2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults Nominees

YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 16 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. 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.

Top Ten

• The Ones We’re Meant to Find. By Joan He. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, $18.99 (9781250258564).

Nominees

• Ace of Spades. By Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, $18.99 (9781250800817)
• Amari and the Night Brothers. By B.B. Alston. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (9780062975164)
• American Betiya. By Anuradha D. Rajurkar. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9781984897152)
• The Awakening of Malcolm X. By Ilyasah Shabazz and Tiffany D. Jackson. Macmillan/Farrar, Straus & Giroux Books for Young Readers. $17.99 (9780374313296)
• The Barren Grounds. By David A. Robertson. 2020. Penguin Random House Canada/Puffin, $17.99 (9780735266100)
• Beasts of Prey. By Ayana Gray. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9780593405680)
• *Blackout. By Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk, Nicola Yoon. HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books, $19.99 (9780063088092)
• The Block. By Ben Oliver. Scholastic Press/Chicken House, $18.99 (9781338589337)
• Bluebird. By Sharon Cameron. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (9781338355963)
• *The City Beautiful. By­­ Aden Polydoros. Harlequin/Inkyard Press, $19.99 (9781335402509)
• *Concrete Rose. By Angie Thomas. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. $19.99 (9780062846716)
• The Corpse Queen. By Heather M. Herrman. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781984816702)
• The Cost of Knowing. By Brittney Morris. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781534445451)
• A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. By Laura Taylor Namey. 2020. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers. $18.99 (9781534471245)
• Curses. By Lish McBride. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781984815590)
• The Darkness Outside Us. By Eliot Schrefer. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, $17.99 (9780062888280)
• Don’t Hate the Player. By Alexis Nedd. Bloomsbury YA, $17.99 (9781547605026)
• Donuts and Other Proclamations of Love. By Jared Reck. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9781524716110)
• Dustborn. By Erin Bowman. HarperCollins/Clarion Books, $17.99 (9780358244431). 
• *Electric Kingdom. By David Arnold. Penguin Random House/Viking Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9780593202227)
• Excuse Me While I Ugly Cry. By Joya Goffney. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, $17.99 (9780063024793)
• Fat Chance, Charlie Vega. By Crystal Maldonado. Holiday House. $18.99 (9780823447176). 
• Fierce as the Wind. By Tara Wilson Redd. Random House/Wendy Lamb Books, $17.99 (9781524766917). 
• Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun. By Jonny Garza Villa. Amazon/Skyscape, $16.99 (9781542027052). 
• *Firekeeper’s Daughter. By Angeline Boulley. Macmillan/Henry Holt and Co. Books for Young Readers. $18.99 (9781250766564). 
• The Forest of Stolen Girls. By June Hur. Macmillan/Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 (9781250229588). 
• Gilded. By Marissa Meyer. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, $19.99 (9781250618849). 
• The Girls I’ve Been. By Tess Sharpe. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers. $18.99 (9780593353806). 
• The Great Bear. Penguin Random House Canada/Puffin, $17.99 (9780735266131).
• The Heartbreak Bakery. By A.R. Capetta. Candlewick Press, $18.99 (9781536216530).
• Hold Back the Tide. By Melinda Salisbury. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (9781338681307). 
• Home Is Not a Country. By Safia Elhillo. Random House/Make Me a World, $17.99 (9780593177051).
• *How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe. By Raquel Vasquez Gilliland. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9781534448667). 
• Hunting by Stars. By Cherie Dimaline. ABRAMS/Amulet Books, $18.99 (9781419753473). 
• Hurricane Summer. By Asha Bromfield. Macmillan/Wednesday Books, $18.99 (9781250622235). 
• *In the Wild Light. By Jeff Zentner. Penguin Random House/Crown Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9781524720247). 
• Indestructible Object. By Mary McCoy. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781534485051). 
• Indivisible. By Daniel Aleman. Hachette/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9780759556058)
• The Initial Insult. By Mindy McGinnis. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books. $17.99 (9780062982421). 
• Kate in Waiting. By Becky Albertalli. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $18.99 (9780062643834). 
• Kneel. By Candace Buford. Harlequin/Inkyard Press, $18.99 (9781335402516)
• *Last Night at the Telegraph Club. By Malinda Lo. Penguin Random House/Dutton Books, $18.99 (9780525555254). 
• The Life I’m In. By Sharon G. Flake. Scholastic Press. $18.99 (9781338573176). 
