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PREMIUM
The Voting Booth
Recommended for readers who enjoy character-driven romance with real-world resonance.
PREMIUM
Winter of the Wolf
Problematic depictions of cultural appropriation mean that this touching portrait of grief cannot be strongly recommended for purchase.
PREMIUM
Somewhere Only We Know
The overarching theme of crafting the life you want, while making space for the unexpected, shines brilliantly in this novel.
PREMIUM
Escape Room
Young teens who enjoy escape rooms may get a kick out of seeing this game turned into trap, but for those seeking deeper thrills, this light thriller will be less entertaining.
PREMIUM
If It Makes You Happy
This novel takes on the topic of love with an honesty that is refreshing.
Author Alex Richards shares a different point of view in the gun violence debate with her latest YA novel, ACCIDENTAL
Cinderella is Dead is a twisted tale that will challenge, delight and thrill readers.
July's debut YA authors discuss the images that gave way to their first novels, exploring their characters' backgrounds, and carefree childhood summers.
Teen Riley Jensen reviews Bent Heavens, Harrow Lake and Five Total Strangers in this YA thriller round up.
Hey, I think my reading slump is broken! Check out these great books to add to your TBR list.
An excellent addition to all teen collections with a relatable main character who will lead readers through this heated moment in time.
PREMIUM
Now That I’ve Found You
For fans of Mary H.K. Choi’s Permanent Record, Kasie West’s Fame, Fate, and the First Kiss, or Maurene Goo’s I Believe in a Thing Called Love.
This verse novel tells one cohesive story of a life lived. A highly enjoyable title recommended for reluctant readers and students intrigued by fame and stardom.
A great fantasy for middle school readers who need an age-appropriate challenge that won’t burn their eyes.
PREMIUM
The Bookweaver’s Daughter
Fans of medieval fantasy, action/adventure novels, and books with strong heroines will love this novel. Recommended for teen libraries.
PREMIUM
Horrid
Recommended for all libraries. Hand this to teens who binge-watched Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House.
PREMIUM
These Vengeful Hearts
Recommend this to fans of E. Lockhart’s The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks and Daisy Whitney’s The Mockingbirds.
PREMIUM
The Inheritance Games
Fun and fast-paced, fans of Karen M. McManus’s One of Us Is Lying and Maureen Johnson’s Truly Devious will find a new home at Hawthorne House. Even reluctant readers will devour this book.
PREMIUM
Come On In
A recommended addition to any high school library and a great book to share with social studies teachers for use in the classroom.
PREMIUM
Everything I Thought I Knew
Readers looking for a good, cathartic cry will love Chloe’s journey from losing everything she thought she was, to finding the person she was meant to be.
PREMIUM
We Were Restless Things
A promising start that fizzles towards the middle. A secondary purchase for collections in need of magical realism.
PREMIUM
The Princess Will Save You
A strong choice for most collections. Fantasy and romance fans alike will gobble up this energetic story and a relatively chaste romance allows for a wide range of readers.
PREMIUM
The Peasant’s Dream
Unexpected revelations along the way give this fractured fairy tale a fresh shine.
PREMIUM
More Than Just a Pretty Face
This delightful debut will make a fine addition to any YA collection, and includes a much-needed historical and contemporary perspective of Western culture through a South Asian lens.
PREMIUM
The Challenger
A complex, well-blended mix of plot and characterization, perfect for fans of fantasy battle royale stories.
PREMIUM
All This Time
Fans of the authors’ Five Feet Apart and Sandy Hall’s Signs Point to Yes will likely be interested, but may find the novel unfulfilling and mediocre. An additional purchase.
PREMIUM
Scorched Earth
A gratifying conclusion to this epic tale of self-discovery; a great fit for young adult collections everywhere.
PREMIUM
Eventide
An engaging historical novel with fantastical elements, this is a good fit for mid to large-sized collections, or where Southern settings circulate well.
PREMIUM
The Code for Love and Heartbreak
A warm coming-of-age story recommended for readers who enjoy a good Austen-esque romp with more modern themes.
A promising series debut perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones and Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys. This book underscores the movement for more inclusive versions of traditional Western narratives, and will be a favorite of contemporary fantasy readers. Highly recommended.
Reminiscent of Moira Young’s “Dustlands” series, this novel by debut author Johnson is a must-purchase for all YA science fiction collections. Highly recommended.
This #OwnVoices genre and format mashup is fun and memorable, and should produce legions of new Faith superfans.
PREMIUM
Ironspark
A different type of faerie tale that will be enjoyable for readers who are interested in medieval magic, but not a must-have for every collection.
PREMIUM
Making Friends with Alice Dyson
Fans of young adult contemporary romance will enjoy this book as they cheer for Alice to come out of her shell and embrace her senior year of high school.
