Unearth a Story: 2026 Summer Reading Young Adult Book List

Great new summer reads for teens ages 13 and above.

Updated April 17, 2026
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Sussex County Library System (NJ) Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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Unearth a Story: 2026 Summer Reading Young Adult Book List

Great new summer reads for teens ages 13 and above.

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Call me Iggy
Aguirre, Jorge Augusto
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the Year A School Library Journal Best Book of the YearWinner of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics Iggy is an Ohio-born Colombian American teen who's got a pretty easygoing life . . . for now....
Vesuvius
Biehn, Cass
Paper Book
'A thrilling star-crossed romance filled with intrigue, longing, and the looming dread of impending disaster. The explosive finale will have readers holding their breath' Erik J. Brown, author of All That's Left in the World Felix is...
Toxic summer
Charm, Derek
Paper Book
"Laugh-out-loud humor and wildly fun" --Booklist "A good choice for teen readers looking for a fun, LGBTQIA+, high-octane romp." --School Library Journal Perfect summer plans become a nightmare beach party in this slimy, spooky, madcap summer mystery from...
Dreamover
Diaz, Dani
Paper Book
In this captivating debut YA graphic novel, two best friends becoming more than friends feels like a dream come true. But when one sleepover literally turns into a dream, will they ever want to wake up again? Amber's a headstrong goofball with a temper. Nico's a shy, self...
Cruel Summer (the Taylors Version #2)
Eulberg, Elizabeth
Paper Book
Four girls, all named Taylor, make for one unforgettable friendship! International bestseller Elizabeth Eulberg follows four stories of first love, friendship, and heartbreak. Don't miss the sister novel, Jen Calonita's The Taylors! The Taylors -- Teffy, Tay, TS, and Taylor -...
It's not summer without you
Han, Jenny.
Paper Book
Now a blockbuster original series on Prime Video! Will Belly choose Jeremiah or Conrad? Belly finds out what comes after falling in love in this follow-up to The Summer I Turned Pretty from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved...
The summer I turned pretty
Han, Jenny.
Paper Book
Now a blockbuster original series on Prime Video! Will Belly choose Jeremiah or Conrad? Belly has an unforgettable summer in this stunning start to the Summer I Turned Pretty series from the New York Times bestselling author of To All the Boys I've Loved Before...
When I Was Death
Henderson, Alexis.
Paper Book
Final Destination meets House of Hollow in this haunting and lyrical speculative horror about a group of girls doing Death's bidding in exchange for preserving their own lives. 'The kind of story I wish I could experience for the first time all over again.' Angela...
What the river knows
Ibañez, Isabel (Novelist)
Paper Book
'BURNING WITH ROMANCE' STEPHANIE GARBER 'ALL THE STARS' HEATHER FAWCETT 'A ROMANTIC, SPELLBINDING ADVENTURE' REBECCA ROSS The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in this lush, immersive historical romantasy set in 19th century Egypt, filled...
We were warned
Ichaso, Chelsea
Paper Book
Everyone knows the legend of Fairport Village: twenty-five years ago, a shocking murder closed the place down. This year, the ruins will be bulldozed at last. But tonight, it's not too late to die. All her life, Eden Stafford has heard the lore about the abandoned beach resort at the edge...
The American dream? : a journey on Route 66, discovering dinosaur statues, muffler men, and the perfect breakfast burrito
Khor, Shing Yin
Paper Book
As a child growing up in Malaysia, Shing Yin Khor had two very different ideas of what "America" meant. The first looked a lot like Hollywood, full of beautiful people, sunlight, and freeways. The second looked more like The Grapes of Wrath--a nightmare landscape filled with impoverished...
They All Had a Fear
Leathers, Michele
Paper Book
A past. A debt. A reckoning. A murder. After her aunt's death, Winter Covington and her mother inherit her beach house in a quiet seaside town. Unfortunately for them, they arrive just as dead bodies begin washing up on shore. Both residents and tourists are terrorized by the...
The Roommate Arrangement
Markum, Samantha.
Paper Book
When Blair accidentally becomes college roommates with her brother's best friend, sparks fly in this hilarious rom-com from bestselling author Samantha Markum, perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and Emma Lord. Blair might be a little type-A, but she never thought of herself as...
One piece. Volumes 13, 14, 15
Oda, Eiichiro
Paper Book
Join Monkey D. Luffy and his swashbuckling crew in their search for the ultimate treasure, the One Piece. As a child, Monkey D. Luffy dreamed of becoming King of the Pirates. But his life changed when he accidentally ate the Gum-Gum Fruit, an enchanted Devil Fruit that gave him...
Every hidden thing
Oppel, Kenneth
Paper Book
Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in rock and sand, lies the skeleton of a massive dinosaur, larger than anything the world has ever seen. To seventeen-year-old Samuel Boltjust kicked out of schoolits the Rex, the king dinosaur that could put him and his archaeologist father in the history...
Slow Burn
Rutter, Bethany
Paper Book
A sporty, feel-good, body-positive rom-com pits a plus-size teen against her bullies to prove what she already knows--that she has exactly the right stuff. Sixteen-year-old Ruby has worked hard to be happy in her body, even when other people--including her brother and her PE...
The dead of summer
La Sala, Ryan
Paper Book
A heart-pounding thriller told in a mix of narrative voices and found documents from the bestselling author of The Honeys, perfect for fans of Tiffany D. Jackson, E. Lockhart, Karen McManus, and Rory Powers! Two Days Before Ollie Veltman is finally coming home...
Enchanted to Meet You
Stout, Cara
Paper Book
Fake dating and fake royalty lead to real love in this contemporary rom-com debut set at an amusement park, perfect for fans of Lynn Painter and fairytale happily ever afters. Once upon a time in a fake castle not so far away . . . Imogen Rogers dreams of happily-ever-afters--but...
Sundown Girls
Stratton, L S
Paper Book
In the tradition of Jordan Peele and Tiffany Jackson's The Weight of Blood, a YA thriller about a Black teen whose fight for survival forces a small southern vacation town to face its dark history of racial violence. * "A riveting, emotionally resonant thriller ...
Lying about last summer
Wallman, Sue
Paper Book
  A nail-biting teen thriller that will have you gripped from start to finish. Skye's sister died last year in a tragic accident, so this summer Skye's parents think that a camp for troubled teenagers might help her process her grief. All of the kids at the summer camp...
Audre & Bash are just friends
Williams, Tia
Paper Book
'First love at its finest' JASMINE GUILLORY 'Five stars for Audre & Bash are Just Friends' MEG CABOT MEET AUDRE. Junior class president. Debate team captain. Unofficial student therapist. Desperately in need of a good time. ...
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