Friday, February 24, 2012

Oh, the Places You’ll Go: Road Trip YAs

If you didn’t know, the book I’m writing, Funny Thing, is a road trip novel.  There’s more than to it than that  (I have themes people, themes!)  but the bulk of the novel is the road trip.  I LOVE road trip novels.  I do. And they seem to be abundant in YA which is great, because I also love to do research (aka read novels) and see how they do different things.   I’ve done a few road trips – Florida to Ohio mainly but I’ve got years ahead of to do so. I’d love to do one from Ohio to New York but I don’t think I could get anyone to agree with me!

So I decided to make a post of YA road trip novels I’ve read and liked, and some that are coming out and I can’t wait to get my hands on.  If I left some off, leave them in the comments!

Thou Shalt Not Road Trip by Antony John

Sixteen-year-old Luke Dorsey is sent on a cross-country tour to promote his bestselling spiritual self-help guide accompanied by his agnostic older brother and former girlfriend, Fran, from whom he learns some things about salvation.

Sixteen year old author!  Agnostic character? Sounds like a great story with some depth. This one is out April 12, 2012 from Dial Books.

Two Way Street by Lauren Barnholt

There are two sides to every breakup.   This is Jordan and Courtney, totally in love. Sure, they were an unlikely high school couple. But they clicked; it worked. They’re even going to the same college, and driving cross-country together for orientation.

Then Jordan dumps Courtney — for a girl he met on the Internet.

It’s too late to change plans, so the road trip is on. Courtney’s heartbroken, but figures she can tough it out for a few days. La la la – this is Courtney pretending not to care.

But in a strange twist, Jordan cares. A lot.

Turns out, he’s got a secret or two that he’s not telling Courtney. And it has everything to do with why they broke up, why they can’t get back together, and how, in spite of it all, this couple is destined for each other.

I finished this one awhile ago and I haven’t quite found the words for a review yet. I think I raced through it too fast because it hasn’t stuck with me much. I think I’ll read it again.

Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

Amy Curry thinks her life sucks. Her mom decides to move from California to Connecticut to start anew–just in time for Amy’s senior year. Her dad recently died in a car accident. So Amy embarks on a road trip to escape from it all, driving cross-country from the home she’s always known toward her new life. Joining Amy on the road trip is Roger, the son of Amy’s mother’s old friend. Amy hasn’t seen him in years, and she is less than thrilled to be driving across the country with a guy she barely knows. So she’s surprised to find that she is developing a crush on him. At the same time, she’s coming to terms with her father’s death and how to put her own life back together after the accident. Told in traditional narrative as well as scraps from the road–diner napkins, motel receipts, postcards–this is the story of one girl’s journey to find herself

This is one of my favorite road trip YAs of all time.  I’ve got it on my screen (in e-book form) while I’m writing because I want to capture the “road” sense it has.  It’s so good and I adore it.

Reunited by  Hilary Weisman Graham

Alice, Summer, and Tiernan are ex-best friends.   Back in middle school, the three girls were inseparable. They were also the number one fans of the rock band Level3.   But when the band broke up, so did their friendship. Summer ran with the popular crowd, Tiernan was a rebellious wild-child, and Alice spent high school with her nose buried in books. 

Now, just as the girls are about to graduate, Level3 announces a one-time-only reunion show.   Even though the concert’s 2000 miles away, Alice buys three tickets on impulse. And as it turns out, Summer and Tiernan have their own reasons for wanting to get out of town. Good thing Alice’s graduation gift (a pea-green 1976 VW camper van known as the Pea Pod) is just the vehicle to get them there. 

But on the long drive cross-country, the girls hit more than a few bumps in the road. Will their friendship get an encore or is the show really over?

I am so excited to read this one!  It’s one of my top 10 anticipated reads of 2012.   I love the detail about the van and the book trailer!

Going Bovine  by Libba Bray

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

I bought this book a year ago when my Borders (sigh) closed. I just can’t get past a certain part. Because it’s sad and it’s good and the writing is amazing, and I just have to push myself through! But..I must confess…I spoiled the ending for myself. I don’t think it will affect me loving the book though.

In Honor by Jessi Kirby

Honor receives her brother’s last letter from Iraq three days after learning that he died, and opens it the day his fellow Marines lay the flag over his casket. Its contents are a complete shock: concert tickets to see Kyra Kelly, her favorite pop star and Finn’s celebrity crush. In his letter, he jokingly charged Honor with the task of telling Kyra Kelly that he was in love with her.

Grief-stricken and determined to grant Finn’s last request, she rushes to leave immediately. But she only gets as far as the driveway before running into Rusty, Finn’s best friend since third grade and his polar opposite. She hasn’t seen him in ages, thanks to a falling out between the two guys, but Rusty is much the same as Honor remembers him: arrogant, stubborn. . . and ruggedly good looking. Neither one is what the other would ever look for in a road trip partner, but the two of them set off together, on a voyage that makes sense only because it doesn’t. Along the way, they find small and sometimes surprising ways to ease their shared loss and honor Finn–but when shocking truths are revealed at the end of the road, will either of them be able to cope with the consequences?

Another anticipated read of 2012!   This one is out May 8, 2012 from Simon and Schuster.

Back When You Were Easier to Love by Emily Wing Smith

What’s worse than getting dumped? Not even knowing if you’ve been dumped. Joy got no goodbye, and certainly no explanation when Zan – the love of her life and the only good thing about stifling, backward Haven, Utah – unceremoniously and unexpectedly left for college a year early. Joy needs closure almost as much as she needs Zan, so she heads for California, and Zan, riding shotgun beside Zan’s former-best-friend Noah.

I keep meaning to pick this one up. Maybe next time I go to the library or bookstore.  The cover is just adorable.

Don’t Stop Now by Julie Halpern

On the first day of Lillian’s summer-before-college, she gets a message on her cell from her sort-of friend, Penny. Not only has Penny faked her own kidnapping, but Lil is the only one who figures it out. She knows that Penny’s home life has been rough, and that her boyfriend may be abusive. Soon, Penny’s family, the local police, and even the FBI are grilling Lil, and she decides to head out to Oregon, where Penny has mentioned an acquaintance. And who better to road-trip across the country with than Lil’s BFF, Josh. But here’s the thing: Lil loves Josh. And Josh doesn’t want to “ruin” their amazing friendship.

 Josh has a car and his dad’s credit card. Lil has her cellphone and a hunch about where Penny is hiding. There’s something else she needs to find: Are she and Josh meant to be together?

Sounds interesting. Haven’t heard much about it yet. Have you?  I love the font title.

Have any suggestions for my road trip to-read shelf? I know there’s more but these are the ones I’ve read or want to read.

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