My True Love Gave to Me

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Cute boys, mistletoe, counting down to the midnight kiss on New Year’s Eve—there’s no shortage of cozy setups for holiday romance in this captivating collection of short stories by a dozen of today’s top YA authors. Readers will also find a broad cross-section of other emotions and relationships in these tales about the significance of varied holiday traditions. Jenny Han delivers a fantasy-tinged entry about a Korean girl left as an infant in Santa’s sleigh, who is now the only human girl at the North Pole (and crushing on a cute elf). Kelly Link delves into supernatural territory, featuring a mysterious Christmas Eve visitor in an elegantly embroidered coat. And the Jewish narrator of David Levithan’s story undertakes a wild nighttime mission, donning a Santa suit to help preserve a sense of Christmas magic for his boyfriend’s young sister. A rare seasonal treat. Ages 13–up.

Starred review from September 15, 2014
Holidays meet romance in a Christmas- and Hanukkah-themed collection featuring some of teen fiction's most prominent names. A Latino NYU student, running out of food while catsitting during winter break, meets a white upstairs neighbor whose shower is broken in Matt de la Pena's "Angels in the Snow." In David Levithan's "Your Temporary Santa," a gay Jewish teen plays Santa for the benefit of his boyfriend's kid sister. Kelly Link's "The Lady and the Fox" shows the goddaughter of an intimidating English matriarch battling a set of magical rules to free a ghostly family member who only appears on Christmas. Although the majority of characters are white, Christian and straight, clearly attention has been paid here to the call for greater diversity in teen fiction. The setting of the romances varies greatly, from a chaotic trailer-park New Year's party to a kitschy diner in a tiny "census-designated place" called Christmas, California, to Santa's North Pole workshop, where his adopted daughter dreams of a boy she met following his route. Rich language and careful, efficient character development make the collection an absorbing and sophisticated read, each story surprisingly fresh despite the constraints of a shared theme. It's that rarest of short story collections: There's not a single lump of coal. (Short stories. 12-18)

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Starred review from October 1, 2014

Gr 7 Up-Twelve of the best-loved and best-known young adult authors-Rainbow Rowell, David Levithan, and Matt de la Pena among them-have contributed stories to this appealing collection. Most have a Christmas setting, but Hanukkah, the winter solstice, and New Year's Eve are also represented. Most are realistic, but Holly Black, Kelly Link, Jenny Han, and Laini Taylor have contributed tales steeped in fantasy or the supernatural. What all 12 selections have in common is teen romance at its most fragile and meaningful. Never mind the winter holidays; booktalk this title all year round.-Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 15, 2014
Grades 9-12 *Starred Review* Holiday canoodling stories by 12 of the top YA authors? It's a Christmas miracle! Not since 2008's Let It Snow (by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle) has a compendium of wintry love stories given readers such reason to celebrate. Using her trademark sparkling dialogue, Rainbow Rowell rings in an amorous New Year's between old pals. Matt de la Pea presents a house sitter hookup with unlikely results. Jenny Han writes tales of woe and lust between Santa's adopted daughter and her coworker elves. Stephanie Perkins pairs a tree-lot employee with a shopper who pines for much more. David Levithan's Jewish St. Nick loves his boyfriend enough to (reluctantly) spread some X-mas magic. Holly Black's hot Christmas Krampus crashes a swinging holiday soiree. Kiersten White whips up a delicious romance in a struggling Yule-themed diner. And several other big-name writersAlly Carter, Gayle Forman, Kelly Link, Myra McEntire, Laini Taylorcraft cozy, clever tales of good tidings. This is the substantive stuff of dream stockings: a rollicking, blush-inducing, memorable holiday collection of breezy, bite-size stories perfect for a snug evening next to the fire.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)