For the sixth year, Bucks County library staff chose their favorite books published in the last calendar year. Today’s list: Young Adult Fiction. Whether you’re looking for a gift for a teen or wondering what to add to your own To Be Read pile, here’s what we recommend!
Want more recommendations? Check out all of our Staff Picks for 2021 or browse the Staff Picks shelves on cloudLibrary.
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz
This long-awaited sequel was worth every second of the 9-year wait. These books treat their characters with a gentle compassion that I’ve very rarely seen from other authors. –Olivia W., Levittown Branch, Bucks County Free Library
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna
This book was a really intense fantasy novel that kept me reading until the very end. –Laura S., Grundy Library, Bucks County Library District
The Hawthorne Legacy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
A fulfilling follow-up to The Inheritance Games. –Laura S., Grundy Library, Bucks County Library District
Like Other Girls by Britta Lundin
A great book that tackles what it means to be a girl of any kind and finding true friends. –Allison W., Bensalem and Yardley Branches, Bucks County Free Library
Love is a Revolution by Renee Watson
This book was a love story to New York as well as featuring a main character who really is learning to grow up and be comfortable in her own skin. –Laura S., Grundy Library, Bucks County Library District
Poison for Breakfast by Lemony Snicket
Poison for Breakfast is a whole list of things: quirky, unique, whimsical, hopeful, mysterious, gloomy. To put it more simply, I would call it “absolutely worth a read.” –Olivia W, Levittown Branch, Bucks County Free Library
Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D. Richards
What if someone knew your deepest, darkest secret…and that secret was murder? Cleo is led on a strange and terrifying scavenger hunt by someone who knows her worst secret. Follow Cleo, her friends, and the mind-bending clues in this twisty mystery before someone else in the friend group ends up getting hurt…or maybe worse. –Kathleen L., Bucks County Free Library
The Shattered Castle by Jennifer A. Nielsen
This fifth book in Jennifer Nielsen’s Ascendance series continues to bring many surprises, adventures, betrayals, and conspiracies to King Jaron’s rule over Carthya. When his castle has been attacked and his relationship with his betrothed queen is in danger, Jaron faces the ultimate challenge. Will his stoic leadership, witty demeanor, and faithful allies be enough to conquer the final battle to save his sacred kingdom? –Kathleen L., Bucks County Free Library
Small Favors by Erin Craig
A spooky fairytale about the monsters who live in the woods and in the bed right next to you. –Ashleigh H., Bensalem Branch, Bucks County Free Library
Teen Titans: Beast Boy Loves Raven by Kami Garcia
Garcia and Piccolo keep their larger-than-life Teen Titans very grounded in reality, and it makes the interweaving threads of all these stories feel more believable. As always, the art and color palettes in this graphic novel series are incredible. –Olivia W., Levittown Branch, Bucks County Free Library
That Weekend by Kara Thomas
As Claire struggles to remember that weekend, she tries to figure out how she ended up with a head injury and where her missing high school friends have gone. The police are wondering if she had something to do with their disappearance. Did she? Why can’t she remember? Read this edge-of-your-seat thriller to find out the truth about what happened to Claire and her friends, and how in just one weekend the world could turn upside-down. –Kathleen L., Bucks County Free Library
We Are Inevitable by Gayle Forman
An ode to independent bookstores and people who love books. This is a story about finding out who you are and what is important in life. –Holly A., Bucks County Free Library
