Great Fiction for Teens 2016-2017
Every year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) selects the best new fiction for young adults. The following titles were winners in 2016 and 2017. All are available here at MC-NPL.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli Simon is falling in love for the first time. Over email, if that’s even possible. |
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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Presented an offer too lucrative to refuse, gang leader Kaz Brekker and his team of convicts, runaways, and thieves set out to smuggle an imprisoned scientist from an impenetrable Fjerdan fortress, only to face treachery and betrayal along the way. |
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The Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks Sixteen-year-old Linus Weems is kidnapped and transported to an underground bunker, where he is joined by five other kidnapping victims. Where are they? Why have they been taken? And can they survive? |
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Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older Sierra Santiago was amped on her summer of painting murals and hanging with friends, before noticing the murals were fading faster than normal. Another street artist named Robbie is the only one who can help her to unlock this mystery. |
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Ghost by Jason Reynolds His dad shot a gun at him, and “Ghost” Crenshaw has been running ever since. |
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The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds To deal with his mother's passing, Matt accepts a job at the local funeral home. Matt meets Lovey at her grandmother’s funeral. The two of them share a bond that will help them both to move past their own respective losses. |
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Bone Gap by Laura Ruby In a small town full of strange happenings, Finn is determined to uncover the mystery of Roza’s disappearance. |
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Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys It’s near the end of WWII and four refugees travel on foot during January to board the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship bound for safety. |
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X: A Novel by Ilyasah and Kekla Magoon Shabazz This fictionalized account of Malcolm X’s teen years poignantly presents the young man’s struggles with identity, racism, and crime. |
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Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman As Caden descends into mental illness, his visions of a descent into the deep waters of a trench take over. |
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More Happy than Not by Adam Silvera After enduring his father’s suicide, his own suicide attempt, broken friendships, and more in the Bronx projects, Aaron Soto, 16, is already considering the Leteo Institute’s memory-alteration procedure when his new friendship with Thomas turns to unrequited love. |
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The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon Daniel decides to let fate dictate his life and NaTasha doesn't believe in fate. But today, NaTasha will believe in anything if it allows her to avoid deportation. |
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The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner One is the son of a snake-handling preacher serving time in prison. One is a fashionista with New York dreams. |