Looking for some books to start your fall reading? we have a full list of award-winning novels to get you started. Check them out below!
1. where things come back by john corey whaley
You are reading: Award winning young adult books
2012 winner michael l. printz and william c. Morris, this heartwarming and hilarious story of loss and redemption “explores grieving, second chances, and even the meaning of life” (Kirkus Reviews).
2. nancy the farmer’s scorpion house
winner of the national book award, as well as newbery and printz honors. This modern classic takes on an iron-fisted drug lord, clones bred for his organs, and what it means to be human.
3. the first part last by angela johnson
2004 winner michael l. printz award and margaret a. edwards award.
This little thing with the perfect face and hands does nothing but count on me. and me wanting nothing more than to run crying to my own mother’s room and make her do the whole thing. she will not pass…
4. a heart in a body in the world by deb caletti
a printz honor book. Every step in Annabelle’s 2,700-mile cross-country race brings her closer to confronting trauma from her past in National Book Award finalist Deb Caletti’s novel about the heart, all the ways it breaks, and its journey. towards healing. because sometimes against our will, against all odds, we move on.
5. scythe by neal shusterman
the best book of all time (2021). Two teenagers must learn the “art of killing” in this honor-winning book from Printz, the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Dystology of Relaxation.
6. copper sun by sharon m. draper
In this “scorching work of historical fiction” (book list), Coretta Scott King Award-winning author Sharon M. Draper tells the epic story of a girl torn from her African village, sold into slavery, and stripped of everything she had ever known except hope.
7. all american boys by jason reynolds and brendan kiely
a 2016 honor book by coretta scott king author and winner of the walter dean myers award for outstanding children’s literature.
In this new york times bestselling novel, two teenagers, one black and one white, grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and ultimately , the country. bitterly divided by racial tension.
8. aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz
the best book of all time (2021). This honor book from Printz is a “tender and honest exploration of identity” (Editors Weekly) that distills lyrical truths about family and friendship.
9. the black children of christina hammonds reed
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william c. morris award finalist.
Perfect for fans of the Hate You Give, this unforgettable debut coming-of-age novel explores themes of race, class, and violence through the eyes of a wealthy black teenager whose family gets caught up in the vortex of Rodney King’s 1992. riots
10. saints and misfits from s.k. there
saints and misfits—to william c. A Morris Award finalist and Entertainment Weekly Best Book of the Year, it’s a “timely and authentic” debut novel (School Library Journal, Featured Review) that feels like a modern day in my supposed life… starring a Muslim teenager.
11. long way down by jason reynolds
a newbery, printz honor, and coretta scott king award-winning novel, and an ode to lay down the damn guns, this is new york times bestselling author jason reynolds’ electrifying novel, set in sixty powerful seconds : the time it takes a boy to decide whether or not he is going to kill the guy who killed his brother.
12. legendborn by tracy deonn
winner of the coretta scott king – john steptoe award for author of new talent. Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s LegendBorn contemporary fantasy delivers the dark allure of the City of Bones with a modern twist on a classic legend and plenty of Southern black girl magic.
13. kira-kira by cynthia kadohata
newbery wing medal winner.
kira-kira (kee ra kee ra): bright; bright
bright. this is how katie takeshima’s sister lynn makes it all look like. the sky is kira-kira because its color is deep but transparent at the same time. the sea is kira-kira for the same reason. and so are people’s eyes. When Katie and her family move from a Japanese community in Iowa to the Deep South of Georgia, it’s Lynn who explains to her why people stop in the street to watch.
14. starfish by akemi alba bowman
william c. morris award finalist a half-Japanese teenager grapples with social anxiety and her narcissistic mother after a crushing rejection of art school in this “strikingly beautiful and nuanced debut” (book list, featured review).
15. the boy in the black suit by jason reynolds
a coretta scott king author honors book 2016
Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle more terrible news, he meets a girl he’s dealt with a lot more and who might be able to give him clues on how to get up. when life keeps knocking you down, in this “vivid, satisfying, and ultimately upbeat story of pain, redemption, and grace” (kirkus reviews) by jason reynolds.
16. darling, baby, darling by deb caletti
a summer romance headed for heartbreak turns into a mother-daughter road trip in the name of true love in this story of love, loss, and redemption from printz medal of honor winner and award finalist book national, deb caletti.
17. wicked by pete hautman
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winner of a national book award.
“why mess with Catholicism when you can have your own custom religion?” Fed up with the boring old religion of his parents, Jason Bock, an agnostic and atheist, invents a new god: the city’s water tower. He recruits an unlikely group of adorers: his best friend Shin, a snail farmer, Magda Price, who is cute as a button (whatever that means), and the violent and unpredictable Henry Stagg. . as his religion grows, he takes on a life of his own.
18. tell me something real by calla devlin
Three sisters wrestle with the ties that hold their family together as they face a darkness that settles over their lives in this “one-of-a-kind” debut novel (Kirkus Reviews, Review Featured) which was a William Award Finalist. c. mori award.
19. enchanted air by margarita engle
In this poetic memoir, which won the Pura Belpré Author Award and was named a recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award, acclaimed author Margarita Engle tells how she grew up as the daughter of two cultures during the Cold War.
20. when i was the best by jason reynolds
winner of the coretta scott king – john steptoe award for author of new talent.
from the new york times #1 bestselling author jason reynolds, a “funny and rewarding” (publishers weekly) novel about friendship and loyalty across neighborhood boundaries and the difficulties of life for an urban teenager.
21. unforgivable by chris lynch
finalist for the national book award.
date rape, from the defendant’s point of view, is the subject of this “finely crafted, thought-provoking page turner” (slj), a finalist for the national book award winning author of honor printz, chris lynch.
22. the rock and the river of kekla magoon
margaret a. Edwards Award and Coretta Scott King – John Steptoe Award.
In this “taut, eloquent first novel” (book list, review featured), a young black man wrestles with conflicting notions of revolution and family loyalty when he becomes involved with the black panthers in 1968 chicago.
23. tears of a tiger by sharon m. draper
margaret a. Edwards and the Coretta Scott King-John Steptoe Award for New Talent Author.
Andy addresses his guilt and pain in Sharon M’s first book. draper’s award-winning hazel wood trilogy.
24. noggin by john corey whale
2014 National Book Award Finalist, Best Book of All Time (2021), Travis Coates has a good head…on someone else’s shoulders. A poignant and hilarious “Tour de Force of Imagine and Empathy” (Book List, Featured Review) by John Corey Whaley, author of the Printz and Morris Award-winning book Where Things Come Back.