Tag: Best Fiction for Young Adults

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: The Minus-One Club by Kekla Magoon

  • The Minus-One Club
  • by Kekla Magoon
  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
  • Release date: January 24, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781250806208

When fifteen year-old Kermit returns to school after losing his older sister in a car accident, he finds a message signed “-1” in his locker, inviting him into a group of fellow students dealing with grief. The unlikely mix of students crosses cliques and grades and includes Kermit’s long-time crush, Matt. The club is always there for each other but has one rule: you don’t talk about what happened to your loved one.

This title shows a realistic and nuanced approach to grieving. Strong characters strengthen the impact of the intricate exploration of the intersectionality of religion, personal identity, and loss. Kermit’s struggle is universal.

A life-affirming read for teens experiencing hardship, The Minus-One Club will appeal to readers looking for authentic characterization and relatable realistic fiction. Comparable titles include Chaos Theory by Nic Stone for the similar subject matter about depression and loss, Golden Boys by Phil Stamper for the exploration of identity, and What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum for unlikely friendships and dealing with grief.

-Emily Williams

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: June 6, 2023
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: March 28, 2023

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: The Queens of New York by E.L. Shen

  • The Queens of New York
  • by E.L. Shen
  • Publisher: Quill Tree Books
  • Release date: June 6, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780063237957

Jia, Everett, and Ariel are best friends.  While they attend different schools and come from vastly different families, one thing that remains the same is their immovable friendship.  As summer begins in New York City, the three friends embark on separate journeys.  Everett heads to Ohio for an intense musical theater workshop, Ariel sets off for San Francisco to attend pre-college courses on a STEM scholarship, and Jia stays home to help with her family’s restaurant and to keep an eye on her little sister and ailing grandmother.  While they are scattered across the country, they never lose sight of their relationship and draw on each other’s strengths to get through the challenges each one faces during this summer of reckoning.

A diverse cast of characters comes together in an outstanding example of teenage friendship.  Told through three distinct voices with interjections of texts and emails, readers will identify with the authentic portrayal of teen relationships and struggles such as conforming to parental ideals and the loss of a loved one.

Teens who enjoy realistic fiction and coming of age stories will love The Queens of New York.  Readers who are looking for a summer vacation, beach, or airplane read, will devour this tale of summer romances, heartaches, and victories. Perfect for fans of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares and Loveboat, Taipei by Abigail Hing Wen.

– Maryjean Riou

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: July 25, 2023
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: April 18, 2023

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Their Vicious Games by Joelle Wellington

  • Their Vicious Games
  • by Joelle Wellington
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
  • Release date: July 25, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781665922425

Adina is different from her classmates at the elite Edgewater Academy, where she is a scholarship recipient, in a number of ways. When a fight ensues with her former friend, Adina loses her spot at Yale and prospects for her future. That is until she receives an invitation to the Finish, a competition held by the wealthy and influential Remington Family. However, the competition turns out to be less about refinery and business acumen and more a battle to the death. 

Where Squid Game meets The Bachelor, this thriller will keep readers on their toes. The plot is fast paced and the characters are realized and ruthless, making it hard to not be drawn in, wondering what will happen next. The heart of the story explores wealth and privilege and is sure to engage readers. 

Readers who enjoy thrillers, strong female characters, and a little bit of gore will devour this title.  Recommend this title for fans of The Hunger Games, All of Us Villains, or The Culling by Steven dos Santos.

– Kaitlin Malixi

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: April 18, 2023
Release Date: March 18, 2023
Release Date: April 11, 2023

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.

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: A Door in the Dark by Scott Reintgen

  • A Door in the Dark
  • by Scott Reintgen
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
  • Release date: March 28, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781665918688

Working class wizard, Ren Monroe, does her best at Balmerick University to prove her magic prowess so she can be recruited for a career in one of the major houses. When a portal spell malfunctions, she is transported with five other students to dangerous wilderness days from home, and must survive with her unlikely companions who are telling lies and keeping secrets.

