Teen Reading Recommendations

Award Winners

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2021 Printz Award Winner: Everything Sad is Untrue: An Iranian refugee-turned US citizen in Oklahoma tells stories about his life, his family, and ancient Persia.

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2021 Morris Award: If These Wings Could Fly: Tens of thousands of crows invade Leighton Barnes' town, but she's used to weird things. With her father's rage worsening and the town in chaos, Leighton allows herself a chance at happiness with Liam

2022 Printz Award: The Firekeeper's Daughter:

Dig by A.S. King The five teenagers are lost in a tangled maze of family secrets.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee They have been attacked, spat on, and abused with no way to retaliate. Now things are about to get worse, their lives forever changed by the mass incarcerations in the relocation camps.

Looking for Alaska : a novel by John Green Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir A family extending from Pakistan to California, deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness.

We Deserve Monuments by Jas Hammonds.

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland Moon takes a summer job as the "merch girl" on a tour bus full of beautiful influencers and her fate begins to shift in the best way possible.

Starfish by Lisa Fipps Bullied and shamed her whole life for being fat, twelve-year-old Ellie finally gains the confidence to stand up for herself, with the help of some wonderful new allies.

Far From the Tree by Robin Benway Placing her daughter for adoption left a hole in Grace's heart; her adoptive parents can't fill it, and her birth mother's unreachable--then Grace learns she has siblings.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas After witnessing her friend's death at the hands of a police officer, Starr Carter's life is complicated when the police and a local drug lord try to intimidate her in an effort to learn what happened the night Kahlil died.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman ; illustrations by Brendan Shusterman. A teenage boy struggles with schizophrenia.

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Books to make you Cry

A Year to the Day by Robin Benway / He won't tell her anything about the accident. He won't talk about that night at all. As the days tumble one into the next, Leo's story comes together while her world falls apart.

Lies we sing to the sea by Sarah Underwood / Leto awakens on an island inhibited by Melantho, a strange immoral girl with oceanic powers, who tells Leto the only way to break Poseidon's curse is to return to Ithaca and kill the prince.

One last shot by Kip Wilson / Tells the story of Gerda Taro, a headstrong photojournalist with a passion for capturing the truth amid political turmoil and the first woman photojournalist killed in combat.

If I can give you that by Michael Gray Bulla / Gael, a trans boy, learns to let his walls down while finding community, discovering his sexuality, falling in love, and navigating difficult family situations.

I must betray you by Ruta Sepetys / Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose what is happening in his country.

Ander & Santi were here by Jonny Garza Villa / Nonbinary teen Ander is ready to leave their family's taquería and focus on their art, but when Santi begins to work at the restaurant, the two teens spark a romance made complicated by immigration police.

An appetite for miracles by Laekan Zea Kemp / Danna scours the city, searching for her grandfather's favorite foods and hoping the remembered flavors will bring back his memories.

Nothing sung and nothing spoken by Nita Tyndall / In World War II Berlin, under the shadow of the Nazi regime, a group of German girls become involved in the Swing Youth resistance movement.

Each night was illuminated by Jodi Lynn Anderson / A story of saints and floods, secrets and truths, rage and love—and the bravery it takes to bet your whole life on a new kind of hope.

They both die at the end by Adam Silvera / When a service alerts people on the day they will die, teenagers Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio meet using the Last Friend app and are faced with the challenge of living a lifetime on their End Day.

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Book to Screen

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One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus / Five students walk into Bayview High detection. Only four walk out ...is one of them a murderer-- or are they the perfect patsies for a killer?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz / Ari is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself that he has never asked before.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins / It is the kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han / Belly spends the summer she turns sixteen at the beach just like every other summer of her life, but this time things are very different.

My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows / On the eve of her marriage to a stranger, sixteen-year-old Lady Jane Grey is swept in a conspiracy to usurp the throne from her cousin.

The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon Natasha, whose family is hours away from being deported, and Daniel, a first generation Korean American who strives to live up to his parents' expectations.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo / Orphaned by the Border Wars, Alina is taken from obscurity and her only friend to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner.

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy / Willowdean wants to prove to everyone in her small Texas town that she is more than just a fat girl, so Will and some other misfits prepare to compete in the beauty pageant her mother runs.

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Classics you actually want to Read

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place.

