2021-2022

South Carolina

Young Adult Book Award

Nominees

All Your Twisted Secrets

Diana Urban

What do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner, only to discover it's a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill...or else everyone dies.

Be Dazzled

Ryan La Sala

Seventeen-year-old Raffy is determined to win a cosplay competition that could lead to art school admission and respect for his talent, but being paired with his main competitor, ex-boyfriend Luca, complicates things.

The Bridge

Bill Konigsberg

Arriving at the George Washington Bridge at the same time with the intention of jumping, two suicidal teens, strangers to each other, reevaluate the reasons behind their despair and consider outcomes where either, both or neither of them go through with it.

Cemetery Boys

Aiden Thomas

Yadriel, a trans boy, summons the angry spirit of his high school's bad boy, and agrees to help him learn how he died, thereby proving himself a brujo, not a bruja, to his conservative family.

Charming as a Verb

Ben Philippe

Henri can charm just about anyone. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition. There is only one person who seems immune to Henri's charms: his "intense" classmate and neighbor Corinne. When she uncovers Henri's less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself. Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for.

Clap When You Land

Elizabeth Acevedo

An evocative novel in verse follows the experiences of two grieving sisters who navigate the loss of their father and the impact of his death on their relationship.

Displacement

Kiku Hughes

A teenager is pulled back in time to witness her grandmother's experiences in World War II-era Japanese internment camps.

Firekeeper’s Daughter

Angeline Boulley

Daunis, who is part Ojibwe, defers attending the University of Michigan to care for her mother and reluctantly becomes involved in the investigation of a series of drug-related deaths.

The Gilded Ones

Namina Forna

A debut entry in a series inspired by West African culture finds a supernatural teen ostracized by her superstitious community because of her differences before a mysterious woman invites her to fight for the emperor in an all-woman army.

Grown

Tiffany D. Jackson

When legendary R&B artist Korey Fields spots Enchanted Jones at an audition, her dreams of being a famous singer take flight. Until Enchanted wakes up with blood on her hands and zero memory of the previous night. Who killed Korey Fields? Before there was a dead body, Enchanted's dreams had turned into a nightmare. Because behind Korey's charm and star power was a controlling dark side. Now he's dead, the police are at the door, and all signs point to Enchanted.

The Inheritance Games

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Avery Grambs has a plan for a better future: survive high school, win a scholarship, and get out. But her fortunes change in an instant when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne dies and leaves Avery virtually his entire fortune. The catch? To receive her inheritance, Avery must move into sprawling, secret passage-filled Hawthorne House, where every room bears the old man's touch and his love of puzzles, riddles, and codes. Caught in a world of wealth and privilege, with danger around every turn, Avery will have to play the game herself just to survive.

Legendborn

Tracy Deonn

Wanting to escape her previous life after the accidental death of her mother, 16-year-old Bree enrolls in a program for high school students at the local university before her witness to a magical attack reveals her undiscovered powers as well as sinister truths about her mother’s death.

Lycanthropy and Other Chronic Illnesses

Kristen O’Neal

Forced to leave Stanford's pre-med program after contracting Lyme disease, Priya finds solace in an online chronic-illness support group and with best friend Brigid, whose own illness may be more unique than Priya suspected.

More Than Maybe

Erin Hahn

Eighteen-year-old Luke Greenly knows fame and wants nothing to do with it. Hiding his gift and secretly writing songs in his bedroom at night, he prefers the anonymous comfort of the locally popular podcast he co-hosts with his outgoing twin brother. But that's not Luke's only secret. He also has a major un-requited crush on music blogger, Vada Carsewell. Vada's got a five year plan and Luke Greenly is most definitely not on the list.

Prepped

Bethany Mangle

Raised among doomsday preppers, Becca Aldaine's life has centered on planning for the worst, but when her escape plan is jeopardized, she turns to the boy she is expected to marry and hopes for the best.

The Ravens

Kass Morgan & Danielle Paige

Loner Vivi Deveraux is thrilled to join Westerly College's Kappas, who are secretly witches, until she meets perfect, polished Scarlett Winter, who will stop at nothing to be the sorority's next president.

This is My America

Kim Johnson

Sending weekly letters to an organization she hopes will save her innocent father from death row, 17-year-old Tracy uncovers racist community secrets when her track star brother is wrongly accused of murder.

This is Not the Jess Show

Anna Carey

When strange things start happening in Jess Flynn's hometown of Swickley, the high-school junior suspects reality isn't as it seems and seeks to uncover the truth about her family, her friends, and her town.

Unscripted

Nicole Kronzer

When seventeen-year-old Zelda is chosen for an elite team at a prestigious improvisation camp, it is a big step toward achieving her dreams, but first she must survive her teammates' sexism and coach's cruelty.

Watch Over Me

Nina LaCour

A newly graduated Mila emerges from foster care to accept a job on an isolated Northern California Coast farm where she confronts haunting memories and the traumas of her fellow residents.

Recorded Book Talks

Novelist Plus (a database at www.scdiscus.org)

Book summaries and images courtesy of:

2021-2022 YABA Committee

Thank you to the 2020-21 SC Young Adult Book Award Committee:

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Landon Barden

Michele Carroll

Michelle Chase

Marie Davidsohn

Katherine Freligh

Karen Gaeris

Adalynn Hapeshis

Season Johnson

Beth Kelly

Candace Lett

Tiffany Paeschke

Amy Pittensbarger

Jillian Stroud

Danielle Tarvin

Sarah Trani

Anna Webb (chair)

Mia Yancey

Stephanie Yancey (vice chair)