We sat down with Brad Barkley to discuss the transformative power of great books, the “funny-sad” nature of his works for young adults, and the importance of not sweeping life under the rug.
The Stories We Tell Each Other with Brad Barkley
Author: Rachel Milburn
Amazing Audiobooks (#AA2027) Featured Review: Beth is Dead by Katie Bernet
- Beth Is Dead
- Author: Katie Bernet
- Narrated by Caitlin Kelly, Emily Tremaine, Ferdelle Capistrano, and Piper Goodeve
- Simon and Schuster Audio
- Publication Date: January 6, 2026
- ISBN: 9781668157596
The March sisters are as famous as their father who wrote a wildly controversial bestseller based on their lives. Feminists excoriate him for taking advantage of his daughters, and stalkers are doing the freaky things stalkers do, so there are plenty of suspects when Beth March winds up dead at the bottom of a ravine. Determined to discover her killer, Jo March begins a dogged search for answers.
Four heavy hitting narrators bring the story to life with pitch perfect renditions of the March sisters. Past and present events are telegraphed well, and the vocal mannerisms are distinctive, keeping this complexly plotted reimagined classic clear for readers.
This is an ideal suspense/thriller listen for teens who liked That’s Not My Name written by Megan Lally and narrated by Sophie Amoss and Robb Moreira, or 49 Miles Alone written by Natalie D. Richards and narrated by Victoria Rillarreal, Laura Knight Keating, and Suzy Jackson. For teens who are looking for reimagined classics, suggest Rosa By Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz and narrated by Victoria Villarreal or Bad Girls Never Say Die by Jennifer Mathieu with narration by Sandy Rustin.
-Jodi Kruse
Other Nominated Titles
- Ms. Marvel: Remnants of the Past by Saadia Faarqi
- The Oks Are Not Ok by Grace K. Shim
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten.
Follow YALSA’s The Hub on YouTube for exclusive author interviews!
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2027) Feature Review: Bad Kid: My Life as a “Troubled Teen” by Sofia Szamosi
- Bad Kid: My Life as a “Troubled Teen”
- by Sofia Szamosi
- Little, Brown Ink / Hachette
- Publication Date: March 10, 2026
- ISBN: 9781643751979
When Sofia was thirteen years old, her mother signed her daughter up for a special program for “troubled teens” several states away. Two men came and forcefully transported her to the wilderness experience. From there, Sofia found herself trapped in a cycle of mandatory attendance in many of these supposedly therapeutic programs because of her mother’s fear and the label of being a “bad kid”.
The artwork is clear and gripping, and shows the emotion and frustration of Sofia and her fellow bad kids as they move from program to program. The stark palette of black, white, and red highlight the emotion of the story, as color is used infrequently for emphasis. Readers will read with fascination as the author describes her personal experience with the unregulated intervention industry. Teens are finely attuned to what is and is not fair treatment, and this graphic memoir explores the personal and intimate coming-of-age story of the author’s struggle and limited access to education, communication with family, and basic freedoms.
Comparable titles include: Bad Boy by Walter Dean Myers, Shackled: A Tale of Wronged Kids, Rogue Judges, and a Town that Looked Away by Candy J. Cooper, Wild Bird by Wendelin Van Draanen, and Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao. Recent documentaries about the troubled teen industry, including The Program and Hell Camp, might also be of interest.
–Emily Williams
Follow YALSA’s The Hub on YouTube for exclusive author interviews!
Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: An Expanse of Blue by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams
- An Expanse of Blue
- by Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams
- Heartdrum
- Publication Date: May 19, 2026
- ISBN: 978-0063417953
Native Hawaiian teen, Aouli Smith, lives in the Pacific Northwest, where the gloomy weather mirrors her problems with her family, her friends and the expectations her family and church place on her. But with love and guidance from Aunty Ehu and others in her Native Hawaiian community, Aouli finds the courage and strength to spread her wings and choose something different for herself and her sister.
