I hope readers close this book feeling the same kind of sleepy magic you experience watching the sunrise after a night spent sitting up and laughing with your best friends.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. A. A. Vacharat shares about This Moth Saw Brightness in this latest installment.
Books can show you a world where you belong, not just by yourself, but with a whole bunch of other people who understand you and care about you.
I was about to enter middle school, and I desperately yearned for a new obsession that could distract me from reality. I found it in the form of a cassette tape of the latest Backstreet Boys single, “All I Have to Give.”
This month's SLJ cover story is my piece on school shootings in middle grade and YA books.
Author Nova Ren Suma joins us to talk about her new book WAKE THE WILD CREATURES.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Mina Ikemoto Ghosh shares about Hyo the Hellmaker in this latest installment.
Grab your towel, sunscreen, and snacks, and head out in the sunshine to enjoy some summertime stories. These 16 YA romances celebrate love and everything summer, from camp and vacation drama to days spent at jobs and on creative pursuits.
Author Riley Redgate joins us to talk about her new book COME HOME TO MY HEART.
Middle grade and YA authors tackle the unfathomable and the long reach of tragic events.
Starmer has beautifully captured how that post-graduation, pre-college summer can feel: full of potential, last chances, drawn-out goodbyes, and perfect moments that you wish could last forever.
Certain kinds of important, difficult, and formative queer experiences are not being truthfully explored in books for queer teens—primarily, I believe, because they make adult gatekeepers uncomfortable.
The characters in Love at Second Sight are not direct parallels to the Scooby Doo crew despite referencing them at one point, but they were one of many inspirations. And with that, I would like to introduce the Love at Second Sight characters through the lens of Scooby Doo.
Saturday, April 26 is my favorite day of the year! That's right, it's time for Teen Lit Con again in Mendota Heights, Minnesota! I'm excited to be presenting for the sixth year.
Losing anyone you love is a miserable, painful, and heartbreaking experience. But losing a friend is uniquely strange in the sense that the world isn’t really equipped to keep you in mind as you grieve.
Archaeologists, by definition, must care about the past; we wouldn’t be in this line of work if we didn’t. To care about the past, we have to connect to it. And it’s imagination, whatever form it takes, that makes this connection possible.
In this popular Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Adina King shares about 'The House No One Sees' in this latest installment.
Where are the very real depictions of us saying, “yes, we have the thing, and it sucks, but we can still have amazing lives anyway, even when the disability causes us hardship.”
The hope is that LGBTQ+ teens can see that positive change is doable, even in difficult conditions, and that although it may not feel like it sometimes, it matters. They matter.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. Trisha Tobias shares about Honeysuckle and Bone in this latest installment.
The George M. Johnson memoir is No. 1 for the first time after Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer held the top spot the last three years. Two Ellen Hopkins titles made the list.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen shares some YA book recommendations inspired by the emotion themed characters in Disney's Inside Out movies
The judge ruled in favor of the ACLU of Colorado, which brought the lawsuit on behalf of two students in the Elizabeth School District; Texas bill that gives school boards authority over school library book selection passed the state senate; Oregon high school removed Flamer by Mike Curato after a student complaint.
These starred YA debuts released during the first three months of 2025 feature propulsive, thought-provoking plots from authors we’re sure to see more of in the future.
It’s that time my friends, Sunrise on the Reaping releases tomorrow. This Hunger Games title is highly anticipated, as many fans have hoped for a prequel with a young Haymitch Abernathy for a long time. While we wait to see exactly how that book unfurls, here are some great recommendations for your library teens who […]
From magic to murder, these YA novels set at boarding schools are full of secrets and page-turning plots to keep readers guessing.
Author Trang Thanh Tran joins us to talk about their new book THEY BLOOM AT NIGHT.
Even as we need to keep telling the painful truth of book bans, we also need to take extra care to celebrate and elevate the unique gifts that each book offers.
Author Jenna Voris joins us to talk about her new book, Say a Little Prayer.
Today’s guest post is by an Illinois youth services librarian known online as RAE, sharing her knowledge of queer YA coming out stories. Juliet Takes a Breath Latina Queer Lesbian Experience “Juliet Takes a Breath” is a coming-of-age teen book that digs into the curtails of a Puerto Rican college student from the Bronx, as […]
A bill to remove legal protections from school and public librarians advances in South Dakota; Livingston Parish, LA, has emptied the YA shelves in five branches and told librarians to read every title in search of sexually explicit material; and so much happening in Arkansas in the latest Censorship News.
I truly, firmly, believe that anyone can write a book. The thing that stops most people, isn’t talent, it’s time.