• Like Other Girls. By Britta Lundin. Hyperion/Freeform Books, $17.99 (9781368039925). 
• List of Ten. By Halli Gomez. Union Square & Co., $17.95 (9781454940142). 
• *Little Thieves. By Margaret Owen. Macmillan/Henry Holt & Co. Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781250191908). 
• Love in English. By Maria E. Andreu. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray. $18.99 (9780062996510). 
• Luck of the Titanic. By Stacey Lee. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781524740986). 
• Margot Mertz Takes It Down. By Carrie McCrossen and Ian McWethy. Penguin Random House/Philomel, $18.99 (9780593205259)
• *Me (Moth). By Amber McBride. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, $18.99 (9781250780362). 
• The Mirror Season. By Anna-Marie McLemore. Macmillan/Feiwel & Friends, $18.99 (9781250624123). 
• Mister Impossible. By Maggie Stiefvater. Scholastic Press, $19.99 (9781338188363). 
• My Contrary Mary. By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, $18.99 (9780062930040). 
• Not My Problem. By Ciara Smyth. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, $17.99 (9780062957146). 
• Off the Record. By Camryn Garrett. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9781984829993). 
• One of the Good Ones. By Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite. Harlequin/Inkyard Press. $18.99 (9781335145802). 
• *The Ones We’re Meant to Find. By Joan He. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, $18.99 (9781250258564). 
• The Other Merlin. By Robyn Schneider. Penguin Random House/Viking Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9780593351024). 
• The Other Side of Perfect. By Mariko Turk. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers/Poppy, $17.99 (9780316703406). 
• Perfect on Paper. By Sophie Gonzales. Macmillan/Wednesday Books, $18.99 (9781250769787). 
• Perfectly Parvin. By Olivia Abtahi. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780593109427). 
• Pumpkin. By Julie Murphy. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $17.99 (9780062880451). 
• The River Has Teeth. By Erica Waters. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, $17.99 (9780062894250). 
• Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America. Edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter. 2020. Candlewick Press, $18.99 (9781536212105). 
• She Drives Me Crazy. By Kelly Quindlen. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, $17.99 (9781250209153). 
• A Sitting in St. James. By Rita Williams-Garcia. HarperCollins/Quill Tree Books, $17.99 (9780062367297). 
• Six Crimson Cranes. By Elizabeth Lim. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9780593300916). 
• The Sky Blues. By Robbie Couch. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9781534477858). 
• A Snake Falls to Earth. By Darcie Little Badger. Levine Querido, $18.99 (9781646140923). 
• Some Girls Do. By Jennifer Dugan. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780593112533). 
• Somewhere between Bitter and Sweet. By Laekan Zea Kemp. Hachette/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780316460279). 
• Starfish. By Lisa Fipps. Penguin Random House/Nancy Paulsen Books, $17.99 (9781984814500). 
• Sugar Town Queens. By Malla Nunn. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780525515609).  
• The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling. By Wai Chim. 2020. Scholastic Press, $18.99 (9781338656114).  
• Sway with Me. By Syed M. Masood. Hachette/Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. $17.99 (9780316492416). 
• Switch. By A.S. King. Penguin Random House/Dutton Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780525555513). 
• This Poison Heart. By Kalynn Bayron. Bloomsbury YA, $18.99 (9781547603909). 
• This Will Be Funny Someday. By Katie Henry. HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books, $18.99 (9780062955708). 
• The Way Back. By Gavriel Savit. 2020. Penguin Random House/Knopf Books for Young Readers. $18.99 (9781984894625). 
• We Are the Ashes, We Are the Fire. By Joy McCullough. Penguin Random House/Dutton Books, $18.99 (9780525556053). 
• What About Will. By Ellen Hopkins. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $17.99 (9780593108642). 
• What Beauty There Is. By Cory Anderson. Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, $18.99 (9781250268099). 
• When We Make It. By Elisabet Velasquez. Penguin Random House/Dial Books, $19.99 (9780593324486). 
• Where the Rhythm Takes You. By Sarah Dass. HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, $18.99 (9780063018525). 
• Who I Was with Her. By Nita Tyndall. 2020. HarperCollins/HarperTeen. $17.99 (9780062978387). 
• With You All the Way. By Cynthia Hand. HarperCollins/HarperTeen, $17.99 (9780062693198). 
• The Words in My Hands. By Asphyxia. Annick Press, $19.95 (9781773215280). 
• Year of the Reaper. By Makiia Lucier. HarperCollins/Clarion Books, $17.99 (9780358272090). 
• Your Heart, My Sky: Love in a Time of Hunger. By Margarita Engle. Simon & Schuster/Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781534464964). 

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