20 upcoming YA books we can’t wait to read in 2020

Red Hood – Elana K. Arnold

A new fairy tale adaption from Elana K. Arnold? Sign us up right now. Known for her dark and twisted retelling of familiar legends, Arnold’s most recent novel Damsel was a particularly polarizing take of a princess rescued from a dragon who turned out to be a lot more than she initially seemed.

Damsel expertly subverted many of the expected tropes in this particular fantasy genre, and it sounds as though Arnold’s latest effort, a novel named Red Hood will do the same to another very familiar story. The novel isn’t an explicit retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but many of the bones of that story are present here, with a feminist twist on top.

Here, it’s a story of survivors, of women who fight back against those who would otherwise oppress or harm them. It’s about the men who see themselves as entitled to more than they have, and the violence they’re capable of when they’re denied it. And it’s about the many dangers young women must face in the course of growing up and how they can reclaim their power – together.

The official synopsis has a bit more detail about the story.

"Since her grandmother became her caretaker when she was four years old, Bisou Martel has lived a quiet life in a little house in Seattle. She’s kept mostly to herself. She’s been good. But then comes the night of homecoming, when she finds herself running for her life over roots and between trees, a fury of claws and teeth behind her. A wolf attacks. Bisou fights back. A new moon rises. And with it, questions. About the blood in Bisou’s past and on her hands as she stumbles home. About broken boys and vicious wolves. About girls lost in the woods—frightened, but not alone."

Red Hood is available on February 25.