Each year, YALSA’s Amazing Audiobooks Blogging Team selects and annotates an annual list of notable audio recordings significant to young adults from those released in the past two years. The name of the list became Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults with the 2009 list and was previously known as Selected Audiobooks for Young Adults.
Suggest a Title for the 2026 List Here [coming soon]
See Current Committee Contacts Here
Download the Complete 2025 List Here
- The Diablo’s Curse
- By Gabe Cole Novoa
- Read by Vico Ortiz
- 2024. 12 hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593795033). Gr. 9-12.
- Dami, a demon seeking humanity, must cancel all their deals, but the final deal with Silas complicates things. Ending it would mean Silas’s death. Together, they race to break Silas’s curse before time runs out. The narrator’s natural accent and tone enhance the story, immersing listeners in this gripping world.
- Diet Soda Club
- By Chaz Hayden
- Read by Michael Crouch
- 2024. 8 hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593664346). Gr. 9-12.
- This is the story of Reed Beckett and his 10-year-old sister, Beatrice. With their father dead and their mother absent, Reed juggles school and caring for Beatrice, who is often hospitalized. To support them, Reed secretly sells fake IDs with help from Helena, his childhood friend. Michael Crouch’s narration brilliantly captures Reed’s struggles and resilience.
- The Enigma Girls: How Ten Teenagers Broke Ciphers, Kept Secrets, and Helped Win World War II
- By Candace Fleming
- Read by Moira Quirk. 2024. 4.5 hr. Scholastic Audio, DD (9781546117636). Gr. 5-8.
- The Enigma Girls tells the power story of young women who played a crucial role in decoding Nazi messages at Bletchley Park during World War II. Their secretive work helped shift the tide for the Allies. The narrator, Moira Quirk, imbues the events with the gravitas they deserve while still making the story captivating.
- Everything We Never Had
- By Randy Ribay
- Read by Ramón de Ocampo, Jesse Inocalla, Manny Jacinto & JB Tadena. 2024. 7 hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593866733). Gr. 7-12.
- Four generations of Filipino Americans, trying to make their own way, grapple with identity, masculinity, family relationships, and cultural understanding. Each teen has his own narrator and each narrator animates their section to create distinct characters. The story weaves between timelines to let each boy tell his own story.
- My Salty Mary
- By Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
- Read by Nneka Okoye. 2024. 10 hr. HarperAudio, DD (9780063308855). Gr. 8-12.
- In My Salty Mary, a mermaid-turned-pirate fights to captain a ship and become Pirate Queen after Blackbeard’s death. Mary’s fierce determination fuels her pirate ambitions, defying all who doubt her. The narrator skillfully varies tone and pitch, creating engaging character distinctions that enhance the story’s vibrant and adventurous spirit.
- Pick the Lock
- By A.S. King
- Read by Max Meyers, Jorjeana Marie & A.S. King. 2024. 10.75 hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593744390). Gr. 9-12.
- This story follows Jane Vandermaker-Cook as she tries to reconnect with her absent mother. Living in a Victorian mansion with her odd family, Jane discovers a lifetime of security footage that changes everything. This innovative audiobook blends music and multiple narrators to create a deeply immersive, emotionally charged experience, mirroring the punk opera Jane is composing.
- Snowglobe
- By Soyoung Park
- Read by Shannon Tyo, Greta Jung, and Jeena Yi. Translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort. 2024.10.5 hr. Listening Library, DD (9780593794937). Gr. 7-12.
- The only joy in Chobahm’s frozen world is 24/7 reality television from the domed paradise of Snowglobe. When Snowglobe’s darling commits suicide, Chobahm takes her place, finding the truth is far from what she imagined. The narrators deftly craft similar, yet unique characters, a balancing act critical to the story.
- Somewhere Beyond the Sea
- By TJ Klune
- Read by Daniel Henning
- 2024. 15.75hr. Macmillan Audio, DD (9781250331601). Adult.
- We return to Marsyas Island and Arthur Parnassus’ extraordinary children. Arthur’s testimony before the Department in Charge of Magical Youth about his tragic past should have set him free. Instead, it threatens their very future. Daniel Henning brings all of these beloved characters to life with heart and humor.
- Swarm
- By Jennifer D. Lyle
- Read by Krystal Hammond. 2023. 10.75 hr. Blackstone Publishing, DD (9798212195775). Gr. 8-12.
- A gripping survival tale, Swarm plunges readers into a world ravaged by climate change and butterfly-like monsters invading all continents. Sixteen-year-old Shur, her brothers, and friends are trapped in their suburban home, battling escalating dangers. Narrator Krystal Hammond expertly conveys the characters’ fear, anxiety, and resolve, keeping listeners riveted as they anticipate the next terrifying twist.
- Twenty-Four Seconds From Now…: A LOVE Story.
- By Jason Reynolds
- Read by Guy Lockard. 2024. 4.5 hr. Simon & Schuster Audio, DD (9781668118689). Gr. 9-12.
- High school senior Neon, trapped in his girlfriend Aria’s bathroom and his own thoughts, reflects on their relationship as he prepares for a significant first with her. Well paced and humorous narration highlight the emotional gravity of first love, friendships, family loss, and the uncertainties of life after high school.
Committee Members
Coordinator: Haley Shaw, Ohio University Zanesville Campus Library, Zanesville, OH;
Bloggers: Sarah Carpenter, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma Heights, OH; Kate Covintree, Cranbrook Kingswood Upper School Library, Bloomfield Hills, MI; Jeannine Everett, Briar Woods High School, Ashburn, VA; Lex Ferguson, Galion Public Library, Galion, OH; Stephanie Galvan Russell, Dailey Middle School Library, Austin, TX; Ellen McTyre, Bronxville Public Library, Westchester County, NY; Lorrie Roussin, Luna Middle School Library, San Antonio, TX; Lynda Salem Poling, Long Beach Department of Library, Arts and Culture, Long Beach, CA; Ellen Spring, Rockland School District, Rockland, ME;
The committee would like to acknowledge Ellen Spring. She was a member of our team and helped contribute several wonderful books to our list. She passed away in October. Ellen was a school librarian and actively participated in many ALA committees including the John Newbery Award Selection Committee. We are so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her and offer our condolences to her family and friends.
