This spring I embarked on a super fun and rewarding project for a course in my Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program: building a 40-item YA materials collection. The 40 items were mostly books (of course) but also included teen-focused TV shows, video games, music, and magazines. All of the materials are recently published or released, and I thoroughly enjoyed all of the titles mentioned here as an adult, so don’t let the “young adult” designation scare you off. Why not give YA a try?
You can browse the entire collection on my project blog, the YA Book Loft, but I thought it would be fun to pick out a few top picks to highlight as well. Of course this turned out to be much harder than I thought it would be, and I wound up choosing a dozen titles instead of a top 10 (sorry/not sorry). Here we go!
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas - In this prequel to The Hate U Give, Maverick Carter is a 17-year-old growing up in Garden Heights. Mav has been dealing for the King Lords, using the money he makes to help out his mom. But when he finds out he’s a dad, he has a chance to go straight and decides to take it. But walking away always comes with a price.
The Love Curse of Melody McIntyre by Robin Talley - Melody McIntyre is not allowed to fall in love — not since the last time, when her girlfriend broke up with her on opening night of the school play on a live mic. But it’s cool, Melody is a calm and collected stage manager and she is going to make the spring production of Les Mis the best ever. As long as she doesn’t get distracted by senior (and rising star) Odile Rose.This #OwnVoices romantic comedy is perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli.
Almost American Girl by Robin Ha - Chuna’s mom told her they were only going to America for a vacation — but actually, they were moving to Alabama and Chuna didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her friends in Seoul. Now she has to navigate a new country with a massive language barrier — but when she signs up for a comics class, Chuna may finally be starting to carve out a place where she feels at home.
Victories Greater Than Death by Charlie Jane Anders - Tina Mains has grown up on Earth like a normal kid. Thing is, she’s not normal: in fact, she’s actually the secret clone of legendary Captain of the intergalactic Royal Fleet, Thaoh Argentian, disguised as a human. And the rescue beacon implanted in her chest is going to be going off anytime now, which means all kinds of aliens will be descending on Earth to try to kill her. But instead of becoming the beloved hero everyone is expecting, Tina is still just Tina, and now she’s on a spaceship in the middle of an intergalactic war.
Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram - Darius loves Star Trek, tea, and The Lord of the Rings. What he does not love? Getting bullied for his excess weight (thanks a lot, depression meds) and Persian heritage. But when he visits his grandparents in Iran for the first time — and meets his first best friend, Sohrab — the world begins to open up.
We Are Not Free by Traci Chee - When racist sentiments about Japanese Americans surge after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, a group of 14 teens from San Francisco’s Japantown are forced to move into internment camps. Based on real experiences of Japanese American citizens during World War II, We Are Not Free is a powerful historical novel that reads like a set of interlocking short stories.
Dread Nation by Justina Ireland - During the Civil War, when dead bodies on the battlefield begin to rise up, attacking soldiers on both sides, the North and South must work together to quell a zombie apocalypse. Now, Black teens like Jane McKeene are forced into combat schools where they are trained to fight the undead. Jane, who has learned to be lethal with a scythe at Miss Preston’s School for Combat, is approached by an old friend who desperately needs her help. Their search for a missing girl leads Jane to uncover a sinister conspiracy involving Baltimore’s powerful elite, and a remote colony called Summerland, where the too-perfect exterior is hiding a very dark secret — and it’s looking less and less likely that Jane will make it out alive.
Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moscowitz - She has rheumatoid arthritis, he has Gaucher disease: on their first not-a-date at his place she ends up taking a bath to soothe her sore joints while he takes a nap. If you’re in the mood for a swoony, starry-eyed romance…this is not it. But if you are so tired of all of the tropes and appreciate realistic characters and chronic illness representation, this could be perfect for you. And spoiler alert: they don’t die in this one.
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam - At just sixteen years old, Amal’s life is changed forever when he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit — but even when imprisoned and beaten, Amal’s creative spirit refuses to be crushed. This powerful novel in verse is perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Nic Stone.
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley - Firekeeper’s Daughter is an indigenous #OwnVoices thriller soon to be adapted for Netflix by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground. The story follows 18-year-old Daunis Fontaine, who after witnessing a murder, finds herself in the middle of an FBI investigation that threatens to upend her Ojibwe community.
Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado - Charlie just wants to write, learn to love her body the way it is, and (maybe) date that cute boy from art class. But it’s not easy to be fat and happy when your mom keeps pushing weight-loss schemes, and that cute boy might actually be after your BFF.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo - San Francisco’s Chinatown in the 1950s is not a safe place for two girls falling in love. There is somewhere they don’t have to hide — it’s called The Telegraph Club. But if Lily Hu is ever seen there, she could lose everything.