A Door in the Dark is action-packed, with a “don’t trust anyone” vibe that makes for a suspenseful, engaging read. Ren is a well-developed main character, with a unique voice and her own motivations that create new twists as the stories of her companions are slowly revealed.

This title is perfect for teen readers who want accessible fantasy where worldbuilding is peppered in while the action is already going.  Readers who enjoy thrillers like One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus will appreciate this adventure full of backstabbing and lies, with plenty of magic and monster fighting as well. A large cast of relatable, vibrant characters will appeal to fans of Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo.

-Emily Williams

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Saints of the Household by Ari Tison

  • Saints of the Household
  • by Ari Tison
  • Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
  • Release date: March 28, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780374389499

Max and Jay are brothers who rely on each for everything. In shifts, they attempt to protect their mom from an abusive father. They felt sure they were managing things, but one day they hear a friend in trouble in the woods and find themselves beating up a classmate. Unsure whether they were in the right, Max and Jay begin a journey of healing and self-discovery through an exploration of their Bribri American identity as well as looking outward to others to give them space to be who they want to become.

Ari Tison’s novel is heartbreaking and beautifully written. She has given us a novel with highly relatable characters that alternate telling their stories in short vignettes and verse making it poetic and impactful as she navigates brotherhood, trauma, and recovery.

This novel will appeal to any teen reader who appreciates a dramatic story or for anyone looking for an original coming of age novel. Recommend this book to teens who enjoyed All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir or Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley.

-Gia Kruz

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: March 14, 2023
Release Date: May 2, 2023
RainRisingbyCourtneComrie
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Release Date: January 31, 2023

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

  • Warrior Girl Unearthed
  • by Angeline Boulley
  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
  • Release date: May 2, 2023
  • ISBN: 9781250766588

Perry Firekeeper-Birch would far rather spend her summer fishing, which is in stark contrast to her college-bound twin’s plan to participate in the Kinomaage program’s internship. Perry’s plans for a “Summer Slack” are abruptly ended when she wrecks the twins’ Jeep trying to avoid a mother bear and her cub. To pay for the repairs, Perry’s Aunt Daunis requires her to participate in the internship program and hand over all earnings. What starts as a punishment quickly morphs into a fascinating internship as Perry navigates the NAGPRA regulations surrounding the recovery of the remains and funerary artifacts of Indigenous ancestors. 

Part heist, part ethical dilemma, part deep dive into tribal politics and issues, this book has importance beyond its audience appeal. Those who fell in love with Daunis in Firekeeper’s Daughter will welcome her role in this companion novel.  Perry is a fully formed character in her own right and is surrounded by characters who are equally well developed.  The family and relational dynamics are universally recognizable, inviting readers to feel the pain of the desecration Indigenous people’s ancestors in the name of “science” on a much more visceral level. Broken into week-long segments, an epigraph highlighting the real life struggle and injustice Indigenous people face in getting those remains and objects returned introduces the challenge Perry (and Cooper Turtle) will face in their quest.  Boulley also seamlessly weaves the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women as well as the loopholes surrounding the prosecution of domestic abuse perpetrated on them into the plot made more compelling by a strong female protagonist and evidence so great that readers don’t require an explicit message to feel the injury.  Boulley also brings the “receipts” by ending with “Cooper’s List of Repatriation Resources” which further allows readers to judge the inequities for themselves.

This is a solid mystery/adventure that will appeal to fans of true crime and history. Give this to readers of Boulley’s first book, Firekeeper’s Daughter (although they won’t have had to read it in order to appreciate this one) or readers who liked Kate McLaughlin’s Daughter, or the Agatha mysteries collaboration by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson.

-Jodi Kruse

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: November 15, 2022
Release Date: April 11, 2023
March 28, 2023
Release Date: March 14, 2023

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Nominees Round Up, Summer Edition

  • A Door in the Dark
  • by Scott Reintgen
  • March 28, 2023
  • Length: 361 p.
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, $19.99 
  • ISBN: 9781665918688
  • Reading Level: Gr. 10 – 12

Working class wizard Ren Monroe does her best at Balmerick University to prove her magic prowess so she can be recruited by a major house. When a portal spell malfunctions, she is transported with five other students to dangerous wilderness days from home.

