LIST OF YOUNG ADULT NOVELS IN VERSE
These YA novels in verse tell vivid stories that fly off the page. Fast-paced and emotional, these novels are perfect for reluctant readers and bibliophiles alike. This list has two sections, one for all YA readers and one for older readers who enjoy reading complex texts and/or difficult subjects. Please note that some of the Australian and UK titles may be harder to find in bookstores in the US.
TEEN READS
Junk Boy - Tony Abbott 2020
Living in a junkyard with his neglectful father, life grinds along for Bobby until he meets Rachel.
The Poet X - Elizabeth Acevedo 2018
Xiomara is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, but her Mami wouldn't approve. Yet Xiomara must be heard.
Clap When You Land- Elizabeth Acevedo 2020
Two sisters become aware of each other’s existence when their father dies in a plane crash.
Jimi and Me - Jamie Adoff 2005
Eighth-grader, Keith, has to deal with his father’s death—and understand his father’s life as secrets from his dad’s past come to light.
The Sky Between You and Me - Catherine Alene 2017
Raesha is looking forward to a win the rodeo, but an eating disorder derails her dreams.
In Hades - Goldie Alexander 2016
AUSTRALIAN - When tragedy strikes, Kai and Bilby-G search for trust, love, and forgiveness in the afterlife.
Solo - Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess 2017
Seventeen-year-old Blade is the son of a drug addict/rock star whose mother has passed away. He has a girlfriend, and things are starting to look up when he uncovers a family secret.
Rising Out - M. Azmitia 2021
HI-LO - Anaya and Eri take a road trip. Eri finds her true self on the road. Anaya might just find true love.
Dandelion Travels - Angel Barber 2022
HI-LO - By the summer after his senior year, Eric is tired of other people’s expectations. When his father cheats on his mom, he and his friends head to Los Angeles to start their own lives.
Nobody’s Boy - Diane Bates 2013
AUSTRALIAN - Ron isn’t able to live with his family. His foster care situation is chaotic, so he jumps at the chance to find a new home.
A Dangerous Girl - Catherine Bateson 2000
AUSTRALIAN - Merri, John, Leigh, and Nick immerse themselves in Dungeons and Dragons, a game that blurs fantasy and reality.
His Name in Fire - Catherine Bateson 2006
AUSTRALIAN - Emma, Matthew, Mozza, and Shazza all need a little glitter in their lives, then Mollie arrives with more than a suitcase in tow.
In Paris With You - Clementine Beauvais 2016, Translated by Sam Taylor 2018
FRENCH - Inspired by the 1837 verse novel, Eugine Onegin by Alexander Pushkin. Eugene and Tatiana could have fallen in love if things had gone differently. Then they meet again.
Like a Hurricane - Jonathan Bécotte, translated by Jonathan Kaplansky 2023
HI-LO, CANADIAN - A teen is anxious about coming out to his friends and family, especially the friend he has a crush on.
Shark Girl - Kelly Bingham 2007
Fifteen-year-old Jane finds the world a different place after a shark attack that leaves her without an arm. Free verse, news clippings, and letters.
Formerly Shark Girl - Kelly Bingham 2013
Follow Jane's story with this second novel.
One Too Many Lies- L.A. Bowen 2018
HI-LO - Paige and her friends tell a little lie here and there.
Wolf Pack of the Winisk River - Paul Brown, illustrated by Robert Kakegamic, 2009
Told through the eyes of a wolf after a harsh Northern Ontario winter, food is scarce and wolves must pursue the caribou north along the Winisk River.
Tough as Lace - Lexi Bruce 2021
HI-LO - Lace plays lacrosse, works in a coffee shop, and studies hard. But she might be one latte away from a panic attack.
Everything All at Once - Steven Camden 2018
AUSTRALIAN - A lot can happen in one week of Year 8: fitting in, finding friends, falling out, worrying, wearing it well, and worshipping from afar.
Out of This Place (also called Cinnamon Rain) - Emma Cameron 2012
AUSTRALIAN - Luke spends his days hanging out at the beach. His mate Bongo gets wasted to block out memories. And Casey, the girl they both love, dreams of getting away. One voice is in poems.
Alma Presses Play - Tina Cane 2021
HISTORICAL - At the end of 8th grade and the summer that follows, Alma is watching her parents' marriage end, figuring out her feelings for Miguel, getting her period for the first time, and losing a friend who moves away.
Spin- Rebecca Caprara 2023
HISTORICAL - A retelling of The Song of Achilles and Circe. Arachne’s weaving skills lead a confrontation with the goddess Athena. A weaving contest ensues, exposing divine misdeeds, a transformation, and redemption.
Who Will Tell My Brother? - Marlene Carvell 2004
Evan Hill, a part-Mohawk high-school senior, embarks on his brother's crusade to change the school's Indian mascot. Based on the experiences of the author's sons. (Grades 7 and up.)
Displacement - Thalia Chaltas 2011
Home doesn't feel like home to Vera because her mother isn't around and her sister is dead. So she runs away.
Closing Down Heaven - Lesley Choyce 2016
CANADIAN - Hunter ends up in Heaven after a bicycle accident. But his stay there isn’t permanent.
Jeremy Stone - Lesley Choyce 2014
CANADIAN - The spirits of friends and family who have passed away help Jeremy navigate bullying at his new school.
Thin Places - Leslie Choyce 2017
CANADIAN - Declan hears the voice of a girl in his head. His search for her brings him to Ireland where earth and the spirit world seem to touch
Freakboy - Kristen Elizabeth Clark 2013
Brendan tries to understand his sexual identity, Vanessa fights for her relationship with Brendan, and Angel struggles with inner demons.
The Foal in the Wire - Robbie Coburn 2024
AUSTRALIAN - More soon
The Girl Who Became a Tree - Joseph Coelho, illustrated by Kate Milner 2021
UK - After the loss of her father, fourteen-year-old Daphne seeks comfort in her local library and escapes into her phone screen.
Call Me Maria - Judith Ortiz Cofer 2006
Maria is caught between two worlds, Puerto Rico where she was born, and New York City where she lives. Letters, prose, and poems bring out the poet in Maria.
The Circus Rose - Betsy Cornwell 2020
Ivory and her twin Rosie must track down an evil priest before it’s too late in this queer Snow White retelling. Part verse and part prose.
The Sky Blues - Robby Couch 2021
Coming out hasn’t been easy for Sky. His conservative mother kicked him out and his love interest might be straight.
One - Sarah Crossan 2015
Tippi and Grace share everything because they are conjoined twins.
Moonrise - Sarah Crossan 2017
Joe hasn't seen his older brother in years because he is in prison in a different state, and now they have been reunited. But Ed's execution date is set.
Being Toffee - Sarah Crossan 2019
Allison has run away from home only to find another. She meets an elderly woman who suffers from dementia and mistakes her for an old friend.
The Name She Gave Me- Betty Culley 2022
As her relationship with her adoptive mom falls apart, Rynn looks into her birth family. She finds she has a little sister living in a nearby town.
Audacity - Melanie Crowder 2022
HISTORICAL - Clara Lemlich Shavelson is determined to have her voice heard. She organizes a union of women factory workers and leads the New York shirtwaist strike of 1909 known as the Uprising of the 20,000.
Trash - Sharon Darrow, 2006
A companion book to The Painters of Lexieville. Abandoned in poverty-stricken Arkansas, 16-year-old Sissy and her brother, Boy, have to collect trash for her crazy foster parents' business until they run away to St. Louis where the unthinkable happens. (For readers grades 8 and up.)
Forget Me Not - Carolee Dean 2012
Ally is devastated when a scandalous photo of her is made public. After a life-altering accident, she meets Elijah, a boy who has had a brush with death and can see ghosts.
Turtle Under Ice - Juleah Del Rosario 2020
Rowena and her sister drift apart after their mother's death. When her sister disappears in a snowstorm, Rowena is left with a mystery.
500 Words or Less- Juleah Del Rosario 2018
A high school senior writes college application essays for her classmates.
Sanctuary Somewhere- Brenna Dimmig 2019
HI-LO - Seventeen-year-old Osmel's world changes when he finds out he is undocumented. Then, ICE begins raiding the orchards where his family works.
