Tag: BestFiction2027

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: The Danger of Small Things by Caryl Lewis

Many years have passed since the last bee died and the world as we know it took a sharp turn for the worst. Now, young girls are sent off to live in facilities where their duty is to hand-pollinate plants with a small paint brush. Jess is one of those girls, but she’s different from the rest. She was raised in a home where creativity was allowed, and is one of the few that knows how to read and the power of creativity and the written word. When a surprising ally smuggles paint into the facility, Jess knows it falls on her to inspire change where it may seem impossible.

The Danger of Small Things features a story that will appeal to teens with its strong world-building and character development. Readers will be drawn in by the intensifying plot and eager to read how Jess’s story concludes.

Teens that appreciate dystopian and sci-fi stories will enjoy this book. 

Similar books include Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Lily Braun-Arnold’s The Last Bookstore on Earth, and of course, Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games.

–Amy Kilkenny

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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“!

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: Season of Fear by Emily Cooper

  • Season of Fear
  • by Emily Cooper
  • Christy Ottaviano Books
  • Publication Date: September 2, 2025
  • ISBN: 978-0316581639

Ilse has known since childhood that she was different from the other girls and women in Heulensee; even her own mother looks at her differently. When the time comes to perform her rite in worship of the Saint of Fear, Ilse is unable to conjure the necessary terror within herself to satisfy the Saint that protects the town. Her failure puts her entire family in danger, particularly her sister Thea, whose life is threatened by the Saint as punishment for Ilse’s failure. When the town turns against her, she flees into the Hexenwald, a forest from which nobody returns. With her sister’s life hanging in the balance, Ilse must confront her true nature to survive the Hexenwald and save her sister.

Season of Fear is a high-stakes dark fantasy with strong, well-developed characters and a fast-moving plot. While the main storyline focuses on Ilse’s bid to save her sister, the action-packed plot incorporates a compelling Sapphic romance as a strong subplot. 

Readers who enjoy rooting for strong, but believably flawed female main characters and don’t mind a bit of gory violence will devour this thrilling tale. Read-Alikes include My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino and A Girl Walks Into the Forest by Madeleine Roux.

-Katy Henderson 

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: One Word, Six Letters

On a dare, Freshman Dayton yells a slur at a school assembly and is labeled the school’s resident homophobe. But he’s definitely not and it’s just a word (right?). When Farshid hears that word in their freshman assembly, he wonders if it was directed at him. Maybe if he goes to the gym more and becomes the picture of masculinity, no one will think of him and that word together. As the school year continues, the incident continues to loom over Dayton and Farshid.  

Like many of Khorram’s YA books, One Word, Six Letters deals with some sensitive, but important topics with a side of humor. The second-person POV allows readers to see the incident and the fallout from both Dayton and Farshid’s perspectives and dig deeper into the lives and issues that impact these well-developed characters. This books tackles homophobia, misogyny and body dysmorphia as they relate to teen boys, and it does it well. At just over 200 pages, it is also perfect for teens looking for a quick read.  

Give to teens looking for a quick but reflective realistic story about high school life. If you enjoyed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli or How It All Blew Up by Arvin Ahmadi, you may like One Word, Six Letters by Adib Khorram.

-Alejandria Galarza

Check out interview with the author of One Word, Six Letter Adib Khorram!

Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: Winter White by Annie Cardi

  • Winter White
  • by Annie Cardi
  • Union Square & Co. 
  • Publication Date: January 27, 2026
  • ISBN: 978-1454960584

Pia and her younger brother live with their father, Leo, on an isolated farm in rural Maine. Their father says they must stay on the farm for their own safety. Leo has a temper so it’s best that they do as their father says. An accident puts Leo out of commission and for the first time, Pia must go to town by herself and continue her dad’s mysterious delivery service. While in town, Pia befriends librarians and a cute boy named Felix. She also starts to question what is really being delivered underneath the cartons of eggs and if her father is telling the truth about their life. While this is a retelling of Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, readers don’t need to be familiar with the play to enjoy and understand this retelling.  

Winter White is an introspective, well-paced read. The book has a strong sense of place and believable characters. Serious topics like domestic abuse and drug trafficking are handled realistically, but sensitively. Teens will find Pia relatable. The depiction of the public library and the librarians that work there is a spot-on. If teen readers aren’t already using their library, this book is a wonderful introduction to the power and support they can find there.       

With short chapters and clocking in at just over 250 pages, this is an approachable, well-paced story for selective readers looking for a gritty, realistic tale. The modern retelling will also hold appeal for students reading Shakespeare in their literature classes, including as an assigned text to complement literature curriculum. Winter White is a great readalike for fans of Strong Like You by T.L. Simpson and The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen. 

–Megan Nigh

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: Last Chance Live! by Helena Haywoode Henry

Eighteen-year-old Eternity Price is on death row, so she decides to take her chances and become a contestant on the country’s most popular reality TV shows, Last Chance Live!, a show where the winner is forgiven of their crimes and can go back to society, but all of the contestants voted off the show are executed within a week. On the show, Eternity must convince the country that she deserves a second chance, but when she begins making strong connections with fellow contests and finds herself with friends for the first time in her life, she must grapple with the tough decision of whether she should take the risk and betray the only friends she’s ever had to survive, or protect her new found companions, no matter the cost.

