2018 School Spending Survey Report
42 Diverse Must-Have YA Titles for Every Library
SLJ editors have chosen the following 42 works as must-have diverse YA titles for every teen librarian’s collection.
My fascination with YA polls began when Time published its call for the 100 Best Young Adult Books. An avid fan of teen lit, I of course participated. And I was just as dismayed as most of the librarian community to see the results: a hodgepodge of non-YA children’s lit and classics, and the usual suspects—John Green, Judy Blume, and Laurie Halse Anderson (deservedly so). I hoped that a poll of must-have YA made for librarians would yield better (and more diverse) results. And it did—as you can see here. But despite the recent call for the diverse books in the librarian community, these results still don’t completely reflect the community of teens whom librarians serve. And they don’t offer enough windows and mirrors for the young people who deserve to see themselves and their peers in the books made for them. As we celebrate 50 years of YA (launched by Booklist), let’s celebrate the, diverse titles and milestones (see this wonderful list compiled by Edith Campbell) that should be highlighted along with works long-considered part of the classic YA canon. Taking into account the books that were voted in by SLJ readers and considering the plethora of YA fiction and nonfiction published since the poll was first posted, School Library Journal editors have chosen the following 42 works as must-have YA titles for every teen librarian’s collection, in addition to our Top 100 YA. Did we miss any of your favorites? Please add them in the comments. Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah. Scholastic. 2007. Stonewall: Breaking Out in the Fight for Gay Rights by Ann Bausum. Viking. 2015. Tyrell by Coe Booth. Scholastic. 2006. Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices edited by Lisa Charleyboy & Mary Beth Leatherdale. Annick. 2016. The Reader by Traci Chee. Putnam. 2016. Ball Don’t Lie by Matt de la Peña. Delacorte. 2005. Forged by Fire by Sharon M. Draper. Atheneum. 1997. If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan. Algonquin. 2013. The Great American Whatever by Tim Federle. S. & S. 2016. The Skin I’m In by Sharon G. Flake. Hyperion. 1999. Conviction by Kelly Loy Gilbert. Disney-Hyperion. 2015. Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes. Dial. 2001. Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice by Phillip Hoose. Farrar. 2009. Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World edited by Kelly Jensen. Algonquin. 2017. Like No Other by Una LaMarche. Penguin/Razorbill. 2014. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan. Knopf. 2003. “March Trilogy” by John Lewis & Andrew Aydin. illus. by Nate Powell. Top Shelf. Becoming Maria: Love and Chaos in the South Bronx by Sonia Manzano. Scholastic. 2015. Burn, Baby, Burn by Meg Medina. Candlewick. 2016. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. S & S. 2017. A Step from Heaven by An Na. Boyds Mills. 2001. Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection ed. by Hope Nicholson. AHComics. 2015. “Prophecy” series by Ellen Oh. HarperTeen. Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor. Viking. 2011. Shadowshaper by Daniel José Older. Scholastic. 2015. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez. Calorhoda Lab. 2015. Rhythm Ride: A Road Trip Through the Motown Sound by Andrea Davis Pinkney. Roaring Brook. 2015. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo. Flatiron Bks. 2016. X: A Novel by Ilyasah Shabazz & Kekla Magoon. Candlewick. 2015. The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook. 2014. Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook. 2017. Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story by Caren Stelson. Carolrhoda. 2016. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson. HarperTeen. 2015. Almost Astronauts: 13 Women Who Dared To Dream by Tanya Lee Stone. Candlewick. 2009. Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. Scholastic. 2011. This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. First Second. 2014. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. HarperCollins. 2017. Samurai Rising: The Epic Life of Minamoto Yoshitsune by Pamela S. Turner. illus. by Gareth Hinds. Charlesbridge. 2016. Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson. Bloomsbury. 2017. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon. Delacorte. 2015. The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon. Delacorte. 2016.