Little Pills- Melody Dodds 2019
HI-LO - Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Navarro never asked to be anyone's hero. Heroes don't steal their grandmother's painkillers.
Alone Together- Sarah J. Donovan 2018
INDIE - Fifteen-year-old Sadie Carter finds herself lost in the chaos of her large Catholic family, and plans her escape. Getting arrested was not her plan.
A Perfect Blank - Rye Duran 2020
HI-LO - Project Apogee's mission is to create the perfect New Human.
Ruby Moonlight - Ali Cobby Eckermann 2012
AUSTRALIAN/HISTORICAL - When South Australia is colonized in the 1880's Ruby survives a massacre and hides in the woods where she befriends an Irishman.
Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself - Monica Edinger and Lesley Younge 2023
HISTORICAL/AUTOBIOGRAPY - Millions of Africans were enslaved during the transatlantic slave trade, but few recorded their personal experiences. Olaudah Equiano wrote his life story. With his writing as the primary text, found poetry brings it to life.
The Wicked Edge - Nicole Elizabeth 2020
HI-LO - Helen moves from the suburbs to a reservation where she doesn't fit in.
The Seventh Raven - David Elliott 2021
When Robyn and his brothers are turned into ravens through the work of a curse, a sister, April, is their only hope.
The Vanishing Place - Theresa Emminizer 2020
HI-LO - Four teens get caught in a storm and shipwrecked on an island. Will mysterious forces keep them stranded?
The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano - Margarita Engle, illustrated by Sean Qualls, 2006
BIOGRAPHY/HISTORICAL - Sold to slavery in 1797, Manzano's story is heartbreaking.
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck - Margarita Engle 2011
HISTORICAL - Retelling of the events of a shipwreck in the early days of European exploration of the American continent.
The Firefly Letters: A Suffragette's Journey to Cuba - Margarita Engle 2010
HISTORICAL - Fredrika remembers that back home in Sweden, she was kept hungry so that she would grow up to be thin and graceful. Cecilia is a teenage slave who remembers being captured in the Congo. Elena, a privileged girl from a slave-owning family, lives a sheltered life that allows her little freedom.
Hurricane Dancers: The First Carribbean Pirate Shipwreck - Margarita Engle 2011
HISTORICAL - Retelling of the events of a shipwreck in the early days of European exploration of the American continent.
The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba's Greatest Abolitionist - Margarita Engle 2013
BIOGRAPHY/HISTORICAL - Book-loving feminist and abolitionist Tula bravely resists an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen, and fights against injustice.
Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal - Margarita Engle 2014
HISTORICAL - The story of the workers who built the Panama Canal and connected the world’s two largest oceans.
Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir - Margarita Engle, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez, 2015
MEMOIR - Margarita lives in LA, but her heart is in Cuba. Hostility erupts between Cuba and the U.S. at the Bay of Pigs and her worlds collide.
Soaring Earth: A Companion Memoir to Enchanted Air - Margarita Engle 2019
MEMOIR - Margarita's story continues.
Lion Island: Cuba’s Warrior of Words - Margarita Engle 2016
HISTORICAL - Antonio Chuffat, a young man becomes a champion of civil rights.
With a Star in My Hand: Rubén Darío, Poetry Hero - Margarita Engle 2020
BIOGRAPHY - Rubén travels across Central and South America seeking adventure, capturing what he experiences in his poems.
Rima’s Rebellion: Courage in a time of Tyranny - Margarita Engle 2022
HISTORICAL - In 1920’s Cuba, Rima loves to ride horses alongside her Abuela. Women are demanding suffrage and equality. Rima dreams of a day when she is free from fear and the shame of being an illegitimate child.
Sink, Drift, or Swim - Michelle Dennis Evans 2017
AUSTRALIAN - Valerina has a crush on Josh, the barista at her favorite coffee shop, where she escapes from her large, Christian family.
The Good Braider - Terry Farrish 2012
Viola has made the journey from war-torn Sudan, to Cairo, and to Portland, Maine where she dreams of South Sudan while she tries to find her way in America.
Beanball - Gene Fehler 2012
Twenty-eight narrators tell the story of a high school athlete who is injured by a wild pitch.
Meet Me in the Fourth Dimension- Rita Feinstein 2024
NASA has assured everyone the passage of rogue planet Malachite will be safe, but Crosby's been getting other messages. What is true?
After the Death of Anna Gonzales - Terri Fields 2004
Poems from classmates after Anna's suicide.
Nothing - Robin Friedman 2008
Alternating chapters of short prose and poems written by a brother and sister. High school hunk, Parker, battles bulimia while trying to balance the demands of college applications, extracurricular activities, and a social life.
Crossing Stones - Helen Frost 2009
HISTORICAL - Set during WWI, eighteen-year-old Muriel must find a way to care for her family while being true to herself.
In the Garage - Alma Fullerton 2006
A grief-stricken BJ deals with the aftermath of her friend Alex’s death as we read Alex’s journal.
Burn - Alma Fullerton 2010
Usually, when Casey's famous mom went on tour, Casey got to go. But since settling down with a new husband and baby, things have changed. Casey begins building fires to send smoke signals to her mother, hoping her mother will see her message.
Apple (Skin To The Core) - Eric Gansworth 2020
MEMOIR - Eric shares the story of his Onondaga family, from government boarding schools, to a boy watching his siblings leave and return and leave again, to a young man fighting to be an artist.
Foreign Exchange - Mel Glenn 1999
A murder mystery.
Jump Ball - A Basketball Season in Poems Mel Glenn 1997
Hoop dreams shatter when a high-school team bus goes out of control on an icy road.
Split Image - Mel Glenn 2000
My favorite Mel Glenn! Laura Li appears to be a good student and a perfect Asian daughter--but she escapes by dancing at clubs late at night. The story is told by many characters who are affected by Laura Li's drastic actions.
The Taking of Room 114: A Hostage Drama in Poems - Mel Glenn 1997
The subtitle sums it up.
Who Killed Mr. Chippendale? A Mystery in Poems - Mel Glenn 1997
A high school murder mystery.
A Million Quiet Revolutions - Robin Gow 2022
Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, they’ve shared milestones like coming out as trans―and falling for each other.
Ode to My First Car - Robin Gow, 2023
Working at a nursing home to pay off the fine from the crash that totaled her car, Claire becomes friends with one of the residents as she falls in and out of love.
Baby Teeth - Meg Grehan 2021
UK - Queer love, lust, and vampires.
I, Girl X- Annalise Grey
INDIE - Carleigh's brother's mental illness is slowly invading every aspect of her life.
A Girl Named Mister - Nikki Grimes 2010
Fourteen-year-old Mary, nicknamed Mister, is a religious girl who wears a promise ring. But her boyfriend weakens her resolve and she gets pregnant. Scared, she turns to a book about the Virgin Mary.
Dark Sons - Nikki Grimes 2005
A biblical tale and a one modern one. Ishmael and Sam tell of parallel problems with their fathers.
Bronx Masquerade - Nikki Grimes 2005
Open Mike Fridays are a favorite for Mr. Ward's English class, from poets to rappers everyone takes the mike.
Don't Call Me a Hurricane - Ellen Hagan 2022
It's been five years since a hurricane-ravaged Eliza's life on the Jersey shore. She fights against climate change. She reluctantly teaches Milo, a rich here-for-the-summer type, to surf.
Volcano Boy - Libby Hathorn 2001
AUSTRALIAN - Read Alexander's diary as he moves in with his uncle in Pappa New Guinea.
The Language of Cherries - Jen Marie Hawkins 2020
Evie Perez is forced to move to Iceland for the summer. She takes her canvas and paintbrushes into the cherry orchard. Oskar discovers Evie in his family’s orchard. Too ashamed to reveal his stutter, he remains quiet, writing his side of the story in poems.
Sisters of Glass - Stephanie Hemphill 2012
HISTORICAL - Maria is the younger daughter of an Italian glassblowing family. Her father insists that she be married into the nobility—except she has feelings for the new glassblower.