Before I fall by Lauren Oliver After one fateful night, Sam wakes up with no future at all. Trapped reliving the same day over and over, she begins to question just how perfect her life really was.

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares Four teenage girls, best friends since earliest childhood, stay in touch through a shared pair of secondhand jeans that magically adapts to each of their figures.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman "In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed ('gleaned') by professional reapers ('scythes').

The book thief by Markus Zusak / Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding.

The outsiders by S.E. Hinton / The struggle of three brothers to stay together after their parent's death and their quest for identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers ; illustrations by Christopher Myers.

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Completed Series

Skyward by Bandon Sanderson When a long-term attack against her world by the alien Krell escalates, Spensa's dream of becoming a pilot may come true, despite her deceased father being labeled a deserter.

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson Spensa disguises herself and enters a Krell pilot training program where she discovers the purpose of the program is to.

Cytonic by Brandon Sanderson There is no hope... except that Spensa is Cytonic. If she is able to figure out what she is, she could save the galaxy.

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black Jude, seventeen and mortal, gets tangled in palace intrigues while trying to win a place in the treacherous High Court of Faerie, where she and her sisters have lived for a decade.

The Wicked King by Holly Black After learning that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne.

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black As the exiled Queen of Faerie, Jude must travel back to Elfhame to help her twin sister, Taryn, and uncover how to break a dark curse threatening the whole Faerie world.

How the Kings of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black Cardan Greenbriar, High King of Elfhame, visits the mortal world to face the troll woman, Aslog of the West.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--if they don't kill each other first.

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo Kaz and his crew find their loyalties tested after pulling off an impossible heist and are forced to fight for their lives when powerful enemies descend on Ketterdam in pursuit of knowledge about a dangerous drug.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo Alina Starkov is taken from obscurity and her only friend, Mal, to become the protegé of the mysterious Darkling, who trains her to join the magical elite in the belief that she is the Sun Summoner.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret.

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo Alina forges new alliances as she and Mal search for Morozova's last amplifier only to discover a past that transforms her understanding of their bond and her powers.

Good girl, bad blood by Holly Jackson. With the spotlight on her, can she still follow the clues and uncover even more sinister depths to her hometown?

The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. Secret passages. Elaborate riddles. Billions at stake. Let the games begin.

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Fantasy

Fool's Gold: It's not easy to live in a world ruled by dragons. The taxes are high and their control is complete. But for one group of bold misfits, it's time to band together and steal back some of that wealth.

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All of Us Villains: Every generation, seven families select a champion to compete in a tournament to the death for control of high magick, but this year, a salacious tell-all book allows the champions a choice: accept their fate or rewrite their story.

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Serpent & Dove: The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

Winterkeep by Kristen Cashore "Queen Bitterblue of Monsea must head to the nation of Winterkeep after her envoys drown in suspicious circumstances, and somewhere there, Lovisa Cavenda waits and watches while tragedy with devastating political.

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The girl who fell beneath the sea by Axie Oh The tale of Shim Cheong, sixteen-year-old Mina is swept away to the Spirit Realm, where, assisted by a motley crew of demons, gods, and lesser spirits, she sets out to awaken the sleeping Sea God.

Only a monster by Vanessa Len Joan has just learned the truth: her family are monsters, with terrifying, hidden powers. And the cute boy at work isn't just a boy: he's a legendary monster slayer, who will do anything to destroy her family.

Gallant by V. E. Schwab Olivia Prior has grown up at the grim Merilance School for Girls with no no past except for her one treasure, her mother's journal, so when a letter arrives inviting her to come home to ruinous manor.

A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin. When Ning hears of a competition to find the kingdom's greatest shennong-shi-masters of the ancient and magical art of tea-making-she travels to the imperial city to compete.

Once Upon A Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber. When Evangeline learns that the love of her life is about to marry another, she becomes desperate enough to offer the Prince of Hearts whatever he wants in exchange for his help to stop the wedding.

Legendborn by Tracy Deonn. To discover the truth behind her mother's mysterious death, a teen girl infiltrates a magical secret society claiming to be the descendants of King Arthur and his knights.

A Thousand Heartbeats by Kiera Cass. When love, against all odds, finds them both, they are bound by its call. They can't possibly be together--but the irresistible thrum of a thousand heartbeats won't let them stay apart.

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Love Triangles

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Three Dark Crowns: Triplets, all with the potential to be Queen, but they must fight and earn the crown.

