Every year since 2003, teens around the nation participate in YALSA’s Top Ten list, where they nominate and choose their favorite young adult books from the past year. The list is always chock full of great reads, with something for every teen to enjoy. So check the list, and then check out any titles that you haven’t read already -- or treat yourself to a re-read of a new favorite!
Wayward Son (Simon Snow #2) by Rainbow Rowell (9th gr. & up)
YA F ROWELL
In this sequel to Carry On, Simon -- the Chosen One -- finds himself at loose ends and somewhat depressed after the triumphs of his last adventure. Convinced that he just needs a change of scene, his best friend and his boyfriend convince him to go on a good old American road-trip. Seems like a great idea, but plans have a habit of going awry when this trio is involved!
Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell (7th gr. & up)
YA GN ROWELL
Rainbow Rowell is such a popular author that two of her books ended up on the Top Ten list! This graphic novel, illustrated by the award-winning Faith Erin Hicks, focuses on two friends who are determined to make their last shift at the (unofficial) best pumpkin patch in the world the most amazing one ever. With a little push from Deja, Josiah agrees to make the most of the tastes, sights, and activities of the fair -- and by the end of the night, maybe he’ll even be brave enough to risk his heart. This is pure fun, no matter the season!
With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo (9th gr. & up)
YA LT F ACEVEDO
Seventeen-year-old Emoni is fully focused on graduating high school and caring for her two-year-old daughter with the help of her grandmother, which leaves little room on her plate for indulging in thoughts about a future in the culinary world, or the new guy she can’t stop thinking about. There’s no way that she can have it all, is there?
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (8th gr. & up)
YA F KAUFMAN
When top space academy student Tyler Jones misses the draft for his first post graduation mission, he finds himself stuck with a rag-tag bunch of misfits under his command. To add to the chaos, a stowaway secretly joins their crew and brings with her secrets that have the potential to blow their entire world apart. Good thing Tyler has everything handled, right? Right?!
Broken Throne: A Red Queen Collection by Victoria Aveyard (8th gr. & up)
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Every fan of the Red Queen series (Red Queen, Glass Sword, King’s Cage, War Storm) will be eager to get their hands on this companion collection, which features five novellas (two previously published, three brand-new), maps, bonus scenes, journal entries, and more. If you don’t know the series, which is a stellar fantasy adventure full of power, intrigue, and betrayal, start with Red Queen and before you know it, you’ll have devoured the four main books and will be eagerly grabbing for the bonus content in Broken Throne.
#MurderFunding (#MurderTrending #2) by Gretchen McNeil (8th gr. & up)
YA F McNEIL
In #MurderTrending, readers are introduced to Alcatraz 2.0, an island prison that is the feature of an app where subscribers can watch the violent anything-goes antics of the criminal inhabitants. In the sequel, new character Becca auditions for the supposedly non-lethal spin off show that has just begun, hoping to unearth some truths about her mother’s connection with the events of the first book. When things take a turn for the extremely bloody, Molly begins to think that she should have left the past alone.
We Hunt the Flame (Sands of Arawiya #1) by Hafsah Faizal (9th gr. & up)
YA F FAIZAL
Taking inspiration from Ancient Arabia, Faizal pens an absorbing fantasy adventure that spotlights a huntress who disguises herself as a man in order to seek a lost book that could return magic to her cursed world, and an assassin who also seeks the artifact -- and will kill anyone who gets in his way.
Lovely War by Julie Berry (7th gr. & up)
YA F BERRY
Love is complicated, messy, sometimes dangerous, and often heartbreaking, and this unique human phenomenon has always been of interest to the gods.
Manhattan, 1942: when Aphrodite (the goddess of love) is caught betraying her husband with Ares (the god of war), she attempts to gain mercy and show that true love defies external barriers, by relaying the epic tales of four young people finding love amidst the backdrop of war.
Wilder Girls by Rory Power (9th gr. & up)
YA F WEST
Three friends -- Byatt, Hetty, and Reese -- only have each other to rely on while they live in isolation in a remote boarding school which is under quarantine as a result of a deadly and mysterious disease that has ravaged the inhabitants. The woods surrounding the school have turned dark and dangerous, the teachers have all succumbed to the disease, and any students who have survived have been physically and mentally altered. While waiting for a cure from the outside world, Byatt disappears, and Hetty knows that it is time for action, no matter the cost.
Memory Thief by Lauren Mansy (8th gr & up)
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In a world where memories are power and currency, Etta is one of the Gifted -- a thief who can steal memories with just a touch. Or at least she was, until she removed herself from the game, following an accident that resulted in her mother landing in an asylum. Years later, when her mother’s life is threatened, Etta is drawn back into the fray, but the stakes are unimaginably higher this time around. Forced to contend with danger, romance, and conspiracy, Etta will need all her skills to survive.