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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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
This thrilling historical fantasy set days before Mount Vesuvius destroys Pompeii is a meet cute with an explosive fallout. This limited First Edition hardcover includes metallic foil on the jacket and a hidden illustrated case! An exploration of ambition and...
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 -...
The Darkness Greeted Her
Ferko, Christina
Paper Book
Yellowjackets meets Smile in this atmospheric sapphic horror debut, in which a group of troubled girls are stalked through the Appalachian wilderness by a frightening monster that feeds on their deepest fears. Penny's abusive father is dead...but she still hears his voice in her head,...
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
A teenage girl must do Death's bidding to uncover the secrets of her sister's disappearance in this haunting young adult novel by the author of The Year of the Witching. "A searing portrayal of girlhood, at once sparkling and violently dark."--Goldy Moldavsky, New York...
In the Blood
Henry, April
Paper Book
When an adopted teen takes a DNA test to find her biological parents, she unknowingly puts herself in the crosshairs of a serial killer. Adopted as a newborn, Tessa has always wondered who her biological parents are. After turning eighteen, she takes a DNA test in...
What the river knows : a novel
Iban?ez, Isabel, (Novelist)
Paper Book
The Mummy meets Death on the Nile in What the River Knows, Isabel Ibañez's lush, immersive historical fantasy set in Egypt and filled with adventure, a rivals-to-lovers romance, and a dangerous race. Bolivian-Argentinian Inez Olivera...
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...
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...
Meet Me Under the Lights
Miller, Cassie
A Romeo & Juliet-inspired small-town baseball romance where the son and daughter of two rival families must decide if their love is worth the risk. High school junior Eliza Crowley is known as the Princess of Fairfield, a farm town in North Carolina that loves two things-...
If We Never End
Namey, Laura Taylor
Paper Book
You've Reached Sam meets If I Stay in this epic romance spanning life and death, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Taylor Namey. Sylvie Castellano is used to goodbyes. Every summer, her friends leave to vacation at faraway beaches and her...
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
The hunt for a dinosaur skeleton buried in the Badlands, bitter rivalries, and a forbidden romance come together in this beautifully written new novel that's Romeo and Juliet meets Indiana Jones. Somewhere in the Badlands, embedded deep in centuries-buried rock and sand,...
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 ...
Audre & Bash are just friends
Williams, Tia
Paper Book
Scorching-hot summer. Scorching-hot chemistry. Two teens can't forget they're just friends in this sweet, funny, electrifying romance from New York Times bestselling author Tia Williams--perfect for fans of Jenny Han and Nicola Yoon.    Meet...

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