2026 Best Fiction for Young Adults

February 17, 2026February 12, 2026 | Tasha

The Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) has announced their list of the best fiction for teens. The list covers books written for 12-18 year-olds that “incorporate outstanding literary quality and effectiveness of presentation, as well as appeal to the personal reading tastes of the teens.” The list includes over 60 titles with a top ten list. Here are the top ten titles:

TOP TEN

All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis

Best of All Worlds by Kenneth Oppel

Cope Field by T. L. Simpson

The Corruption of Hollis Brown by K. Ancrum

His Face Is the Sun by Michelle Jabes Corpora

Kill Creatures by Rory Power

They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran

Top Heavy by Rhonda DeChambeau

Truth Is by Hannah V. Sawyerr

The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday by Kelsey B. Toney

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman – Book Recommendation

February 10, 2026January 22, 2026 | Tasha

Red Star Rebels by Amie Kaufman

Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: February 10, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9798217029013

Brace yourself for a wild science fiction ride in this latest from the bestselling Kaufman. Cleo is a stowaway on Mars, trying to find a way to escape legal issues on Earth and forge a new life for herself. She has made it to Pax base but has been stuck there for months. Hunter is a member of the Graves family who were the first to populate Mars. No one knows that he is on Mars since he wanted to surprise his ultra-wealthy mother and sister. When a disaster hits the Pax complex, Cleo and Hunter are the only ones left onsite after mercenaries evacuate the base. The countdown is ticking, only 8 hours to stop them and manage to survive, perhaps together.

Kaufman has such a feel for pacing. In this novel, it is the smarts and ingenuity of the two main characters that save the day. Through clever use of the base’s infrastructure and software, the two of them manage to prank and isolate mercs as the clock winds down. The pacing is relentless, the setting wonderfully vivid, and the book reads like a movie. Add in the building connection and romance between the two characters, and you will root for them for a lot longer than the 8 hours they have.

A riotously good book on the red planet. Appropriate for ages 13+.

Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity – Book Recommendation

February 5, 2026January 15, 2026 | Tasha

Steam by Shaenon K. Garrity, illustrated by Emily Holden

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication Date: February 03, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9781534495869

When Ruby, a super genius raised in a university lab, escapes captivity, she must find a way to live among normal humans. She gets a job at a coffee shop near the university as a barista. She attempts to fulfill her function by helping the regulars at the coffee shop find love while still not giving her true identity away. As she starts pairing staff and customers the love takes off, and Ruby herself may have found her match too. But the lab hasn’t given up trying to get Ruby back for themselves, insisting that she isn’t human after all.

This graphic novel for teens is a delightful mix of lighthearted romance, caffeine and technology. There is just enough action to keep the book from being too frothy and compelling romantic pairings that are intelligent and embrace queerness and all ages. The illustrations echo the feel of the story with a lightness and an underlying love of the characters. Filled with found family and a built community, Ruby’s own humanness is the key to her survival in the end.

Grab a coffee and fall in love. Appropriate for ages 13+.

2026 Michael J. Printz Award

January 27, 2026January 27, 2026 | Tasha

From the American Library Association, this award is given to the top YA book of the year.

WINNER

Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith

HONOR BOOKS

Cope Field by T. L. Simpson

The House No One Sees by Adina King

Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley

Song of a Blackbird by Maria van Lieshout

Sundown Girls by L. S. Stratton – Book Recommendation

January 27, 2026January 6, 2026 | Tasha

Sundown Girls by L. S. Stratton

Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Publication Date: January 27, 2026
Reviewed from Edelweiss e-galley
ISBN: 9798217004942

Naomi has been returned to her biological family after living until recently with the woman she thought was her mother but who actually abducted her. Her family calls her by a different name and adjustment has been rocky. That’s why they decide to take a long summer vacation together in the Shenandoah Valley. However, the town they are near used to be a Sundown town and still holds some of the same beliefs about Black people living there. Naomi starts seeing a young Black girl outside her window who suddenly bursts into flames. As Naomi learns more about the history of the region, she realizes that it may not just be girls from the past who are in danger there.

Incredibly gripping and tense, this is a layered thriller for teens that speaks directly to the Black experience in sundown towns across the country. It also looks at how girls are exploited and ignored on multiple levels, becoming missing girls. Naomi is a great protagonist, strong and resilient while still struggling with her past and her current situation. Her messy relationship with her family is shown with empathy and honesty, adding to the questions of what is due to previous trauma and what is real.

A dark thriller full of personal trauma, history and ghosts.

Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet – Book Recommendation

January 12, 2026January 6, 2026 | Tasha

Beth Is Dead by Katie Bernet

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: January 6, 2026
Reviewed from copy provided by publisher
ISBN: 9781665988698

When Beth is found dead near the March family home in Concord, Massachusetts, her family is devastated. Their father is gone, having left the country months earlier due to the negative reaction to his book about his daughters. In that same book, Beth dies at the end. As the sisters grieve and start to work out the mystery of her death, there are many suspects and suspicious situations that led up to the night of her death. Each of the sisters have times when they think that their own actions caused Beth’s death, but the truth is far more sinister.

This modern mystery takes the Little Women cast and manages with great skill to maintain their unique characters. Readers who love the original book will enjoy seeing Jo navigate social media fame, Amy struggle to find attention for her artistic talent, and Meg make choices about how to keep up with her more wealthy friends at Harvard. Bernet never loses sight of the original book while still creating something new and fresh, even allowing Beth’s voice to be heard through flashbacks. Readers who don’t know the original characters will find a great mystery here filled with sisters you never want to leave.

A grand mystery done with great skill and a real fondness for the original.

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen – Book Recommendation

December 18, 2025November 25, 2025 | Tasha

Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen

Publisher: Random House

Publication Date: October 7, 2025

Reviewed from library copy

ISBN: 9780593125472

Angelica is burned out after trying to do too much. So when she gets an internship at the Log House Theater in town, she decides to focus all her attention on that. Oh, and perhaps also on texting with an account that seems to be related to the theater’s famous Per the Bear. As Angelica gets closer to Per, she is losing connections with her mother and her best friend. Meanwhile, Gable has returned to town and is living with his grandmother after his grandfather died. All of them are involved in the theater too. Gable had been best friends with Angelica before moving away, and now he happens to be the person behind Per the Bear in the costume and on the account.

What could have been just a frothy fun romance based on the fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon becomes something much deeper in the hands of Nguyen. He deftly incorporates queerness into the tale as well as offering a story of loss, grief and community that resonates throughout the book. Beautifully designed and filled with lovely moments of connection and humor, this is a graphic novel worth sharing with your own Per.

Fun, deep and delightful. Appropriate for ages 12+.

YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Finalists

December 16, 2025December 11, 2025 | Tasha

The five finalists for YALSA’s Excellence in Nonfiction Award have been announced. The awards are given for the best nonfiction for young adults aged 12-18 for the year. Here are the finalists:

American Spirits: The Famous Fox Sisters and the Mysterious Fad That Haunted a Nation by Barb Rosenstock

Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming

White House Secrets: Medical Lies and Cover-Ups by Gail Jarrow

White Lies: How the South Lost the Civil War, then Rewrote the History by Ann Bausum

A World Without Summer: A Volcano Erupts, A Creature Awakens, and the Sun Goes Out by Nicholas Day

YALSA Finalists for 2026 Morris Award

December 15, 2025December 11, 2025 | Tasha

The five finalists for YALSA’s 2026 William C. Morris Award have been announced. The award is given to best book written for young adults by a debut author. Here are the five finalists: