AHMED, Samira. This Book Won’t Burn. Little, Brown. ISBN 9780316547840.
Gr 10 Up–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 censorship and hate affect a person’s freedom.

ALI, S.K. Fledgling: The Keeper’s Records of Revolution. Penguin/Kokila. ISBN 9780593531242.
Gr 8 Up–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 their people, beginning with a kidnapped bride. An ambitious dystopian grounded in Arabic and Islamic inspiration.

CALLEN, Rocky. Crashing into You. Holt. ISBN 9781250861894.
Gr 10 Up–Underestimated in street racing and at school, Leti struggles to find her place. However, once she begins bonding with quirky, gentle Jacob, nothing will ever be the same. Filled with great autism rep and lovely found family vibes, this is a deeply touching and adrenaline-fueled tale.

CHEE, Traci. Kindling. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063269354.
Gr 10 Up–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 Samurai creates an in-depth exploration of trauma, community, and hope.

COLE, Olivia A. Ariel Crashes a Train. Random/Labyrinth Road. ISBN 9780593644669.
Gr 9 Up–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 obsessive-compulsive disorder and gets the help she needs. The verse format is perfect for this moving, compelling narrative.

DREWS, CG. Don’t Let the Forest In. Feiwel & Friends. ISBN 9781250895660.
Gr 9 Up–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 emotions alongside tangible and psychological dangers.

ELHILLO, Safia. Bright Red Fruit. Random/Make Me a World. ISBN 9780593381205.
Gr 8 Up–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 must-read contemporary take on the Persephone myth, written in verse.

HAMMONDS, Jas. Thirsty. Roaring Brook. ISBN 9781250816597.
Gr 10 Up–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, toxic relationships, race, generational trauma, and the journey to recovery.

JOHNSON, Kim. The Color of a Lie. Random. ISBN 9780593118801.
Gr 7 Up–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 supremacy. Readers will love this incisive social justice thriller.

KHORRAM, Adib. The Breakup Lists. Dial. ISBN 9780593616390.
Gr 10 Up–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 the Deaf community, centering on the joyous feeling of truly being seen.

LEE, Stacey. Kill Her Twice. Putnam. ISBN 9780593532041.
Gr 9 Up–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 is a page-turning historical mystery.

LEE, Wen-yi. The Dark We Know. Zando/Gillian Flynn. ISBN 9781638930587.
Gr 9 Up–Isa, briefly back in her stifling hometown, is convinced by a friend that local deaths and a disappearance are connected to a supernatural force—and she may be key to stopping it. Lyrical, emotional prose combines with Gothic vibes in this moving horror novel.

LUCIER, Makiia. Dragonfruit. HarperCollins/Clarion. ISBN 9780358272106.
Gr 7 Up–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 PacificIsland–inspired fantasy on the strength of family and the power of hope, with a soft romance.

MOORE, C. G. Trigger. Little Island. ISBN 9781915071538.
Gr 9 Up–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 deals with the line between justice and revenge and a teenager’s ability to find answers after a traumatizing situation.

PINK, Randi. Under the Heron’s Light. Feiwel & Friends. ISBN 9781250820372.
Gr 8 Up–In 1722, Babylou Mac and her siblings escaped into North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swamp. In the present day, Atlas and her cousins venture into the swamp with their Grannylou. Family history and love combine with the magic and mystery of the swamp, making for an eminently readable work.

REYNOLDS, Jason. Twenty-Four Seconds from Now…: A LOVE Story. Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy. ISBN 9781665961271.
Gr 9 Up–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 captures the moments big and small, messy and wonderful.

RIBAY, Randy. Everything We Never Had. Penguin/Kokila. ISBN 9780593461419.
Gr 9 Up–The history of a Filipino American family is told via four generations of fathers and sons in alternating chapters. Narrators range from a labor organizer in the 1920s to a teen at the start of the 2020 pandemic lockdown. This is a moving story conveyed with hope and heart.

SCHWARTZ, Leanne. To a Darker Shore. Page Street YA. ISBN 9781645678403.
Gr 9 Up–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 Inferno-inspired,with nuanced characters and a romance that is far from insta-love.

SHUSTERMAN, Neal, Debra Young & Michelle Knowlden. Break to You. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. ISBN 9780062875761.
Gr 8 Up–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 the juvenile justice system and a slow-burn romance.

SORTINO, Anna. On the Bright Side. Putnam. ISBN 9780593697863.
Gr 8 Up–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.

STAFFORD,Rebecca. Rabbit & Juliet. HarperCollins/Quill Tree. ISBN 9780063351363.
Gr 9 Up–Rabbit’s alcoholic father is no obstacle when fierce, irresistible Juliet comes blazing in, leading the charge against Rabbit’s hideously toxic ex-boyfriend. A whirlwind of romance and violence asks questions of just how far readers would go for vengeance or love.

TAHIR, Sabaa. Heir. Putnam. ISBN 9780593616949.
Gr 9 Up–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 found family adventure for fantasy fans.

UNDERHILL, Edward. This Day Changes Everything. Wednesday Bks. ISBN 9781250835222.
Gr 8 Up–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 romance with depth where fate and the universe are calling the shots.

VISHNY, A. R. Night Owls. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063327306.
Gr 9 Up–A rich, expansive tale about a historic Yiddish theater and its two captivating vampiric comanagers in a race to save Molly’s girlfriend with the help of the boy Clara must not fall in love with. A fully drawn world creates space for many Jewish cultural details.

WHITE, Andrew Joseph. Compound Fracture. Peachtree Teen. ISBN 9781682636121.
Gr 10 Up–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. Hard-hitting and clear-eyed about vicious politics and hope’s resilience.