SUBSCRIBE
SUBSCRIBE
SLJ Blog Network +
  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal: A Mock Newbery Blog
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • About TLT
  • Reviews
    • Book Reviews
    • A to Z Book Lists
    • Book Review Policy
  • Teen Issues
  • Middle Grade Mondays
  • Programs
    • TPiB
    • Tech Talk
  • Professional
    • Teen Services 101
    • Things We Didn’t Learn in Library School
  • MakerSpace
  • Projects
    • #SVYALit
    • #FSYALit
    • #MHYALit
    • #Poverty in YA Lit

February 9, 2022 by Karen Jensen, MLS

Take 5: YA Fiction Set on an Island

February 9, 2022 by Karen Jensen, MLS   Leave a Comment

Since today’s earlier post is about islands, I thought I would share with you some recent YA that takes place on an island. Fair warning, usually a lot of people die in the island books I read. Sorry about that.

When I was in middle school, one of my favorite books and movies was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. And there are not 1 but 3 YA books that are loose retellings of this compelling story, proving that I probably wasn’t as weird of a teen as I thought I was.

SCROLL TO KEEP READING THIS POST

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Never Coming Home by Kate Williams

Publisher’s Book Description: The beach read you have been dying for! When ten of America’s hottest teenage influencers are invited to an exclusive island resort, things are sure to get wild. But murder isn’t what anyone expected. Will anyone survive?

Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination. Think white sand beaches, turquoise seas, and luxury accommodations. Plus, it’s invite only, no one over twenty-one allowed, and it’s absolutely free. Who wouldn’t want to go?

After launching with a showstopping viral marketing campaign, the whole world is watching as the mysterious resort opens its doors to the First Ten, the ten elite influencers specifically chosen to be the first to experience everything Unknown Island has to offer. You know them. There’s the gamer, the beauty blogger, the rich girl, the superstar, the junior politician, the environmentalist, the DJ, the CEO, the chef, and the athlete.

What they don’t know is that they weren’t invited to Unknown Island for their following—they were invited for their secrets. Everyone is hiding a deadly one, and it looks like someone’s decided it’s payback time. Unknown Island isn’t a vacation, it’s a trap. And it’s beginning to look like the First Ten—no matter how influential—are never coming home.

And if you like murderous ya set on an island loosely based on Agatha Christie, and I apparently do, you may also like these . . .

And let me take this moment to say that if you like YA thrillers and horror, you can’t go wrong with Gretchen McNeil.

NEVER COMING HOME will be released in June of 2022

Some other island tales . . .

Before actually living in a deadly pandemic, I loved to read about deadly pandemics. The Way We Fall series is about a group of teens trapped on an island during a deadly pandemic. It’s very good and everything you want in a good pandemic story. There’s a slow build up of bodies, a lot of science, and the desperation of a group of people trying to figure you how to survive what appears to be the unsurvivable. This is a really great addition to STEM reading lists.


We Were Liars is an older book that has gotten so popular on BookTok that they are releasing a prequel called Family of Liars in 2022. This is a haunting tale about a family full of secrets that slowly unfold and when they truth is revealed, nothing will be the same. Every family has a liar, but what happens when you are all a family of liars and secrets?


The town of Sparrow is surrounded by water and death. Centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death as witches. Each summer the ghosts of the sisters take their revenge, stealing the bodies of the girls that live there and luring boys to the town. When a boy named Bo shows up, Penny thinks she may be falling in love with him. But love will put them both at risk to The Wicked Deep.


Here’s another island haunted by a witch burning and a curse. Nor is a teen who has maybe not really there super powers and an equally not really there love life. Then, a mysterious book appears saying that it can cast a spell . . . for a price. Is Nor willing to pay the price? From the author of The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender comes a haunting maelstrom of magic and murder in the lush, moody Pacific Northwest.