This novel-in-verse is written as if you are reading Aouli’s song journal. Above all else, this book is character driven with lines that hit you with an emotional gut punch. Readers will genuinely feel that Aouli is a real person–she just leaps off the page. While not an action-centered plot, the format and structure are immersive and the pages just fly by. The use of white space on the page represents the emotional depth in a compelling way without getting heavy-handed and bogged down with prose. It wrestles with real emotions and questions about identity. While you see growth on the page and the story ends on an uplifting note, readers are free to guess what happens next. This would be an excellent choice for book clubs or as a buddy read. Much like real life, not everything is tied up at the end with a bow on it, but the ending is still satisfactory for the reader.
Fans of novels-in-verse and coming-of-age stories will gravitate toward this one.
This is a great readalike for fans of All the Fighting Parts by Hannah Sawyyer, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo and Bright Red Fruit by Safia Elhillo.
-Megan Nigh
Check out our blogpost featuring a personal interview with Kauakanilehua Mahoe Adams, “Verse as a Comfort Blanket“!
Teen Voices, Teen Choices: Fake Skating by Lynn Painter
- Fake Skating
- By Lynn Painter
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published: September 30, 2025
- ISBN: 9781665921268
The characters have amazing banter and tension that a reader would enjoy.
-Fauma O.
The book Fake Skating by Lynn Painter is set in Southview Minnesota. Dani Collin’s a senior who has never lived in a single place for long because of her dad who gets stationed in different states and countries. And Alec Barczewski her childhood best friend that she used to visit every summer in Minnesota, because of their moms being best friends. She falls out of contact with him after their 7th grade year, but now that her parents are divorced and she’s moving to Minnesota for good, she wonders what had come to be of her best friend.
I really enjoyed this book and how it jumped straight into the plot. At times it will have you on the edge of your seats. The characters have amazing banter and tension that a reader would enjoy. They clearly explained the plot and went with an amazing flow. I would recommend previous Lynn Painter readers and romcom lovers to try this book out.
-Faduma O., Junior, Winnetonka High School
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Have a teen who wants to share their thoughts on some of the newer titles in your collection? Submit their reviews here!
Questions I Don’t Quite Have Answers To with Adib Khorram
We sat down with Adib Khorram to discuss his origins in our interviewer’s library, the power of language and words in young adult literature, and the power of writing in second person in his new novel, One Word, Six Letters.
More about Adib Khorram
Find resources from We Need Diverse Books here.
Learn about Adib’s work with Authors Against Book Bans here.
Librarian Hub Reviews & Posts on One Word, Six Letters!
*Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: One Word, Six Letters
*Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2027) Feature Review: One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram
*Best Fiction for YA Spring Round Up
2027 Best Fiction for Young Adults Spring Round-Up
Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the officially nominated titles to date. These titles have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple team members, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, each team will choose the final list of nominations and determine the Selected List’s Top Ten from these titles.
– Erica Schimmel, 2027 BFYA Coordinator
The Secret Astronomers. By Jessica Walker, 2025. 304 p. Viking Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9780593692677). Gr. 7-12.
Two students find an unexpected friendship when they begin communicating through notes and drawings in an old, abandoned astronomy textbook in their high school library. Using code names, the two develop a closer relationship than either would ever expect – and discover a mystery tied to the town’s past.
The House Saphir. By Marissa Meyer, 2025. 432 p. Feiwel and Friends, $19.99 (9781250320957). Gr. 9-12
Legend has it that Bluebeard killed his wives. Mallory uses that legend to con people to pay for a tour of Bluebeard’s house. One night Bluebeard’s heir joins the tour and wants to hire Mallory to solve the mystery of who is murdering people at his haunted family estate. Is the killer a ghost or alive?
Sisters in the Wind. By Angeline Boulley, 2025. 384 p. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), $19.99 (9781250328533). Gr. 9-12
When severely injured due to a pipe bomb explosion, 18-year-old Lucy is forced to reckon with her dangerous past and learn about her Indigenous heritage while on the run.
K-Jane. By Lydia Kang, 2025. 326 p. Quill Tree Books, $19.99 (9780063354623). Gr. 7-12.
With the impending arrival of a new baby brother, 17-year-old Jane Choi questions her family’s lack of Korean-ness. To save her baby brother from the same fate, Jane begins exploring everything Korean on a private social media channel. When more people find out about the channel, everything falls apart.
