws like the Native and Negro Education Act require certain children attend combat schools to learn to put down the dead.
But there are also opportunitiesâand Jane is studying to become an Attendant, trained in both weaponry and etiquette to protect the well-to-do. It’s a chance for a better life for Negro girls like Jane. After all, not even being the daughter of a wealthy white Southern woman could save her from societyâs expectations.
But thatâs not a life Jane wants. Almost finished with her education at Miss Preston’s School of Combat in Baltimore, Jane is set on returning to her Kentucky home and doesnât pay much mind to the politics of the eastern cities, with their talk of returning America to the glory of its days before the dead rose.
But when families around Baltimore County begin to go missing, Jane is caught in the middle of a conspiracy, one that finds her in a desperate fight for her life against some powerful enemies.
And the restless dead, it would seem, are the least of her problems.
Fable by Adrienne Young
Welcome to a world made dangerous by the sea and by those who wish to profit from it. Where a young girl must find her place and her family while trying to survive in a world built for men.
As the daughter of the most powerful trader in the Narrows, the sea is the only home seventeen-year-old Fable has ever known. It’s been four years since the night she watched her mother drown during an unforgiving storm. The next day her father abandoned her on a legendary island filled with thieves and little food. To survive she must keep to herself, learn to trust no one and rely on the unique skills her mother taught her. The only thing that keeps her going is the goal of getting off the island, finding her father and demanding her rightful place beside him and his crew. To do so Fable enlists the help of a young trader named West to get her off the island and across the Narrows to her father.
But her father’s rivalries and the dangers of his trading enterprise have only multiplied since she last saw him and Fable soon finds that West isn’t who he seems. Together, they will have to survive more than the treacherous storms that haunt the Narrows if they’re going to stay alive.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the feeling took root–that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father–despite his hard-won citizenship–Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Where the Rhythm Takes You by Sarah Dass
Seventeen-year-old Reyna has spent most of her life at the Plumeria, her familyâs gorgeous seaside resort in Tobago. But what once seemed like paradise is starting to feel more like purgatory. Itâs been two years since Reynaâs mother passed away, two years since Aidenâher childhood best friend, first kiss, first love, first everythingâleft the island to pursue his music dreams.
Reynaâs friends are all planning their futures and heading abroad. Even Daddy seems to want to move on, leaving her to try to keep the Plumeria running.
And thatâs when Aiden comes roaring back into her lifeâas a VIP guest at the resort.
Aiden is now one-third of DJ Bacchanalâthe latest, hottest music group on the scene. While Reyna has stayed exactly where he left her, Aiden has returned to Tobago with his Grammy-nominated band and two gorgeous LA socialites. And he may (or may not be) dating one of themâŚ
The Artsy Reader Girl currently hosts Top Ten Tuesday, an original feature created by The Broke and the Bookish.
4 Comments
lydiaschoch
A Cuban Girlâs Guide to Tea and Tomorrow sounds like such a good read.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-new-to-me-authors-i-discovered-in-2021/
Susan
I have CECE RIOS out from the library right now. It sounds unique and fun. Since I loved Rimington’s debut novel, I bought TIPS FOR MAGICIANS when it came out. I haven’t read it yet, but I hope to get to it soon.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
kay
I have Adrienne Young on my list too, I really enjoyed Fable!
masterspj
I enjoyed reading A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/10-authors-i-discovered-in-2021/