  • Aces Wild: A Heist
  • by Amanda DeWitt
  • September 13, 2022
  • Length: 345 p.
  • Publisher: Peachtree Teen, $17.99
  • ISBN: 9781682634660
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12

When Jack Shannon’s mother, an infamous casino owner, is arrested, Jack’s four friends from an online asexual support group travel to Vegas to help him infiltrate the secret gambling den of his mother’s rival, organized crime boss Peter Carlevaro, in order to find evidence to take Carlevaro down.

  • Always the Almost
  • by Edward Underhill
  • February 14, 2023
  • Length: 307 p.
  • Publisher: Wednesday Books, $18.99
  • Reading Level: Gr.9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250835208

Miles makes a New Year’s resolution to win back his ex-boyfriend and defeat his piano rival. When he meets Eric, a kind and thoughtful new kid, and starts practicing with a new piano teacher, Miles begins to learn more about himself and what he really wants.

  • As You Walk On By
  • by Julian Winters
  • January 17, 2023
  • Length: 328 p.
  • Publisher: Viking, $18.99
  • ISBN: 9780593206508

Seventeen year-old Theo finds himself hiding in a bedroom during a party following his promposal that goes horribly wrong. As, one by one, Theo’s fellow classmates pop into that bedroom seeking refuge of their own, an unlikely group forms that changes the status quo.

  • Becoming a Queen
  • by Dan Clay
  • April 25, 2023
  • Length: 407 p.
  • Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 9781250843098

Mark Davis wore a pretty dress and his boyfriend broke up with him. Now Mark is on his road to a new romance and self-acceptance when tragedy strikes, and he must figure out who he wants to be in order to move on.

  • Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything
  • by Justine Pucella Winans
  • April 11, 2023
  • Length: 362 p.
  • Publisher: Clarion Books, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780358721642 Gr. 9 – 12

Bianca Torre enjoys bird and people from their bedroom window. When they witness the murder of their neighbor, they start a bizarre journey to solve the murder, despite having a long list of fears. Through the process, they also find themselves and valuable relationships. Click here to check out our review of this title.

  • Chaos Theory
  • By Nic Stone
  • February 28, 2023
  • Length: 278 p.
  • Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 9780593307700

Genius high school senior, Shelbi, meets politician’s son, Andy, on one of his worst days, and reaches out to help. Their unlikely friendship becomes more, but they both have complicated pasts that might end up keeping them apart.

  • City of Nightmares
  • By Rebecca Schaeffer
  • January 10, 2023
  • Length: 374 p.
  • Publisher: Clarion, $18.99
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780358647300

No one dreams in Newham, where pills and treated water keep sleeping people safe from transforming into literal Nightmares. After surviving a ferry bombing, self-described coward Ness works with the other survivor, Cy, a Nightmare, to investigate why they are still being targeted, leading them to uncover a dark conspiracy.

  • Dear Medusa
  • By Olivia Cole
  • March 14, 2023
  • Length: 377 p.
  • Publisher: Labyrinth Road, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780593485736

After being sexually abused by a popular teacher at her school Alicia feels cut off from the world around her, until one day, she gets a note from another survivor. Click here to read our review of this title.

  • Enter the Body
  • By Joy McCullough
  • March 14, 2023
  • Length: 320 p.
  • Publisher: Dutton Books, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780593406755

Juliet, Ophelia, Cordelia, and Lavinia–victims of violence and misogyny in Shakespeare’s tragedies–share their versions of the events in their lives and have the opportunity to rewrite their tragedies.

HighlySupciousAndUnfairlyCutebyTaliaHibbert
  • Heartbreak Boys
  • By Simon James Green
  • December 20, 2022
  • Length: 376 p.
  • Publisher: Clarion Books, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 8-12
  • ISBN: 9780358617259

Jack and Nate used to be best friends, but have not spoken in years. When they find out on prom night that their boyfriends have secretly been seeing each other, they take off on a summer road trip to prove that they are living their best lives and start to remember along the way why they were friends and why now maybe they could be more.

  • Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute
  • By Talia Hibbert
  • January 3, 2023
  • Length: 319 p.
  • Publisher: Joy Revolution, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780593482339

Celine and Brad used to be best friends, until Brad ditched Celine for the in-crowd. Now, they’re academic rivals. When they both sign up for a survival course in the woods, with a scholarship as the grand prize, their competition brings up long-buried resentments, but also the possibility of reconciliation. Click here to read our review of this title.

  • How To Succeed in Witchcraft
  • By Aislinn Brophy
  • September 27, 2022
  • Length: 406 p.
  • Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780593354520

Shay Johnson is one of the top witches at her school To win the coveted Brockton Scholarship, ensuring her admittance to the college of her dreams, Shay must step outside her comfort zone to do the school musical with a teacher who has questionable motives. Click here to read our review of this title.

  • Promise Boys
  • By Nick Brooks
  • January 31, 2023
  • Length: 294 p.
  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Co., $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250866974

J.B., Ramón, and Trey are students at the prestigious and strict Urban Promise Prep School when their principal is murdered and the three become the prime suspects. Click here to read our review of this title.

RainRisingbyCourtneComrie
  • Rain Rising
  • by Courtne Comrie
  • September 27, 2022
  • Length: 327 p.
  • Publisher: Harper Collins, $16.99
  • Reading Level: Gr. 5.12
  • ISBN: 9780063159730

Rain is struggling to find out who she is and where she fits in during her eighth grade year of school when her beloved older brother is attacked during a college visit in what appears to be a racially motivated beating. Click here to read our review.

  • Remind Me to Hate You Later
  • by Lizzy Mason
  • February 28, 2023
  • Length: 308 p.
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury YA, $18.99
  • Reading Level: G. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781547609185

Reeling from the death of her best friend, Jules, by suicide. Natalie must learn how to move on with her life as she grapples with blaming herself and Jules’s mom, a lifestyle blogger. Told in dual narration between Jules and Natalie.  

  • Saints of the Household
  • by Ari Tison
  • March 28, 2023
  • Length: 312 p.
  • Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780374389499

Max and Jay are brothers who have relied on each for everything including protecting their mother from an abusive father. After a violent altercation with a classmate, they begin a journey of healing through an exploration of their Bribri American identity as well as looking outward to others for help.

  • Self-Made Boys
  • by Anna-Marie McLemore
  • September 6, 2022
  • Length: 304 p.
  • Publisher: Feiwel and Friends, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250774934

It’s the 1920’s, and seventeen year old Latinx Nicolás Caraveo, a transgender boy from Wisconsin, has come to New York seeking professional success, but finds himself caught up in much more when he is introduced to his cousin Daisy’s glamorous world.

  • She Is a Haunting
  • by Trang Thanh Tran
  • February 28, 2023
  • Length: 341 p.
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781547610815

When Jade Nguyen visits her estranged father in Vietnam, she plans to help him restore his French colonial home, in exchange for the college money he promised. Instead, she finds the house haunted by its past, hungry for visitors, and willing to keep her entire family within its walls forever.

  • Star Splitter
  • by Matthew Kirby
  • April 25, 2023
  • Length: 305 p.
  • Publisher: Dutton Books for Young Readers, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 7-12
  • ISBN: 9780735231665

In 2199, space exploration and teleportation are routine and considered safe. However, when 17-year-old Jessica is made to travel via teleportation to be reunited with her parents and assist them with a science expedition, she wakes up confused and alone on a crashed lander.

  • Spell Bound
  • by F.T. Lukens
  • April 4, 2023
  • Length: 323 p.
  • Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: 7-12
  • ISBN: 9781665916226

Rook is a genius who grew up around magic, but isn’t magical. He gets a job working in the office of the famous sorceress Antonia Hex who handles magical emergencies. Rook soon realizes he must break the rules in order to become who he was always meant to be. Click here to read our review.

