2025 Color Our World Young Adult Book List

The 2025 Summer Reading Lists are full of book titles to keep young adults engaged in reading and exploring throughout the summer. These books have been selected because they have received very good reviews or are award winning fiction and nonfiction books. This books are available through the Sussex County Library System.

Updated December 14, 2024
S
Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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49 days
Lee, Agnes
Paper Book
Day 1 Gotta get up. Gotta keep moving. This map - it says I have to cross over here. Wait, what's that...? And so begins a graphic novel story unlike any other: 49 Days. In Buddhist tradition, a person must travel for forty-nine...
Accountable :
Slater, Dashka.
Paper Book
YALSA AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION WINNER ● From the New York Times-bestselling author of The 57 Bus comes Accountable, a propulsive and thought-provoking true story about the revelation of a racist social media account that changes everything for...
Adventures of Mary Jane /
Jahren, Hope.
Paper Book
The bestselling, award-winning author of Lab Girl reimagines the world Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the point of view of a smart and determined young woman: Mary Jane, the red-headed spark who stole Huck's heart. "A journey not just along the...
All my rage /
Tahir, Sabaa.
Paper Book
National Book Award WINNER Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature WINNER An INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! An INSTANT INDIE BESTSELLER! "All My Rage is a love story, a tragedy and an infectious teenage fever dream about what home...
Ariel crashes a train /
Cole, Olivia A.
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD * A COSMOPOLITAN BEST YA BOOK OF THE YEAR * A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, BOOKLIST AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR Exploring the harsh reality of OCD and violent intrusive thoughts in stunning,...
The blood years /
Arnold, Elana K.
Paper Book
Winner of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Named a best book of the year by the Boston Globe, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, SLJ, ALA Booklist, the Horn Book, and more Recipient of five starred reviews From Michael L. Printz honoree & National Book Award...
The breakup lists /
Khorram, Adib,
Paper Book
Love is more complicated than "boy meets boy" in bestselling author Adib Khorram's sharply funny new romantic comedy, set in the sordid world of high school theater Jackson Ghasnavi is a lot of things-a techie, a smoothie afficionado, a totally not obsessive list-maker-but one...
The collectors :
Paper Book
Winner of the 2024 Michael L. Printz Award A National Bestseller From Michael L. Printz Award winner A.S. King and an all-star team of contributors including Anna-Marie McLemoreand Jason Reynolds, an anthology of stories about remarkable people and their strange and...
Crashing into you /
Callen, Rocky,
Paper Book
In this fiercely moving YA romance novel, Leti Rivera's love of street racing is put to the test when tragedy strikes her family and threatens to tear her apart from the boy she's falling for. Seventeen-year-old Leti Rivera dreams of becoming a famous female street racer. Her...
The deep dark /
Ostertag, Molly,
Paper Book
From Molly Knox Ostertag, writer-illustrator of the New York Times and ABA Indie bestselling The Witch Boy trilogy and The Girl from the Sea, comes a darkly beautiful story of identity, family, love, loss, and magic. Everyone has secrets. Mags's has teeth. Magdalena...
Dig /
King, A. S.
Paper Book
Winner of the Michael L. Printz Medal ★"King's narrative concerns are racism, patriarchy, colonialism, white privilege, and the ingrained systems that perpetuate them. . . . [Dig] will speak profoundly to a generation of young people who are waking up to...
Everything sad is untrue :
Nayeri, Daniel.
Paper Book
WINNER, MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD WINNER, CHRISTOPHER AWARD WINNER, MIDDLE EAST BOOK AWARD WALTER AWARD HONOR   National Bestseller NPR Best of the Year New York Times Best of the Year ...
Firekeeper's daughter
Boulley, Angeline
Paper Book
A PRINTZ MEDAL WINNER! A MORRIS AWARD WINNER! AN AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH LITERATURE AWARD YA HONOR BOOK! A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB YA PICK An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller Soon to be adapted at Netflix...
Forever is now /
Lockington, Mariama,
Paper Book
SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD WINNER ● A poignant and lyrical young adult novel-in-verse about a Black teen coming of age in an anxiety-inducing world, from the author of For Black Girls Like Me and In the Key of Us. I'm safe here. ...
Gather /
Cadow, Kenneth M.,
Paper Book
Winner of the Kirkus Prize  A National Book Award Finalist A Michael L. Printz Honor Book "Arguably one of the finest novels of the year."--Booklist (starred review) A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family...
The girl, the ring, & the baseball bat /
Gomera-Tavarez, Camille,
Paper Book
Rosie: Capricorn. Does great in class. Wants nothing more than to get into the prestigious Innovation Technical Institute and kiss this awful school goodbye. Her talisman: a magical jacket from her mother's past that gets people to do whatever she says. Caro:<...
