The West Des Moines Public Library Staff is sharing their favorite Young Adult picks from the year below! You can put the books on hold by clicking the titles, or you can stop by the display in front of the Accounts and Checkout Desk and see them in-person.
Check out our other lists!
Title: Akata Witch
Author: Nnedi Okorafor
Recommended By: Christine
Title: Celestial Monsters
Author: Aiden Thomas
Recommended By: Maggie
Title: Holes
Author: Louis Sachar
Recommended By: Christine
Title: The Girl in Question
Author: Tess Sharpe
Why I loved it: BEST. SEQUEL. EVER. (Please read The Girls I’ve Been!)
Recommended By: Maggie
Title: Pick the Lock
Author: A.S. King
Why I loved it: A.S. King always touches my heart with her books. They are usually fantastical and existential and weird, but they are always touching on a greater point that is universal.
Recommended by: Traci
Title: Pride and Prejudice and Pittsburgh
Author: Rachael Lippincott
Why I loved it: *Screaming into my pillow over how cute this was*
Recommended By: Maggie
Title: The Spirit Bares its Teeth
Author: Andrew Joseph White.
Recommended By: Sam
Why I loved it: This is a YA Fic. I have been greatly enjoying it because the perspective of the main narrator is a take we don't get often. The main character is a trans boy who is also autistic (the verbiage isn't used directly due to the time period being set in a Victorian setting). The story follows the main character through a world where violet eyed individuals, especially females, are treasured due to their connection with the Veil, a world between ours and the deceased. Females are betrothed and essentially bid on at a young age and the main character wants nothing to do with his betrothal. As he tries to avoid the destiny laid out for him, he is placed into a special school to cure his "sickness." The story is intriguing and suspenseful at times. I really have been enjoying it as a member of the LGBTQIA+ and neurodivergent community. I feel very "seen" by a lot of the situations found within.
Title: Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Author: Faridah Abike-Iyimide
Recommended By: Christine
Title: Wicked Things
Author: John Allison
Why I loved it: John Allison is my favorite comic book writer and illustrator. This series takes fan favorite Lottie, from his Bad Machinery series, and puts her in the middle of a murder mystery – where she’s the #1 suspect!
Recommended by: Traci