Things Left Unsaid - Stephanie Hemphill 2005
Sarah befriends Robin, a girl who wears nothing but black, but when Robin attempts suicide, Sarah has a lot to think about.
Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath - Stephanie Hemphill 2007
BIOGRAPHY/HISTORICAL - A collage of poems that reconstruct the life, work, and suicide of this American icon.
CrashBoomLove - Juan Felipe Herrera 2000
Sixteen-year-old Cesar is always in the wrong place at the wrong time. Spanish slang terms are footnoted.
SkateFate - Juan Felipe Herrera 2011
Lucky Z isn't lucky. He's in foster care. And in a wheelchair. His friend died in the accident. But he finds strength in writing in his journal.
The Simple Gift - Steven Herrick 2004
AUSTRALIAN - Sixteen-year-old Billy runs away from an unhappy home life.
By the River - Steven Herrick 2006
AUSTRALIAN/HISTORICAL - It's 1962 and Harry longs to escape the small town by the river.
The Wolf - Steven Herrick 2007
AUSTRALIAN - Jake's father is sure that he's seen a wolf, an animal not found in Australia, and now something is killing his sheep. Lucy thinks it is the descendant of a wild dog. The two teens hike into the mountains to find it, find out the truth, and get away.
Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip - Linda Oatman High 2006
A humorous road trip story with rhyme and beat.
A Heart Like Ringo Starr - Linda Oatman High 2015
HI-LO - Faith Hope's family runs a funeral home. This is ironic, since she is not long for this world. Unless she receives a heart transplant.
That Selfie Girl - Linda Oatman High 2016
HI-LO - Macy is dead. Selfies while driving never end well. And she has unfinished business.
Fifteen and Change - Max Howard 2018
HI-LO - When Zeke starts working at a local pizza place, he meets activists who want to give him a voice——and a decent paycheck.
Surviving American History - Max Howard 2021
HI-LO - After Gabi moves to a new town, a mass shooter kills her former classmates.
The Voyage of the Arctic Tern - Montgomery Hugh 2002
A classic tale of treason, treachery, and treasure, sweeping across many centuries and different lands.
Some Girls Bind- Rory James 2019
HI-LO - Jamie binds her chest every day. She feels more like herself when she does. But she wonders if her friends will understand.
Stardust otel - Paul B. Janeczko 1993
Leary, 15, describes his friends, neighbors, and residents at his family's hotel.
Worlds Afire - Paul B. Janeczko 2004
HISTORICAL - Based on the 1944 circus fire in Hartford, Connecticut, Janeczko's novel describes the events in the voices of eyewitnesses of all ages.
Requiem; Poems of the Terezin Ghetto - Paul B. Janeczko 2011
HISTORICAL - The Czech concentration camp, Terezin, was a way station to the gas chambers populated by Jewish artists and musicians—all with dignity, resilience, and commitment to art and music in the face of the horrors of the Second World War.
The Way The Light Bends - Cordelia Jensen 2018
While Linc, the biological daughter, struggles in school and looks through her camera lens to find herself, her adopted sister, Holly, excels in school and is constantly praised.
Believearexic - JJ Johnson 2105
MEMOIR - In 1988, fifteen-year-old Jennifer, realizes she needs treatment for her eating disorder.
The Secret of Me - Meg Kearney 2007
Fourteen-year-old Lizzie grapples with her feelings about her adoption and worries about what her parents might think.
The Girl in the Mirror - Meg Kearney 2012
Follow Lizzie's story into high school.
The Sound of Letting Go - Stasia Ward Kehoe 2014
When Daisy's parents send her autistic brother to an institution—Daisy’s furious. She quits band and orchestra, slacks in school, and falls for bad-boy Dave.
How the Boogeyman Became a Poet- Tony Keith Jr 2024
MEMOIR - Tony dreams about life after high school, where his poetic voice can find freedom.
An Appetite for Miracles - Laekan Zea Kemp 2023
Danna's grandfather is slowly losing his memories, and Danna tries to help him remember through food. Ral's mother was wrongly incarcerated, and playing guitar has been the only thing that brought him comfort. Until he meets Danna.
The Art of Taxidermy - Sharon Kernot 2019
AUSTRALIAN - After her mother's death, Lottie begins collecting dead animals and her aunt tries to redirect her energies. But her father encourages her interest, recognizing a scientist's curiosity.
The Brimstone Journals - Ron Koertge 2004
Fifteen narrators tell the story of Branston High School's class of 2001.
Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses - Ron Koertge, Illustrated by Andrea Dezso, 2012
23 modernized fairy tales in free verse.
Coaltown Jesus - Ron Koertge 2013
When Walker's brother, Noah, dies he is surprised to find Jesus in his bedroom.
Knights of Suburbia- PA Kurch 2019
HI-LO - Henry's older brother returns from overseas with PTSD just as his father decides to run for public office
Why No Goodbye? - Pamela L. Laskin 2019
Jubair is left to sleep in the woods and fend for himself when his mother escapes Myanmar and leaves him behind.
T4 - Ann Clare LeZotte 2008
HISTORICAL - Raised in Nazi Germany, thirteen-year-old Paula is Deaf. She narrowly escapes Hitler's T4 program, which was designed to eradicate disabled individuals.
The Apprentice's Masterpiece: A Story of Medieval Spain - Melanie Little 2009
Ramon, 15, is a Jew forced to convert to Christianity. His family takes in Amir, born Muslim, also forced to give up his faith, during the Spanish Inquisition.
Between Worlds - B. D. Lovell 2022
AUSTRALIAN - When the opportunity to take a one-way trip to Mars arises, Del doesn’t hesitate. But Del’s dream to live among the stars means having to leave Earth forever.
Our Broken Earth - Demitria Lunetta 2021
HI-LO - With the tides rising, Mal and his makeshift family must find higher ground.
Nix Minus One – Jill McClean 2012
When Nix's older sister, Roxy, starts breaking the rules things spiral out of control.
Ann and Seamus - Kevin Major, Illustrated by Kevin Blackwood, 2004
HISTORICAL - In 1828, Ann and her father rescue 163 Irish immigrants from a shipwreck off the coast of Newfoundland. Inspired by historical events.
Fix - J. Albert Mann 2021
After many surgeries to correct her spine, Eve is still in pain. With the loss of a friendship, Eve turns to drugs to fix her problems. Verse and prose.
The Crossing - Manjeet Mann 2021
UK - Natalie's world is falling apart. She's just lost her mum and her brother roams the streets. Swimming is her only refuge. Sammy has fled his home and family in Eritrea for the chance of a new life in Europe.
Run, Rebel - Manjeet Mann 2020
UK - Running is a quiet rebellion. But Amber wants more.
Heaven Looks a Lot Like a Mall - Wendy Mass 2007
Loved it! Mall rats will relate to 16-year-old Tessa as a life-changing dodge ball zooms toward her head.
Under the Mesquite - Guadalupe Garcia McCall, 2011
Lupita's mother is diagnosed with cancer and goes for treatment in another town, leaving Lupita to care for her seven younger siblings.
We Can be Heroes - Kyrie McCauley 2021
Cassie was murdered by her abusive boyfriend. Her friends Beck and Vivian are seeking vengence with a little help from her ghost. Told in three voices, one is in verse.
Great or Nothing - Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood
HISTORICAL - A Little Women retelling set in 1942. Each sister is written by a different author with Beth's voice in verse.
After the Kiss - Tera Elan McVoy 2010
A favorite! Becca loves Alec. Who wouldn't? He's hot and writes haikus. Camille guards her heart. You would too if you moved as often as she has. But a local guy catches her eye. Too bad it's Alec.
Zombie Haiku: Good Poetry for Your... Brains - Ryan Mecum 2008
Illustrated entertainment for Zombie fans.
Vampire Haiku - Ryan Mecum 2008
Relive history by reading a vampire's journal in haiku.
Dawn of Zombie Haiku – Ryan Mecum 2011
A zombie apocalypse story told through the eyes of Dawn, a ten-year-old girl with a Zombie Escape Plan. Only the plan doesn't go quite as expected.