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JRW
Not a fan of This One Summer. I find the bits about Native Americans troubling.Posted : Aug 22, 2017 08:35
Dee Price
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your --- By Meg Medina All American Boys. The Boy In The Black Suit, and As Brave As You by Jason Reynolds The Crossover by Kwame AlexanderPosted : Aug 20, 2017 09:16
Alisha
Kiffe kiffe tomorrow by Faiza Guene Falling Boy by Allison McGhee Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz Huntress Malinda Lo Five Flavors of Dumb by Anothny John She is not invisible Marcus Sedgwick Hurricane dancers Margarita englePosted : Aug 19, 2017 09:43
Kim Lawson
What a great selection! I would like to add that Robert Mackey's YA books entertain, educate and should be in libraries everywhere. Dr Antonio's adventures in Costa Rica is a trilogy ... Trouble with Howlers, Trouble on the High Seas and Trouble Down Under. Your local library can order them from Amazon. The Other Side of the Wall will be ready in September. Another great adventure story!Posted : Aug 19, 2017 07:03
Teffanie
Dirt by Teffanie Thompson. Brown Girl Books, 2016Posted : Aug 19, 2017 10:21
Quiet
Is there any evidence for the idea that minorities are more likely to enjoy books that are written by minority authors or about minority issues? A lot of the books on this list seem good for teaching people about diversity, but maybe not quite as good for getting diverse audiences excited about reading. I just think it should be recognized that these may be competing goals. It can be condescending when people assume minorities want to read about what it's like to be a minority. I think people of all sorts just like good fiction no matter where it comes from.Posted : Aug 19, 2017 10:18
Nichole Shabazz
Solo by Kwame AlexanderPosted : Aug 19, 2017 03:45
Ailynn Collins
Great list. I'd like to add: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow American Born Chinese and Boxers and Saints by Gene Luen Yang Orleans by Sherri Smith Little and Lion by Brandy Colbert The Wrath and the Dawn (duology) by Renee Adieh It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura I'll stop there. I could go on!Posted : Aug 19, 2017 02:06
Anne Ursu
On the Edge of Gone by Corinne Duyvis and Rogue by Lyn Miller-Lachmann are terrific.Posted : Aug 17, 2017 06:16
Jennifer Schultz
The Living (Matt de la Pena)--I read this in one night--and I don't often binge read. Fantastic survival/dystopian novel. Mirador series (Dan Wells)--I'm not much of a sci fi/futuristic reader, but since it's so popular with our YA patrons, I read enough so that I can make recommendations. Virtual reality series featuring a girl gamer. A Time to Dance (Padma Venkatraman)--compelling story about a young dancer who has to deal with life after losing her leg in an accident. Set in India. One (Sarah (Sarah Crossan)--two conjoined sisters must have separation surgery when a heart condition becomes life threatening. Effectively captures the psychology and rebellion that teens with chronic/life threatening conditions face. Enchanted Air (Margarita Engle)--my favorite YA title from Engle (Mountain Dog is my top favorite, but not YA). Although her memoir is set during the Cuban Missile Crisis, this is timely in that it is an eye-opening look in what it's like to be thought of as "the enemy." Queen of Secrets (Jenny Meyerhoff)--I really like this one because the main character is a Jewish girl living outside of a major metropolitan city. Essie is a popular cheerleader who comes face to face with anti-Semitism when her observant cousin transfers to her school. Gold Medal Winter (Donna Freitas)--this is on the young end of YA. Main character is an elite figure skater of Dominican descent. A fun read (hoping for more figure skating novels before the 2018 Olympics, but I haven't heard of any! We had a slew of gymnastics chapter books and YA novels before the 2016 Games, including Tumbling by Caela Carter...one of the characters is lesbian). Shame the Stars (Guadalupe Garcia McCall)--McCall's best work so far, set on the Texas-Mexico border in 1911.Posted : Aug 16, 2017 12:48
Melanie
Is there a Jewish-themed window or mirror book on this list, or on the list you linked to by Edi Campbell? I didn't notice any, but I probably do not know all the books on these lists as well as you do.Posted : Aug 15, 2017 01:55
Lynne Perednia
My middle schoolers and I loved Sharon Flake and Sharon Draper; good to see them included! Sherman Alexie's Absolutely True Diary should always be included. Also, One Crazy Summer, P.S. Be Eleven and Gone Crazy in Alabama by Rita Garcia Williams; Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai; Under the Mesquite by Guadalupe Garcia McCall; Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez; and, among so many Jackie Woodson books, After Tupac and D Foster.Posted : Aug 13, 2017 09:31
Teresa
I can also recommend two by Zan Romanoff, A Song to Take the World Apart, and Grace and the Fever. She is a wonderful writer!Posted : Aug 11, 2017 09:52
Curtis Sarad
Boy Meets Boy is already in the main top 100 list, so I think Levithan's Two Boys Kissing should be swapped here.Posted : Aug 11, 2017 05:58
Robbin W Miller
Please include "Three Best Friends," by Robbin Miller. It is a heart touching story of a boy who gets his wheelchair stuck in the wood chips of a new community playground. Feeling hurt and humiliated, the protagonist, is determined to find a way to join his two best friends despite being verbally bullied and learning the true meaning of friendship. Based loosely upon a true story in Massachusetts.Posted : Aug 11, 2017 01:36
Sarah Stevenson
Wonderful selection of titles. I would have loved to see MARE'S WAR by Tanita Davis on this list! It's a Coretta Scott King honor book.Posted : Aug 11, 2017 12:07
Sandy Hernandez
Good Girls Don't Lie by Alexandra Diaz. It was published by a small publisher and didn't get the publicity it deserves. It's a Latino book, with a little of LGBT, as well as being about teen pregnancy. Realistic and occasionally funny!Posted : Aug 10, 2017 11:26
Erin Murphy
The Queen of Water by Laura Resau and Maria Virginia Farinango; Fat Angie by e.E. Charlton-Trujillo; Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis; Trigger by Susan Vaught. Full disclosure: These authors are all represented by my agency--but all four books received quite a lot of recognition and all express diverse elements--three of four are #ownvoices, and the fourth has a marginalized identity different from her protagonist.Posted : Aug 10, 2017 07:47
Mary-Lou Gelissen
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Alexie Sherman, Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis. These are all starred reviews or award winners.Posted : Aug 10, 2017 12:32
Eli Oldham
I'd add Looking for Group by Rory Harrison as well.Posted : Aug 09, 2017 10:07
Katie Slayter
Maybe I missed it, but I was shocked there was no Micheal Vey or Riordan. They are both staples at our library. You have other tween books, so I wasn't sure why they were left off.Posted : Aug 09, 2017 08:05