Best Teen Fiction of 2019Like this list

31 items

• Barely Missing Everything

  Méndez, Matt,

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  Life in their tough section of El Paso turns even worse for basketball star Juan and his best friend, aspiring filmmaker JD, when they get arrested at a party. Their futures feel more and more uncertain as Juan’s mother learns she’s pregnant and JD…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Beast Player

  Uehashi, Nahoko,

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  In this translation of a popular Japanese novel, young Elin can communicate with the Royal Beasts, but she must decide whether or not to use them to assist in a civil war. Written in lush prose, this fantasy novel contemplates the power of nature.

• Birthday

  Russo, Meredith,

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  In a dual narrative told over the course of six birthdays, best friends Morgan, a trans girl, and Eric a cis boy, struggle with their complicated feelings for one another. As they cope with bullying and abuse, their romance grows as they reach age…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Call Down the Hawk

  Stiefvater, Maggie, 1981-

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  In this spinoff of the popular Raven Cycle series, loner Ronan Lynch is a dreamer who can bring objects, animals and even people into the real world when he wakes up. Needless to say, the dreamers’ abilities cause some problems in the world, which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dig

  King, A. S. (Amy Sarig), 1970-

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  King tackles timely issues including white privilege, substance abuse and domestic violence in this story about the Hemmings, a rich Pennsylvania family. In her signature unconventional style, the author presents the stories of five seemingly…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Exile From Eden

  Or, After the Hole

  Smith, Andrew (Andrew Anselmo), 1959-

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  In this sequel to the cult favorite Grasshopper Jungle, Arek emerges from the bunker to search for his missing fathers. In the process, he and his girlfriend, Mel, discover a whole wacky world they’ve never known.

• The Fountains of Silence

  a Novel

  Sepetys, Ruta,

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  In her first book since Salt to the Sea, Sepetys once again offers readers a beautifully written historical fiction novel about four main characters. This time she takes us to Spain in 1957, where citizens and American tourists are still dealing…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Frankly in Love

  Yoon, David,

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  Frankly, we think you’ll fall in love with this clever romance about overachieving Korean-American high school seniors Frank and Joy who pretend to date to please their strict parents. If you’re a fan of When Dimple Met Rishi, American Panda or To…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Gilded Wolves

  Chokshi, Roshani,

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  In this fantasy set in 1889 Paris, Séverin and his friends hunt for the Horus Eye, a magical artifact that will take down the corrupt Order of Babel and win back Séverin’s inheritance of House Vanth. Fans of The Belles and The Prince and the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Girls on the Verge

  Waller, Sharon Biggs, 1966-

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  Camille is pregnant but doesn’t want to be, so she embarks on a road trip across Texas with her friends Annabelle and Bea to obtain an abortion-inducing pill. She must overcome many obstacles, including parental consent laws and religious Bea’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How It Feels to Float

  Fox, Helena,

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  Australian teen Biz not only struggles with depression and panic attacks, but she’s experiencing visitations from her dead father. After her mental health problems cause her to drop out of school, Biz sets out on a road trip to visit places that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last True Poets of the Sea

  Drake, Julia,

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  Violet finds herself back in Lyric, Maine, the town founded by her great-great-great grandmother who survived a shipwreck, after her brother Sam tries to take his own life. Now Violet feels determined to uncover her family’s mysterious past, which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Light It Up

  Magoon, Kekla,

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  Welcome back to Underhill, the same neighborhood featured in Magoon’s 2014 novel How It Went Down, where once again an innocent black teen has been killed by a police officer. Told in multiple voices of the people who knew the victim and are seeking…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Like a Love Story

  Nazemian, Abdi,

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  Set in New York City in 1989, this historical romance features Iranian teen Reza who’s terrified of two things: his conservative family finding out he’s gay and contracting AIDS. His new friends Art, a brazenly openly gay guy at his school, and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lovely War

  Berry, Julie, 1974-

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  After the goddess Aphrodite gets caught cheating on her husband in a swanky Manhattan hotel room, she tells the story of four mortals whose lives intersected during World War I. Hazel, a British pianist, James, an aspiring architect turned soldier,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Music of What Happens

  Konigsberg, Bill,

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  When confident jock Max takes a job working on a food truck called Coq Au Vinny with his nerdy classmate Jordan, the Arizona summer starts to feel even steamier. An unlikely summer romance blooms like a desert flower in this heartwarming novel.

• On the Come Up

  Thomas, Angie,

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  In the highly anticipated second novel from the author of The Hate U Give, Bri aspires to become a great rapper like her dad, but first she needs to help her recovering addict mom find money for rent, food, heat and electricity. Will she get her big…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Opposite of Always

  Reynolds, Justin A.,

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  If you could prevent the untimely death of a loved one, wouldn’t you? In this debut novel, Jack travels through time to prevent his girlfriend Kate’s death, but he soon learns that his actions have unintended consequences.

• Pet

  Emezi, Akwaeke,

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  In this bizarre and fascinating novel set in the near-future, trans girl Jam lives in Lucille, a town that’s supposedly gotten rid of all the monsters in society. When a creature called Pet emerges from a painting created by Jam's mother to hunt a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rayne & Delilah's Midnite Matinee

  Zentner, Jeff,

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  High school seniors and low-budget horror movie enthusiasts Josie (AKA Rayne Ravenscroft) and Delia (AKA Delilah Darkwood) broadcast their weekly show Midnite Matinee on Jackson, Tennessee’s public access station. But their devotion to their cable…Read moreRead more of this annotation