Werewolf Haiku – Ryan Mecum 2010
The journal of a mailman who gets bitten by what he thought was a dog, but was actually a werewolf.
The Truth Project - Dante Medema 2020
When Cordelia’s DNA test results reveal that her father is not the man she thought he was, but instead a stranger who lives thousands of miles away, she begins to question her life.
Message Not Found — Dante Medema 2022
After the loss of her best friend Vanessa, Bailey creates a chatbot for Vanessa using their shared text messages and emails.
Me (Moth) - Amber McBride 2021
Moth has lost her family in an accident. Though she lives with her aunt, she feels alone and uprooted. Until she meets Sani, a boy who is also searching for his roots.
Gut Feelings - C. G. Moore 2021
UK - Chris is diagnosed with a rare disease (Familial adenomatous polyposis) that no one can see.
Fall Out- C. G. Moore 2020
UK - When Cal comes out, he faces backlash and homophobia. He struggles to hold onto his friendships when everything is falling apart.
Street Love - Walter Dean Myers 2007
A love story, obviously. Damien and Junice overcome differences in this urban tale.
Here in Harlem - Walter Dean Myers 2004
HISTORICAL - Hear the voices of neighbors living in Harlem, New York.
How I Discovered Poetry - Marilyn Nelson 2014
HISTORICAL MEMOIR - Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist Marilyn Nelson tells her story in fifty poems.
Augusta Savage: The Shape of a Sculptor's Life - Marilyn Nelson 2022
BIOGRAPHY - Augusta was a talented sculptor during the Harlem Renaissance. She was commissioned to create a portrait bust of W.E.B. Du Bois for the New York Public Library. She worked to advance equal rights in the arts. Includes photographs of her work.
Abuela, Don’t Forget Me - Rex Ogle 2022
MEMOIR - Amid abuse, hunger, and heartbreak is Abuela’s steadying presence and her unwavering belief in Rex and his future.
Angel & Hannah - Ishle Yi Park 2021
HISTORICAL - Hannah, a Korean American girl from Queens, New York, and Angel, a Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn, fall in love in the spring of 1993 at a quinceañera.
Behind These Hands - Linda Vigen Phillips 2018
When Claire, a piano prodigy, learns that her brothers are dying from a rare disease she must look at her music in a new light.
Baggage - Wendy Phillips 2019
Brittany and her teacher find a boy who doesn’t speak English alone at the airport.
Home Before Dark - Nadine Pinede 2024
HISTORICAL - In 1930s Haiti, 15-year-old Lucille challenges the authorities of her village and exposes corruption. As a result, she is forced to take refuge as a servant for Zora Neale Hurston.
Evelyn Hooker and the Fairy Project - Gayle E. Pitman, illustrated by Sarah Green 2021
BIOGRAPHY - A pioneering psychologist, Evelyn was a poet who fought for LGBTQ+ rights.
I’ll Be Watching - Pamela Porter 2011
HISTORICAL - Set in Canada during the Great Depression, orphans, sixteen-year-old Ran, fourteen-year-old Nora, twelve-year-old Jim, and little Addie find a way to make ends meet under the watchful eye of their dead parents.
Seven Ways We Lie - Riley Redgate 2016
Told partially in verse, temptations abound at Paloma High School and Juniper has a secret to spill and the furthest to fall.
Gloves Off - Louisa Reid 2019
UK - After a particularly terrible bullying incident at school, Lily takes up boxing.
Wrecked - Louisa Reid 2020
UK - Joe, and Imogen are THE perfect couple until a fatal traffic accident shows their true colors.
Ain't Burned All the Bright- Jason Reynolds, illustrated by Jason Griffin 2022
300 pages of art and ten sentences in the voice of an unnamed black narrator addresses recent events in America.
Three Rivers Rising, a novel of the Johnstown flood - Jame Richards, 2010
HISTORICAL - Celestia, daughter of a wealthy business owner, falls in love with Peter, the son of a coal miner, in the days before the Johnstown Flood of 1889.
The Ghosts of Rose Hill- R.M. Romero 2022
Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague, Ilana meets the ghost of a boy who died over a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of the city.
A Warning About Swans- R.M. Romero 2023
In this fairy tale, swan maiden Hilde gives up her magical wings to forge her own fate in the human world.
What If?- Anna Russell 2018
HI-LO - Josh is always checking his locker, again and again, counting cracks in ceilings, and he always needs to finish a song. No matter what.
Sick Girl Secrets - Anna Russell 2021
HI-LO - After surgery for a chronic illness that others couldn’t see, Natalie returns to school in a wheelchair.
Ludie's Life - Cynthia Rylant 2006
HISTORICAL - Born in 1910, Ludie is now 90. The poems read like stories that grandparents tell.
The Weight of the Sky - Lisa Ann Sandell 2006
Sixteen-year-old Sarah Green, a band geek, is one of two Jewish students at her high school. She jumps at the chance to spend the summer in Israel and live and work on a kibbutz.
Song of the Sparrow - Lisa Ann Sandell 2007
HISTORICAL - Sixteen-year-old Elaine of Ascolat is in love with Lancelot, Gwynivere's famous lover.
Against the Tide - Irini Savvides 2008
AUSTRALIAN - Set on Australia's beaches against the backdrop of ocean swim meets, native Australian Katie, her cousin, Matt, and Effi, an immigrant from Greece, are confronted with discrimination.
Orphaned (Ape Quartet Book 4) - Eliot Schrefer 2018
HISTORICAL - When a natural disaster strikes, Snub is left as the head of her gorilla family and she must protect the youngsters from the "not-gorillas" (the humans).
Far From You - Lisa Schroeder 2009
Alice has lost her mother to cancer and has to deal with a new step-mom and a baby. When trapped in a snowstorm, she finds herself facing all of the things she's been trying to avoid.
I Heart You You Haunt Me - Lisa Schroeder 2008
More love story than a ghost story, Ava can't see or touch Jackson, her dead boyfriend, but she knows he's there.
Chasing Brooklyn - Lisa Schroeder 2010
Luca, Brooklyn's boyfriend died in a car crash. His best friend kills himself. Nico is urged by Luca's ghost to intervene in Brooklyn's life.
The Day Before - Lisa Schroeder 2011
Amber's life is crazy, so she escapes to the beach with her iPod, where she meets Cade. They spend one perfect day together with no regrets.
The Bridge from Me to You - Lisa Schroeder 2014
Told in alternating chapters of poetry and prose, Lauren has a secret. Colby has a problem. But when they find each other, everything falls into place.
All We Have is Now - Lisa Schroeder 2015
A man gives Emerson and Vince all the money he has in his wallet, but they only have 27 hours to spend it because an asteroid is going to hit North America. A mix of prose and poems.
An Impossible Thing to Say - Arya Shahi 2023
It's the summer of 2001. Omid is on a journey to find the right words to say—to the new girl at school, to his best friend, and to his grandfather who speaks Farsi.
The Silver Chain - Jion Sheibani 2022
UK - Azadeh is a budding violinist on a music scholarship. Then her mum's mental health spirals out of control and Azadeh's friendships fall away.
The Complete Book of Aspen - Danna Smith 2022
UK - Aspen learns from a DNA test that her late dad was not her biological father.
Call Me Athena: Girl from Detroit - Colby Cedar Smith 2021
HISTORICAL - Two young women from two generations fall in love: Mary growing up in Detroit, and her mother, a nurse in France during the First World War.
The Geography of Girlhood - Kirsten Smith 2007
Penny charts the landscape of her high-school years and small-town life.
Trinkets - Kirsten Smith 2013
Tabitha, Elodie, and Moe are an unlikely trio tied together by the thrill of shoplifting. Told in multiple viewpoints, one in verse.
One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies - Sonya Sones 2001
Fifteen-year-old Ruby's mom just passed away from cancer, leaving Ruby to navigate the oddities of Los Angeles.
Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy - Sonya Sones 2001
Based on the author's own experiences, a 13-year-old girl sorts through her feelings about her older sister's mental illness.
What My Mother Doesn't Know - Sonya Sones 2001
Too-tall freshman, Sophie, experiences many firsts alongside her crushes and best friends.
