ALA Alex Awards

The Alex Awards are given to ten books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 through 18.

Updated December 13, 2024
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1

The nickel boys : a novel
Whitehead, Colson
Paper Book
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * This follow-up to The Underground Railroad brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida. * "One of the most gifted novelists in...

2

Starter villain
Scalzi, John
Paper Book
Now a New York Times bestseller! Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place. Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher...

3

Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Paper Book
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF THE YEAR

4

Whalefall : a novel
Kraus, Daniel
Paper Book
Soon to be a major motion picture from 20th Century Studios A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of 2023 by Book Riot, Shelf Awareness, and NPR The Martian meets 127 Hours in this "astoundingly great"...

5

Fourth wing
Yarros, Rebecca
Paper Book
" Enter the brutal and elite world of a war college for dragon riders from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the...

6

Educated : a memoir
Westover, Tara
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES, WALL STREET JOURNAL, AND BOSTON GLOBE BESTSELLER * One of the most acclaimed books of our time: an unforgettable memoir about a young woman who, kept out of school, leaves her survivalist family and goes on to earn a PhD from Cambridge University ...

7

Babel : or the necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford translators' revolution
Kuang, R. F.
Paper Book
" From award-winning author R. F. Kuang comes Babel, a thematic response to The Secret History and a tonal retort to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell that grapples with student revolutions, colonial resistance, and the use of language and translation as the dominating tool...

8

Daughter of the moon goddess
Tan, Sue Lynn
Paper Book
The acclaimed national and international bestseller "Epic, romantic, and enthralling from start to finish."--Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series "An all-consuming work of literary fantasy that is breathtaking both for its beauty and its...

9

The Kaiju Preservation Society
Scalzi, John
Paper Book

10

Daisy Darker
Feeney, Alice
Paper Book
*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* "Alice Feeney is great with TWISTS and TURNS." --Harlan Coben The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of Rock Paper Scissors returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a...

11

La hija del Doctor Moreau
Moreno-Garcia, Silvia
Paper Book

12

Me alegro de que mi madre haya muerto
McCurdy, Jennette
Paper Book

13

Nettle & Bone
Kingfisher, T.
Paper Book
Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Novel An Instant USA Today & Indie Bestseller An Oprah Daily Top 25 Fantasy Book of 2022 A Vulture Best Fantasy Novel of 2022 An NPR Best Sci Fi, Fantasy, & Speculative Fiction Book of 2022 A...

14

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow
Zevin, Gabrielle
Stand-alone player

15

Circe
Miller, Madeline
Paper Book
This #1 New York Times bestseller is a "bold and subversive retelling of the goddess's story" that brilliantly reimagines the life of Circe, formidable sorceress of The Odyssey (Alexandra Alter, TheNew York Times). In the house of Helios,...

16

The one hundred years of Lenni and Margot : a novel
Cronin, Marianne
Paper Book
"A beautiful debut, funny, tender, and animated by a willingness to confront life's obstacles and find a way to survive. . . . It celebrates friendship, finds meaning in difficulty and lets the reader explore dark places while always allowing for the possibility of light. Lenni and Margot are...

17

Crossing the line : a fearless team of brothers and the sport that changed their lives forever
Rosser, Kareem
Paper Book
"A marvelous addition to the literature of inspirational sports stories." - Booklist (Starred Review) "This remarkable and inspiring story shines." - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "Crossing the Line will not just leave you with hope,...

18

How lucky : a novel
Leitch, Will
Paper Book
2022 Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel "A fantastic novel. . . . You are going to like this a lot."--Stephen King "What's more thrilling than a fictional character speaking to us in a voice we haven't heard before, a voice so authentic and immediate--think Huck Finn, Holden...

19

The library of the dead
Huchu, Tendai
Paper Book
Now a USA TODAY bestseller! Ilube Nommo Award 2022 for Best Novel "An absolute delight . . . kept me totally hooked." - Genevieve Cogman, bestselling author of The Invisible Library Sixth Sense meets Stranger Things<...