PREMIUM
None Shall Sleep
An ambitious undertaking that doesn’t quite hit the mark. Not recommended for purchase.
PREMIUM
Shine
Fans of Maurene Goo’s Somewhere Only We Know will enjoy a return to K-pop subject matter and appreciate Jung’s insider perspective on the music industry, while also enjoying a candid narrative style reminiscent of Meg Cabot with a touch of Mean Girls. A worthwhile addition.
A fast-paced adventure fantasy story infused with Latin American traditional elements. A must-have for any young adult collection.
PREMIUM
Facing the Sun
An enjoyable friendship novel about change, acceptance, and being honest with each other. A great addition to libraries where books like Ann Brashares’ “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series is popular.
An excellent examination of young women’s friendships and desires set against the misogyny of their society. A great first purchase.
PREMIUM
All Our Worst Ideas
A contemporary love story that goes deeper than most, exposing teen angst in its many hiding places with believable characters and situations. Recommended for all collections.
Finding books that are age-appropriate but still compelling enough to hook the interest of older tweens and young teens can be tricky. Here are some of our recent favorites.
From alternate histories to dystopian futures, these teen genre selections offer up magic, mermaids, mechsuits, and more.
Readers will cheer for these YA books about boxing, basketball, field hockey, and more.
These immersive works of historical fiction surface events often omitted by textbooks, blend history and other genres, and urge readers to reconsider the past and look to the future.
Ten adventure and survival fiction titles to keep summer reading fresh and exciting.
With controlled vocabularies and short page counts, hi-lo (high-interest, low-readability) books present engaging, age-appropriate options for students reading below their grade level. This roundup of new and forthcoming series highlights a wide range of titles for collections serving elementary, middle, and high school audiences.
Lively action-adventure tales that typically feature large casts of memorable characters, shonen manga is the best-selling manga in the United States. Brigid Alverson names her top picks in shonen manga, most for grades 7 and up.
Today Johanna looks at three sex education comics that take an inclusive approach and are appropriate for older teens and adults.
PREMIUM
When the Stars Wrote Back: Poems
The combination of poetry, self-help language, artwork, and quotes will appeal to young and new adults. A good purchase for larger libraries.
With evocative memoirs, complex love stories, and socially-conscious supervillains, these graphic books offer new windows into our world.
This powerful novel will provoke much discussion on topics like the political machine, youth activism, and environmental justice. Highly recommended for all libraries.
PREMIUM
Night Owls and Summer Skies
This chaste LGBTQ summer romance may appeal to fans of Twilight and other will-they-won’t-they love stories. While this is a good example of a NaNoWriMo story-turned-published-book, it lacks the depth and character development to recommend for purchase.
Librarian Christine Lively highlights how teens are navigating Black Lives Matter protests and are working to help make change happen.
Here are 3 titles to add to you anti-racist booklists, especially if you have teens or adults asking about Black Lives Matter protests.
Whether conducting TEDx talks or using makerspaces to explore their passions, teens with the freedom to drive activities stay the most engaged.
While we're rethinking everything, how would you better serve youth in your community? SLJ is supporting a project to devise a new, crowdsourced vision for libraries.
A smart and honest look at the various ways we hide ourselves as well as an empowering look at strong friendships.
A teen reviews 2 upcoming and 1 newer YA release: A Wicked Magic by Sashal Laurens, Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson and Havenfall by Sara Holland
PREMIUM
Now & When
Purchase for young adult collections where books featuring social media are popular.
PREMIUM
Lost Roads
Readers who enjoyed Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds or Rick Yancey’s The 5th Wave should be encouraged to start with Rot & Ruin. This book is a great choice for fans of the original series who want more.
PREMIUM
Burn Our Bodies Down
A creepy mystery recommended for readers who enjoy character-driven stories with elements of horror.
Challenging old classics is the literary equivalent of replacing statues of racist figures.
Tackling everything from racism to politics and elections to sexual abuse, these works of YA nonfiction will leave teens informed and inspired to help make a better world.
These thrilling teen novels will keep readers up on hot summer nights.
These titles avoid classic romance tropes and tackle topics of race, feminism, and being true to yourself, all with humor and heart.
While libraries are talking about doing anti-racist work, maybe we should talk about why we should be paying our staff to read.
I’ve been thinking about Meg and Colby a lot lately, both as I try to figure out how to launch a book during a pandemic and as I’ve watched that first basic complication—we can’t touch each other—become literal in a way that never occurred to me as I was writing.
These adult novels—historical, thriller, fantasy, and more—are sure to appeal to teens looking outside of YA fare.
PREMIUM
Influence
For fans of Shepard’s other series and readers with an interest in influencer culture.