Gleanings :
Shusterman, Neal
Paper Book
The New York Times bestselling Arc of the Scythe series continues with "captivating...thrilling" (School Library Journal) stories that span the timeline. Storylines continue. Origin stories are revealed. And new Scythes emerge! There are still countless tales of the...
I'd rather burn than bloom /
Rogers, Shannon C. F.,
Paper Book
Packed with voice, Shannon C.F. Rogers' I'd Rather Burn than Bloom is a powerful YA novel about a Filipina-American teen who tries to figure out who she really is in the wake of her mother's death. Some girls call their mother their best friend. Marisol Martin? She...
Into the sunken city /
Thiru, Dinesh
Paper Book
"Steal-your-breath adventure." --Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles Perfect for fans of Fable and House of Salt and Sorrows, this spectacular YA fantasy adventure debut is like nothing else, featuring a unique twist on Treasure Island, a...
Kill her twice /
Lee, Stacey
Paper Book
A YA murder mystery noir set in 1930s Los Angeles's Chinatown, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Downstairs Girl. "A captivating and crackling noir full of suspenseful twists. Readers will fall in love with the Chow sisters and their quest for the...
Kindling /
Chee, Traci,
Paper Book
From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a stand-alone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare--the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers--has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they...
The last bloodcarver /
Le, Vanessa,
Paper Book
A pulse-pounding YA fantasy in which "you'll gasp, you'll scream, you'll cry, and you'll be begging for the next book." (Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of These Violent Delights) Nhika is a bloodcarver. A coldhearted, ruthless being who can...
Nigeria Jones /
Zoboi, Ibi Aanu
Paper Book
"An unwavering proclamation of Black girlhood." --Candice Iloh, author of National Book Award finalist Every Body Looking From Ibi Zoboi, bestselling, award-winning author of American Street and co-author of Punching the Air, comes a bold new YA coming-of-age story,...
Not like other girls /
Adamo, Meredith
Paper Book
"Powerful, brilliantly plotted, voicey, gripping, beautiful, heart-wrenching, hilarious . . . Read this book." -Liz Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of The Agathas When Jo-Lynn Kirby 's former best friend-pretty, nice Maddie Price-comes to her claiming to...
Now, conjurers /
K?olsch, Freddie,
Paper Book
Following the murder of their leader and friend, a tight-knit coven of queer teens takes on a wish-granting demon lurking in their town, weaving together murder mystery with the occult in this YA horror novel perfect for fans of V. E. Schwab and Leigh Bardugo books. ...
A place for vanishing /
Fraistat, Ann,
Paper Book
A teen girl and her family return to her mother's childhood home, only to discover that the house's strange beauty may disguise a sinister past, in this contemporary gothic horror from the author of What We Harvest. A BOOKPAGE AND KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF THE...
Rez ball /
Graves, Byron,
Paper Book
This compelling debut novel by new talent Byron Graves tells the relatable, high-stakes story of a young athlete determined to play like the hero his Ojibwe community needs him to be. These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation...
Salt the water /
Iloh, Candice,
Paper Book
A Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book Cerulean Gene is free everywhere except school, where they're known for repeatedly challenging authority. Raised in a free-spirited home by two loving parents who encourage Cerulean to be their full self, they've got big dreams of moving cross...
Sheine Lende
Badger, Darcie Little/ Cai, Rovina (ILT)
Paper Book
BOOKPAGE MOST ANTICIPATED YA OF 2024 Shane works with her mother and their ghost dogs, tracking down missing persons even when their families can't afford to pay. Their own family was displaced from their traditional home years ago following a devastating flood -...
Shut up, this is serious /
Ixta, Carolina
Paper Book
An unforgettable YA debut about two Latina teens growing up in East Oakland as they discover that the world is brimming with messy complexities, perfect for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo and Erika L. Sánchez. Belén Dolores Itzel del Toro wants the normal stuff: to experience love or maybe have...
Sky's end /
Gregson, Marc J.,
Paper Book
An instant New York Times bestseller with three starred reviews--now under development as a feature film franchise! Plummet into a kill-or-be-killed competition where a scrappy underdog hell-bent on revenge must battle colossal monstrosities and claw his way to the top in this...
Song of the six realms /
Lin, Judy I.,
Thirsty :
Hammonds, Jas,
Paper Book
A Goodreads Choice Awards NomineeA Junior Library Guild Selection From Jas Hammonds, the award-winning author of We Deserve Monuments, comes an electric, heart-wrenching novel about a teen whose desperation to fit in leads to a dizzying relationship with...
This book won't burn /
Ahmed, Samira
Paper Book
★ "[Ahmed] employs high stakes, increasing tensions, romantic near-misses, and adult hypocrisy to powerful effect." -Publisher's Weekly, starred review From the New York Times bestselling author of Internment<...

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