The Last Resort. By Erin Entrada Kelly, 2025. 240 p. Scholastic, $17.99 (9781546132431). Gr. 3-7.
The Last Resort will appeal to fans of many genres (such as horror, supernatural, mystery and realistic fiction) and across many grade levels. Lila’s grandfather passes and her family inherits his old house, which happens to be a portal for ghosts (that only Lila can see) to cross to the other side.
Season of Fear. By Emily Cooper, 2025. 352 p. Christy Ottaviano Books, $19.99 (9780316581639). Gr. 9-12.
Ilse is unable to feed fear she doesn’t feel to the terrifying Saint of Fear, endangering both her sister’s and her own life. In her quest to shield her sister from certain death, Ilse discovers the truth behind her fearlessness.
Winter White. By Annie Cardi, 2026. 272 p. Union Square & Co., $18.99 (9781454960584). Gr. 9-12.
Pia and her family live in isolation, earning money by selling eggs in town. When an accident sidelines her father, Pia must make the deliveries on her own. But what is really being delivered underneath the egg cartons? Is Pia’s entire life a lie?
Reasons We Break. By Jesmeen Kaur Deo, 2025. 416 p. Disney Hyperion, $18.99 (9781368113748). Gr. 9-12.
In the midst of personal setbacks, against a background of a gang war, Simran and Rajan find themselves pursuing an risky star-crossed romance.
The Faraway Inn. By Sarah Beth Durst, 2026. 384 p. Delacorte Press, $14.99 (9798217024308). Gr. 7-12.
Calisa just wanted to escape her bad breakup by escaping to Vermont for the summer. She planned to stay at her Great Aunts bed and breakfast, but she arrives to a failing inn. There are some very odd things happening at the Inn. Things like a swirling portal in the broom cupboard, a very strange reptile, and whispers coming from under the porch.
Freddie and Stella Got Hot. By Maggie Horne, 2026. 336 p. Feiwel & Friends, $19.99 (9781250377371). Gr. 9-12.
Freddie and Stella enter a school contest to take down their former bestie, Levi. When Stella turns ruthless, taking down every popular girl in their class, Freddie starts to get uncomfortable. The only way she can stop Stella is by befriending the enemy that started this whole mess–Levi.
Last Chance Live! By Helena Haywoode Henry, 2025. 544 p. Nancy Paulsen Books, $21.99 (9780593625309). Gr. 7-12
Eternity Price enters the popular reality TV show Last Chance Live, hoping to earn her freedom and amnesty following a crime that leaves her on death row, but when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she’s forced to make the difficult decision of which she wants more: companionship or freedom?
The Lion’s Run. By Sara Pennypacker, 2026. 288 p. Balzer + Bray, $18.99 (9781250392817). Gr. 4-6.
Though others call him a coward, 13-year-old Lucas proves his bravery by rescuing kittens, aiding the French Resistance, and helping mothers. Determined to help his friend’s horse evade Nazi capture, he embarks on an extraordinary journey of courage.
One Word, Six Letters. By Adib Khorram, 2026. 224 p. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), $19.99 (9781250405555). Gr. 7-12.
On a dare, Dayton yells a gay slur at school. Farshid hears and wonders if it was directed at him. If he gets stronger, maybe no one will question him. As the school year continues, the incident looms over both boys as they question the men they are becoming.
Check out our interview with the author of One Word, Six Letters, Adib Khorram!
Beth is Dead. By Katie Bernet, 2026. 400 p. Sarah Barley Books/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9781665988698). Gr. 7-12.
Told through alternating POVs of the famous Marsh sisters from Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, Beth Is Dead reimagines everyone’s favorite sisters as they grapple with the death of the second youngest, Beth, and band together to solve the mystery of how their sister died in the woods.
The Danger of Small Things. By Caryl Lewis, 2026. 272 p. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9781665977517). Gr. 7-12.
In this near-future dystopian novel that takes place after the last bee has died, a young girl uses the power of Art to incite change during what feels like the darkest of times.
Soundtrack. By Jason Reynolds, 2026. 336 p. Crown Books for Young Readers, $19.99 (9798217231591). Gr. 7-12.
