Book Lists for Young Adult Readers

Book Lists for Young Adult Readers

These recommended reading lists are curated by our children’s librarians and each book is available for digital download:

Awesome Audiobooks
Gripping Graphic Novels
Incredible Reads If You LOVE Animal Crossing 
Liberating LGBTQ Reads
Motivational Mental Health Reads

Awesome Audiobooks

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Seventeen-year-old Zélie, her older brother Tzain, and rogue princess Amari fight to restore magic to Orïsha and activate a new generation of magi, but they are ruthlessly pursued by the crown prince, who believes the return of magic will mean the end of the monarchy.

 

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Desperate to find their place within the world as they know it, Jude, Taryn, and Vivienne live day by day in the Fairie world under constant pressure from non-humans.

 

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Three young adults accidentally collide in New York City and embark on a single day of adventure, friendship, secrets, and loss that will change their lives forever.

 

Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
After her mother is shot at a checkpoint, Sarah, a Jewish teenager, agrees to help the resistance by posing as the daughter of a wealthy Nazi at an elite boarding school for Nazi girls.

 

And The Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness
Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
In this retelling of Moby Dick follow Bathsheba’s whales as they hunt the mythical Toby Wick, a man with a white ship who kills whales and men, but their final, vengeful hunt will change the worlds of both species forever.

 

For Every One by Jason Reynolds
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
A letter to everyone who is on their path to achieve their dream. Reynolds offers no answers to achieving one’s dream; he only offers his honesty and love, his experiences, his failures, and his realizations for the listener’s consideration and inspiration.

 

Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson
Audiobook available on Libby andOverdrive
Six students with learning disabilities are given ARTT (A Room To Talk) by their teacher who realizes they need time and space to open up.

 

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
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.

 

---

Gripping Graphic Novels 

The Unwanted: Stories of the Syrian Refugees by Don Brown
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
This non-fiction graphic novel showcases the political and social implications of the Syrian refugee crisis. It features stories of individual refugees, while also focusing on local and global trends contributing to the crisis. Informative, gut-wrenching and impossible horrors are revealed that enlighten the reader of human hardships during a time of misinformation.

 

Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin; Art by Giovanni Rigano
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Ebo’s older sister has left Ghana, Africa in search of a better life in Europe. Now his brother has disappeared, leaving a note that says he’s also leaving for the same reason and to reunite with his sister. Ebo refuses to be left behind by himself so he locates his brother and the two of them decide to take the journey together. They must endure hardships like living on the streets, negotiating with human smugglers, and struggling to survive.

 

Hey, Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt With Family Addiction By Jarrett Krosoczka.
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Jarrett is asked to draw a picture of his family and realizes his ‘family’ is not so ‘normal’. This graphic novel memoir depicts the experiences of Jarrett, a young man living with his grandparents, growing up without a father and mostly without a mother because she is a struggling with a heroin addict.

 

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell; Art by Faith Erin Hicks.
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Every autumn throughout high school, Josiah and Deja have worked together at DeKnock’s Pumpkin Patch. Now high school seniors, Josiah and Deja decide to make their final shift one to remember as they explore the park’s many sights and tasty treats in search of Josiah’s long-time crush.

 

Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki; Rosemary Valero-O’Connell
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Freddy keeps taking back Laura Dean despite Laura Dean’s obvious cheating and lack of care for their relationship. After visiting a medium, Freddy finds herself questioning whether or not Laura Dean can be monogamous and how to get on with life without Laura Dean.

 

Kiss number 8 by Colleen AF Venable; Art by Ellen T. Crenshaw
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
The first 7 kisses 16-year-old Amanda has experienced were bleak. But after finding out that her father, her ultimate best friend, is keeping a secret from her, and realizing she may have a crush on Cat, her best friend from her conservative Catholic school, everything in Amanda’s life starts to shift and change. This leads to her 8th kiss the one that changes everything for her.

 

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden.
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Mia becomes the newest member to the spaceship. Though quiet and unsure of herself, she fits in with the crew and eventually reveals her true purpose; finding her lost love.

 

Bloom by Kevin Panetta; Art by Savanna Ganucheau.
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Ari, a recent high school graduate, works in his family-owned bakery and plays in an indie band with 4 of his best friends in a small coastal town. When an accident occurs at the bakery, Ari has to rethink what he wants to do with his life and what will bring him happiness.

 

---

Incredible Reads If You LOVE Animal Crossing 

Moonstruck by Grace Ellis
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a horrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it’s up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist before it’s too late. The first chapter of the brand-new, all-ages, magical, coffee-laden adventure.

Camp by Kayla Miller
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
From New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Kayla Miller comes a graphic novel about venturing off to summer camp for the first time and stepping out of one’s comfort zone, navigating new experiences, and the satisfaction of blazing your own trails.

 

The Witch Boy by Molly Ostertag
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden it might be. When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help — as a witch.

Bloom by Kevin Panetta
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Ari, a recent high school graduate, works in his family-owned bakery and plays in an indie band with 4 of his best friends in a small coastal town. When an accident occurs at the bakery, Ari has to rethink what he wants to do with his life and what will bring him happiness.

 

The Lost Rainforest: Mez’s Magic by Eliot Schrefer
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
An action-packed and hilarious animal fantasy adventure from New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Eliot Schrefer. Mez, a panther who discovers her magical powers after an eclipse, must unite the other animals to save Caldera from an evil force.

 

The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Sabrina the Teenage Witch meets Roller Girl in this hilarious, one-of-a-kind graphic novel about a half-witch who has just discovered the truth about herself, her family, and her town and is doing her best to survive middle school now that she knows everything!

 

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
From Raina Telgemeier, the #1 New York Times bestselling, multiple Eisner Award-winning author of Smile, Drama, and Sisters, this masterfully created, moving and insightful story is about the power of family and friendship, and how it gives us the courage to do what we never thought possible.

 

Stargazing by Jen Wang
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Stargazing is a heartwarming middle-grade graphic novel in the spirit of Real Friends and El Deafo, from New York Times bestselling author-illustrator Jen Wang. Growing up in the same Chinese-American suburb, perfectionist Christine and artistic, confident, impulsive Moon become unlikely best friends, whose friendship is tested by jealousy, social expectations, and illness.

---

Liberating LGBTQ Reads

Books with Feel-Good Happy Endings

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
After Alice’s asexuality ended her last relationship, she has sworn off dating, until she becomes attracted to her new coworker and now Alice must decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that may not be reciprocated or understood.

 

Queens of Geek by Jen Wilde
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Three friends go to  Supacon convention and find love and themselves. This empowering novel is for anyone who has ever felt that fandom is family!

 

 

Books with Transgender Characters

Zenobia July by Lisa Bunker
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Zenobia July, an excellent coder and hacker, investigates a mystery while wrestling with the challenges of a new school, a new family, and presenting her true gender for the first time.

 

Mask of Shadows by Linsey Miller
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
The gender fluid thief Sal Leon enters a competition to become a replacement member of the Left Hand–a quartet of the Queen’s personal assassins–but must first survive the training and the contests while putting the reason for auditioning into motion—revenge.

 

Fantasy and Science Fiction with LGBTQ Characters

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Despite his aversion to war, work, and most people (human or otherwise), teenaged Elliott, a human transported to a fantasy world where he attends a school for warriors and diplomatic advisors, finds that two unlikely ideas, friendship and world peace, may actually be possible.

 

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby and Overdrive
Resets the Arthurian legend in outer space, with King Arthur reincarnated as seventeen-year-old Ari, a female king whose quest is to stop a tyrannical corporate government, aided by a teenaged Merlin.

