The Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers list identifies titles aimed at encouraging reading among teens who dislike to read for whatever reason. The list selects both fiction and nonfiction. Click on the title of each book to be taken to the blog post featuring a review, or browse all blog posts here. You can see previous lists on the YALSA website and on the Teen Book Finder app.
If you’d like to suggest a title, please fill out this form. Publishers: contact info for the coordinator of this list can be found at the bottom of this page.
New #QP2020 nominees are generally posted to the Hub on Tuesdays.
#QP2020 Current Nominees:
Fiction
- With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess
- Love from A-Z by S.K. Ali
- Michigan vs. The Boys by Carrie S. Allen
- Roam by C.H. Armstrong
- Mammoth by Jill Baguchinsky
- Goodbye, Perfect by Sara Barnard
- The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- The Truth and Lies of Ella Black by Emily Barr
- The Justice Project by Michael Betcherman
- This Book is Not Yet Rated by Peter Bognanni
- The Red Scrolls of Magic by Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu
- My Almost Flawless Tokyo Dream Life by Rachel Cohn
- The Revolution of Birdie Randolph by Brandy Colbert
- You Owe Me A Murder by Eileen Cook
- New Kid by Jerry Craft
- House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig
- Belly Up by Eva Darrows
- Simon & Louise by Max de Radiguès
- I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver
- In the Key of Nira Ghani by Natasha Deen
- My Ideal Boyfriend is a Croissant by Laura Dockrill
- Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly
- Hot Dog Girl by Jennifer Dugan
- Past Perfect Life by Elizabeth Eulberg
- Here to Stay by Sara Farizan
- Teen Titans: Raven (Teen Titans #1) by Kami Garcia
- An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green
- Changeling (Sorcery and Society #1) and Fledgeling (Sorcery and Society #2) by Molly Harper
- Have a Little Faith in Me by Sonia Hartl
- Testimony From Your Perfect Girl by Kaui Hart Hemmings
- UNpregnant by Jenni Hendriks and Ted Caplan
- Fifteen and Change by Max Howard
- The Past and Other Things that Should Stay Buried by Shaun David Hutchinson
- I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal
- The Me I Meant To Be by Sophie Jordan
- Keeper of the Bees by Meg Kassel
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
- The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
- Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
- It’s the End of the World As I Know It by Matthew Landis
- Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
- Sleeping in My Jeans by Connie King Leonard
- Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller
- The Unfortunates by Kim Liggett
- Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott
- If You’re Out There by Katy Loutzenhiser
- The Giver (Graphic Novel) by Lois Lowry, adapted by P. Craig Russell
- Heroine by Mindy McGinnis
- Fear of Missing Out by Kate McGovern
- Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus
- Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
- Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale by Lauren Myracle
- Midas by Ryan North
- The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober
- Mera: Tidebreaker by Danielle Paige
- Bloom by Kevin Panetta & Savanna Ganucheau
- Wilder Girls by Rory Powers
- Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay
- Truly Madly Royally by Debbie Rigaud
- Look Both Ways: A Tale Told in Ten Blocks by Jason Reynolds
- Since We Last Spoke by Brenda Rufener
- A Sky For Us Alone by Kristin Russell
- Birthday by Meredith Russo
- Not Even Bones (Market of Monsters #1) by Rebecca Schaeffer
- Only Ashes Remain (Market of Monsters #2) by Rebecca Schaeffer
- Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte
- On A Scale of 1 to 10 by Ceylan Scott
- A Danger to Herself and Others by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
- Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
- The Size of the Truth by Andrew Smith
- The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkeller
- These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
- Four Three Two One by Courtney Stevens
- Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki
- Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- Kiss Number 8 by Colleen AF Venable
- Watch Us Rise by Renee Watson and Ellen Hagan
- Girls With Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young
- Black Enough: Stories of Being Young & Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi
Nonfiction
- SHOUT by Laurie Halse Anderson
- Monstrous: The Lore, Gore, and Science Behind Your Favorite Monsters by Carlyn Beccia
- Bad Boys of Fashion: Style Rebels and Renegades Through the Ages by Jennifer Croll
- Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs?: Big Questions from Tiny Mortals About Death by Caitlin Doughty
- I Am Hermes!: Mischief-Making Messenger of the Gods by Mordicai Gerstein
- P is for Pterodactyl by Raj Haldar & Chris Carpenter
- Spooked! How a Radio Broadcast and The War of the Worlds Sparked the 1938 Invasion of America by Gail Jarrow
- No More Excuses: Dismantling Rape Culture by Amber J. Keyser
- Fake News: Separating Truth from Fiction by Michael Miller
- It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers) by Trevor Noah
- The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets by Gayle E. Pitman
- Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic, A Young Adult Adaptation by Sam Quinones
The 2020 Quick Picks Blogging Team is:
- Lorrie Roussin, coordinator
- Kathleen Barker
- Alison Gray
- Aimee Haslam
- Jessica Levy
- Elizabeth Nebeker
- Cathy Outten
- Kathleen Reynolds
- Jessica Smith
- Kelsey Socha
- Kristen Thorp
Previous Years’ Blog Posts: