Young Adult Best Fiction, Award Winners & Amazing Audiobooks 2019 and 2020: Home

It's 1981, and Hằng has taken a perilous journey by fishing boat from Việt Nam to Amarillo, Texas, to find her little brother, Linh. Her arrival is not as welcome as she had hoped, since Linh appears to have forgotten her.

Alex Award Winner. In 1965, 15-year-old Ana Cancion leaves the Dominican Republic married to a man twice her age and eventually discovers her own voice in Washington Heights, New York. Though historical fiction, this powerful immigrant story is increasingly relevant today.

After his mother gets a new job as a professor at the University of Texas, Norris, a Black French Canadian who has lived in Montreal his whole life, has to adjust to high school in Austin, Texas.

In America’s not-so-distant future, Muslim citizens are forced into internment camps, including 17-year-old Layla and her parents. Once there, Layla, with the help of fellow internees and an unlikely alliance with a guard, leads a resistance movement inside the camp.

Owen Foster lives a life of luxury at his boarding school—until it all comes crashing down in this slow-burn mystery. When he finds out that his father has been stealing his clients’ money and has now vanished, Owen moves home to live among people from whom his father stole.

Alex Award Winner.
dealistic Elwood and cynical Turner form an unlikely bond at Nickel Academy, a corrupt 1960s reform school, as they endure the abuse meted out by the sadistic warden. Their heart-wrenching story of physical and mental survival is based on the real-life experiences of children at the former Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys.

Pet lives in a world without monsters, or so she thinks. After a monster shows itself to her, she must work to uncover the secrets her world has been hiding and to protect people she loves.

Elisabeth is a foundling raised at one of the great libraries. Wishing to be a warden, she protects the world from the dangerous magical grimoires. She knows, as do all people, that magicians are evil, so when she gets caught up in a case of magical sabotage, things get hairy.

During the Great Depression and into WWII, Frankie and her younger sister are left at an orphanage in Chicago by their father as secrets are revealed through the eyes of a ghost, who narrates this tale of heartbreak, tragedy, and hope.

When it comes to music, Leah has it all together, but with other parts of her life, it's a totally different story. She's insecure about her drawing and hasn't been able to tell her best friends she's bisexual. Things get really complicated when she falls for someone she didn't expect.

After Jay, a Filipino American high school senior gets word that his once-close cousin and pen pal Jun is dead, he travels to the Philippines to uncover the truth.

Acevedo transforms everyday language into transcendent imagery in this novel-in-verse about Xiomara, who struggles to come into her own power amid her restrictive upbringing. Over the course of these lyrical, expressive, and honest poems, she grows from speaking with her fists to embracing her identity as the Poet X.

Alex Award Winner.
Miryem has earned a reputation for turning silver into gold, but soon her talent gains unwanted attention from a cold, cruel fae king. Now Miryem finds herself trapped in a bargain that will change her life and the lives of those around her in this magical, multilayered fairy tale. Winner.

During the Great Depression and into WWII, Frankie and her younger sister are left at an orphanage in Chicago by their father as secrets are revealed through the eyes of a ghost, who narrates this tale of heartbreak, tragedy, and hope.

After Dani’s graduation from the Medio School for Girls, where she trained to become a politician’s wife, a stranger opens her eyes to the privilege, oppressiveness, and excess of the ruling class, and she must decide whether to live forever in a gilded cage or take a stand.

Memoir of Michelle Obama's journey from child to professional and insights into her time as FLOTUS. Michelle's honest and heartfelt candor allows listeners to vicariously experience the many vicissitudes of her political and personal life.

Tara Westover grew up in isolation with six siblings, an herbalist mother, and a devout Mormon father, and at seventeen, she begins to fight for her education. Whelan gives an understated performance for the narration, which has enough dramatic action, such as the harrowing accidents the family experiences, to compel the story.

Inspired by ancient myths, plays, and epics, Miller’s “Circe” is the retelling of the goddess and sorceresses’ life and her influence on myths, monsters, and man. Weeks’ narration appropriately lyrical as a narrator of an epic; whilst, her character narrations are befitting their mood, tone, and divine status.

The Hemmings grandchildren dig through their own warped identities and personal tragedies, which stem from their dysfunctional family’s start under their deeply flawed grandparents, Gottfried and Marla.

Shining a light on the Spanish Civil War, Sepetys introduces Daniel, an 18-year-old American, and Ana, a native whose family has suffered under the Franco regime, whose romance takes center stage in this rich introduction to hidden history.

After Mickey Catalan, a star athlete, is sidelined by a car crash, she relies on pain medicine to help her recover faster. When she discovers that it isn't enough, Mickey spirals out of control, and her need for relief leads her to lie, steal, and shoot up.

Born to a heroin-addicted mother and an unknown father, Jarrett explores how his grandparents adopted him, what led him to become an artist, and his struggles and joys along the way. Jarrett himself narrates the book with a full cast, including many people from his actual life narrating their own voices.

Tiffany D. Jackson tells the story of three Brooklyn teens who plot to turn their murdered friend into a major rap star by pretending he's still alive. Four narrators beautifully voice the perspectives of four very different young people coming up in a 1997 and 1998 pre-gentrification Brooklyn landscape.

Bri’s life has not been easy, but her family’s struggles grow when her mom loses her job. Bri dreams of becoming a famous rapper as an answer to their troubles. In Bri’s quest to become a rapper, she must decide what she is willing to compromise. Turpin’s skilled narration brings all of the distinct characters to life.

When Mattie is found dead, her older sister and caretaker Sadie has only one goal; track down her killer. West McCray, a radio personality starts a podcast about Sadie’s disappearance, becoming obsessed with finding her before its too late. The full cast nail the intriguing premise and make this audio a nail-biting edge of your seat thriller.

In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action deeply personal stories from her life. Anderson’s voice starts small, mimicking the powerlessness of her childhood, and develops strength as she does, finding her stride as she discovers the library and speaks of favorite teachers who helped her.

Emoni Santiago's life has been tough decisions for her daughter and her Abuela. The one place she can let all that go is in the kitchen and once Emoni starts cooking her talent breaks free. Acevedo breathes life into her words and truly makes the story come alive.

Alex Award Winner.
Critically acclaimed indie rock duo Tegan and Sara Quin lay bare their teenage experiences, the oscillating euphoria and scintillation of first love, the jarring process of finding one's identity, and early forays into making music in this gorgeous dual memoir.