Florence Simmons

These Best Transitional Books of 2025 for beginning, emerging, and newly independent readers include relatable friendship tales, challenges overcome, and everyday slice-of-life stories that are pitch-perfect for the age group.

Vibrant anthologies, powerful celebrations of groundbreaking figures, and volumes filled with concrete poems and traditional rhymes make their appearance on our Best Poetry list.

The 2025 YA Best Books list has a choice for every teen—long-anticipated companion novels, adorable rom-coms, and genre-bending romantasy.

In this exclusive interview, Chloe Gong talks with SLJ about her writing process and the themes in her new dystopian novel Coldwire, publishing in November.

The first Sunday in August is designated as National Sisters Day, a time to celebrate the bond between and with sisters. These selections offer something for children of all ages and might just inspire a deeper appreciation for the sisters in their own lives.

These 12 recent YA titles celebrate romantic Black love in many forms, in different periods of history, and in real and fantasy realms. They include humor, queer love, and paranormal/sci-fi encounters, expanding the much-needed diversity within the romance genre.

The best poems educate with their facts and inspire with their beautiful flow of words. These 11 titles contain poems that do both exceptionally for young readers of all ages. 

Mythology and animal stories compose a large part of this early reader and chapter book list, alongside contemporary tales of young protagonists staying true to themselves and the things they love while figuring out how to act among peers. These titles will help children learn how to read as well as model ideas for how they can be authentically themselves.