We asked some of the authors who are coming to the Young Adult Literature Convention (Yalc) at London’s Comic-Con this weekend (17-19 July) to talk about what most excites them about the way YA lit is developing, and to recommend new YA authors:

Sally Green, author Half Bad and Half Wild.



It’s an exciting time to be a YA writer and the number and range, style and subject matter of YA books are growing. It’s good to see a broadening in the range of genre of YA books. I’ve read in the last year from the YA shelves: fantasy, realism, horror, science fiction, love stories and tragedies and some mixing two or more of these. I’d still like there to be a further broadening in the styles of writing in YA, though there are some adventurous approaches out there, for example David Levithan’s ‘musical novel’ Hold Me Closer, Marcus Sedgwick’s The Ghosts of Heaven, which has four quarters that can be read in any order one quarter of which is written as a poem. Finally, I’m interested in the A in YA. I think we could still do sex and violence better. I’d like to see more sex (well read more, I don’t want to see it!) and violence isn’t tackled as honestly as it should be.

Sally Green’s one to watch:

There are lots but one of my favourite new books this year is Stone Rider by David Hofmeyr, this isn’t a mix of genres or a new style, but is a great futuristic fantasy story with a wonderful mystery character who I completely fell for. It’s Mad Max meets High Plains Drifter, and I wish I’d thought of it.



James Dawson, author of This Book Is Gay and latest booking Under My Skin

For me the most exciting development in YA right now is the growing development of UK YA. American authors have dominated for so long that it’s great to see names like Holly Smale, Derek Landy and Patrick Ness go global.

James Dawson’s one to watch:

Adam Silvera. His debut More Happy Than Not is taking America by storm and, having toured with him, I can confirm he’s a phenomenal talent and is destined to be a star.

Annabel Pitcher, author of My Sister Lives On the Mantelpiece with Silence is Goldfish out in October.

To be honest, trends are far less important to me than the individual merits of a story. It doesn’t matter what the novel is about. If the plot is compelling, or the narrative voice utterly convincing then I’m hooked. Great stories outlast fashion and the characters live on, whether they happen to be wizards or vampires, gay or straight, fighting cancer in the real world or facing death in an apocalyptic one. That being said, it’s fantastic that I am writing in a time where diversity is celebrated and promoted.

Annabel Pitcher’s one to watch:

Non Pratt. Trouble is one of the most refreshingly honest, humorous, down-right unputdownable debuts I’ve read in years.

Liz Kessler, author of Read Me Like a Book (her first teen book, but of course most famed for her Emily Windsnap books!)



I think that in many ways, YA is at the forefront of helping to inform opinion and debate in the UK. This is not only happening for young people but for the rest of society at large, in terms of looking at issues that matter. Whether this is about including diverse representation in our books, looking in-depth at mental health issues, starting discussions about lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans teens - or a hundred other things - YA (and especially UKYA) is leading the way!

Liz Kessler’s one to watch:

There are SO MANY to choose from! If I’m only allowed one, and they have to be a debut author, I’ll choose Clare Furniss with The Year of the Rat. This book is so beautifully written and so tender and made me cry embarrassingly lying by a pool on my holidays. If I’m allowed to cheat and have two (and they don’t have to be a complete debut, but are allowed to be on their third book!) I’ll add Sarah Crossan with Apple and Rain. Apple and Rain is the loveliest book I’ve read all year. The characters are absolutely perfect and the writing is beautiful.

Kevin Brooks, author of Carnegie winning The Bunker Diary

For me, the most exciting/important development in YA fiction hasn’t actually happened yet. At the moment, e-books and e-readers aren’t really offering anything fundamentally new. Digital literature might seem revolutionary on the surface, but in essence it’s just a different way of accessing books – a different format, a different interface. So far, for the most part, the content itself hasn’t changed. But the possibilities for change are there, and I don’t think it’ll be too long before we start seeing radically new ways of telling stories. Which, as an author, is both exciting and a bit scary.

Kevin Brooks’ one to watch:

Things We Have in Common by Tasha Kavanagh (this isn’t being published/marketed as YA fiction, but I think older teens (13+) will really like it).

Holly Smale, author of the Geek Girl series

It’s been great watching fearless feminist fiction push forward into the YA mainstream recently, in many different guises. Whether it’s done overtly or subtly, books that help teenage girls to challenge the society they’re in, how they’re treated, how they should behave and what’s expected of them are important, and really make a difference. Not that this is a new arm of literature by any stretch of the imagination, but it feels like the dismantling of gender expectations has ramped up a notch recently and that’s a very positive and exciting movement to be part of.

