Best Teen Fiction of 2020Like this list

30 items

• All the Days Past, All the Days to Come

  Taylor, Mildred D.,

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  Concluding the Logan family saga that began with 1975’s Song of the Trees, this novel spans the years 1943 to 1963. As the story opens, Cassie is a college student in Mississippi, and as she reaches adulthood, she becomes a successful…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Black Flamingo

  Atta, Dean,

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  Growing up in England, Michael doesn’t feel black, Greek or queer enough to fit in anywhere, until he goes to university and joins the Drag Society. The author’s beautiful poems capture the magic of Michael finding his voice while…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Blossom and the Firefly

  Smith, Sherri L.,

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  While serving as a maid for pilots in Japan, fifteen-year-old Hana meets sixteen-year-old Taro as he trains for a kamikaze mission. Set during eight days in 1945, this gripping historical romance emphasizes a cultural aspect of World War…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Breath Too Late

  Callen, Rocky,

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  After dying by suicide, the ghost of Ellie Walker observes the aftermath of her actions in her home and school. She reflects on the abuse and depression that led to her decision in this unflinching story that includes resources for those…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cemetery Boys

  Thomas, Aiden,

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  A trans boy growing up in East L.A., Yadriel wants to be initiated as a brujo, but his conservative family won’t accept him as a boy. When he decides to perform the ritual himself, he accidentally summons the spirit of his murdered…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Charming as a Verb

  Philippe, Ben,

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  Haitian American New Yorker Henri gets by on his (you guessed it!) charm at his posh private school until his classmate Corrine threatens to expose his fake dog-walking business. Will Henri fulfill his dream of attending Columbia…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Clap When You Land

  Acevedo, Elizabeth,

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  After her father dies in a plane crash, New Yorker Yahaira discovers that she has a sister, Camino, in the Dominican Republic. Written from both girls’ perspectives in Acevedo’s amazing verse, this moving story captures the agony of grief…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dark and Deepest Red

  McLemore, Anna-Marie,

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  In this stunning retelling of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Red Shoes, Lana, who keeps her Romani heritage a secret, is accused of witchcraft during the Dancing Plague in Strasbourg during the summer of 1518. In modern times, Rosella puts…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Elatsoe

  Little Badger, Darcie,d1987-

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  Ellie, a Lipan Apache teen living in Texas, can reanimate animals into ghosts. When her cousin Trevor tells her in a dream that he was murdered, Ellie and her ghost dog Kirby travel to the town of Willowbee to find the killer and bring him…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Every Body Looking

  Iloh, Candice,

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  Haunted by memories of childhood sexual abuse and her mother’s addiction, Nigerian American Ada pursues her love of dance as a college freshman. This intense novel in verse captures one young women’s journey towards empowerment.

• Felix Ever After

  Callender, Kacen,

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  Not only has Harlem resident Felix Love never been in love, but he feels like he has too many marginalizations working against him. He’s black, he’s queer and he’s trans, and he’s determined to use his artistic talent to get into Brown…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Hard Wired

  Vlahos, Len,

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  Fifteen-year-old Quinn just found out that he’s the world’s first self-aware artificial intelligence created by a research team. This page-turning science fiction novel examines the ethical issues of AI.

• Illegal

  Stork, Francisco X.,

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  In this sequel to 2017’s Disappeared, Sara and her brother Emiliano have made it across the border from Mexico to the U.S., but their problems have only begun. While Sara applies for asylum at a detention center, Emiliano travels to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kent State

  Wiles, Deborah,

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  Told in multiple unnamed voices, this novel in verse captures the tragic events of May 4, 1970, when four college students were shot and killed during a Vietnam protest at Kent State University. The tension builds between the students,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Kingdom of Back

  Lu, Marie, 1984-

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  Filled with gorgeous imagery, this historical fantasy uncovers the life story of Nannerl Mozart, the talented older sister of famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart who also wrote her own music. As the close siblings deal with their…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Lucky Ones

  Lawson, Liz, 1980-

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  Almost a year after a school shooter took the lives of her twin brother and friends, May feels overwhelmed by PTSD, guilt and anger. While dealing with the negative attention caused by his lawyer mom defending the shooter, Zach meets May,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The New David Espinoza

  Aceves, Fred,

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  After a video of a bully hitting him goes viral, David spends the summer lifting weights at Iron Life gym, obsessed with gaining muscle. Aceves’s second novel tackles the often overlooked topic of male body dysmorphia.

• Not So Pure and Simple

  Giles, Lamar, 1979-

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  After Del accidentally signs a Purity Pledge at his church to impress his lifelong crush, Kiera, he struggles to get her attention. HIs friend Jameer offers to help, but only in exchange for getting answers to their fellow Pledgers’ birds…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Parachutes

  Yang, Kelly,

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  When spoiled rich girl Claire moves from Shanghai to East Covina, California, to attend American Prep High School, she bonds with other wealthy Asian “parachutes” living without their parents in the U.S. Her host mom’s hardworking…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Punching the Air

  Zoboi, Ibi Aanu,

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  In this novel in verse, master YA storyteller Ibi Zoboi teams up with Yusef Salaam to tell the story of Amal, a black teen who's wrongly convicted of a crime and incarcerated at 16. Based on Salaam's experiences as a member of the Central…Read moreRead more of this annotation