2016 was a great year for young adult books (especially ones that got our pulses racing and our hearts swooning). It was a crowded field, to be sure, but these stood out from the pack and lingered on in our minds long after we read them. Full disclaimer: I work at Penguin Random House but the opinions below are my own (and I wouldn’t put it on here if I didn’t truly love it). Here are Pop Culturalist’s favorites from last year (in no particular order): The Sun Is Also
In the summer of 2015, it was announced that the third installment of Pitch Perfect was on its way and screenwriter Kay Cannon would return to pen the script. Shortly after, cast members of the first two films Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson confirmed they’d be returning. Fans of the cult classic were excited to see what their favorite a cappella beauties were up to after graduation. Although no plot or storyline has been announced yet, filming began earlier this month and much of the cast of the first two
You may have seen Samantha Massell as Hodel in the recent Broadway revival of Fiddler on the Roof. Just a one-time listen to her beautiful voice on the cast album will show you why her lovely rendition of “Far from the Home I Love” (one of my personal favorites from the musical) garnered well-deserved praise. Since completing a 400+ show run of Fiddler, she’s kept herself busy with a new and exciting project. Samantha has created a solo show—unofficially titled “In Praise of Women”—that she will debut at New York
Gelsey Bell appears in one of the year’s hottest Broadway tickets: Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812. This joyous and astonishing new musical tells a particularly scandalous slice of Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace through eclectic music styles and offers audience members a unique, immersive theatrical experience. After having wildly successful runs off-Broadway and at Boston’s American Repertory Theater, the show arrived on Broadway this past fall, starring Josh Groban. We got to chat with Bell about her road to Broadway, what makes this show so unique, and why Doctor Who should