20

Malice
Walter, Heather
Paper Book
A princess isn't supposed to fall for an evil sorceress. But in this "bewitching and fascinating" (Tamora Pierce) retelling of "Sleeping Beauty," true love is more than a simple fairy tale.   "Walter's spellbinding debut is for all the queer girls and women who've...

21

The rose code : a novel
Quinn, Kate
Paper Book
Don't miss the thrilling new novel from Kate Quinn, The Briar Club "The reigning queen of historical fiction" -- Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue   The New York Times<...

22

Winter's orbit
Maxwell, Everina
Paper Book
A Sunday Times Bestseller! A 2022 Alex Award Winner! "Sparks fly" (NPR) in Everina Maxwell's gut-wrenching and romantic space opera debut. Prince Kiem, a famously disappointing minor royal and the Emperor's least favorite grandchild, has...

23

The witch's heart
Gornichec, Genevieve
Paper Book
Angrboda's story begins where most witch's tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to give him knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into a remote forest. There she is found by a man Loki, and her initial distrust grows into a...

24

Black sun
Roanhorse, Rebecca
Paper Book
NOMINATED FOR THE 2021 HUGO AWARDS AND THE 2020 NEBULA AWARDS FOR BEST NOVEL From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Resistance Reborn comes the first book in the Between Earth and Sky trilogy, inspired by the civilizations of the Pre-Columbian...

25

The house in the Cerulean Sea
Klune, TJ
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, INDIE and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER! A 2021 Alex Award winner! The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner! An Indie Next Pick! One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of...

26

The impossible first : from fire to ice--crossing Antarctica alone
O'Brady, Colin
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Colin O'Brady's awe-inspiring memoir spans his triumphant recovery from a tragic accident to his gripping 932-mile solo crossing of Antarctica. Prior to December 2018, no individual had ever crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone,...

27

Gender queer : a memoir
Kobabe, Maia
Paper Book
2020 ALA Alex Award Winner 2020 Stonewall -- Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was...

28

Kent State : four dead in Ohio
Backderf, Derf
Paper Book
From bestselling author Derf Backderf comes the untold story of the Kent State shootings-timed for the 50th anniversary On May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard gunned down unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University. In a deadly barrage of 67 shots, 4 students were...

29

The kids are gonna ask
Anthony, Gretchen
Paper Book
A 2021 Alex Award Winner! "A sparkling tale about fame and family... Fans of Elizabeth Berg and J. Ryan Stradal will relish the novel's humor, spark, and verve." --Booklist "Smart yet surprisingly sweet, this meditation on family and media is as...

30

The only good Indians : a novel
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From bestselling author Stephen Graham Jones comes a "masterpiece" (Locus Magazine) of a novel about revenge, cultural identity, and the cost of breaking from tradition. This is a remarkable horror story that "will give you nightmares-...

31

Plain bad heroines : a novel
Danforth, Emily M.
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A delectable brew of gothic horror and Hollywood satire . . . [and] what makes all this so much fun is Danforth's deliciously ghoulish voice . . . exquisite." --Ron Charles, THE WASHINGTON POST "A multi-faceted novel, equal parts gothic, sharply funny, sapphic...

32

Riot baby
Onyebuchi, Tochi
Paper Book
Winner of the 2021 World Fantasy AwardWinner of an 2021 ALA Alex Award Winner of the 2020 New England Book Award for FictionWinner of the 2021 Ignyte AwardWinner of the 2021 AABMC Literary Award A 2021 Finalist for...

33

Solutions and other problems
Brosh, Allie
Paper Book
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER For the first time in seven years, Allie Brosh--beloved author and artist of the extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller Hyperbole and a Half--returns with a new collection of comedic, autobiographical, and...

34

We ride upon sticks
Barry, Quan
Paper Book
In the town of Danvers, Massachusetts, home of the original 1692 witch trials, the 1989 Danvers Falcons will do anything to make it to the state finals--even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers. Against a background of irresistible 1980s iconography, Quan Barry...