Last Chance Live! has strong character development and will keep teens on their toes while also addressing some of the social issues in the criminal justice system. Mature teens interested in social justice, dystopias, and that liked Squid Games will enjoy this book.

Readers of The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, Truth Is… by Hannah V. Sawyerr, and The Story of My Anger by Jasminne Mendez will enjoy this book.

-Amy Kilkenny

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: The House Saphir by Marissa Meyer

Mallory has a long line of witches in her family line but her magical power is conning people out of their money on tours of Bluebeard’s house. But then Bluebeard’s heir Armand brings Mallory and her sister to his home to get rid of the ghosts, including Bluebeard’s. But are the ghosts killing people or is it someone who is alive doing the murdering?

This book has a twisty turny mystery that will keep readers engaging. It includes elements of mystery as well as romance and fantasy. The book is fast paced and well written.  Characters are well developed and multi-layered. The main character, Mallory, is intelligent, courageous and resourceful.

Readers who enjoy a good mystery with a romantic element will enjoy this book. The pacing of the book, while on the longish side, will make it appeal to both strong readers as well as striving readers. Fans of romantasy books will enjoy this one.

This book will appeal to fans of Meyer’s other series. Fans of Sasha Peyton Smith and Catherine Doyle books will enjoy this one too.

–Melissa Palmer

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: K-Jane Lydia Kang

  • K-Jane
  • by Lydia Kang
  • Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication Date: October 21, 2025
  • ISBN: 978-0063354623

With the impending arrival of a new baby brother, 17-year-old Jane Choi begins to question her family’s lack of Korean culture. To save her baby brother from the same fate, Jane becomes K-Jane and begins exploring everything Korean on a secret, private social media channel solely for use by her cousins. When more and more people find out about the channel, everything falls apart and Jane comes face-to-face with the question that started it all: what does it mean to be Korean? 

K-Jane is a funny and quick-paced exploration of cultural identity and belonging with relatable characters. Some of Jane’s actions end up being cringy in all the best and humorous ways. The exploration of cultural disconnect is relatable to teens beyond Korean Americans and Jane’s heartfelt voice make this an accessible read. Readers who enjoy a quick, light-hearted reads with laugh-out-loud moments will enjoy diving into Jane Choi’s world. Comparable titles include Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim by Patricia Park and Eighteen Roses by Shannon C.F. Rogers.

–Alejandria Garcia

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review:Sisters in the Wind by Angelina Boulley

After the death of her father, Lucy Smith was thrust into the system and a series of foster homes that expose her to dangerous situations. Now, she’s on the run, until a mysterious man appears at her workplace and she’s soon after injured in a pipe bomb explosion. During recovery, Lucy learns that she is of Ojibwe descent and still has relatives living on the reservation, but before she can learn more about her family, she must face why she was on the run in the first place: someone wants her dead.

With a gripping story, wide appeal, and deep character development, this book is sure to be one of the top titles of the year.

Teens seeking Indigenous representation, mysteries and thrillers, and stories that explore self-identity will love this book.

Readers of Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter or any of her other novels, the anthology Legendary Frybread Drive-In, and K.A. Cobell’s Looking for Smoke will enjoy Sisters of the Wind.

–Amy Kilkenny

Learn More! Check Our Exclusive Interview with Angelina Boulley!

We sit down with Printz Honor and Winner Angeline Boulley to discuss novels as a teaching opportunity, exploring and celebrating identity through storytelling, and revisiting her wildly successful Sugar Island saga.

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Best Fiction for Young Adults (#BFYA2027) Featured Review: The Secret Astronomers by Jessica Walker

  • The Secret Astronomers
  • by Jessica Walker
  • Viking Books for Young Readers/Penguin Random House
  • Publication Date:November 4, 2025
  • ISBN: 978-0593692677

Grieving their mother’s death, a teen is sent to live with their grandparents in West Virginia to finish their senior year of high school. Feeling like an outsider, they find solace in the library doodling in an old astronomy textbook – until another student leaves them a note in the same book. The two teens, who choose the code names Copernicus and Kepler to keep their identities secret, begin developing a deep friendship through exchanging notes. As their friendship grows, they discover a mystery involving Copernicus’s mother and the strange events that happened when she attended the very same high school.

With a unique format and engaging characters, this story feels like authentic insight into teen friendships. Copernicus and Kepler come from very different backgrounds, with very different experiences, and yet the growth of their friendship feels natural. The illustrations add an interactive element for readers. The mystery also feels real and reachable, reflecting how impactful small mysteries can be. Copernicus’s experience as an outsider in a rural town, and Kepler’s balance between love for her town and awareness of some of its problematic aspects, are nuanced and sensitively portrayed.

Teen readers who value authentic portrayals of teen friendship will be drawn to this story, as will art lovers and teens who appreciate stories driven by character development rather than action.

Titles similar to The Secret Astronomers include A Guide to Falling off the Map by Zanni Louise and I Kissed Shara Wheeler by Casey McQuiston.

-Erica Schimmel