LibGuides: Readers' Advisory: Young Adult & Teen

Summer Reads

Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert
Forced to work as a team for the chance to win a grand prize, these two teens must trudge through not just mud and dirt but their messy past. And as this adventure brings them closer together, they begin to remember the good bits of their history.
Five Survive by Holly Jackson
Five survive. Red Kenny is on a road trip for spring break with five friends: Her best friend - the older brother - his perfect girlfriend - a secret crush - a classmate - and a killer. When their RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere with no cell service, they soon realize this is no accident.
Stardust in Their Veins by Laura Sebastian
Princesses Daphne, Beatriz, and Sophronia have trained their entire lives for one purpose: to bring down nations. Their mother, Empress Margaraux of Bessemia, is determined to rule the continent of Vesteria, and her daughters are her weapons.
Viva Lola Espinoza by Ella Cerón
Viva Lola Espinoza is a coming-of-age story about Lola, who was sent to Mexico to spend her summer with her grandmother for the summer by her father when they found out at the end of her junior year that she got a C in her Spanish class, and she can't come back home to California until she learns how to speak and read Spanish.
The Counselors by Jessica Goodman
Alpine Lake provides jobs, money and prestige to the region. Few Roxwood locals, though, get to reap the rewards of living so close to the glam summer that camp, with its five-figure tuition and rich kids who have been dumped there for eight weeks by their powerful parents.
Chloe and the Kaishao Boys by Mae Coyiuto
Chloe is officially off the waitlist at USC, and thus one step closer to realizing her dream of becoming an animator in the United States. But before she leaves home, her auntie insists on planning a traditional debut for Chloe’s eighteenth birthday (think sweet sixteen meets debutante ball). To make matters worse, her father, intent on finding Chloe the perfect escort for the party, keeps setting her up on one awkward kaishao—or arranged date—after another. But . . . why does her dad suddenly care so much about her love life?

Novels in Verse

Home Is Not a Country by Safia Elhillo
'Home Is Not A Country,' By Safia Elhillo Safia Elhillo's novel follows a first-generation Muslim American girl who, bullied at school, longs for the homeland she's never really known and the alter ego who represents a more confident self.
Chlorine Sky by Mahogany l. Browne
Chlorine Sky is a powerful coming-of-age story about a Black girl and all the hurdles that come forth along the way. Its unique format offers a different perspective on the well-known issues many girls will relate to, such as toxic friendships, betrayal, sibling rivalry, and self-love.
Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford
From a fatherless childhood filled with abandonment, foster homes, sexual abuse, failed marriages, and dependency, she traces Marilyn's hard-won rise to Hollywood stardom.

YA-Novels In Verse

YA (& Kids) Book Central

YA (& Kids) Book Central: Discover new books and write reviews on YABooksCentral.com, the only social network devoted to young adult and children's books. Check out our giveaways and exclusive cover reveals for the latest in YA releases.

Joan's Favorites

Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
A high school music festival goes awry when a young prodigy disappears from a hotel room that was the site of a famous murder/suicide fifteen years earlier. Fifteen years ago, a murder/suicide in room 712 rocked the grand old Bellweather Hotel and the young bridesmaid who witnessed it.
Nimona by N. D. Stevenson (Illustrator)
A knight is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona, a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he's sworn to kill.
The Facemaker by Lindsey Fitzharris
The Facemaker places Gillies's ingenious surgical innovations alongside the dramatic stories of soldiers whose lives were wrecked and repaired. The result is a vivid account of how medicine can be an art, and of what courage and imagination can accomplish in the presence of relentless horror.
Once upon a Tome by Oliver Darkshire
By turns unhinged and earnestly dog-eared, Once Upon a Tome is the rather colourful story of life in one of the country's most ancient bookshops and a love letter to the benign, unruly world of antiquarian bookselling, where to be uncommon or strange is the best possible compliment.
Katie the Catsitter by Colleen AF Venable; Stephanie Yue (Illustrator)
Katie is dreading the boring summer ahead while her best friends are all away at camp–something that's way out of Katie and her mom's budget, UNLESS Katie can figure out a way to earn the money for camp herself. But when Katie gets a job catsitting for her mysterious upstairs neighbor, life get interesting.
The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich (a Graphic Novel) by Deya Muniz
A nobleman with a secret and a princess on a mission find love--and lots of grilled cheese sandwiches--when they least expect it, in this funny, heartfelt graphic novel rom-com.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
The Thursday Murder Club is an intelligent mystery about a group of senior citizens who find themselves in the center of a murder investigation. Every Thursday, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron, residents of Coopers Chase Retirement Village, meet to review cold case murder files.
The Sawbones Book: the Hilarious, Horrifying Road to Modern Medicine by Sydnee McElroy; Teylor Smirl (Illustrator); Justin McElroy
Join the 750,000 listeners of the Sawbones Podcast as Dr Sydnee McElroy and her husband Justin humorously discuss centuries of medical myths, mishaps and mayhem, including modern day medicine and pandemics.
The Bookshop of Second Chances by Jackie Fraser
A woman desperate to turn a new page heads to the Scottish coast and finds herself locked in a battle of wills with an infuriatingly aloof bookseller in this utterly heartwarming debut, perfect for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over.

