2024 SLJ Best Books - Young AdultLike this list

20 items

• Best Books 2024 | School Library Journal

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  The curation of this list is evidence of the gigantic community working together, no questions asked, to campaign for literacy and an educated republic, by inviting young readers into the pages of a book. We’d love to know what you think of our 193…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Book Won't Burn

  Ahmed, Samira (Fiction writer)

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  "Starting fresh after Noor’s father abandons the family is tricky when her new small town allows hundreds of books to be removed at school and Noor is compelled to fight for justice. A timely, scarily accurate look at one’s civic duty when…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fledgling

  Ali, S. K.

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "–Rebel royals, an arranged marriage, a tyrant on the rise—such elements make up the recordkeepers’ gripping account of the rebel’s attempt to stop the tyrannical technology of Upper Earth from subsuming…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kindling

  Chee, Traci

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  Also available as an eBook and downloadable audiobook. "Seven young warriors search for purpose in a small village after the war they were created for ends. Imbued with a magnificent magical twist, this complex and intriguing homage to Seven…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ariel Crashes a Train

  Cole, Olivia A.

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "Ariel isn’t sure why her brain tells her to complete tapping and counting rituals, or why intrusive, violent scenarios enter her mind—until she learns about obsessivecompulsive disorder and gets the help…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Don't Let the Forest in

  Drews, C. G.

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  "Andrew’s dark fantasy stories and roommate Thomas’s illustrations awaken incomprehensible horrors in the forest beyond their school, while asexual Andrew’s love for Thomas veers further into unhealthy obsession. Deep characters navigate brutal…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bright Red Fruit

  Elhillo, Safia

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  "Sixteen-year-old poet Samira begins a relationship with a much older man in an effort to gain the freedom and unconditional love she feels she does not receive at home. A mustread contemporary take on the Persephone myth, written in verse."

• Thirsty

  a Novel

  Hammonds, Jas

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  Also available as an eBook. "In an effort to gain a spot in an elite sorority for powerful women of color, Blake uses alcohol to mask her insecurities and become the person she thinks everyone wants her to be. An unflinching portrayal of alcoholism,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Color of a Lie

  Johnson, Kim, 1979-

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "In segregated Pennsylvania in 1955, Calvin and his Black family must pass in a whites-only town, and Calvin’s new job leads him to dark secrets about how far their new neighbors will go to uphold white…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Breakup Lists

  Khorram, Adib

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "Siblings Jackson and Jasmine both develop a crush on supposedly straight Liam, leaving Jackson fumbling when Liam starts paying attention to him. A heartwarming romance, with a nod to theatre kids and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kill Her Twice

  Lee, Stacey

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  "In 1932, sisters Gemma and May investigate the death of their friend, Hollywood starlet Lulu Wong, while facing the destruction of Los Angeles’s Chinatown and trying to keep their family afloat financially. Told in alternating points of view, this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dragonfruit

  Lucier, Makiia

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "Newly returned from exile, Hanalei has the expertise to find the dragonfruit—but is she willing to let Prince Samahtitamahenele pay a terrible price to save his mother? This is a Pacific Island–inspired…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Trigger

  Moore, C. G. (Christopher George)

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  "Jay wakes up the morning after a party in a park to discover that he has been beaten and raped, with the whereabouts of his boyfriend unknown. A novel in verse that dealswith the line between justice and revenge and a teenager’s ability to find…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Twenty-four Seconds From Now

  Reynolds, Jason

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  Also available as an eBook. "Twenty-four seconds before Neon experiences his first sexual encounter with his girlfriend, he looks back on their relationship in increments of 24 (24 hours, days, weeks). A realistic portrayal of young love that…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• To a Darker Shore

  Schwartz, Leanne

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  Also available as an eBook. "–A passionate epic of two demisexual autistic teens, kingdom heir Kyrian and his best friend, Alesta, whose discovery of their kingdom’s dark truths requires them to reevaluate the concept of monstrosity itself. Dante’s…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Break to You

  Shusterman, Neal, 1962-

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  Also available as an eBook. "Two incarcerated teens fall in love as they pass a journal back and forth through the detention center’s library. The gender segregation of the facility makes meeting in person a high-stakes caper. This is a deep look at…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• On the Bright Side

  Sortino, Anna

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  "Ellie’s Deaf boarding school closes, forcing her to attend public high school where she finds an ally in soccer player Jackson. An empathetic romance with two determined teens learning to embrace their disabilities in an ableist world."

• Heir

  Tahir, Sabaa

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  "Taking place 20 years after an Ember in the Ashes, that novel’s next generation is embroiled in plots both political and otherworldly. An escaped prisoner, an exile, and a prince converge as they confront the harrowing line between good and evil. A…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• This Day Changes Everything

  a Novel

  Underhill, Edward

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  Also available as an eBook. "Trans boy Leo and queer girl Abby catch feelings on an adventure through New York City when they are separated from their marching bands while sightseeing before performing in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. A sweet…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Compound Fracture

  White, Andrew Joseph

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  Also available as a downloadable audiobook. "Miles reckons with the ruthlessness of generational power in addition to being trans, autistic, and poor in a small town dead set on breaking him, but found family may make all the difference.…Read moreRead more of this annotation