Amber’s 265 YA Reader’s Advisory Blog
This blog was created to showcase a variety of young adult literature and media. Books and other media can be searched by author, title, genre, and format through the Indexes tab.
Recent Posts
Welcome to my little library created for my Materials for Young Adults class at San Jose State University. This collection is mostly selected from recent publications (2020 or newer). Posts will include a short summary (wthout spoilers!) and a short reflection.

The Library of the Dead (book) by T. L. Huchu
14-year-old Ropa talks to ghosts and must unravel a mystery in Edinburgh that involves disappearing children.

Starter Villain (book) by John Scalzi
Smart spy cats, talking dolphins, and mega villains come together in this thriller.

Kingdom of Ash (audiobook) by Sarah J. Maas
The saga continues and ends in Book 7 (of 7) of the Throne of Glass series. Aelin Galathynius is on a mission to save her kingdom and the world.
Course Reflection
I’ve loved creating this series of modern media and literature that might appeal to young adults. Many of these titles pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way. I hadn’t read a graphic novel prior to the semester starting, for example, and now I pick them up at the library all the time because I’ve found so many good ones! Hopefully as a future librarian, I get to do reader’s advisory for teens and young adults, and I want to be able to relate to readers who like books that are outside of my favorite romantasy genre, lol. I know I can’t possibly read or watch all of the titles out there, but starting with this collection from a group of diverse creators and authors is good start.
It seems, that at the heart of the matter, teens want a variety of literature and media that involves themes they are dealing with in life. This could be realistic fiction, or it could be fantasy that allows a brief respite of escapism, but still involves all the issues that teens deal with today. They enjoy humor, horror. fantasy, love, and adventure, not unlike many adults.
