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Earlier this month, I highlighted a host of YA books by women in translation in honor of Women in Translation Month. The response to that particular newsletter was great, and more, I learned about a bunch more titles that made revisiting this topic for the final newsletter of August more than worthwhile. A big thank you goes out to writer and translator Sawad Hussain who shared several YA titles in translation by women of color specifically.
Going through these titles, as well as pulling out some upcoming YA women in translation titles, something that comes up with translated works is similar to one of the elements of YA nonfiction: more of these titles are published for that 10-14-year-old demographic, right between middle grade and YA. That’s part of why it can be easy to miss them, but it’s also why highlighting them is especially important. Not only should translated work be championed as it broadens the world of storytelling, but it also helps fill a gap in YA literature by reaching those who want books on the younger end of the category. The American publishing designations are far from the only ones globally.
As in the previous newsletter, the translators may not identify as women but the authors themselves do.
(A short programming note: no newsletter will hit your inbox on Monday, as it’s Labo(u)r Day. Your new releases for the first week of September will be in the Thursday send next week).
Aya: Claws Come Out by Marguerite Abouet & Clément Oubrerie, translated by Edwige Dro
The Aya comic books have been around for a long time, but this is the first addition to the series in translation from French and set on the Ivory Coast in 12 years. It hit shelves earlier this year.
In the latest installment, Aya confronts challenges at her internship while attempting to help her best friend show that he can and is a serious contender as future CEO of the company. It’s a comic that gives readers a look at life in middle-class Africa—something so rarely depicted anywhere—and it’s set in the ’80s.
The Curse of Madame Petrova by Marjolijn Hof, illustrated by Annette Fienieg, translated by Bill Nagelkerke (October 15)
First, this cover is awesome and is such a wonderful tease of the art to come inside this graphic novel. Second, it’s a fairy tale blended with horror, set in historical Europe and translated from Dutch.
A prophecy before the birth of twins Silke and Janis told to their parents by Madame Petrova foretold that the twins would cause one another’s deaths in the future. To save their lives, Janis and Silke grew up separately. Janis went to the mountains, and Silke stayed at home. But now that their parents have died, the twins’ cousins are trying to scheme them out of the family home. If the cousins bring the twins back together, the prophecy will unfold.
Now Janis and Silke plan to run away to avoid that fate. But their escape to the woods has come with plenty of surprises, including a run-in with the infamous Madame Petrova.
The Djinn’s Apple by Djamila Morani, translated by Sawad Hussain
A team of men barges into Nardeen’s home. They’re there looking for someone or something, and Nardeen is the only person able to get out. She is the only survivor, as her family is killed. Now she plans on getting justice for their murders in whatever way she possibly can. This is a YA murder mystery set in early Baghdad history and translated from Arabic.
Fire From the Sky by Moa Backe Åstot, translated by Eva Apelqvist
This was a Printz award honor book and a Kirkus best book last year. It follows Ánte, who lives a very traditional Sámi life. The Sámi are Indigenous people of what are today the northern reaches of Scandinavia and parts of Russia, known for their reindeer herding. Ánte knows as the only child, he’ll be responsible for the future of the reindeer, but he’s starting to develop some really strong feelings for his best friend Erik. But expressing those feelings may not be as easy as Ánte wishes they could be.
Enjoy a queer love story in translation from Swedish.
Ghady & Rawan by Fatima Sharafeddine and Samar Mahfouz Barraj, translated by Sawad Hussain and M. Lynx Qualey
For readers who love quieter realistic fiction comes a story about the relationship between two Lebanese best friends. Ghady lives in Belgium while Rawan lives in Beirut, where Ghady visits every summer. The two of them enjoy the closeness those summers bring. Over the course of the school year, separated by so many miles, the two keep in touch via email, where readers get to see and experience their unique lives as they unfold.
Translated from Arabic, the two voices in the book showcase the realities of racism, of changing family dynamics, and the importance of friendship.
Rebis: Born and Reborn by Irene Marchesini, illustrated by Carlotta Dicataldo, translated by Carla Roncalli Di Montorio (April 1, 2025)
Garnering comparisons to Nimona and Snapdragon, this upcoming graphic novel in translation looks great. Martino was born with extremely white skin—albinism—but in his village, this is a curse. Now she’s run away to find a safe place to grow. Enter Viviana. Deep in the woods, it’s a place where outcast women have built a strong sisterhood. Marino is quickly accepted into the fold and finds herself completely transformed.
Translated from Italian, this medieval fantasy comic showcases an unlikely friendship and the power of found family.
Thunderbird: Book One (trilogy) by Sonia Nimr, translated by M. Lynx Qualey
Translated from Arabic, this story follows Noor, a young Palestinian girl, who must travel back through time with the help of a djinn cat to collect four feathers. This journey is vital–it’s the only way to save the world.
This is a trilogy, and the third and final installment, Thunderbird: Book Three, will hit shelves on September 10.
Tilted Sky by Yao Emei, translated by Kelly Zhang
Bai Jian has been growing up in a big Chinese city with his father, who hasn’t been the most stable force in Bai Jian’s life. His mother abandoned them years ago, and since, his father has been challenged to keep a job, a romantic partner, and a grip on the reality of the situation. But now his father wants to try his hand at one of the most outrageous schemes yet: spend all of his money to send Bai Jian to a boarding school so that he can pursue his own career dreams without the burden of being a parent.
This is not what Bai Jian wants. As much as he’d like to bemoan never having the stability he deserves, he decides that if it’s not given to him, he will be the one to seek out and establish it for himself.
Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh, translated by Marcia Lynx Qualey
Translated from Arabic, this story follows two Syrian refugee brothers. When Sufyan is kidnapped and forced to become a child soldier in the war, it’s his quieter brother Oscar who now has to figure out how to save Sufyan…and the rest of their family.
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Thanks as always for hanging out, and we’ll see you again on Thursday.
Until then, happy reading!
