Realistic Fiction Books for Teens

Updated November 19, 2024
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Saints and misfits
Ali, S. K.
Paper Book
A William C. Morris Award Finalist An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2017 Saints and Misfits is a "timely and authentic" (School Library Journal, starred review) debut novel that feels like a modern day My So-Called Life...starring a Muslim...
The impossible knife of memory
Anderson, Laurie Halse.
CD
For the past five years, Hayley Kincaid and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from Iraq. Now they are back in the town where he grew up so Hayley can attend school. Perhaps, for the...
Will Grayson, Will Grayson
Green, John
Paper Book
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, teenager Will Grayson crosses paths with...Will Grayson! Two teens with the same name who run in two very different circles suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions. Culminating in epic turns-of-heart on both of their...
Sadia
Nelson, Colleen.
Paper Book
Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children's Book Award -- Winner, Young Adult * High Plains Book Award -- Winner, Young Adult * Red Maple Fiction Award -- Shortlisted * Snow Willow Award -- Shortlisted Sadia wishes life in high school was as straightforward as a game of...
I'll give you the sun
Nelson, Jandy.
Paper Book
A New York Times bestseller * One of Time Magazine's 100 Best YA Books of All Time * Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award * A Stonewall Honor Book The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green,...
The boy in the black suit
Reynolds, Jason
Paper Book
A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can't handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who's dealt with a lot more--and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down--in this...
Fangirl
Rowell, Rainbow
Paper Book
With a New Introduction! In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow...
Barely missing everything
Méndez, Matt
Paper Book
"There are moments when a story shakes you...Barely Missing Everything is one of those stories, and Mendez, a gifted storyteller with a distinct voice, is sure to bring a quake to the literary landscape." --Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author of Long Way Down<...
Stargirl
Spinelli, Jerry
Paper Book
This beloved celebration of individuality is now an original movie on Disney+! A modern-day classic and New York Times bestseller from Newbery Medalist Jerry Spinelli. And don't miss the author's highly anticipated new novel, Dead Wednesday! ...
Dear Martin
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * WILLIAM C. MORRIS AWARD FINALIST * ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S 100 BEST YA BOOKS OF ALL TIME   After a traffic stop turns violent at the hands of the police, a young Black teen grapples with racism--and what it means for his future....
The new David Espinoza
Aceves, Fred
Paper Book
This story from the acclaimed author of The Closest I've Come unflinchingly examines steroid abuse and male body dysmorphia. Perfect for fans of Jason Reynolds and Matt de la Peña. David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. When a video of him getting knocked down by a...

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