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Readers will cheer for these YA books about boxing, basketball, field hockey, and more.

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. 

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.

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 adult novels—historical, thriller, fantasy, and more—are sure to appeal to teens looking outside of YA fare.

From summer camp to improv troupes to rom coms, these YA reads keep things light as the days get longer.

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. 

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, these YA titles depict teens in counseling, normalizing and demystifying the process for readers.