Teen librarian Karen Jensen reviews the Morris Award Finalist AISLE NINE by Ian X. Cho
Teen Librarian Jennifer Rummel shares some of her favorite romance books
We create the place we live in, but it also creates us, and it’s impossible to tell where one influence starts and the other begins.
These 12 recent YA titles celebrate romantic Black love in many forms, in different periods of history, and in real and fantasy realms. They include humor, queer love, and paranormal/sci-fi encounters, expanding the much-needed diversity within the romance genre.
Most people can’t imagine a world without the worst of human nature because that would be the purview of a different species: a post-miserable humankind.
Get ready to add a bunch of new titles to your TBR. If it's anything like mine, it's probably already bursting with 2025 titles!
SLJ reviews of YALSA's Excellence in Nonfiction Award titles and the winner and honor books of the 2025 Robert F. Sibert Informational Award, administered by ALSC.
Bestowed annually, the William C. Morris Award honors a young adult title written by a first-time author writing for teens. The 2025 winner: Not Like Other Girls by Meredith Adamo. Four honor books were named.
I’m convinced that pumping books instead of iron is a better way of dealing with the insecurity and isolation affecting so many kids these days, especially boys.
This is what I’d like to pass along to young readers: No one is perfect. Every one of us has our flaws, but we can grow and change, make a difference and achieve great things.
The coming-of-age graphic novel written by Samuel Teer and illustrated by Mar Julia, which tells the story of a mixed-race teen connecting with her estranged father, tackles themes of family, friendship, culture, and gentrification.
Young readers of all ages can enjoy the various activities involved with Lunar New Year as they read these titles.
Deeply affecting and beautifully written, this look at the lengths women will go to to protect and aid one another is a necessary and exceptional read.
A longtime Printz observer (and former committee member) considers some of the underdog titles that could win this year.
Being a late bloomer is not a sign of failure, but a testament to the unique growth that is allowed when we give ourselves the grace to bloom in our own time.
Once upon a time, a reader asked me that age old question: "Where do your ideas come from?" I leaned into the mic and with complete sincerity gave them the best answer I could: "Keanu Reeves."
Teen Librarian Karen Jensen shares 5 of her favorite YA reads for 2024, and 2 Printz Award predictions
The Young Adult Library Services Association announced the finalists for the Morris Award for a YA title by a previously unpublished author and the Excellence in Nonfiction Award for nonfiction YA books for ages 12 to 18.
From historical works to books influenced by personal history to those with characters who must examine the past to move forward, these five titles are strong Printz contenders.
It was a huge week in the movie world this Thanksgiving, as Wicked and Gladiator II continued their streaks and Moana 2 premiered to huge numbers. So I thought, while listening once again to the Wicked soundtrack, why not recommend books that I think fit some of the characters from these huge films? After all, […]
From moving tales in verse to romantic romps to stories of monsters both real and fantastical, these 25 YA novels represent the best of teens living, loving, surviving, and thriving in worlds and times that do not always accept them.
After a busy bookish September and October, we’re combining the posts for November and December! Here’s 10 fabulous titles that release before the end of 2024. The Davenports: More Than This by Krystal Marquis Sequel to: The Davenports by Krystal Marquis The Davenports Pitch: The Davenports live in 1910s Chicago, one of the few Black […]
As it turns out, becoming a writer for teens—and teen Jan—is about the most thrilling and rewarding answer to the question: who am I?
SLJ will reveal the 193 titles selected for this year's Best Books list starting November 19 and culminating November 25 with a live webcast.
Writing Lucy was our way of coping with the years Teghan lost: both the years trapped in self-denial about her identity and the years she spent in prison. The book is a badge of honor for those tough years we survived, and it’s a love letter to each other.
These coauthored narratives offer readers the opportunity to experience a novel from multiple perspectives, expanding worldbuilding, character development, and plot lines, proving that there are always two (or sometimes three or four) sides to every story.
Anthologies are the literary equivalent to a buffet dinner. They offer a wide selection of different perspectives (both in story telling and in personal background) and writing styles on the same theme.
Shakespeare’s greatness can live on, but we can also give space to new voices - and both can happen at the exact same time with the power of a retelling.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. In the latest installment, Wen-yi Lee shares about The Dark We Know.
The Donut Prince of New York isn't just about donuts or theater or football. It's about the revolutionary act of accepting yourself in a world that often suggests you shouldn't.
A good purchase to add to libraries that aim to support book discussion groups and classroom learning that coincides with true events, past and present.
The dramatic narrative asks thought-provoking questions about class and mobility under repressive systems. The murkiness of the art sometimes gets in the way of engaging with the story, but the text carries it through.