Red Queen: In a world divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities--seventeen-year-old Mare, a Red, discovers she has an ability of her own.

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Hot British Boyfriend: After a horrifying public rejection by her crush, Ellie Nichols does what any girl would do: she flees to England. While most of her classmates are there for school, Ellie is on a quest rebuild her reputation and self-confidence.

Ashes of Gold by Elle J. Despite a betrayal, after her escape from the prison, Rue must decide once and for all if she can trust her friends-- and herself-- to restore her peoples' legacy

Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare As the Council attempts to strip Charlotte of her power, sixteen-year-old orphaned shapechanger Tessa Gray works with the London Shadowhunters to find the Magister and destroy his clockwork army.

The lucky list by Rachael Lippincott Rising high school senior Emily felt lucky until her mother's death, but now, with childhood friend Blake, she sets out to accomplish every exciting, scary, and intimidating task on her mother's bucket list.

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Mental Health

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The New David Espinoza: David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. He vows to use the summer to bulk up but soon falls into the dark side of bodybuilding.

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All the Bright Places: A story about a girl who learns to live from a boy who intends to die.

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Eliza and Her Monsters: Eliza writes a wildly popular webcomic anonymously, and when her secret is exposed everything she’s built—her story, her relationship with Wallace, and even her sanity—begins to fall apart.

The silence that binds us by Joanna Ho In the year following their son's death, May Chen's parents face racist accusations of putting too much pressure on their son and causing his death by suicide.

White Smoke by Tiffany D. Jackson The renovated picture-perfect home on Maple Street, sitting between dilapidated houses, surrounded by wary neighbors has its ... secrets.

An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down. She's too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time to deal with bigots. Shadi is named for joy, but she's haunted by sorrow.

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan After her mother's suicide, grief-stricken Leigh Sanders travels to Taiwan to stay with grandparents she never met, determined to find her mother who she believes turned into a bird.

Turtles All The Way Down by John Green Aza Holmes, a high school student with obsessive-compulsive disorder, becomes focused on searching for a fugitive billionaire.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson Eighteen-year-old Lia comes to terms with her best friend's death from anorexia as she struggles with the same disorder.

Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow As she struggles to recover and survive, seventeen-year-old homeless Charlotte "Charlie" Davis cuts herself to dull the pain of abandonment and abuse.

How It Feels to Float by Helena Fox Sixteen-year-old Biz sees her father every day, though he died when she was seven. When he suddenly disappears, she tumbles into a disaster-land of grief and depression from which she must find her way back.

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins Three teens who meet at Reno, Nevada's Aspen Springs mental hospital after each has attempted suicide connect with each other in a way they never have with their parents or anyone else in their lives.

We were liars by E. Lockhart Spending the summers on her family's private island off the coast of Massachusetts with her cousins and a special boy named Gat, teenaged Cadence struggles to remember what happened during her fifteenth summer.

Every last word by Tamara Ireland Stone. A girl coping with Purely Obsessional OCD learns to accept herself and take control of her life through her experiences in poetry club

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. Twins Cath and Wren help care for their bipolar father.

Little & Lion by Brandy Colbert. Suzette pushing Lionel's bipolar disorder to spin out of control and forcing Suzette to confront her own demons.

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Horror

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Other Words for Smoke: Fourteen-year-old twins Mae and Rossa's summer away from home takes a life-altering turn when they discover their great aunt Rita's home is full of secrets.

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Five Total Strangers: A hitched ride home in a snow storm turns sinister when one of the passengers is plotting for the ride to end in disaster.

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Now Entering Addamsville: Zora will have to read between the lines of Addamsville’s ghost stories before she becomes one herself.

The Grace Year: No one speaks of the grace year. It’s forbidden. Tierney James, sixteen, struggles to endure the year in which she and other young women are banished to the wild until, purified, the survivors are allowed to return home and marry.

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson An outcast at her small-town Georgia high school, Madison Washington has always been a teasing target for bullies. And she's dealt with it because she has more pressing problems to manage.

Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado sixteen-year-old Raquel and her friends team up to save their city--and confront a dark episode in its history in the process.

What Big teeth by Rose Szabo Returning to Maine after years at boarding school, Eleanor Zarrin barely remembers her monstrous family, but she sets off a series of events that could destroy them all.

