Around the World in YA Books Tag

I doubt I’ll catch up on all these tagged posts by the end of the year but no matter. Here’s another for your enjoyment.

I was tagged by the Orang-utan Librarian back in November. Gracias! Though I tried to find the original post (mostly out of curiousity), I was unable to, but I did stumble upon this post on B&N Reads that looks like it could have been the original. It lists 8 countries with books set in them and the majority of bloggers I’ve seen do this post list 8 as well. Coincidence or no? Hmm… Anyways, the rules:

The rules are simple. List a country, and then show which favorite book of yours is set in that country. You can use the countries I have used, add your own, or use completely different ones!

I’m going to divert from the rules a bit. I’ll list books set in the countries featured below, however, they are not all my favorites. Also, I haven’t read them all and they aren’t all YA books, as the title of this post indicates.

Island Songs by Alex Wheatle

This is a wonderful story about sisters Hortense and Jenny growing up in rural Jamaica during the 20th century. The story follows the sisters as they mature and move to Trenchtown before emigrating to England. It’s one of my favorite novels and I need to give it a reread.

Jason and the Argonauts by Apollonius of Rhodes

This is the classic epic poem about Jason’s adventures on his quest to fetch the Golden Fleece for his uncle, the Greek king Pelias. Though it’s probably not set in Greece as we know it today, I believe it still counts. I read this back in August and was surprised that I enjoyed it. The story is entertaining and this translation by Aaron Poochigian was easy to read.

The Dragon Can’t Dance by Earl Lovelace

This is another classic but I haven’t yet read it. It’s set in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, during Carnival.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

I recently read this one. It’s a young-adult, fantasy novel about an albino girl who discovers that she is part of a secret, magical society. Sunny was born in the U.S. but her family moved to Nigeria. We don’t learn why until later in the story.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

This is a young-adult, contemporary novel about Anna’s last year of high school spent at a boarding school in France. There, she falls in love with Paris and with a French boy with an English accent from America.

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Almost everyone is familiar with this book because of the movie but if you’re not, it’s a memoir recounting Elizabeth Gilbert’s travel to Italy, India, and Indonesia and the emotional trials she endured and the growth that resulted while in those countries.

Rasputin’s Daughter by Robert Alexander

A historical novel that recounts Rasputin’s life from the perspective of his daughter. Rasputin was a mystical healer who was close to Russia’s Romanov family. He was quite a controversial figure since he engaged in many questionable acts.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Another classic. This one is told from the perspective of a dog who is kidnapped from the safety of his home in California and brought to the harsh north (Yukon, Canada), where he has to quickly adapt to the harsh climate and situations in his new life.

I won’t tag anyone but if you feel like doing it, then I tag you. Please link back here so I can see you post! 🙂

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