What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know - Sonya Sones 2007
The sequel to What My Mother Doesn't Know features Robin's side of the story.
I Am Water - Meg Specksgoor 2020
HI-LO - Working as a river-rafting guide, Hannah struggles with gender stereotypes.
At the End of Words: A Daughter's Memoir - Miriam Stone, Illustrated by Lisa Franke, 2003
NON-FICTION - A young woman's tribute to her mother who died of breast cancer.
The Angel of Barbican High - Michelle A. Taylor 2002
AUSTRALIAN - Jez feels guilty after her boyfriend's death. A friendship with the class nerd saves her life as she spirals into depression.
Orchards - Holly Thompson 2011
Eighth-grader, Kanako Goldberg's classmate hangs herself, and her parents send her to spend the summer on her grandparents’ fruit farm in Japan. As Kana gets to know her relatives and her heritage, she processes the guilt she feels about the tragedy back home.
The Language Inside - Holly Thompson 2013
Raised in Japan, Emma isn't ready to deal with her mother's cancer. Or move to Massachusetts.
Love and Leftovers - Sarah Tregay 2012
Stuck on summer vacation, Marcie Foster has to start her sophomore year at a new school in New Hampshire while her friends, the Leftovers, are back in Idaho. Things look up when she meets, JD, a soccer jock with a Prince Harry grin, but then she gets shipped back home.
Hard Hit - Ann Turner 2000
Sixteen-year-old Mike has it all--baseball, a cute girlfriend, a best friend--until his father is diagnosed with cancer and dies.
Learning to Swim - Ann Turner 2003
NON-FICTION - In poems, Turner recounts the summer she was six years old when she was sexually abused. An easy read on a difficult subject.
Second in Command - Sandy Van 2019
HI-LO - Sixteen-year-old Leo is often left in charge of his two younger siblings. When his brother gets caught up in a dangerous plot Leo must make a decision.
Listen Up - Sandi Van 2020
HI-LO - Lucas speaks up against injustices at his high school using anonymous videos.
Everything it Takes - Sandi Van 2021
HI-LO - Lily joins her school's environmental club, and meets Fiona, a passionate activist. But Fiona’s plans may mean getting arrested, and a criminal record does not look good on college applications.
Unlocked - Ryan G. Van Cleave 2011
Andy, the janitor's son, unlocks another boy's locker when rumors about a gun circulate. The two share secrets, but one worries Andy more than the others.
Thirty Talks Weird Love - Alessandra Narvaez Varela 2021
Anamaría is visited by her 30-year-old future self.
A Time to Dance - Padma Venkatraman 2014
Veda lives and breathes dance—so when an accident leaves her a below-knee amputee, her dreams are shattered.
Black Girl You Are Atlas - Renée Watson, illustrated by Ekua Holmes 2024
In this semi-autobiographical collection, Watson writes about growing up at the intersections of race, class, and gender.
Becoming Billie Holiday - Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, 2008
HISTORICAL - Elanora's journey from poverty to the stage (and stage name, Billie Holiday).
Yellow Mini - Lori Weber 2011
Mark has inherited a yellow mini from his deceased father. Stacey, his girlfriend, Mary, and Annabelle alternate voices as they find their niches, be it concert pianist or activist.
Jinx - Margaret Wild 2002
AUSTRALIAN - Two of Jen's boyfriends have died, earning her the nickname Jinx.
One Night - Margaret Wild 2003
AUSTRALIAN - Helen's world is shattered when she finds that she is pregnant after a one-night stand while Gabe, the baby's father, and friends perfect their party-throwing talents.
Escaping Tornado Season - Julie Williams 2004
Set in the 1960s, 13-year-old Allie moves to a small town after her father's death.
Paper Hearts - Meg Wiviott 2015
HISTORICAL - A group of slave laborers at the munitions factory in Auschwitz finds friendship in the most unlikely place.
New Found Land, Lewis and Clark's Voyage of Discovery - Allan Wolf 2004
HISTORICAL - The adventures of Lewis and Clark as told through the eyes of all of the members of the crew.
Control Room - Ryan Wolf 2021
HI-LO - Maggie’s mother follows a cult leader down the road to hell.
Make Lemonade - Virgina Euwer Wolff 2001
LaVaughn takes a job babysitting for Jolly, a teenage mother of two. Follow up with True Believer and This Full House.
True Believer - Virgina Euwer Wolff 2002
LaVaughn's story continued. Part of a trilogy.
This Full House - Virgina Euwer Wolff 2009
The last of LaVaughn's story.
Seeing Emily - Joyce Lee Wong 2007
Sixteen-year-old Emily Wu writes about her daily life as the daughter of Chinese immigrants as she discovers she can be both Chinese and American.
Drink the Air - Richard Yaxley 2010
AUSTRALIAN - Tom, and Zooey leave their childhoods behind when faced with separate tragedies.
Rubber Houses - Ellen Yeomans 2007
Sixteen-year-old Kit's life changes when her younger brother, a baseball-crazy 8-year-old named Buddy, is diagnosed with and dies from leukemia.
READS FOR OLDER TEENS
Swing - Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess 2018Noah and Walt have been cut from the baseball team when they find a cache of old letters that reveal the secrets of jazz, friendship, and love.
Piñata Moon - Torran Anderson 2019
INDIE - After a friend commits suicide, Envo struggles with depression.
Stone Mirrors: The Sculpture and Silence of Edmonia Lewis - Jeannine Atkins 2017
HISTORICAL -The daughter of an Ojibwe woman and an African-Haitian man, Edmonia studied art at Oberlin, one of the first schools to accept people of color and women.
Black Flamingo - Dean Atta 2019
UK - A young man finds his place in the world through his drag queen persona, the black flamingo.
Only on Weekends - Dean Atta 2019
UK - Mack is surprised when British basketball star, Karim, expresses romantic interest in him. But a move to Glasgow—complete with a flirty actor on set—throws a wrench into their relationship.
The Same Blood - M. Azmitia 2018
HI-LO - Twin sisters Elena and Marianella have been different all along. When Marianella commits suicide, Elena embraces the things her sister did.
Remember Me - Melanie Batchelor 2014
Jamie and Erica create a world of their own in an abandoned park—a place they call “Wonderland.”
The Dragon’s Club - Can Bermudez 2022
When her sister, Emma, turns to meth after their father passes away, Faith learns about boundaries and strength through talk therapy.
Psyche in a Dress - Francesca Lia Block 2006
A collection of contemporary retellings of Greek myths packed with complex metaphors. Although the writing is stunning, it is hard to grasp if you are not familiar with the myths.
How to (Un)cage a Girl - Francesca Lia Block 2008
A collection of poems that map a journey from girlhood to womanhood and the things encountered along the way. Laced with So-Cal flavor and characters from myths, fairy tales, and fine art.
5 to 1 - Holly Bodger 2015
It's 2051 and there are five men to every woman. Told in alternating verse and prose, Sudasa doesn't want to marry and Kiran doesn't want to perform a series of tests for the chance of scoring a wife.
I Am Here Now - Barbara Bottner 2020
HISTORICAL - Maisie's life with her abusive mother is chaotic. But when she meets Rachel, she witnesses a world filled with love and art.
The Best and Hardest Thing - Pat Brisson 2010
Molly has a reputation for being "saintly" until she devises a plan to shake it, but her reputation makeover goes too far.
To Stay Alive: Mary Ann Graves and the Tragic Journey of the Donner Party - Skila Brown 2016
HISTORICAL - It's 1846 and the Donner party faces snow in the Sierras.
Vinyl Moon- Mahogany L. Browne 2022
After Angel survives an accident invloving her ex, she moves to Brooklyn. Prose with some poems.
Chlorine Sky - Mahogany L. Browne 2021
Skyy and Lay Li are former best friends. Now that Skyy is no longer in Lay Li’s shadow, she can be herself.
More Than Anger - Lexi Bruce 2020
HI-LO - Anna's parents' relationship has turned violent. How can Anna fall in love now that she has seen its ugly side?
Wolfpack - Amelia Brunskill 2023
A teenage girl living in a cult goes missing.