A sweet, queer coming-of-age story about listening to one’s self and navigating the complex world of friendships and romance. Recommended for purchase.
Though not for the faint of heart, this touching, gripping, and heartbreaking historical graphic novel doesn’t shy away from the dark sides of the true events it’s based on, while still offering a ray of hope for the genuine good out there.
Fans of Shinkai’s previous works, such as your name or Weathering with You, will be at home here too. Purchase where epic adventure-fantasies are popular.
Featuring an entertaining, captivating narrative, this series opener is a pot of intrigue that is sure to boil over in ensuing volumes.
A standout graphic novel that belongs in every collection for artful storytelling, beautifully expressive imagery, and a heroine who is admirable and fully human.
While far too violent for younger readers, this first volume ostentatiously highlights disability representation through outrageous fun action, laying the groundwork for a promising series where anything is possible.
Here is a small selection of twenty books which score 8/10 or higher on my personal "Fear Factor" grading used in The YA Horror 400.
Diverse books to encourage conversation during National Adoption Awareness Month.
35 new and upcoming titles to check out.
35 new and upcoming titles to check out.
To write this story I interviewed social workers and read work by social scientists and scholars of American child welfare. I learned three lessons that I believe are critical for writers, librarians, and other members of the book community.
This roundup of 2024 books centering Native American stories offers something for every reader to enjoy this November and all year long.
Top 2025 Printz Award contenders include poetry, stories featuring characters at both the younger and older ends of the age spectrum, graphic works, and an author who could get her fourth Printz recognition.
Powerful, affecting, and ultimately hopeful. Just beautiful.
In this Q&A series, SLJ poses five questions and a request for a book recommendation to a debut YA author. In the latest installment, Rebecca Stafford shares about Rabbit & Juliet.
Top 2025 Printz Award contenders include poetry, stories featuring characters at both the younger and older ends of the age spectrum, graphic works, and an author who could get her fourth Printz recognition.
Undeniably one of the weirdest and best books I've read in my lifetime of reading.
One of Heartstopper’s central themes is that it’s rude, even dangerous, to speculate on someone’s else’s sexuality. But some fans aren’t getting the message.
This version of pillow fighting is a semi-professional fight club where anything goes as long as the pillow is the first point of contact. It’s more roller derby or WWE-style wrestling than a pillow fight in pajamas at a girls’ night sleepover.
What happens when teen influencers and streamers famous for their social #content end up dead or the main suspect in a murder case? These timely, topical YA thrillers will keep readers guessing.
What I really loved about this book is that it shows a really good, healthy, positive relationship steeped in friendship, respect, and support.
With a mother who grew up in Istanbul and a father who grew up in Montana, I spent much of my childhood traveling between those settings, figuring out how to exist in both, and grappling with questions of identity and belonging.
In these 18 YA horror titles, inclusivity across race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, mental health, physical ability, and more are highlighted, reflecting the diverse lives and needs of young adults.
Spooky month is here, and not only am I thrilled for the fall breezes and pumpkin decor, but I’m also excited for so many incredible YA releases that arrive this month. And there are so many. I cut this list down at least four times, and we’re still at 16 books! So here’s the 16books […]
A rundown of 17 new and forthcoming books. Plus wild chiweenies excited for book mail!
Keep chipping away at your current TBR, but be sure to add these titles to your lineup for next year!
The wilderness, more than anything in my life, has taught me that my body, my fat body is miraculous. And your body, it is miraculous too.
From fantastical to contemporary, these 14 diverse YA romance novels featuring Latinx protagonists will be loved by readers this Hispanic Heritage Month and throughout the year.
What does it mean when a book like THEY THOUGHT THEY BURIED US is praised for “strong queer Puerto Rican/Latine representation”?
These short story collections center diverse characters and stories in creepy, readable tales.
I know there are readers who are tired of love triangles, and I don’t blame them. But I’m also a firm believer that no trope is overdone until everyone has had an equal chance to play with it, especially authors from marginalized backgrounds.
How do we make the world safe for all of us to express our emotions? To begin with, we need to stick together as we cry and laugh our way through the world.
How GUAVA AND GRUDGES Pays Homage to the Golden Age of YA Romance, a guest post by author Alexis Castellanos
When I started working on my novel A Second Chance on Earth, I wanted to capture, in verse, the beauty and complexity of a Colombia that I love so intensely.
Comfort media, at its core, tells its consumers that they’re not alone. All things end eventually, good and bad. But one thing that remains is the memories of those stories that stick with us early in life and provide comfort for years to come.
Johnson is working towards becoming a modern day Agatha Christie for teen readers, and that's one of the highest compliments I can give.
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