35

A boy and his dog at the end of the world
Fletcher, Charlie
Paper Book
A "suspenseful, atmospheric tale. . .punctured by a gut-punch twist" (Entertainment Weekly), A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World is a story of survival, courage and hope amid the ruins of our world. My name's Griz. I've never been to school, I've never had...

36

Do you dream of Terra-Two?
Oh, Temi
Paper Book
An NPR favorite book of 2019 Winner of the ALA/YALSA Alex Award When an Earth-like planet is discovered, a team of six teens, along with three veteran astronauts, embark on a twenty-year trip to set up a planet for human colonization--but find that space is more...

37

Dominicana : a novel
Cruz, Angie
Paper Book
A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK Shortlisted for the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction "Through a novel with so much depth, beauty, and grace, we, like Ana, are forever changed." --Jacqueline Woodson, Vanity Fair "Gorgeous writing,...

38

In waves
Dungo, A. J.
Paper Book
A tale of love, heartbreak and surfing from an important new voice in comics. In Waves is Craig Thompson's Blankets meets William Finnegan's Barbarian Days. In this visually arresting graphic novel, surfer and illustrator AJ Dungo remembers his late partner,...

39

Middlegame
McGuire, Seanan.
Paper Book
A HUGO AWARD FINALIST! WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FANTASY NOVEL, 2020! A Pick on the 2020 RUSA Reading List! New York Times bestselling and Alex, Nebula, and Hugo-Award-winning author Seanan McGuire introduces readers to...

40

The swallows : a novel
Lutz, Lisa
Paper Book
A teacher at a New England prep school ignites a gender war--with deadly consequences--in this dark and provocative novel by the bestselling author of The Passenger   "Riveting . . . full of imagination and power."--Caroline Kepnes, author of You and...

41

The Black God's Drums
Clark, P. Djèlí.
Paper Book
Rising science fiction and fantasy star P. Djèlí Clark brings an alternate New Orleans of orisha, airships, and adventure to life in his immersive debut novella The Black God's Drums. Alex Award Winner! In an alternate New Orleans caught in the tangle...

42

The book of Essie
Weir, Meghan MacLean
Paper Book
FINALIST FOR THE 2018 NEW ENGLAND BOOK AWARD "Both timelessly beautiful and unbelievably timely."--Chris Bohjalian, New York Times bestselling author of Midwives and The Flight Attendant  A captivating novel of family, fame, and religion that...

43

The girl who smiled beads : a story of war and what comes after
Wamariya, Clemantine
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "The plot provided by the universe was filled with starvation, war and rape. I would not--could not--live in that tale."   Clemantine Wamariya was six years old when her mother and father began to speak in whispers, when neighbors began to...

44

Green : A Novel
Graham-Felsen, Sam
Paper Book
A coming-of-age novel about race, privilege, and the struggle to rise in America, written by a former Obama campaign staffer and propelled by an exuberant, unforgettable narrator.   "A riot of language that's part hip-hop, part nerd boy, and part pure imagination."--...

45

Home after dark : a novel
Small, David
Paper Book
David Small's long-awaited graphic novel is a savage portrayal of male adolescence gone awry like no other work of recent fiction or film. Wildly kaleidoscopic and furiously cinematic, Home After Dark is a literary tour-de-force that renders the brutality of adolescence in the...

46

Lawn boy
Evison, Jonathan
Paper Book
Recipient of the 2019 Alex Award​​ "Mike Muñoz Is a Holden Caulfield for a New Millennium--a '10th-generation peasant with a Mexican last name, raised by a single mom on an Indian reservation' . . . Evison, as in his previous four novels, has...

47

Spinning silver
Novik, Naomi
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "One of the year's strongest fantasy novels" (NPR), an imaginative retelling of the Rumpelstiltskin fairy tale from the bestselling author of Uprooted.NEBULA AND HUGO AWARD FINALIST * NAMED ONE OF PASTE'S...

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