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Booktok Recommended Reads

The Selection by Kiera Cass America Singer is chosen to compete in the Selection--a contest to see which girl can win the heart of Illea's prince.

Heir of Fire : A Throne of Glass Novel by Sarah J. Maas Royal assassin Celaena must travel to a new land to confront a truth about her heritage, while brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world.

Grown by Tiffany D. Jackson Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields?

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power: 1) Woo the Shadow King. 2) Marry him. 3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson As her senior capstone project, Pippa Fitz-Amobi is determined to find the real killer in a closed, local murder case, but not everyone wants her meddling in the past.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi Seventeen-year-old Juliette is freed on the condition that she use her horrific abilities in support of The Reestablishment.

Crave by Tracy Wolff Grace's world changed when she joined the academy. At the academy she is a mere mortal among gods...or monsters.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Anna's romance-novelist father sends her to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, and meets an amazing boy who becomes her best friend.

The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna a feminist fantasy debut traces the experiences of an intuitive girl who is invited to leave her discriminatory village to join the emperor's army of near-immortal women warriors.

Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch After her mother dies, Lina travels to Italy where she discovers her mother's journal and sets off on an adventure to unearth her mother's secrets.

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Retellings

Cinder: As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted and mysterious mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with Prince Kai to protect the Earth.

Anna K: Every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way.

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These Violent Delights: In 1926 Shanghai, eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, heir of the Scarlet Gang, and her first love-turned-rival Roma Montagov, leader of the White Flowers, must work together when mysterious deaths threaten their city.

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Pride and Premeditation: Seventeen-year-old aspiring lawyer Lizzie Bennet seeks to solve a murder before her rival Mr. Darcy beats her to it.

Sky without stars by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell This sweeping reimagining of Les Misérables tells the story of three teens from very different backgrounds who are thrown together amidst the looming threat of revolution on the French planet.

Heartless by Marissa Meyer In this prequel to Alice in Wonderland, Cath would rather open a bakery and marry for love than accept a proposal from the King of Hearts.

Cinderella is dead by Kalynn Bayron Queer black girls team up to overthrow the patriarchy in the former kingdom of Cinderella.

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Science Fiction

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson: Spensa is one of the last humans trapped on a planet that is constantly attacked by mysterious alien starfighters. She wants to be a pilot, but can she survive it?

A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole Octavia is excited to study the plants and animals of Faloiv until she witnesses one of the planet's indigenous people being attacked and begins to question her own family history.

Avalon by Mindee Arnett Seventeen-year-old Jeth Seagrave skirts the line between honor and the law in an attempt to win freedom for his sister and himself in the form of their parents' old spaceship.

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray Teenaged soldier Noemi and an enemy robot, Abel, who is programmed to obey her commands, set out on an interstellar quest to save her home planet, Earth colony Genesis.

Dare mighty things by Heather Kaczynski Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Gupta's entire life has been leading up to this -- the opportunity to travel to space.

Cake Eater by Allyson Dahlin The year is 3070, and Marie Antoinette has just arrived at the glittering, thrilling palace of Versailles to marry the shy, soft-spoken Louis-Auguste.

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Standalones

Sawkill girls by Claire Legrand Three teenage girls who face off against an insidious monster that preys upon young women.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds -- smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate.

Frozen Beauty by Lexa Hillyer When her former best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends she's been secretly seeing someone.

Just Breathe by Cammie McGovern David Scheinman is the popular president of his senior class, battling cystic fibrosis. Jamie Turner is a quiet sophomore, dealing with depression.

Not So Pure and Simple by Lamar Giles High school junior Del Rainey unwittingly joins a Purity Pledge class at church, hoping to get closer to his long-term crush, Kiera.

Clique Bait by Ann Valett Last year Chloe's best friend Monica's life was ruined by the most popular kids at high school. This year Chloe will take each of them down.

Don't Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross A fantasy about a dark forest besieged by monsters--and the wild queen who has sworn to drive them out.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo Separated by distance -- and Papi's secrets -- the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

Girl, Serpent Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust Soraya has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family. She is a princess--and her touch is poisonous.

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Teen Reading Recommendations

Award Winners

Books to make you Cry

Book to Screen

Classics you actually want to Read

Completed Series

Fantasy

Love Triangles

Mental Health

Horror

Booktok Recommended Reads

Retellings

Science Fiction

Standalones