- 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.
Readalike for The Picture of Dorian Gray
Conversion – Katherine Howe St. Joan’s Academy is one of the top high schools in Danvers, MA. Within its hallowed walls, teenage girls battle for valedictorian, labor over applications to the best colleges in the country, attempt to sort out first relationships, and manage shifting friendships & high parental expectations. Senior Colleen Rowley and her friends knew they had a lot to balance but they were keeping it together–or so they thought. Then the seemingly flawless Clara Rutherford is overcome by uncontrollable tics in the middle of homeroom and within hours, the strange symptoms have spread to her friends. Suddenly, St. Joan’s becomes into a media circus as more students become ill and everyone fails to come up with an explanation or a cure. But only Colleen, who has continued to work on her extra credit project researching The Crucible, realizes that Danvers used to be called Salem Village and another group of girls was once at the epicenter of a similar episode a few centuries ago.
A few weeks ago, The Hub posted a poll asking for your favorite assigned summer reading in high school. With 49% of the 134 votes, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird was the top selection. This got me thinking about how required reading has impacted us as YA readers.
Gretchen Kolderup: “My 10th grade US History class was combined into a two-period class with our English class. We learned history and we learned English, but it was all through the lens of social movements in America. The books that we were assigned were really thoughtful choices that illuminated social issues and that weren’t what you’d typically have as required reading — Power by Linda Hogan, All the King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller are the ones I remember. I loved that what we were reading was actually put into context so I could understand it — I would have missed so much of the meaning in the books if I hadn’t known what was happening in the world at the time they were published.”