Because I am Furniture - Thalia Chaltas 2009
Anke's father abuses her brother and molests her sister but ignores her. She finds her voice when she joins the school volleyball team and saves a friend from her father's grasp.
Muted - Tami Charles 2021
A girl's musical dreams might be used against her, but she can fight back. #MeToo
Closing Down Heaven - Lesley Choyce 2016
Sixteen-year-old Hunter doesn’t remember the cycling accident in the woods that killed him.
The House on Mango Street - Sandra Cisneros 1991
Esperanza is growing up in the Hispanic quarter in Chicago, inventing for herself who she will become.
The Fattening Hut - Pat Lowery Collins 2005
Fourteen-year-old Helen is to marry an older man, but first, she must face the fattening hut (no one on the island would want a skinny bride) and mutilation by female circumcision. She flees.
Dear Medusa- Olivia Cole 2023
Sixteen-year-old Alicia has survived sexual abuse by a teacher. A random note in her locker hints that there are others who understand what she went through.
You Remind Me of You - Eireann Corrigan 2001
MEMOIR - Corrigan is struggling with eating disorders when her boyfriend attempts suicide.
Splintering - Eireann Corrigan 2005
What happens after a stranger violently attacks a family in their own home.
Tough Boy Sonatas – Curtis Crisler, illustrated by Floyd Cooper, 2007
The voices of the young men tell of growing up in Gary, Indiana.
We Come Apart - Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan 2017
Nicu, an immigrant from Romania, struggles to find his place, while Jess deals with a turbulent home life. When the two meet, what starts out as friendship slowly grows into more.
An Uninterrupted View of the Sky – Melanie Crowder 2018
It's 1999 in Bolivia. Francisco's father is arrested on false charges and sent to prison. Francisco and his sister are left with hard choices: They must move into prison with their father or flee.
Death Coming Up the Hill – Chris Crowe 2014
HISTORICAL - Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam war, Ashe is forced to deal with his rough home life.
Three Things I Know Are True– Betty Culley 2020
Everything changes for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay’s father’s gun. Now Jonah needs round-the-clock care just to stay alive, and Liv seems to be the only person who can see that her brother is still there inside his broken body.
Blood Moon - Lucy Cuthew 2020
When Frankie loses her virginity it isn’t as romantic as she had hoped. Because she got her period. Add a cruel meme, a terrible best friend and things only get worse.
What Does Blue Feel Like? - Jessica Davidson 2007
AUSTRALIAN - Char leans on her boyfriend Jim as she struggles with deep depression.
Clear Cut - Melody Dodds 2020
HI-LO - Heather meets Josie, an online advocate for self-harm, at theater camp.
The Bones of Me - Kel Duckhouse 2022
UK - Molly’s older brother disappears the night before her first boxing match. When police release a warrant for Denny’s arrest in connection with an assault that occurred near their fitness club, Molly needs to find him. Prose and verse.
Home is Not a Country - Safia Elhillo 2021
Nima and her alter ego, Yasmeen, travel back in time to uncover family drama.
Bright Red Fruit - Safia Elhillo 2024
No matter how hard Samira tries, she can’t shake her "bad girl" reputation. As she discovers the slam poetry scene, a relationship with an older poet threatens all her dreams.
Jazz Owls, A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots- Margarita Engle 2018
HISTORICAL - On their way to the front lines of World War II, sailors pour into Los Angeles. Loving the music in the nightclubs, they dance with local Mexican American girls until racial violence leads to murder.
Bull - David Elliott 2017
The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur.
Voices - David Elliott 2019
HISTORICAL - The final hours of Joan of Arc.
Fault - Amy Ellis 2013
Liz is drugged and raped at a party, but when she speaks up about her assualt she finds herself alone — until a note appears in her locker.
He is the Monster - Amy Ellis 2018
INDIE - Esther’s father is arrested for molesting girls in their neighborhood.
Your Heart My Sky - Margarita Engle 2021
HISTORICAL - It’s 1991 and Cuba is hosting the Pan-American Games. Islanders are forbidden to farm and raise livestock. They are starving. A dog brings Liana and Amando together and love grows.
Crossing the Line - Tia Fisher 2023
UK - A teen is groomed to work for county lines, where dealers in cities supply drugs to towns and rural areas.
Two Girls Staring At The Ceiling - Lucy Frank 2014
Chess has to share a hospital room with Shannon as she gets better and Shannon feels worse.
Keesha's House - Helen Frost 2001
Told in sonnets and sestina's, stories of teens in need of a safe place to stay intersect at Keesha's house.
Walking on Glass - Alma Fullerton 2007
A young man's mother has attempted suicide and is left in a coma.
A Million Quiet Revolutions - Robin Gow 2022
Best friends Aaron and Oliver have many shared milestones like coming out as trans and falling in love — with each other. But Aaron moves away.
Ordinary Hazards - Nikki Grimes 2019
MEMOIR - Nikki's mother suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and her father was gone much of the time. Preyed upon by people she trusted, she poured her pain onto a piece of paper and discovered the magic and impact of writing.
Lawless Spaces - Corey Ann Haydu 2022
Mimi's mother withdraws as a sexual assault case makes the news cycle. Mimi turns to writing poetry and reading journals belonging to of her grandmother and great-grandmother.
Hideous Love, The Story of the Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein - Stephanie Hemphill 2013
HISTORICAL - Mary is in love with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. Her family is torn apart by scandal and sorrow as they criss-cross Europe in search of peace and a community of writers and thinkers.
Wicked Girls, A Novel of the Salem Witch Trials - Stephanie Hemphill 2013
HISTORICAL - When Ann's father suggests a spate of illnesses in the village is the result of witchcraft, a chain of events that will change Salem forever. Ann, Mercy, and Margaret have to decide if it's too late to tell the truth?
The Language of Fire: Joan of Arc Reimagined- Stephanie Hemphill 2019
HISTORICAL - Jehanne was an illiterate peasant, never quite at home among her siblings and peers. Until one day, she hears a voice call to her, telling her she is destined for important things. She begins to understand that she has been called by God, chosen for a higher purpose—to save France.
Ask Me How I Got Here - Christine Heppermann 2016
Addie is always running, but when she gets pregnant, she stops to think.
What Goes Up -Christine Heppermann 2020
When Jorie wakes up in the loft bed of a college boy she doesn’t recognize, she’s instantly filled with regret.
Another Night in Mullet Town- Steven Herrick 2016
AUSTRALIAN - To Jonah and Manx summer means fishing at the lake, watching their mates party on Friday night, and wishing they dared to talk to Ella and Rachel. Until their small town is bought up by wealthy city dwellers.
Cold Skin - Steven Herrick 2009
AUSTRALIAN/HISTORICAL - Set in an Australian coal-mining town after World War II, Eddie wants to finish school and work in the mines. When his brother's classmate is murdered, suspicion falls on many men in town. A mystery.
Love, Ghosts and Facial Hair - Steven Herrick 2004
AUSTRALIAN - Jack, his father, and his sister tell Jack's story of the times after his mother's death and when he falls in love with Annabel.
A Place Like This - Steven Herrick 2004
AUSTRALIAN - Read Love Ghosts and Facial Hair first. Jack, now 18, and Annabel have put off going to university and set out on their own. Life leads them to a job at an apple orchard, where they get emotionally attached to their employer's pregnant daughter.
Kissing Annabel - Steven Herrick 2009
AUSTRALIAN - Originally released in Australia as Love Ghosts and Facial Hair and A Place Like This. This isn't a third Jack and Annabel story, but rather two books for one price.
Planet Pregnancy - Linda Oatman High 2008
Nine months of Sahara's life are filled with problems.
Tiny Little Grief Machines - Linda Oatman High 2014
HI-LO - Alienated from her family, Lexi spirals into grief when her infant sister dies.
Otherwise - Linda Oatman High 2014
HI-LO - A law has been passed. There will be no more genders.
Crank - Ellen Hopkins 2006
Kristina/Bree's haunting tale of her relationship with crystal meth.
Glass - Ellen Hopkins 2007
Glass picks up where Crank left off.
