Young adult literature is special because it speaks directly to the diverse experiences and backgrounds of young readers, with books for teens following characters on a journey to discover who they are and what they want to become.
Our favorite Young Adult authors
"Stories like these can start conversations, provide comfort, and be the first step to feeling a little less isolated.”
- Meredith Sires
Like a Love Story
By Abdi NazemianA love letter to queerness, self-expression, and individuality (also Madonna) that never shies away from the ever-present fear within the queer community of late '80s New York.
Felix Ever After
By Kacen CallenderFelix Love has never been in love. He secretly fears that he’s one marginalization too many—Black, queer, and transgender—to ever get his own happily-ever-after.
Instructions for Dancing
By Nicola YoonIn this romantic page-turner, Evie has the power to see other people’s romantic fates—what will happen when she finally sees her own?
Clap When You Land
By Elizaebth AcevedoA novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, a story about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.
The Midnight Lie
By Marie RutkoskiAn epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.
Six of Crows
By Leigh BardugoSix 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.
Luck of the Titanic
By Stacey LeeThe richly imagined story of Valora and Jamie Luck, twin British-Chinese acrobats traveling aboard the Titanic on its ill-fated maiden voyage.
Hani & Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating
By Abida JaigirdarWhen Humaira "Hani" Khan comes out to her friends as bisexual, she blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita "Ishu" Dey.
Only, Mostly, Devastated
By Sophie GonzalesWill Tavares is the dream summer fling—he’s fun, affectionate, kind—but just when Ollie thinks he’s found his Happily Ever After, summer vacation ends and Will stops texting Ollie back.
Legendborn
By Tracy DeonnFilled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.