With the library’s 75th birthday coming up, we wanted to give our readers the gift of a Young Adult section! This category has become hugely popular in the U.S. and internationally. So we decided to bring the trend to our library! To celebrate, we picked 5 of our favorite books that have just graduated from collège to YA.
In an alternate universe, whole cities are contained on floating arks. The seemingly ordinary Ophélie is gifted with special abilities: she can read the past of objects and pass through mirrors. Her peaceful life on Anima comes to an end when she is betrothed to Thorn, a powerful member of a distant clan. Ophélie must leave her family and follow Thorn to the capital of Citacielle, where nothing is as it seems. As she is drawn deeper into the treacherous games of court society, Ophélie realizes that she has become a pawn in a deadly plot beyond her imagining.
What if anyone could access your emotions? Nathan and his friends are permanently connected to Interfeel, a social network that shares users’ feelings. For the vast majority of people on Earth, knowing others’ emotions is as natural as calling on the phone. But after a life-changing tragedy, Nathan meets Élizabeth, a sans-Réseau living on the margins of society. Soon they make a discovery that will change their world forever.
Life isn’t easy when you’re fourteen. Since the death of Aurélie’s father, her mother has been a total zombie - until meeting the school principal! With her best friend Kat gone boy crazy, Aurélie feels like an alien dropped on planet Earth. In all the chaos, all Aurélie really wants is to find her place in the universe. Also check out the bande dessinée and movie!
Moscow, October 1917. As World War I rages on, the reign of the tsars gives way to a new government indifferent to the distress of the Russian people. While 17-year-old Lena joins the ranks of the revolutionaries preparing for insurrection, her twin sister Tatiana joins a group of young artists who dream of a new social order. But will they end up on the same side of the barricades?
Dreaming for peace in Jerusalem, Tal, a 17-year-old Israeli girl, puts a letter in a bottle and sends it to the Gaza Sea. She soon receives a reply from Naim, a 20-year-old Palestinian who at first treats her with suspicion and sarcasm. But eventually, the pair’s letters begin to express their true feelings as they develop an understanding of each other’s lives. This story was adapted into an award-winning movie in 2010, also available at the library.
For more ideas, check out some of our favorite movies for French learners or a list of English and French read-alikes. Come in to the library any time for personalized recommendations from our librarians!
Le passe-miroir, tome 1 : Les fiancés de l’hiver by Christelle Dabos
In an alternate universe, whole cities are contained on floating arks. The seemingly ordinary Ophélie is gifted with special abilities: she can read the past of objects and pass through mirrors. Her peaceful life on Anima comes to an end when she is betrothed to Thorn, a powerful member of a distant clan. Ophélie must leave her family and follow Thorn to the capital of Citacielle, where nothing is as it seems. As she is drawn deeper into the treacherous games of court society, Ophélie realizes that she has become a pawn in a deadly plot beyond her imagining.Interfeel by Antonin Atger
What if anyone could access your emotions? Nathan and his friends are permanently connected to Interfeel, a social network that shares users’ feelings. For the vast majority of people on Earth, knowing others’ emotions is as natural as calling on the phone. But after a life-changing tragedy, Nathan meets Élizabeth, a sans-Réseau living on the margins of society. Soon they make a discovery that will change their world forever.
Le Journal d'Aurélie Laflamme Tome 1 : Extraterrestre... Ou presque ! by India Desjardins
Life isn’t easy when you’re fourteen. Since the death of Aurélie’s father, her mother has been a total zombie - until meeting the school principal! With her best friend Kat gone boy crazy, Aurélie feels like an alien dropped on planet Earth. In all the chaos, all Aurélie really wants is to find her place in the universe. Also check out the bande dessinée and movie!Révoltées by Carole Trébor
Moscow, October 1917. As World War I rages on, the reign of the tsars gives way to a new government indifferent to the distress of the Russian people. While 17-year-old Lena joins the ranks of the revolutionaries preparing for insurrection, her twin sister Tatiana joins a group of young artists who dream of a new social order. But will they end up on the same side of the barricades?Une bouteille dans la mer de Gaza by Valérie Zenatti
Dreaming for peace in Jerusalem, Tal, a 17-year-old Israeli girl, puts a letter in a bottle and sends it to the Gaza Sea. She soon receives a reply from Naim, a 20-year-old Palestinian who at first treats her with suspicion and sarcasm. But eventually, the pair’s letters begin to express their true feelings as they develop an understanding of each other’s lives. This story was adapted into an award-winning movie in 2010, also available at the library.For more ideas, check out some of our favorite movies for French learners or a list of English and French read-alikes. Come in to the library any time for personalized recommendations from our librarians!
Elizabeth Taft
Library Assistant
Elizabeth has a B.A. in French from Wellesley College and is studying Library and Information Science at Simmons University. During a year in Aix-en-Provence she hiked Mont Sainte-Victoire, volunteered at a short film festival, and attended France's largest book fair. Her work at the French Library combines her love of language and libraries.