PREMIUM
Jennifer Strange
As a first novel introducing new characters, readers can hopefully look forward to a deepening of those story lines. An optional purchase.
PREMIUM
10 Things I Hate About Pinky
Fans of Menon’s other books, especially When Dimple Met Rishi, will not be disappointed.
Warning: These 18 titles may induce giggle fits or milk-out-the-nose laughing.
Debut novelist Alex Aster shares how her abuela's stories made her want to become a storyteller, too.
Before he became Batman's Boy Wonder, Dick Grayson was a circus acrobat having adventures of his own in Michael Moreci and Sas Milledge's 'The Lost Carnival.'
Supriya Kelkar hopes that readers of her new book, AMERICAN AS PANEER PIE, are inspired by Lekha’s story to speak out against hate.
Hello from Minnesota. Here are some books that have helped me learn, unlearn, and grow.
From summer camp to improv troupes to rom coms, these YA reads keep things light as the days get longer.
PREMIUM
The Paper Girl of Paris
A gripping exploration of history and mental health set in the City of Lights from an outstanding new author; highly recommended for most collections.
With the encouragement of her friends and the eventual support of her peers, Liz comes to understand that if they won't make space for you, demand it.
These YA authors don’t flinch from the tough stuff, exploring harassment, privilege, racism, family expectations, and more, but these tender, utterly intimate books are also laced with humor and understanding. Looking for more summer reading recommendations? SLJ is publishing lists all summer long—from family stories to mysteries to teen reads.
Yesterday I tweeted and said something that really resonated with me: Collections Have Consequences. What we buy, what we read, what we share – it all helps shape the narrative. Today I just want to uplift Black authors. Here are a collection of lists of YA books written by Black authors. If you buy books […]
In honor of Pride Month, these debut authors discuss their LGBTQIA+ themed YA books.
These past few days have seen a wide variety of global protests in support of Black Lives Matter. As a white woman, I constantly find myself having to do the work of breaking down my own misinformation, white privilege and internalized racism. Today I wanted to just share with everyone who, like me, needs to […]
PREMIUM
Throwaway Girls
While the book falls short on character and setting development, Contos writes with an urgency that will keep readers involved in Caroline’s journey and her efforts to remain true to herself.
PREMIUM
Cut Off
A genre-bending story that engages with themes of anxiety and trauma in imaginative ways. Recommended for readers who enjoy thrillers with elements of horror and romance.
Hocking leaves readers eager to know more. Read-alikes include the works of J.R.R. Tolkien and Maggie Stiefvater. A recommended purchase for school libraries as well; there is no sex or drugs.
PREMIUM
Short Stuff
A short and appealing LGBTQ+ anthology in a still too-narrow field, this a worthwhile addition to most YA collections.
PREMIUM
Where We Go From Here
An authentic, deeply felt debut, this book is chock-full of poignant conversation starters for books clubs and collections serving older teens.
PREMIUM
The Damned
Where the first book circulates well, this sequel will keep readers engaged. But with main characters who spend most of their time delving into their own emotions and inner conflicts, this is more for fans of vampire love stories than those seeking action or mysteries.
PREMIUM
Half Life
A miserable perfectionist grows into herself while discovering she’s only human, in a novel that is near-future enough to appeal to sci-fi fans as well as general audiences who like to ask, “What if?”
With characters to love, to hate, and to love to hate, plus a plot full of adventure skillfully woven with suspense, this is a must-purchase for all YA collections.
PREMIUM
All These Monsters
A sci-fi action dynamo with romantic overtones that screams for a sequel. Recommended.
Tragic, moving and genuine, this is a must for middle school and high school collections and should prove highly popular.
PREMIUM
Hush
Farrow presents a notable debut for the YA fantasy genre with vast potential for future titles.
PREMIUM
Keep My Heart in San Francisco
Those who enjoy Jenn Bennett’s works or Rachel Lynn Solomon’s Today Tonight Tomorrow will find much to love in this atmospheric and mostly realistic romance.
An anthology that can stand alone as a great read, and will lead new genre fans to more in-depth works of fantasy.
PREMIUM
Gimme Everything You Got
So much time is spent on Susan’s idolization of Bobby that equally important themes of friendship and family, which are otherwise well handled, take a back seat to her lust. Jennifer Mathieu’s Moxie delivers a similar message without the overt sexuality, but for teens ready for Susan’s awkward and authentic appetites, this is a suitable feminist manifesto.
Ultimately hopeful, this is one for fans of realistic contemporary dramas, with a side of mystery, and excellent writing throughout.
PREMIUM
Ever Cursed
The themes the story attempts to address are admirable, and the solemn tone is appropriate, but the heavy-handed execution results in an underwhelming tale for readers beginning to explore these topics. An additional purchase.
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