Five of the best YA books outside the contemporary genre

Dahlia Adler usually prefers her novels realistic and contemporary--ie, fiction grounded in the here and now. But sometimes she steps outside her comfort zone and tests novels in other categories.

One title on Adler's list of five great YA books outside the contemporary genre as shared on The Barnes & Noble Book Blog:

This is Not a Test, by Courtney Summers

Summers has been one of my favorite YA authors since she debuted with Cracked Up to Be in 2008, and I was shocked when she decided to veer off her usual contemporary path for this zombified, Breakfast Club-esque novel in 2012. But I’d read a toaster-repair handbook if it was written with Summers’ trademark edginess, humor, and pathos, and those skills are every bit as sharp when she’s writing about the undead as they are when she’s crafting the livewire main characters of her contemps.

Read about another entry on the list.

Visit Courtney Summers' website and blog.

The Page 69 Test: Cracked Up to Be.

The Page 69 Test: Some Girls Are.

The Page 69 Test: This Is Not a Test.

--Marshal Zeringue