  • Take a Bow, Noah Mitchell
  • by Tobias Madden
  • January 3, 2023
  • Length: 373 p.
  • Publisher: Page Street, $18.99 
  • ISBN: 9781645677062

Noah Mitchell never wants to leave the safe haven of his computer gaming world, until he discovers his crush is participating in a local musical theater production. Determined to develop a real relationship, Noah joins the cast and discovers he might have gotten himself in a bit too deep. 

  • The Buried and the Bound
  • by Rochelle Hassan
  • January 24, 2023
  • Length: 375 p.
  • Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250822208

When the barrier between her hometown and the adjacent fairyland in the woods starts thinning, Aziza must team up with a cursed high school student and a mysterious necromancer to save the city they call home. 

  • The Do-Over
  • by Lynn Painter
  • November 15, 2022
  • Length: 291 p.
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781534478862

Emilie Hornby gets stuck in a time loop where she is forced to relive the most dreadful Valentine’s Day over and over again, but she soon discovers that running into her grumpy and cute Chemistry partner may not be the worst thing to ever happen.

The Secrets We Keep by Cassie Gustafson
  • The Q
  • by Amy Tintera
  • November 8, 2022
  • Length: 343 p.
  • Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780593486177

Lennon Pierce, son of a U.S. presidential candidate, is kidnapped and dropped into the Q, a walled off quarantine zone for those previously infected by a mysterious virus. Maisie Rojas, trusted lieutenant to the leader of the southern Q zone, must get him to safety before time runs out.

  • The Secrets We Keep
  • by Cassie Gustafson
  • November 8, 2022
  • Length: 340 p.
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR, $19.99 
  • ISBN: 9781665906944

Fifteen-year-old Emma’s life is turned upside down when her father is accused of molesting Hannah, her best–and only–friend in this hopeful story of two sexual abuse survivors. Click here to read our review.

  • The Sharp Edge of Silence
  • by Cameron Kelly Rosenblum
  • April 11, 2023
  • Length: 473 p.
  • Publisher: Quill Tree Books, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9780062932105

Quinn, Max, and Charlotte must decide how far they are willing to go to end the tacitly accepted rape culture at their prestigious boarding Lycroft Phelps School.

  • This Is Not a Personal Statement
  • by Tracy Badua
  • January 17, 2023
  • Length: 341 p.
  • Publisher: Quill Tree Books, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 10-12
  • ISBN: 9780063217751

When sixteen-year-old Filipina American Perla, reluctantly dubbed “Perfect Perlie Perez,” receives a rejection letter from Delmont University, the school her ambitious perfectionist parents want her to attend, she panics, makes a convincing fake acceptance letter, and then plans to secretly live on campus until she can apply again.

  • Warrior Girl Unearthed
  • by Angeline Boulley
  • May 2, 2023
  • Length: 396 p.
  • Publisher: Henry Holt and Company, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250766588

Perry Firekeeper-Birch finds herself embroiled in a plot to steal the remains of her tribal ancestors before they are turned over to a university museum or sold to private collectors.

  • We Are All So Good at Smiling
  • by Amber McBride
  • January 10, 2023
  • Length: 283 p.
  • Publisher: Feiwel & Friends, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250780386

Whimsy is back in the hospital to treat her ongoing clinical depression. This time proves different and life changing when she meets a boy there named Faerry. Over time she realizes they both share magic, a fear of the forest, and a dark forgotten secret.

  • We Deserve Monuments
  • by Jas Hammonds
  • November 29, 2022
  • Length: 375 p.
  • Publisher: Roaring Brook Publishers, $18.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781250816559

Avery is nursing a broken heart when her parents drag her from her Washington, D. C. home to Georgia to care for her crabby grandmother, Mama Letty. New friends, new loves, and the painful mystery of her grandfather’s death at the hands of the sheriff make for an emotional visit.

  • When the Angels Left the Old Country
  • by Sacha Lamb
  • October 18, 2022
  • Length: 400 p.
  • Publisher: Levine Querido, $19.99 
  • Reading Level: Gr. 9-12
  • ISBN: 9781646141760

A patient angel and a mischievous demon who have been studying Talmud together for centuries in their little Russian shtetl travel to America to perform a mitzvah, locating a young woman who left for the “golden land” to find her fortune but hasn’t been heard from since. 