Fallout - Ellen Hopkins 2010
Jump ahead to when Hunter, Summer, and Autumn (Kristina's/Bree's older children) are teens. They battle some of their mother's addictions while trying to find their way in the world and end up coming together.
Impulse - Ellen Hopkins 2007
Follow three characters as they are admitted to a psychiatric hospital after failed suicide attempts.
Perfect - Ellen Hopkins 2011
Four high-school seniors battle unrealistic expectations and strive for perfection. A companion to Impulse.
Burned - Ellen Hopkins 2007
Angry with her abusive father, Pattyn begins to question Mormonism. Her parents send her to spend the summer with her aunt on a Nevada ranch. There she finds the love and acceptance she craves until her father's grasp reaches into her new life.
Smoke - Ellen Hopkins 2013
Pattyn's story continued.
Identical - Ellen Hopkins 2008
Identical twins, Kaeleigh and Raeanne, tell the gritty and disturbing story of living in a dysfunctional and abusive family. A book you'll want to read a second time once you know the ending.
Tilt - Ellen Hopkins 2012
Mikala, Shane, Alex, and Harley all fall in love with boys who tilt their world off its axis.
Tricks - Ellen Hopkins 2012
Five teens find themselves immersed in the violent world of sex workers with nowhere to turn.
Traffick - Ellen Hopkins 2015
The sequel to Tricks.
Rumble - Ellen Hopkins 2015
Matt struggles with his gay brother's suicide, his parent's divorce, and his own romantic relationships before a random act of violence scars him for life.
The You I've Never Known - Ellen Hopkins 2017
Ariel gets tangled in a love triangle, while Maya becomes involved with an older man to escape from her mother's questionable beliefs.
People Kill People - Ellen Hopkins 2018
Narrated by Violence, six young people wrestle with their difficult pasts. One of them will die. Mostly prose with poems.
Sanctuary Highway - Ellen Hopkins 2020
In an alternate-future United States, two teens must travel a thousand miles to safety.
And We Stay - Jenny Hubbard 2014
Sent to boarding school after her ex-boyfriend shoots himself, seventeen-year-old Emily copes with her guilt and begins to heal. Told partially in verse.
Every Body Looking - Candice Iloh 2020
Ada’s mother battles addiction while her father attempts to create a home like the one he knew in Nigeria.
The Lost Marble Notebook of Forgotten Girl and Random Boy - Marie Jaskulka 2015
Two nameless teens form an intense, abusive relationship.
Skyscraping - Cordelia Jensen 2015
Mira finds out about her parents' open marriage as her father's health declines due to HIV and AIDS.
Elevated - Elana Johnson 2014
INDIE - Self-published title about seventeen-year-old Elly who gets stuck in an elevator with her ex.
Something About Love - Elana Johnson 2015
INDIE - Self-published title about a young photographer named Livvy who broke things off with her boyfriend because her mom married his dad.
Believearexic - JJ Johnson 2017
MEMOIR - Jennifer is hospitalized for an eating disorder.
Mary's Monster: Love, Madness, and How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein - Lita Judge 2018
BIOGRAPHY - By nineteen, Mary Shelley had been disowned by her family, was living with a married man, and had lost her baby daughter shortly after her birth. Mary poured her grief into Frankenstein. Illustrated.
Audition - Stasia Ward Kehoe 2011
High school junior, Sara, wins a scholarship to study ballet, sacrifices everything for her new career, and falls for a handsome, older choreographer.
If I Tell You The Truth - Jasmin Kaur 2021
Sahaara learns that her undocumented mother was a victim of sexual assault. Together they travel from Canada to India to speak out. A prose novel with poems.
The Sound of Letting Go - Stasia Ward Kehoe 2014
Daisy feels imprisoned by her brother Steven's autism and escapes in her music, but when her parents decide to send Steven to an institution she is not ready to let him go.
Ethel’s Song, Ethel Rosenberg’s Life in Poems - Barbara Krasner 2022
BIOGRAPHY - It’s 1953 and Ethel Rosenberg, a wife and mother, faces the electric chair. People say she’s a spy, a Communist, a red.
Vanishing Point - Jeri Kroll 2014
AUSTRALIAN - Nineteen-year-old Diana suffers from anorexia nervosa.
Kiss of Broken Glass - Madeleine Kuderick 2014
Caught cutting in the girls' bathroom, fifteen-year-old Kenna has seventy-two hours to face her addiction, deal with rejection, and find a shred of hope.
The Taste of Apples – James Laidler 2010
AUSTRALIAN - Pedro is down and out, negotiating class, culture, and family secrets.
The Book of My Life by Angel - Martine Leavitt 2012
Sixteen-year-old Angel is coerced into drugs and prostitution by a man she meets in a mall.
Breath to Breath - Craig Lew 2015
Seventeen-year-old William is sent to live with his estranged father and comes face to face with both his own past and the sexual abuse of a young boy.
Ronit & Jamil - Pamela L. Laskin 2017
A modern-day Romeo and Juliet set in Gaza.
Realm of Possibility - David Levithan 2008
Twenty characters give glimpses into their lives in the form of interconnected poems and song lyrics.
The Secrets We Keep- Deb Loughead 2016
When Kit disappeared at a party and was found drowned in the quarry the next day, Clem knew who to point the finger at: herself.
You and Me and Misery - Rayel Louis-Charles 2020
HI-LO - Gin and Johnny, two loners, befriend one another as they face eating disorders and family violence.
Dating Down - Stefanie Lyons 2015
Samantha Henderson falls for an older, edgier, boy she will not name.
We Are All So Good at Smiling - Amber McBride 2023
Whimsy is in the hospital for treatment of clinical depression. She meets Faerry, a boy who also has magic in his bones. They are both terrified of the forest at the end of Marsh Creek Lane.
Every Little Bad Idea- Caitie McKay 2018
HI-LO - The women in Skyler Wise's family have a weakness for bad boys, but not Skyler. She has one thing on her mind--college. But then she meets Cole.
Exposed - Kimberly Marcus 2011
Liz and Kate are best friends until Liz's older brother does something unthinkable.
Sold - Patricia McCormick 2006
13-year-old Lakshmi is sold into prostitution in India.
Blood Water Paint - Joy McCullough 2018
HISTORICAL - In 1610 Rome, Artemisia Gentileschi must find the strength to work as an artist in a world where men take what they want from women.
Talking in the Dark - Billy Merrell 2003
MEMOIR - Follow Merrell's journey from childhood through the discovery of his own sexuality, made more harrowing when a lover dies of AIDS.
Vanilla - Billy Merrell 2018
Hunter and Vanilla are the picture-perfect gay couple--they've been dating since middle school--until Vanilla uncovers an important piece of himself. Told in three points-of-view.
Trigger - CG Moore
UK - Jay wakes up in a park after he was sexually assulted in an attack he struggles to remember.
Petrified Flowers - Joiya Morrison-Efemini 2020
A tragedy moves Iris and her sisters into low-income housing. Here, Iris embraces God with steadfast urgency.
The Stars of Oktober Bend- Glenda Millard 2016
AUSTRALIAN - Told partially in verse. Alice is finding her words again after a brutal assault. Manny, once a child soldier, is learning to adapt to a new life with his adoptive family.
Amiri and Odette, A Love Story - Walter Dean Myers, Illustrated by Jakava Steptoe, 2009
A love story inspired the underlying violence in Swan Lake.
This Impossible Light - Lily Myers 2017
Sixteen-year-old Ivy's dad has moved out, her mother is withdrawn, her brother is off at college, and her best friend, Anna, has grown distant. Worst of all, Ivy's body won’t stop getting bigger.
Karma- Cathy Ostlere 2011
HISTORICAL - After her mother’s suicide, 15-year-old Maya and her father travel from Canada to India for a traditional burial. The year is 1984, and on the night of their arrival in New Delhi, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated. The city erupts in chaos and Maya is separated from her father.
Family- Micol Ostow 2011
HISTORICAL - It's 1969 and seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco. A handsome stranger, Henry, offers her love and a new family. Loosely based on the Manson Family murders. Told in a mix of poems and prose.
Ghosting - Edith Pattou 2014
When a group of friends has too much to drink and go looking for a thrill at a haunted house, the home owner's teenage grandson tries to defend the property with tragic consequences.