 

Historical Fiction with LGBTQ Characters

The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue: A Novel by Mackenzi Lee
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
A young bisexual British lord embarks on an unforgettable Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend/secret crush.Vowing to make his yearlong escapade across Europe his last hurrah before taking over the family estate, Henry “Monty” Montague and his best friend Percy find themselves in the middle of a dangerous manhunt involving pirates and highwaymen.

 

All out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout The Ages by Saundra Mitchell
eBook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Seventeen young adult authors across the queer spectrum have come together to create a collection of beautifully written diverse historical fiction for teens.

 

 

LGBTQ Tearjerkers

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg
eBook available on Libby Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
It is summer in Phoenix, and seventeen-year-old Maximo offers to help Jordan, a fellow student in high school, with the food truck that belonged to Jordan’s deceased father, and which may be the only thing standing between homelessness for Jordan and his mom; the boys are strongly attracted to each other, but as their romance develops it is threatened by the secrets they are hiding–and by the racism and homophobia of those around them.

 

The Last to Let Go by Amber Smith
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A twisted tragedy leaves Brooke and her siblings on their own in this provocative new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used To Be. In a year of firsts, the first year without parents, first love, first heartbreak, and her first taste of freedom, Brooke must confront the shadow of her family’s violence and dysfunction, as she struggles to embrace her identity, finds her true place in the world, and learns how to let go.

Realistic Fiction

Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive; Audiobook available on Libby, Overdrive and Hoopla
Seventeen-year-old Rukhsana Ali is looking forward to going to Caltech and getting away from her conservative Muslim parents’ expectation that she will marry, especially since she is in love with her girlfriend Ariana–but when her parents catch her kissing Ariana, they whisk Rukhsana off to Bangladesh and a world of tradition and arranged marriages, and she must find the courage to fight for the right to choose her own path.

 

Miles Away From You by A.B. Rutledge
eBook  available on Libby and Overdrive 
Eighteen months after Vivien, his beloved transgender girlfriend, slipped into a coma after a suicide attempt, eighteen-year-old Miles begins healing while photographing her empty shoes against the stark landscapes of Iceland. Told through a series of instant messages.

 

---

Motivational Mental Health Reads

Eating Mindfully For Teens: A Workbook To Help You Make Healthy Choices, End Emotional Eating & Feel Great by Susan Albers
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In this breakthrough workbook, Susan Albers–author of Eating Mindfully and the New York Times bestseller, Eat Q–offers powerful mindfulness-based activities and skills to help you stop overeating. Using the same highly effective approach as the breakthrough book Eating Mindfully, The Eating Mindfully Workbook for Teens will show you how to deal with the day-to-day challenges of making healthy decisions about food.

 

Conquer Negative Thinking for Teens by Mary Karapetian Alvord
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
This workbook offers a powerful technique called cognitive restructuring to help you reframe your thoughts, regulate your emotions, become a more flexible thinker, and stop letting your thoughts define who you are and how you feel.

 

 

The Grit Guide for Teens by Caren Baruch-Feldman
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
You’ve probably heard the term “grit” at school or from your parents. Made popular by Angela Duckworth in her New York Times bestseller, the term “grit,” embodies all the characteristics that help people accomplish the things they want, such as self-control, tenacity, and the ability to fail well. Using the skills outlined in this book, you’ll develop both grit and a growth mind-set—a way of thinking that focuses on improvement and hard work in order to achieve any goal you set for yourself.

The Stress Survival Guide for Teens by Jeffrey Bernstein
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Life is full of stress, but that doesn’t mean you have to be. With this book, you’ll learn to quiet your negative inner voice and focus on your strengths, so you can conquer any challenge you might face, achieve your goals, and live your very best life.

 

Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens by Gina M. Biegel
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens is a collection of simple workbook activities that will teach you to reduce your worries using a technique called mindfulness. Mindfulness is a way to be aware of your thoughts and feelings in the present moment. You can use mindfulness when you start to feel as though things are spinning out of control, so you can stop worrying about what might happen and focus instead on what’s happening now.