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

  • Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything
  • by Justine Pucella Winans
  • Publisher: Clarion Books
  • Release Date: April 11, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780358721642

Due to their many fears,  Bianca Torre spends much of their free time in their room observing birds and neighbors. When Bianca witnesses one of their neighbors being brutally murdered, they uncharacteristically decide to investigate. With the help of a widening circle of friends, Bianca sets out to solve the crime, unraveling a bizarre and twisty mystery. 

This is a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud murder mystery, full of twists and subtle clues. An ensemble cast of characters offer relatable and quirky representation while building a thoughtful story about identity and relationships and providing a contemporary nod to Alfred Hitchock’s Rear Window.


Any readers of crime and thriller fiction will love this title, as well as fans of humor and character driven stories.  Fans of The Agathas or titles by Jessica Goodman will love this title.

-Kaitlin Malixi

Release Date: October 18, 2022
Release Date: November 8, 2022

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: Dear Medusa by Olivia Cole

  • Dear Medusa
  • by Olivia Cole
  • Publisher: Labyrinth Road
  • Release Date: March 14, 2023
  • ISBN: 9780593485736

Alicia is starting her junior year of high school, but her reputation precedes her. What her classmates don’t know is why Alicia makes the decisions she does and just what happened between her and a beloved teacher. Abandoned by her best friend and disengaged with her home life, Alicia feels alone until anonymous letters start appearing in her locker to let her know she’s not the only one. 

Told using the metaphor of wolves, prey, and Medusa, this lyrical novel-in-verse shows just how isolating experiencing trauma can be, while also interweaving other complex issues that are important to teens. The book features a diverse cast of supporting characters who are allowed to shine in their own right. At the end of the novel, both Alicia and readers will feel as if they’ve undergone a transformation.

Teen readers who like a hard-hitting contemporary books that explore complex issues will be a fan of this one.  Similar titles include Lawless Spaces by Corey Ann Haydu and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. 

Content warning for sexual assault.  

-Zoe Smolen

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: January 10, 2023
Release Date: November 15, 2022
Release Date: September 27, 2022
Release Date: April 4, 2023

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.
The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2024) Featured Review: The Do-Over by Lynn Painter

  • The Do-Over
  • by Lynn Painter
  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster
  • Release Date: November 15, 2022
  • ISBN: 781534478862

Emilie Hornby really looked forward to Valentine’s Day. She planned the perfect day with the perfect boyfriend. But then everything went terribly, horribly wrong. Not only does Emilie witness her boyfriend cheat on her, one of many dreadful incidents that day, she gets stuck in a time loop and must relive the nightmarish day over and over again. The one constant she can’t escape, the grumpy and elusive Nick, who may just be the answer to her problem.

The Do-Over is a delightfully fun romantic comedy that executed the Groundhog Day trope with flair. Emilie is a planning perfectionist who grows throughout the novel by learning how to speak up for herself and figuring out what makes her happy. Emilie’s parents are divorced and remarried, providing readers an example of the ups and downs of a realistic, complex family relationship. The banter-filled interactions between Emilie and Nick are funny and snarky, two things romance fans will appreciate.

Teens who can’t get enough fun romance romps will enjoy The Do-Over and its loveable characters. After reading The Do-Over, fans of See You Yesterday by Rachel Lynn Solomon and Kasie West’s sweet romances will have a new YA romance author to follow.

-Alison Riggs

Other Nominated Titles

Release Date: April 4, 2023
Release Date: September 27, 2022
HighlySupciousAndUnfairlyCutebyTaliaHibbert
Release Date: January 3, 2023
Release Date: January 10, 2023

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.

The Best Fiction for Young Adults Committee appreciates teen feedback as members evaluate the nominated titles. Teen librarians are encouraged to share the List of Potential Nominees under consideration with their patrons and solicit feedback using the link: https://bit.ly/BFYA24TeenFB