Emotional and fast paced, Soundtrack will immediately draw readers in. Those involved in the arts will relate to the band that becomes a family. A message that a family doesn’t always have to share blood will resonate with readers. Reynolds has mass market appeal and this book will be no different.
“This My Great Great Gatsby” with LeUyen Pham (Resharing with more content!)
We sat down with award-winning author/artist LeUyen Pham to discuss art for picture books versus graphic novels, the power of artwork as a storyteller, and the many intricate layers of meaning in her latest work, As I Dream of You (with Jennifer Lee). Find As I Dream of You from First Second!
Check Out LeUyen Pham’s Website here!
Find out about having LeUyen Pham visit your school or library here.
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Find As You Dream Here!
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2027) Feature Review: King of Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
- King of the Neuro Verse by Idris Goodwin
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers/Simon & Schuster
- Publication Date: October 14, 2025
- ISBN: 9781665973120
Pernell is determined to make the most of his third summer in a row at summer school by becoming this summer’s Cypher King – the leader of the summer school lunchroom informal rap circles. With tape recorder in hand, Pernell records his journey for “future listeners” through freestyling, interviews with friends and family, and stray observations. Throughout, he (and those around him) slowly begin to accept that his ADHD diagnosis which has always been treated like a “problem” might actually be what makes him who he is and his strength as a potential Cypher King.
Told through a mix of engaging freestyle verse, humorous observations, and thoughtful interactions with parents and friends, Goodwin has created a compelling protagonist that teens will either root for or relate to. Pernell’s journey to embrace his neurodiversity as a strength rather than a weakness never feels preachy or heavy-handed and takes real teen readers’ own issues with teachers and adults who might not understand seriously. Teens will no doubt appreciate that there is little attempt to lionize the burnt out English teacher who serves as Pernell’s main antagonist. The font of the book is unique and there is a lot of white space on the page which should draw in reluctant readers who are turned off by traditional text. Pernell’s relatability and sense of humor should appeal to a wide range of teens but reluctant readers who struggle with school due to undiagnosed or misunderstood neurodivergency will find this particularly resonant. While the book takes place nearly 30 years ago (right before 2000) the focus on now iconic hip hop and punk music of the late 90s will likely still appeal to most teens, but particularly readers with a fondness for nostalgia music.
A great choice for reluctant readers who enjoyed Jason Reynolds Track series or Kwame Alexander’s Booked as younger readers. This is also a lighter choice for teens who liked heavier novels in verse like Jason Reynold’s Long Way Down or Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam’s Punching the Air.
–Maryanne Olson
Follow YALSA’s The Hub on YouTube for exclusive author interviews!
Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers (#QP2027) Feature Review: Truth is by Hannah V. Sawyerr
- Truth Is
- by Hannah V. Sawyerr
- Amulet Books
- Publication Date: September 23, 2025
- ISBN: 9781419776830
Young poet Truth Bangura knows the truth – she’s pregnant – before she even takes the test. She also knows she can’t disappoint her overly protective mom whose own career plans were derailed when she became pregnant at seventeen. And when Truth’s high achieving best friend doesn’t understand her choice to seek an abortion, she finds herself alone. Truth decides to move forward on her own and finds a new circle of friends in a slam poetry team. If it wasn’t for a viral video of her performing a poem about her choice, her secret might have been safe.
Through a variety of poetic forms from free verse to journal entries, poetry prompts, and multiple choice lists, this novel in verse keeps the pages turning quickly. Readers will be drawn into Truth’s predicament and her struggle to forge her own path when everything and (mostly) everyone seems to be against her. The book also provides some eye-opening insight into the difficulty of seeking abortion care. Truth’s slow building romance with a supportive teammate is icing on the cake for reluctant readers.
Juniors and seniors who feel a little uncertain about their futures will identify strongly with Truth. Budding writers may also be inspired by many of the writing prompts. Readers who enjoyed the depiction of poetry slams in “Bright Red Fruit” by Safia Elhillo and learning about the struggle for abortion access in “Plan A” by Deb Coletti will really get into this book.
–Lily Mayfield