 

The Self-Compassion Workbook for Teens by Karen Bluth
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Written by psychologist Karen Bluth and based on practices adapted from Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer’s Mindful Self-Compassion program, this workbook offers fun and tactile exercises grounded in mindfulness and self-compassion to help you cope more effectively with the ongoing challenges of day-to-day life. You’ll learn how to be present with difficult emotions, and respond to these emotions with greater kindness and self-care.

 

Being Me With OCD: How I learned to obsess less and live my life by Alison Dotson
eBook  available on Libby and Overdrive
Part memoir, part self-help for teens, Being Me with OCD tells the story of how obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) dragged the author to rock bottom and how she found hope, got help, and eventually climbed back to a fuller, happier life.

 

Anxiety Relief for Teens by Regine Galanti
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Is anxiety disrupting your life? With proven CBT-based skills and mindfulness techniques, this book can be your guide out of the spiraling stress of anxiety and get you back on track to living a happy and healthy life.

 

 

Living Simply: A Teen Guide to Minimalism by Sally McGraw
eBook  Available on Libby and Overdrive
Twenty-first-century minimalism is an increasingly mainstream response to global environmental crises. Originally founded in the art world in the decades after World War II, minimalism has evolved into an Earth-friendly lifestyle focusing on the three Rs (reducing, recycling, and reusing) and on simplifying individual needs to reduce one’s carbon imprint, manage anxiety and depression, and prioritize human interaction over the impulse to acquire for the sake of acquisition.

 

The Worry Workbook for Teens by Jamie A. Micco
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Written by a Harvard University faculty member and expert in teen anxiety, this is the first book to target chronic, debilitating worry with proven-effective skills to help you alleviate worry symptoms and prevent them from escalating into anxiety.

 

A Still Quiet Place for Teens by Amy Saltzman
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
A Still Quiet Place for Teens can be that place. It is a place of peace and calm within. Using proven-effective mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), mindfulness expert Amy Saltzman offers a comprehensive program to help you manage daily stressors and challenges in your life, whether at home, in school, or with friends.

 

The Self-Esteem Habit for Teens by Lisa M. Schab
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In The Self-Esteem Habit for Teens, you’ll learn 50 easy, little ways you can make self-esteem a reality (and a habit!) every day—anytime, anywhere.

 

 

Stuff That Sucks by Ben Sedley
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
Stuff That Sucks offers a compassionate and validating guide to accepting emotions, rather than struggling against them. With this book as your guide, you’ll learn to prioritize your thoughts, feelings, and values. You’ll figure out what you care about the most, and then start caring some more! The skills you’ll learn are based on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT).

 

Just As You Are by Michelle Skeen
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
In Just As You Are, psychologist Michelle Skeen and her daughter, Kelly Skeen, offer simple tips to help you overcome feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness, stop comparing yourself to others, and be more open and accepting of all aspects of who you are. You’ll also learn how to be more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the moment using powerful mindfulness tools, and build a plan of action for the future based on your values.

 

The Gender Quest Workbook by Rylan Jay Testa
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
This one-of-a-kind, comprehensive workbook will help you navigate your gender identity and expression at home, in school, and with peers.The Gender Quest Workbook incorporates skills, exercises, and activities from evidence-based therapies—such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—to help you address the broad range of struggles you may encounter related to gender identity, such as anxiety, isolation, fear, and even depression.

 

Mindfulness for Teen Depression by Christopher Willard
eBook available on Libby and Overdrive
With this powerful workbook, you’ll learn effective skills based in mindfulness and positive psychology to help you manage difficult emotions, gain distance from negative thoughts, and enhance your awareness of the present moment. You’ll also discover tons of activities and exercises—such as mindful meditations, walking, yoga, healthy eating and sleeping tips, and more—to help you care for your body as well as your mind.