The Best YA of 2024
At Malvern
Fiction
Everything We Never Had by Randy Ribay
YA F RIBAY E
264 pages
Set in the 1930s to today, four generations of Filipino American boys grapple with identity, masculinity, and father-son relationships.
Twenty-four Seconds from Now: a Love Story by Jason Reynolds
YA F REYNOLDS T
239 pages
In a series of moments spanning two years, seventeen-year-old Neon navigates the progression of his relationship with Aria, culminating in a case of the jitters as the two intend to take the next big step in their relationship.
Ariel Crashes a Train by Olivia A. Cole
YA F COLE A
449 pages
Ariel grapples with her fear of her own mind and violent fantasies, driven by her desire to meet her parents' expectations and societal norms, until a summer job at a carnival leads her to new friends who help her discover her struggle with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and find acceptance and support for her true self.
The Ballad of Darcy & Russell by Morgan Matson
YA F MATSON B
392 pages
Eighteen-year-old Darcy, a firm believer in love at first sight, finds herself stranded at a bus station the night before leaving for college, until she meets Russell, sparking a whirlwind of unexpected adventures and heartfelt connections as they unravel the possibility of falling in love in just one day.
Graphic Novels
Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia
YA GRAPHIC TEE B
315 pages
In the summer of 1995, almost-fifteen-year-old Almudena is sent to live with her estranged Spanish-speaking father, and together they renovate a brownstone and build a relationship while Almudena navigates the Latin American side of her heritage for the first time.
Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang
YA GRAPHIC YANG
343 pages
Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed--no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?
Nonfiction
Black Girl You are Atlas by Renée Watson
YA 811.6 WATSON
81 pages
Poet Renée Watson looks back at her childhood and urges readers to look towards their futures with love, understanding, and celebration in this fully illustrated poetry collection.
Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States by J. Albert Mann
YA 331.809 M
409 pages
This eye-opening and engaging history of the worker actions that brought us weekends, pay equality, desegregation, an end to child labor and more documents how the labor movement has shaped America and how it intersects with many of the major issues facing modern teens.
For more recommendations, stop by the library and ask a librarian!