130 Best YA Novels Of All Time

In the biggest mix of video game references and a super high-tech near future, a young kid tries to be the first to win a Willy Wonka-style of competition to win a rich fortune and change his life.

No matter where you are on your natural hair journey, you’ll appreciate this comic. Follow Marlene’s experience in accepting everything about her, especially her hair, in this award-winning graphic novel.

The Poet X tells the story of a young Afro-Latina woman who—embarrassed by her new curves and feeling defenseless in her Harlem neighborhood—discovers the world of slam poetry, through which she can express her frustration with her words instead of her fists.

Like a Love Story takes place in 1989 New York City, following three teens—a closeted Iranian immigrant, an aspiring fashion designer, and an openly gay photographer—who find themselves in a love triangle that threatens all of their bonds.

Set in 2002 following the events of 9/11, A Very Large Expanse of Sea follows sixteen-year-old Shirin, a Muslim girl who finds herself experiencing prejudice and hate at every turn…and when she finally does meet someone who wants to get to know her, she’s not sure whether she can let him in.

When an ambitious teen’s suicide attempt lands him in a psychiatric hospital, he finally gets a chance to confront the sources of his anxiety and depression away from the pressures of his elite Manhattan high school (and it’s a lot funnier than it sounds, promise).

When Julia’s perfect older sister Olga is killed in a tragic accident, Julia is forced to sweep in and keep her family from falling apart…but they only seem interested in reminding Julia of all the ways she failed them. Gut-wrenching is an understatement with this one.

In this surprisingly hilarious debut, a half-Persian teen with clinical depression who doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere takes his first trip to Iran, where he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who finally makes him feel seen and understood.

Beasts of Prey is the first installment in a trilogy, following two Black teens who must make a tenuous alliance to hunt down the vicious monster that has plagued their city of Lkossa for nearly a century.

The first book in an epic trilogy, Daughter of Smoke & Bone revolves around a blue-haired art student living in Prague whose encounter with a gorgeous stranger in a Marrakesh alley finally gives her some answers about who she really is…and things only get more complex from there.

What happens when aliens inform a teenager that the world will end in 144 days, and he’s the only one who can save it? Henry must decide whether the world is actually worth saving—or whether a clean slate is exactly what he and the world need.

Though Greg hopes to keep a low profile throughout his senior year alongside his kind-of-friend Earl, that all changes after his mom forces him to befriend a girl with cancer…which consequently changes everything for him.

In Sadie, a 19-year-old runaway from small town Colorado attempts to avenge the brutal murder of her little sister—and unbeknownst to Sadie, her journey is being closely followed by a popular radio personality, who’s desperate to find her based on the clues she’s left behind.

Written in verse, this spare, gorgeous novel centers on a Muslim teen who lives alone with her widowed mom and faces bullying at school due to rising Islamophobia in their community. The only way she can escape her pain: to drean up an alternate life for herself.

Set in 1954 Chinatown, Last Night at the Telegraph Club follows queer teen Lily as she discovers a lesbian bar where anything seem possible…even while Red-Scare paranoia threatens her family and everything she holds dear.

Infused with magic realism, this dreamy novel follows two inseparable besties who find their secrets (and Miel’s magical abilities) threatened by the Bonner girls, four gorgeous and dangerous sisters rumored to be witches.

This epic fantasy novel takes place in a world inspired by ancient Rome, following an impoverished young woman who agrees to take on a dangerous mission as a spy in a military academy after her brother is arrested for treason.