You know I can’t talk about books being set on an island without mentioning Beauty Queens by Libba Bray. This is one of the best books to listen to on audio, you will split your sides with laughter. A group of teens crash on an island on their way to a beauty pageant and while they try to survive they learn that not everything is as it seems. It’s a wild ride full of survival, friendship and corporate malfeasance.

Filed under: Uncategorized

SHARE:

Read or Leave Comments

About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Posts

December 2022

Book Mail: Romances, thrillers, mysteries, dystopias, and more!

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

The Difference Between YA and NA, a former teen now new adult reader perspective

by Karen Jensen, MLS

December 2022

Post-It Note Reviews: Quick looks at 9 new titles

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

Reclaiming Queer History, a guest post by James Brandon

by Karen Jensen, MLS

October 2022

I Wrote a Book About the Pandemic. I'm Scared No One Will Want to Read It, a guest post by Sara Saedi

by Karen Jensen, MLS

ADVERTISEMENT

SLJ Blog Network

100 Scope Notes

Sydney Taylor Blog Tour: THE TOWER OF LIFE by Chana Stiefel and Susan Gal

by Travis Jonker

A Fuse #8 Production

Abecedarian Movement and Dance: A Q&A with Corinna Luyken About ABC and You and Me!

by Betsy Bird

Good Comics for Kids

Akim Aliu Dreamer | This Week’s Comics

by Lori Henderson

Heavy Medal

What’s Coming in 2023, A Feedback Poll, and Goodbye for Now…

by Steven Engelfried

Teen Librarian Toolbox

Writing Trans Joy in Spite of Everything, a guest post by Edward Underhill

by Amanda MacGregor

The Classroom Bookshelf

The Classroom Bookshelf is Moving

by Erika Thulin Dawes

The Yarn

A Book 25 Years in the Making: Marla Frazee Visits The Yarn

by Travis Jonker

ADVERTISEMENT

Related Articles on SLJ

19 Enlightening & Highly Engaging Nonfiction Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

2 Contemporary Retellings of 'Pride and Prejudice'

15 Middle Grade & YA History Books That Highlight Marginalized Voices

Not Just for the Pre-K Crowd: Picture Books To Share with Tweens and Teens

7 Slam-Dunk Sports Fiction Titles for Teens | Summer Reading 2020

Commenting for all posts is disabled after 30 days.

ADVERTISEMENT

Archives

Follow This Blog

Enter your email address below to receive notifications of new blog posts by email.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

This coverage is free for all visitors. Your support makes this possible.

Primary Sidebar

  • News & Features
  • Reviews+
  • Technology
  • School Libraries
  • Public Libraries
  • Age Level
  • Ideas
  • Blogs
  • Classroom
  • Diversity
  • People
  • Job Zone

Reviews+

  • Book Lists
  • Best Books
  • Media
  • Reference
  • Series Made Simple
  • Tech
  • Review for SLJ
  • Review Submissions

SLJ Blog Network

  • 100 Scope Notes
  • A Fuse #8 Production
  • Good Comics for Kids
  • Heavy Medal
  • Neverending Search
  • Teen Librarian Toolbox
  • The Classroom Bookshelf
  • The Yarn

Resources

  • 2022 Youth Media Awards
  • The Newbery at 100: SLJ Celebrates the 100th Anniversary of the Award
  • Special Report | School Libraries 2021
  • Summer Reading 2021
  • Series Made Simple Spring 2021
  • SLJ Diverse Books Survey
  • Summer Programming Survey
  • Research
  • White Papers / Case Studies
  • School Librarian of the Year
  • Mathical Book Prize Collection Development Awards
  • Librarian/Teacher Collaboration Award

Events & PD

  • In-Person Events
  • Online Courses
  • Virtual Events
  • Webcasts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Media Inquiries
  • Newsletter Sign Up
  • Content Submissions
  • Data Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • Terms of Sale
  • FAQs
  • Diversity Policy
  • Careers at MSI


COPYRIGHT © 2023


COPYRIGHT © 2023