Young Adult Picks
Looking for something for the teenage reader in your life and don't know where to start? We've got you covered with these recommendations from our staff!
The Hunger Games
Author: Suzanne Collins
The first book in the ground-breaking Hunger Games trilogy. Set in a dark vision of the near future, a terrifying reality TV show is taking place. Twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen steps forward to take her younger sister's place in the games, she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature.
We recommend this classic of the genre for all those looking for an exciting read! Collins creates incredible tension in this book and there are some amazing characters you can't help but root for!
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A Good Girl's Guide to Murder : Book 1
Author: Holly Jackson
The case is closed. Five years ago, schoolgirl Andie Bell was murdered by Sal Singh. The police know he did it. Everyone in town knows he did it. But having grown up in the same small town that was consumed by the crime, Pippa Fitz-Amobi isn't so sure. When she chooses the case as the topic for her final project, she starts to uncover secrets that someone in town desperately wants to stay hidden. And if the real killer is still out there, how far will they go to keep Pip from the truth?
We recommend this as a young adult thriller novel for those looking for an utterly engrossing read! Once you've done with this one you should definitely read the sequel Good Girl, Bad Blood.
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Holes : 25th anniversary special edition
Author: Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats' family has a history of bad luck, so when a miscarriage of justice sends him to Camp Green Lake Juvenile Detention Centre (which isn't green and doesn't have a lake) he is not surprised. Every day he and the other inmates are told to dig a hole, five foot wide by five foot deep, reporting anything they find. Why? The evil warden claims that it's character building, but this is a lie. It’s up to Stanley to dig up the truth.
Holes is such a classic of the YA genre with a great film to accompany it; definitely give this one a read and then watch the movie afterwards!
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Shadow and Bone : Now a major Netflix show
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Soldier. Summoner. Saint.
Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold - a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed. Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country's magical military elite - and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.
The first of the bestselling trilogy, and it's been made into a thrilling Netflix production! Anyone looking for a some epic YA fantasy should make sure not to miss this!
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Cemetery Boys
Author: Aiden Thomas
Yadriel has summoned a ghost, and now he can't get rid of him. In an attempt to prove himself a true brujo and gain his family's acceptance, Yadriel decides to summon his cousin's ghost and help him cross to the afterlife. But things get complicated when he accidentally summons the ghost of his high school's resident bad boy, Julian Diaz - and Julian won't go into death quietly. The two boys must work together if Yadriel is to move forward with his plan. But the more time Yadriel and Julian spend together, the harder it is to let each other go.
Cemetery Boys is absolutely wonderful! With a super soft and adorable gay romance, fantastic trans masculine representation, and a core message of queer joy, this piece of spectacular queer latinx YA is well worth reading!
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The Hate U Give
Author: Angie Thomas
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice.
This is a fantastic and inspiring book - we would recommend it to anyone interested in books that discuss important social and cultural conflicts in a raw and riveting way.
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The Knife of Never Letting Go
Author: Patrick Ness
Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in a constant, overwhelming Noise. There is no privacy. There are no secrets. Then Todd Hewitt unexpectedly stumbles on a spot of complete silence. Which is impossible. And now he's going to have to run...
The start of a thrilling trilogy! Ness perfectly creates tension and builds an amazing dystopian world for you to get lost in. Once you've finished this one, you'll be champing at the bit to devour the second in the series, The Ask and the Answer.
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Mortal Engines
Author: Philip Reeve
The first book in the award-winning Mortal Engines quartet. In a dangerous future, huge motorized cities hunt, attack and fight each other for survival. As London pursues a small town, young apprentice Tom is flung out into the wastelands, where a terrifying cyborg begins to hunt him down. Mortal Engines launched Philip Reeve's brilliantly-imagined creation, the world of the Traction Era, where mobile cities fight for survival in a post-apocalyptic future.
This is the start of a great dystopian quartet, perfect for any reader who enjoys characters who aren't always the most likeable! The futuristic steampunk vibes are incredible, and the characters are so well written, we just have to recommend it!
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