If You Love Wednesday

The Hidden Knife by Melissa Marr
ISBN: 9780525518525
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
New York Times bestselling author Melissa Marr invites readers into a magical world where stone gargoyles live among humans, ferocious water horses infiltrate the sea, and school hallways are riddled with magic wards--and where a group of young heroes seeking justice discovers those very creatures are the best of allies.
Pennyroyal Academy by M. A. Larson
A girl from the forest arrives in a bustling kingdom with no name and no idea why she is there, only to find herself at the center of a world at war. She enlists at Pennyroyal Academy, where princesses and knights are trained to battle the two great menaces of the day: witches and dragons.
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
Her features are West African, but she's albino. She's a terrific athlete, but can't go out into the sun to play soccer. There seems to be no place where she fits in. And then she discovers something amazing—she is a “free agent” with latent magical power.
Undead Girl Gang by Lily Anderson
Mila is convinced that her BFF was murdered. In a brilliant twist, Mila casts a spell to bring her friend back to life to solve her own murder, but accidentally revives all three girls who died. What transpires after this is shocking, illuminating, and utterly enthralling.
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
Vampire Academy is a series of six young adult paranormal romance novels by American author Richelle Mead. It tells the story of Rosemarie "Rose" Hathaway, a dhampir girl, who is training to be a guardian of her moroi best friend, Vasilisa "Lissa" Dragomir.

What's Trending in YA?

American Royals by Katharine McGee
Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown. Two girls vying for the prince's heart. This is the story of the American royals.
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Theodore Finch is fascinated by death. Every day he thinks of ways he might kill himself, but every day he also searches for--and manages to find--something to keep him here, and alive, and awake.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
Everyone in Fairview knows the story. Pretty and popular high school senior Andie Bell was murdered by her boyfriend, Sal Singh, who then killed himself. It was all anyone could talk about. And five years later, Pip sees how the tragedy still haunts her town. But she can't shake the feeling that there was more to what happened that day.
The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
By day, seventeen-year-old Jo Kuan works as a lady's maid for the cruel daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Atlanta. But by night, Jo moonlights as the pseudonymous author of a newspaper advice column for the genteel Southern lady, "Dear Miss Sweetie."
House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed. Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor with her sisters and their father and stepmother.
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
Sixteen-year-old Deka lives in fear and anticipation of the blood ceremony that will determine whether she will become a member of her village. Already different from everyone else because of her unnatural intuition, Deka prays for red blood so she can finally feel like she belongs. But on the day of the ceremony, her blood runs gold...
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Sam and Sadie--two college friends, often in love, but never lovers--become creative partners in a dazzling and intricately imagined world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

Featured Read

Flirting with Fate by J. C. Cervantes
Ava Granados will never forgive herself for being late to her beloved nana's deathbed. But due to a flash flood that left Ava in a fender bender with a mysterious boy, she missed her grandmother's mystical blessing-one that has been passed between the women of her family upon death for generations. Then Nana's ghost appears with a challenge from beyond the grave. As it turns out, Nana did give Ava a blessing, but it missed its target, landing with the boy from the night of the storm instead. Was it fate?

Have You Met?

Born in Michigan, she was raised in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. Ruta is passionate about the power of history and story to foster global dialogue and connectivity. She has been invited to present at NATO, European Parliament, the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and Embassies worldwide.

Challenge Accepted

Stuck in a reading slump? Looking for new authors, genres or a good challenge? The challenges below are filled with exciting reading prompts that will help you explore new genres, authors & more!

Teen Reads

Teenreads.com: A site dedicated to book lovers providing a forum to discover and share commentary about the books and authors they enjoy. Author interviews, book reviews and lively book commentary are found here.

Gentle Reads

Castle of Refuge by Melanie Dickerson
ISBN: 9780785234043
Publication Date: 2021-06-01
Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles
ISBN: 9780062349194
Publication Date: 2020-01-21
Searching for Normal by Stephanie Coleman
ISBN: 9781589977051
Publication Date: 2021-04-06
The Golden Braid by Melanie Dickerson
ISBN: 9780718026264
Publication Date: 2015-11-17

Readers Advisory for Teens & Young Adults

Fantastic Fiction

Bibliographies for over 40,000 authors. Use the browse menu on the left to find an author by surname, or use the search box above to search for an author or book. Information on over 500,000 books. Throughout the site, just click on a book to see its cover picture, description and publication details.

WhichBooks

Whichbook enables millions of combinations of factors and then suggests books which most closely match your needs.

All Readers

AllReaders.com contains detailed book and movie reviews from many different genres of books!

Comics Worth Reading:

Provides reviews of recently published comics.

No Flying, No Tights

Offers reviews of comics, graphic novels, and manga aimed at librarians and teachers so they can better serve their students or patrons.

American Indians in Children's Literature

Established in 2006, American Indians in Children's Literature (AICL) provides critical perspectives and analysis of indigenous peoples in children's and young adult books, the school curriculum, popular culture, and society. Scroll down for links to book reviews, Native media, and more.

Read.gov/teens

Encouraging everyone to discover the world of books. Find a variety of free teen reading resources to explore and enjoy.

YALSA's Book Awards & Booklists

Books selected for teens from 12 to 18 years of age, these award-winning titles and the titles on YALSA's selected lists span a broad range of reading and maturity levels. We encourage adults to take an active role in helping individual teens choose those books that are the best fit for them and their families.

Teen Book Awards

Alex Awards
The Alex Awards are given annually to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults.

Margaret A. Edwards Award
The Edwards Award honors an author and a specific work for significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.

William C. Morris Award
The Morris Award honors a book written for young adults by a first-time, previously unpublished author. The first award will be given in 2009.

Odyssey Award
The Odyssey Award honors the producer of the best audiobook produced for children and/or young adults, available in English in the United States.

Michael L. Printz Award
The Printz Award honors excellence in literature written for young adults.

YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults
YALSA's newest award will honor the best nonfiction book for young adults; the first winner will be named in 2010.

Readers' Advisory: Young Adult & Teen

Recommended Reads