Holly Smale’s ones to watch:

I can’t pick one: so many writers are tackling the same agenda in a myriad of different, creative and exciting ways. Holly Bourne, Louise O’Neill and Tanya Byrne are just a sample of YA authors right now pushing boundaries and challenging what it even means to be “a girl”.

Cassandra Clare, author of The Mortal Instruments series and Magisterium



I think for me the most exciting development is a move toward darker fantasy, which is great because I like my fantasy dark — Holly Black’s The Darkest Part of the Forest and Marie Lu’s The Young Elites are quite dark. And I also like the trend toward retellings of fairy tales and mythology with a feminist twist, because my love for fantasy is rooted in those things.

Cassie Clare’s one to watch:

I’d recommend Uprooted by Naomi Novik. She isn’t a new author but she’s new to YA and Uprooted is a book that can be read by teens and adults alike. It draws on the mythology and history of her Polish background to create a magical world that feels deeply real, and has one of my favourite heroines of recent years.

Derek Landy, author of the Skulduggery Pleasant series

I’m not sure that any particular trend would excite me, as such — trends lead to shelf after shelf of books that look the same, read the same, and feel the same. However, once we zoom out from those trends, we start to see the sheer breadth of diversity that YA — and children’s books — have to offer. More and more, we are leaving behind the idea that YA is a genre, simply by making available the widest range of genres we possibly can.

Derek Landy’s one to watch:

I recommend The Shattered Sea trilogy by Joe Abercrombie to everyone, at the slightest opportunity. I don’t get invited to parties anymore.

Carrie Hope Fletcher, author of All I Know Now

The most exciting thing about the current spectrum of YA publishing is its sheer diversity – there’s such a range out there now that it’s impossible to pinpoint any one thing as being more exciting than another, as books are catering for readers at all different ages and stages of life. In particular, though, I feel it’s really important that in recent years LGBT characters have been represented far more broadly across YA, and in such a way that sexuality can be written as just one strand among many rather than having to be highlighted. It is becoming as much a part of teen literature as it is of life.

Carrie Hope Fletcher’s one to watch:

Samantha van Leer is amazing – I loved the first book that she co-wrote with her mother Jodi Picoult, Between the Lines, and am really looking forward to their next, Off the Page.

Live Twitter chat TODAY Monday 13 July 7-8pm #GdnYALC

Chat live on Twitter from 7-8pm #GdnYALC with authors who are coming to the YA Lit Con this weekend including: Amy Alward @amy_alward, Darren Shan @darrenshan, Liz Kessler@lizkesslerbooks, Annabel Pitcher @APitcherAuthor, Samantha Shannon@say_shannon, James Dawson @_jamesdawson, Arabella Weir @arabellaweir and Taran Matharu @TaranMatharu1 (and more) to talk about hopes, dreams and futures of YA books and all things Yalc. Come and join us… it’s going to be a lot of fun! We’ll be live blogging on the site from 5pm!



Your new YA author recommendations

@GdnChildrensBks My recent favourite is @laxmi's The Many Lives of @RubyIyer. Fast paced, real, yet mesmerising. — Ritesh Kala (@ritesh_kala) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks I reckon @davidowenauthor's 'Panther' has to be in there... really enjoyed it! — Lewis James Brown (@LewisJamesBrown) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks I'm racing through @LuWrites' Deep Water right now. Couldn't put it down last night, nearly fell asleep with it on my head! — Sophie Cleverly (@Hapfairy) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks I loved Scott K Andrews' TIME BOMB last year. Brilliantly paradoxy & fast-paced time travel story. Can't wait for sequel. — Sophia McDougall (@McDougallSophia) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks I recommend "Dragon's Rock by Millie Slavidou. — Nicola Miller (@NicMillersTale) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks Moïra Fowley-Doyle with the excellent The Accident Season. — Cindy Van Wilder (@cindy_vw) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks Five Wounds by fabulous newcomer on the scene @KatharineEdgar has to be on the list - historical fiction, incredible detail — Millie Slavidou (@MillieSlavidou) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks What about @AHintofMystery Sin Eater's Daughter? Main character is not all powerful, no particular talent - relatable! — Natalie Venning (@Natari_Himi) July 13, 2015

@GdnChildrensBks Dragons Rock by @MillieSlavidou is my god daughters favourite book at the moment. Well worth including. — Captain_Chaos (@Captain_Chaos43) July 13, 2015