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 #QP2021 nominees are generally posted to the Hub on Tuesdays.
#QP2021 Nomination Posts:
Fiction
- Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini
- Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed by Laurie Halse Anderson
- The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta
- A Match Made in Mehendi by Nandini Bajpai
- Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
- Found by Joseph Bruchac
- Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
- Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno
- Hello Girls by Brittany Cavallaro and Emily Henry
- The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert
- Three Things I Know Are True by Betty Culley
- Golden Arm by Carl Deuker
- I Know You Remember by Jennifer Donaldson
- Find Layla by Meg Elison
- Pet by Awaeke Emezi
- All Eyes On Her by L. E. Flynn
- All the Bad Apples by Moira Fowley-Doyle
- Full Disclosure by Camryn Garrett
- Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
- Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales
- The Truth App by Jack Heath
- Throw Like a Girl by Sarah Henning
- The Girl in the White Van by April Henry
- Cracking the Bell by Geoff Herbach
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- Girl on the Run by Abigail Johnson
- This Is My America by Kim Johnson
- You Should See Me In a Crown by Leah Johnson
- A River of Royal Blood by Amanda Joy
- It Sounded Better in My Head by Nina Kenwood
- Nowhere on Earth by Nick Lake
- I‘ll Be the One by Lyla Lee
- Snapdragon by Kat Leyh
- The Upside of Falling by Alex Light
- Blood Sport by Tash McAdam
- Be Not Far From Me by Mindy McGinnis
- What Unbreakable Looks Like Kate McLaughlin
- One of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus
- Lucky Caller by Emma Mills
- Layoverland by Gabby Noone
- The Loop by Ben Oliver
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
- The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton
- White Bird by R. J. Palacio
- Not Hungry by Kate Karyus Quinn
- Ashlords by Scott Reintgen
- Black Brother, Black Brother by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez
- What Kind of Girl by Alyssa Sheinmel
- Jane Anonymous by Laurie Faria Stolarz
- Clean Getaway by Nic Stone
- Shuri: A Black Panther Novel by Nic Stone
- Hard Wired by Len Vlahos
- Manning Up by Bee Walsh
- Kent State by Deborah Wiles
- Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang
- Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Nonfiction
- Fights: One Boy’s Triumph Over Violence by Joel Christian Gill
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha
- When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
- Girls Who Run the World: 31 CEOs Who Mean Business by Diana Kapp, Illustrated by Bijou Karman
- Games of Deception: The True Story of the First U.S. Olympic Basketball Team at the 1936 Olympics in Hitler’s Germany by Andrew Maraniss
- Free Lunch by Rex Ogle
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott, art by Harmony Becker
The 2021 Quick Picks Blogging Team is:
- Molly Dettmann, coordinator
- Megan Baird
- Kathleen Barker
- Sarah Carnahan
- Barbara Dinan
- Elizabeth Giles
- Aimee Haslam
- Marie LeJeune
- Jessica Levy
- Kathleen Reynolds
- Maryjean Riou
- Lorrie Roussin
- Jade Valenzuela
- Emily Williams
- Dana Hutchins, administrative assistant
Previous Years’ Blog Posts: