Ultimate Summer Reading List: Teen & YA

14 exciting new or soon-to-be-released books for teens

School's out for summer! Whether lounging in a backyard hammock, spending long days at the beach, or traveling to distant locales, summertime calls for an abundance of good reading material. No matter which genres you like the best, ThriftBooks has got you covered. Over the past month or so, we've been putting together a few genre-specific roundups to help you fill out your TBR list. Here are our picks for fourteen of the best new YA to throw in your beach bag. And check out the section below with reads appropriate for younger teens.

Only this Beautiful Moment by Abdi Nazemian
For fans of Last Night at the Telegraph Club and Darius the Great Is Not Okay, this saga traces the story of three generations of boys in an Iranian family. Moud is a teen living in Los Angeles. When he and his distant father travel to the bedside of his dying grandfather in Tehran, illuminating family secrets are revealed.

Sing Me To Sleep by Gabi Burton
Saoirse Sorkova survives on lies. As a soldier-in-training, she lies about being a siren to avoid execution. Working as an assassin, she lies about her true identity. And to her family, Saoirse tells the biggest lie of all. This thrilling debut fantasy is perfect for fans of A Song Below Water and To Kill a Kingdom.

Invisible Son by Kim Johnson
Life can change in an instant. When you're wrongfully accused of a crime. When a virus shuts everything down. When the girl you love moves on. From the award-winning author of This Is My America comes another thriller about a teen trying to reclaim both his innocence and his first love.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross
When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever. Shadow and Bone meets Lore in this epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love.

Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
She may be hopelessly heterosexual, but high-school senior Imogen Scott has the World's Greatest Ally title locked down. Then she visits her bestie Lili—newly out and thriving—in college. And the more time Imogen spends with Lili's friend Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with.

The Next New Syrian Girl by Ream Shukairy
Furia meets I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter in this novel about an unlikely friendship. Syrian-American Khadija has been raised on boxing and football. Leene Tahir is a Syrian refugee doing her best to adjust. When their worlds collide, it sets them off on a journey of self-discovery.

Give Me a Sign by Anna Sortino (July 11)
When Lilah becomes a counselor at a summer camp for the deaf and blind, her plan is to brush up on her ASL and connect with her community. Romance isn't on the agenda. But then she meets Isaac, the dreamy counselor who offers to help her with her signing. Think CODA as written by Jenny Han.

For Younger Teens

Some YA literature deals with mature subjects that may be inappropriate for tweens and younger teens. Here are some titles we recommend for readers fifteen and younger.

The Jules Verne Prophecy by Larry Schwarz and Iva-Marie Palmer
Owen is spending his summer in Paris studying sci-fi writer Jules Verne. When he and his new friends find what appear to be hidden codes inside a dusty copy of Verne's collected works, it sets them off on an epic treasure hunt spanning the city! But they quickly realized they're not the only ones searching.

The Love Report by Beka & Maya
BFFs Grace and Lola talk about everything related to romance. And they have lots of questions. Lola has an idea—they'll observe, study, and analyze all the couples at their Junior High—and compile their findings as The Love Report. Surprises await them in the first book of this addictive graphic novel series.

The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson
Agatha Christie meets Veronica Mars in this fast-paced, fun thriller. Since last summer, the biggest mystery in Castle Cove is Alice's strange five-day disappearance after her boyfriend Steve dumped her. Now another one of Steve's girlfriends has vanished and it's up to Alice and her tutor, Iris, to solve the mystery.

The Drama with Doomsdays by Scott Reintgen
Just as Celia Cleary starts to feel like she has a handle on her powers, things take a turn for the weird in the second book of this contemporary fantasy series perfect for fans of series like Thirteen Witches and Love Sugar Magic. Now she must find the classmate at the heart of a Doomsday Prophecy before it's too late.

Captain Skidmark Dances with Destiny by Jennifer A. Irwin
In this laugh-out-loud novel, Canadian eighth grader Will navigates school bullies, his father's expectations, and Alex, his annoying hockey-star cousin who is staying with his family. Will hates hockey—and he stinks at it too. When he stumbles into a local dance school, he realizes dancing is what he loves.

Worldwide Crush by Kristin Nilsen (July 11)
How many of teen pop star Rory Calhoun's fans collect "data" about him in a special notebook? Or fake a fascination with whale migration for a chance to visit his hometown? Middle schooler Millie Jackson is just one of millions of fans, but she's convinced she's the biggest—and the best.

Zombies Return!: An Official Minecraft Novel by Nick Eliopulos (July 18)
Bobbie is on a mission. She's already survived one encounter with Logan, the jerk who attacked her village and turned her brother into a zombie. And now she won't rest until she stops his evil plan to conquer the Overworld with his zombie horde. But she also needs to find a cure for her zombie brother.

Hopefully this has given you a few good titles to add to your reading list this summer. Our previous Ultimate Summer Reading Lists have included History and Thrillers. Let us know what other genres you'd like to see.

You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram for daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon