Our Best Books for Teens committee is hard at work finding great books and putting them in the hands of teens around the city. Here are a few they are excited to share. 

The Exact Opposite of Okay by Laura Steven

Izzy finds herself in the center of a national sex scandal. She’s never felt ashamed before, can she keep her head this time? Funny and thought-provoking first-person realistic fiction dealing with bullying.

 

 

 

The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe

Norris, a Black French Canadian starts his junior year at a school in Austin, Texas, and entertains himself by viewing his fellow students at cliches from a 90s teen movie. A funny sarcastic coming of age story about immigrant experiences and being a friend.

 

 

 

Heroine by Mindy McGinnis

Micky is the star catcher on her softball team. Just before tournament season, she is in a car crash and the only way to keep her spot on the team is to rely on her painkillers. A cautionary tale about addiction.

 

 

 

Internment by Samira Ahmed

A dystopian future United States where Muslim-Americans are forced into internment camps. Layla must rise up to lead the resistance.

 

 

 

 

Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

Set at the height of the AIDS crisis in New York City and told from multiple perspectives, two characters fall in love and find their voices as activists.

 

 

 

 

The Love & Lies of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan

Rukhsana’s conservative Muslim parents catch her kissing her girlfriend and it is off to Bangladesh for her. Realistic fiction about fighting for the right to follow your own path.

 

 

 

 

Mike by Andrew Norris

Both whimsical and thought-provoking, a young Wimbledon hopeful navigates his relationship with his imaginary friend.

 

 

 

 

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

Two gay teens spend a summer together working in a food truck and figuring out their respected paths forward.

 

 

 

 

On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

A young rapper writes and performs a new protest song at a rap battle and finds herself in the center of a controversy.

 

 

 

 

Opposite of Always by Justin Reynolds

Fantasy fiction with a love story and a time loop about coping with death.

 

 

 

 

 

Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc by David Elliot

A novel in verse uses the story of Joan of Arc to examine modern issues of gender, misogyny and the consequences of speaking truth to power.

 

 

 

 

White Stag by Kara Barbieri

Fairy tale inspired chosen one fantasy about Janneke, a seventeen-year-old and the only mortal in Permafrost.

 

 

 

 

Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.

Staff picks are chosen by NYPL staff members and are not intended to be comprehensive lists. We'd love to hear your ideas too, so leave a comment and tell us what you’d recommend. And check out our Staff Picks browse tool for more recommendations!