NYPL Recommends: New & Noteworthy for Teens

By Lynn Ann Lobash, Associate Director, Readers Services and Engagement
April 23, 2018

Here are some recently published titles that are getting praise from our YA specialists here at NYPL. Pick them up for your teen or yourself! 

Fiction

I Stop Somewhere

I Stop Somewhere by T.E. Carter

Psychological fiction and high literary merit. An all-too-familiar story about violence, rape culture, and the damaging shortcomings of the justice system in response to sexual assault.

Twelve Steps To Normal

Twelve Steps To Normal  by Farrah Penn

Realistic fiction with an authentic character, after a year away, Kira returns to her alcoholic father to find three of his rehab friends staying in their home.

What the Night Sings

What the Night Singsby Vesper Stamper

Moving historical fiction accompanied by minimalist illustrations. Liberated from a concentration camp in 1945, sixteen year old Greta tries to make a new life for herself.

Your One and Only

Your One and Only by Adrianne Finlay

Suspenseful, world-building, science fiction. Told from multiple perspectives, Jack is the only human living among a sea of clones.

Americanized

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi

San Jose, California, 1990s. A teenaged Sara, an Iranian born American keeps a diary documenting her experience as an undocumented immigrant.

Emergency Contact

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

A contemporary romance with well-developed, authentic and awkward characters.

The Way You Make Me Feel

The Way You Make Me Feelby Maurene Goo

When a prom prank turns into a brawl, Clara Shin is sentenced to spend the summer working in her father’s food truck with her enemy Rose Carver.

After the Shot Drops

After the Shot Dropsby Randy Ribay

Told from alternating perspectives, Bunny takes a basketball scholarship to an elite private school to help his family, leaving behind Nasir, his best friend, in their tough Philadelphia neighborhood.

The Queen’s Rising

The Queen’s Rising by Rebecca Ross

High fantasy with a strong female lead. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true—she is left without a patron.

Neverworld Wake

Neverworld Wake by Marisha Pessl

High stakes and compulsive with a not a single character you can trust. Five friends. Only one can survive the Neverworld Wake.

 

Graphic novels

Speak

Speak: The Graphic Novelby Laurie Halse Anderson

A disturbing and emotionally intense story matched with realistic black and white illustrations. A traumatic event at the end of the summer has a devastating effect on her freshman year.

Brazen

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Pénélope Bagieu

Comprised of the biographies of 30 extraordinary women from every corner of the world and every period in history.

Poetry

Poems for Listeners

Voices in the Air: Poems for Listenersby Naomi Shihab Nye

Reflective and thought-provoking. These poems pay tribute to voices past and present of inspirational figures.

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!