Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.
Becoming Muhammad Ali. By James Patterson and Kwame Alexander. Art by Dawud Anyabwile. 2020. Little, Brown/JIMMY Patterson. $16.99 (9780316498166).
James Patterson and Kwame Alexander tackle the life of Cassius Clay before he became Muhammad Ali in this novel that mixes prose and verse.
Chlorine Sky. By Mahogany L. Browne. Penguin Random House/Crown. $17.99 (9780593176399).
In this novel in verse, Mahogany Browne explores what it’s like to lose a best friend but find yourself.
Every Single Lie. By Rachel Vincent. Bloomsbury/Bloomsbury YA. $17.99 (9781547605231).
16-year-old Beckett Bergen’s life completely changes the moment she discovers a dead baby in the girl’s locker room. Beck is then targeted with violent threats and rumors that she’s the #BabyKiller. Hunting for the truth only uncovers more secrets but none so shattering as discovering what really happened.
Nubia: The Real One. By L.L. McKinney. Art by Robyn Smith. DC Comics. $16.99 (9781401296407).
Nubia, an Amazon with super-human powers, has to decide what is more important: protecting the ones she loves or keeping her identity secret.
Teen Killers Club. By Lily Sparks. 2020. Penguin Random House/Crooked Lane Books. $18.99 (9781643852294).
Signal Deere was deemed a “Class A” criminal and sent to a special camp to be trained as an assassin. Everyone else there is a stone-cold teen killer, so Signal should fit right in. But the thing is, she’s never actually killed anyone — she was framed.
This is Not a Ghost Story. By Andrea Portes. 2020. Harper Collins/Harper Teen. $17.99 (9780062422446).
Daffodil doesn’t have a typical plan for the summer before her Freshman year of college. Instead, she agrees to house sit all alone in a creepy mansion where things keep getting progressively stranger and more sinister as the summer progresses. Will she uncover this house’s secrets before it’s too late?
The Truth Project. By Dante Medema. 2020. Harper Collins/Quill Tree Books. $17.99 (9780062954404).
High school senior Cordelia gets her DNA test results as part of a senior writing project, and is jarred to learn something scandalous about her family’s past.
Want to suggest a title? The title suggestion form is open!
Want a printable version of this round-up? Download the Spring nominations round-up.