Defy the Stars - Stephanie Parent 2012
INDIE - A retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
Fishtailing - Wendy Phillips 2010
Natalie moves to a new school and entangles others in her world of partying and rebellion.
Crazy - Linda Vigen Phillips 2014
When her mother has a mental breakdown, Laura vows to find the demon that is driving her mother crazy. Learning the truth and discovering her own inner strength, Laura opens her heart to the mother she never knew.
The Gospel Truth - Caroline Pignat 2014
HISTORICAL - Phoebe is a slave on a Virginia tobacco plantation when a strange man from Canada comes to visit, claiming that he is there to watch birds.
Loving vs. Virginia: A Documentary Novel of the Landmark Civil Rights Case- Patricia Hruby Powell, illustrated by Shadra Strickland, 2017
HISTORICAL - In 1955, amidst segregation and prejudice, two teens fall in love. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races.
Audacious - Gabrielle Prendergast 2013
Sixteen-year-old Raphaelle, who always says the wrong thing, moves to a small town. She is drawn to Samir, a boy in her art class.
Capricious - Gabrielle Prendergast 2014
Raphaelle (of Audacious) balances having two boyfriends.
Not Hungry - Kate Karyus Quinn 2020
HI-LO - June and Toby, the new neighbor, have secrets to hide.
Activist - Louisa Reid 2022
UK - Cassie’s school is quick to dismiss an accusation of rape. Cassie and her friends raise their voices.
Long Way Down - Jason Reynolds 2017
Fifteen-year-old Will has a gun in the waistband of his jeans. His brother, Shawn, was just murdered. The gun belonged to Shawn. What happened? What will happen next?
All the Fighting Parts - Hannah V. Sawyerr 2023
Sixteen-year-old Amina, always used her words as weapons until she is sexually assaulted by her pastor. She has to find her voice to confront her abuser in the courtroom. Court transcripts, journal entries, and poetry.
I Don't Want to Be Crazy - Samantha Schutz 2006
MEMOIR - A young woman's memoir of her college years plagued with anxiety.
You Are Not Here - Samantha Schutz 2010
Sixteen-year-old Annaleah grieves the loss of the boy she loved.
Purple Daze - Sherry Shahan 2011
HISTORICAL - Six Los Angeles high school students share their experiences and feelings about love and war, feminism and racism, riots, and rock 'n' roll in the 1960s.
Counting Back From Nine - Valerie Sherrard 2012
Laren knows the rules. You can't date your best friend's ex. She tells herself that if she and Scott can keep their new romance a secret, no one will get hurt.
Run - Tim Sinclair 2013
AUSTRALIAN - Dee loves the freedom and risk of parkour. But is he in over his head?
When You Know What I Know - Sonja Solter 2020
Tori's uncle abused her. Now she’s battling mixed emotions. With the help of her mom, her little sister, her best friend, and others, Tori finds a way to heal.
To Be Perfectly Honest: A novel based on an untrue story - Sonya Sones 2013
Collette meets a hot guy when on location with her movie-star mom. But she might have told him one little lie. Or two.
Saving Red - Sonya Sones 2016
Fourteen-year-old Molly volunteers to participate in Santa Monica’s annual homeless count to get her community service requirement out of the way, and forges a friendship with Red, a homeless girl only a few years older than she is.
The Opposite of Innocent - Sonya Sones 2018
Lily hasn't seen Luke, a friend of the family who is much older than her, in two years. She's fourteen now, and he's staying in the next room.
Girls Like Me- Lola StVil 2016
Fifteen-year-old Shay is coping with the death of her father, being overweight, and bullying when she falls in love with Blake, a boy she met online.
A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl - Tanya Lee Stone 2007
Three girls experience heartbreak after a nameless jock uses and dumps each of them.
High - Mary Sullivan 2021
Ceti, an almost fifteen soccer star, grew up homeless. Her mom’s drug addiction complicates Ceti’s life: a creepy boyfriend, a fire in their apartment, an accident, a stolen phone, and a tragedy.
Dreams on Fire - Annette Daniels Taylor 2018
HI-LO - Shanequa attends a prestigious private school in another neighborhood and lies to her new friends about her mess of a family.
Saints of the Household - Ari Tison 2023
Brothers Max and Jay ususally keep thier heads down to avoid the wrathe of their abusive father. But when a student is attacked in the woods, the brothers resort to violence.
When We Make It - Elisabet Velasquez 2021
Sarai navigates 1990s Bushwick, family trauma, and housing insecurity. She and her sister become pregnant.
And We Call It Love- Amanda Vink 2019
HI-LO - Clare and Zari are best friends. Then Zari starts dating Dion. Clare spots bruises on Zari and knows something is going on.
Like Water on Stone - Dana Walrath 2014
HISTORICAL: Sosi, Shahen, and Mariam escape the Armenian genocide of 1915 by walking to Turkey.
Manning Up - Bee Walsh 2020
HI-LO - Jack's eating disorder controls his life. When he turns to steroids to up his game, he feels invincible.
African Town – Charles Waters and Irene Latham 2022
HISTORICAL - In 1860, after the US outlawed the importation of enslaved laborers, 110 men, women, and children from Benin and Nigeria were captured and brought to Mobile, Alabama aboard the Clotilda.
Beauty Mark: A Verse Novel of Marilyn Monroe - Carole Boston Weatherford 2020
BIOGRAPHY - Norma Jeane endured foster homes, loneliness, sexual abuse, and marriage at a young age--all before her rise to stardom that brought with it exploitation, pill dependency, and depression.
Kent State - Deborah Wiles 2020
HISTORICAL - On May 4, 1970, Protestors rallied against the War in Vietnam and National Guardsmen are called in. Shots are fired and four students are killed.
Never Said - Carol Lynch Williams 2016
Poetry and prose. Twins Sarah—the athlete—and Annie—the beauty queen—are different. Sarah’s boyfriend breaks up with her, and Annie gains weight. Sarah reaches out. Annie admits to being abused by a neighbor.
Glimpse - Carol Lynch Williams 2010
Lizzie and Hope are sisters. They take their vow to protect each other seriously, but when secrets of sexual abuse and their mother divide them, Hope must save them both.
White Rose - Kip Wilson, 2019
HISTORICAL - Sophie Scholl, a young German college student, challenges the Nazi regime during World War II as part of The White Rose, a non-violent resistance group.
The Most Dazzling Girl in Berlin- Kip Wilson, 2022
HISTORICAL - Hilde discovers Café Lila, a vibrant cabaret. She discovers her voice and her own blossoming feelings for Rosa. But 1930's Berlin is in turmoil.
The Watch that Ends the Night, Voices of the Titanic - Alan Wolf, 2011
The ship sinks.
Who Killed Christopher Goodman?: Based on a True Crime - Alan Wolf 2017
Based on the murder of a young man that happened when the author was in high school. Told in multiple viewpoints, one in verse.
The Snow Fell Three Graves Deep, voices from the Donner Party - Alan Wolf 2020
HISTORICAL - It's 1846 and the Donner Party is bound for California.
Zane's Trace - Allan Wolf 2007
Zane has lots of dead relatives, including Mom and Dad. He plans to drive to Zanesville, Ohio to commit suicide and meets a cast of characters along the way.
Nothing Burns as Bright as You - Ashley Woodfolk 2022
It starts with a fire. Two best friends fall in love. Hearts, like flames, aren’t easily tamed.
Watches and Warnings - Ryan Wolf 2020
HI-LO Philip, the son of two pastors, helps his older brother pay for his addition. A tornado touches down in their small town, and Philip's family helps with the cleanup.
Punching the Air - Ibi Zoboi and Salaam, Yusef Salaam 2020
Amal is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit and sent to prison. Despair takes over until he turns to his art for strength.
Walking Gentry Home: A Memoir of My Foremothers in Verse - Alora Young 2022
MEMOIR/HISTOICAL - Amy, a slave in Tennessee, is buried in an unmarked grave. Gentry is unhappily married at fourteen. Alora's mother is the teenage beauty queen rejected by her white neighbors.