Trending Thursday: BEA Buzz Books 2015

Welcome to Trending Thursday, a periodic Thursday post in which I choose and we discuss some sort of YA trend.

Today I'd like to look at the recently announced Book Expo America 2015 YA Buzz Books and see how they fit into -- or stand out from -- some current YA trends. Some of these don't yet have covers on Goodreads, so if there isn't one, that's why.

Dream Things True 

by Marie Marquardt

St. Martin’s Griffin

September 1, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads: Evan, a soccer star and the nephew of a conservative Southern Senator, has never wanted for much -- except a functional family. Alma has lived in Georgia since she was two-years-old, excels in school, and has a large, warm Mexican family. Never mind their differences, the two fall in love, and they fall hard. But when ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) begins raids on their town, Alma knows that she needs to tell Evan her secret. There's too much at stake. But how to tell her country-club boyfriend that she’s an undocumented immigrant? That her whole family and most of her friends live in the country without permission. What follows is a beautiful, nuanced, well-paced exploration of the complications of immigration, young love, defying one’s family, and facing a tangled bureaucracy that threatens to completely upend two young lives.

Jen's Trend notes:  I'm excited about this one. Of course, there's the whole "ripped from the headlines" aspect as America debates issues surrounding undocumented immigrants. This book also draws on the whole "Romeo and Juliet from different side of the tracks" trope that's popular in YA romantic contemporaries by authors like Simone Elkeles and Katie McGarry. Immigration issues have also been tackled on a more serious note in YA contemporaries like Illegal by Bettina Restrepo or The Vow by Jessica Martinez.

Everything, Everything 

by Nicola Yoon

Delacorte

September 1, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads: My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black--black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster. 

Jen's Trend Notes: So of course this book taps into the whole YA Illness Trend, something that's already loomed large in 2015 and that I've discussed on Trending Thursday before. I love this cover and this seems very voice-y to me which makes me excited.

Nightfall

by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski

Putnam

October 13, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads: On Marin’s island, sunrise doesn’t come every twenty-four hours--it comes every twenty-eight years. Each sunset, the townspeople sail to the south, where they wait out the long Night. None of the adults will tell Marin, Kana, or their friend Line exactly what happens when they leave the island, but when the three are accidentally left behind in the gathering dusk, they learn the truth: at Night, their town belongs to others, and those others want them gone. Fleeing through the now-alien landscape that used to be their home, the three confront shocking transformations and uncomfortable truths about themselves.  They are challenged to trust one another or perish. Marin, Kana, and Line must find their way off the island . . . before the Night finds them. 

Jen's Trend Notes: Horror meets post-apocalyptic thriller? Yes, please! While this could be too scary for me, I think books like this appeal to a lot of readers. With the popularity of shows like The Walking Dead and The 100, this could make a welcome addition to the YA landscape. And I did a previous Trending Thursday post about how island books are always delightfully creepy.

The Death And Life Of Zebulon Finch, Volume 1: At The Edge Of Empire 

by Daniel Kraus

Simon & Schuster

October 25, 2015

Synopsis from Goodreads: May 7, 1896. Dusk. A swaggering seventeen-year-old gangster named Zebulon Finch is gunned down on the shores of Lake Michigan. But after mere minutes in the void, he is mysteriously resurrected. His second life will be nothing like his first. Zebulon's new existence begins as a sideshow attraction in a traveling medicine show. From there, he will be poked and prodded by a scientist obsessed with mastering the secrets of death. He will fight in the trenches of World War I. He will run from his nightmares—and from poverty—in Depression-era New York City. And he will become the companion of the most beautiful woman in Hollywood.
Love, hate, hope, and horror—Zebulon finds them. But will he ever find redemption?

Jen's Trend Notes: Wow -- this one sounds like a big hybrid -- historical fiction meets sci-fi meets horror. Like a YA The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, perhaps?

This Raging Light 

by Estelle Laure

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

January 5, 2016 

Synopsis from Goodreads: A teenager and her younger sister try to deal with their mother’s sudden disappearance. Things become further complicated when older sister Lucille falls for her best friend’s brother. 

Jen's Trend Notes: There's not a lot of information to go on yet. There's a Missing Person, which has been a popular trend in 2015.  I always love a good sister story. And this cover is part of the Rainbow Bright cover trend I discussed last week.

What do you think about these? Which are you excited about?