Stephanie Stein

😂 Make me laugh! Note I am not one for super zany young MG or grossout humor, but I love self-aware wryness or a bit of quirk
😭 & make me cry, especially with contemporary MG about family, friendship, & kids figuring out their place in the world #MSWL

😈 Ruthless schemers with a secret squishy marshmallow heart of gold (Roy Mustang vibes, basically)
🌃 YA contemporary fantasy with vintage Holly Black/Curse Workers vibes
👀 Narrators that knock big ol' holes in the fourth wall #MSWL

... a broad range of MG & YA fiction and graphic novels--fantasy (my first & greatest love as a reader), historical, romance, some great humor, and high-concept contemporary (especially with a framing device such as epistolary elements, then-and-now timelines, etc.) #MSWL

4.2) Historical or contemporary fantasy with a sharp, fresh, feminist twist on old folklore. Looking for my Holly Black or YA Alix Harrow 🙏

3) High-concept YA contemporary or contemporary-with-a-twist, especially if it comes with an irreverent, self-referentially funny voice. Sarcastic or endearingly self-deprecating humor to the front of the line. I love a protagonist who feels like a co-conspirator.

Always! I'm dying for some deeply emotional MG contemporary, smart MG fantasy/adventure, and a sweeping, EPIC YA romance. More of my recent wishlist items are on the hashtag #MSWL! #okscbwichat

I turned 30 (!!!) last weekend, an occasion I'm seizing to share my #MSWL this year:
- sweeping YA romance
- ✨queer magic✨
- savvy, commercial MG fantasy
- joyful queer & POC stories
- & POC authors with something to say
- emotional contemporary MG
- cozy af graphic novels

In MG, my list is fantasy-heavy, and, like, don't stop sending me MG fantasy because I love it--but I want to see more MG contemporary! Particularly one that will make me ugly cry on the train, and then carefully glue my heart back together. #MSWL

YA fantasy is evergreen, but what I want to see is where the genre is going next. A more contemporary direction, a new take on paranormal, twists and turns on some heavy-hitting elements like dragons, gods, monsters, the nature of story? Bring it to me!! #MSWL

You all know I love fantasy. Looking for things that feel a bit out of the box now. Contemporary fantasy, maybe? YA urban fantasy? An update on Harry Potter? I don’t know; surprise me. #mswl

*shouts from the rooftop* ME TOO FOR THE RECORD #mswl

Same, friends. Would love a killer contemporary voice! #mswl

Literally always! #mswl

Really dying for more contemporary MG--friendship drama, multi-gen family stories, LGBTQ tweens... hit me up! #MSWL

Would love more contemporary/realistic novels set outside North America. YA and MG! #MSWL

Seconding both of these! #MSWL

Contemporary YA with a big, crazy, sweeping plot. Think Where'd You Go, Bernadette for teens. #MSWL

Also always looking for beautiful queer YA love stories--contemporary, yes, as well as queer MCs in other genres! #MSWL

Starting off #MSWL day with an evergreen one: contemporary YA with a weird/unreal twist (magical realism or Eternal Sunshine-esque light SF)