Top young adult books 2017 for 2020
Finding the best young adult books 2017 suitable for your needs isnt easy. With hundreds of choices can distract you. Knowing whats bad and whats good can be something of a minefield. In this article, weve done the hard work for you.
Best young adult books 2017
1. The Hate U Give
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BALZER BRAYDescription
8 starred reviews Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best William C. Morris Award Winner National Book Award Longlist Printz Honor Book Coretta Scott King Honor Book #1 New York Times Bestseller!
"Absolutely riveting!" Jason Reynolds
"Stunning." John Green
"This story is necessary. This story is important." Kirkus (starred review)
"Heartbreakingly topical." Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A marvel of verisimilitude." Booklist (starred review)
"A powerful, in-your-face novel." Horn Book (starred review)
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalils name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr doesor does notsay could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
And don't miss On the Come Up, Angie Thomas's powerful follow-up to The Hate U Give.
2. Little Fires Everywhere: A Novel
3. The Girl Who Lived: A Thrilling Suspense Novel
4. One of Us Is Lying
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DELACORTEDescription
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!Pretty Little Liars meets The Breakfast Club (EW.com)in this flat-out addictive (RT Book Reviews) story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive.
Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview Highs notorious gossip app.
Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon's dead. And according to investigators, his death wasnt an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, hed planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer whos still on the loose?
Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.
And dont miss Karen McManus's newest novel Two Can Keep a Secret, on shelves spring 2019, that Bustle says is "a must-read YA thriller if you love Riverdale and Sharp Objects."
Praise for One of Us Is Lying
An EW.com Best YA Book of the Year Selection
A Buzzfeed Best YA Book of the Year Selection
A Popcrush Best Young Adult Book of the Year Selection
A New York Public Library's Best Book for Teens Selection
A CBC Teen Choice Book Award Nominee
A Bustle.com Best Young Adult Book of May 2017
A Goodreads Best Young Adult Book of the Year Nominee
A YALSA Best Fiction Book Nominee
A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
Youll tear through this juicy, super-fun (if murder can ever be fun?) thriller."Bustle.com
"A whodunit with a Breakfast Club twist...following four unique voices on a chase to find the killer, this one will keep you guessing until the very, very end."Popcrush
"Twisty plotting, breakneck pacing andintriguing characterisation add upto an exciting, single-sitting thrillerish treat."The Guardian
"This is no ordinary whodunitsurprising and relevant."USA Today
An addictive, devour-in-one-sitting thriller with so many twists and turns you'll be wondering until the very end: Who really killed Simon?Kara Thomas, author of The Darkest Corners and Little Monsters
"[As] McManus's intense mystery unfolds...each character becomes more complex and nuanced, adding richness and depth to the suspense." VOYA, Starred Review
"This fast-paced blend of Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, and classic John Hughes will leave readers racing to the finish as the try to unravel the mystery on their own."Kirkus Reviews
"A smart, twisted, and unpredictable YA mystery that will have readers guessing until the very end."SLJ
"An engaging, enticing look at the pressures of high school and the things that cause a person to lose control."Booklist
"Readers will have a hard time putting this clever page-turner down."-BookPage.com
5. Tell Me Three Things
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EMBERDescription
A New York Times BestsellerHere are three things about this book: (1) Its . . . funny and romantic; (2) the mystery at the heart of the story will keep you turning the pages; (3) I have a feeling youll be very happy you read it. Jennifer E. Smith, author of The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
With the perfect mix of comedy and tragedy, love and loss, and pain and elation, the characters in Julie Buxbaums Tell Me Three Things come to feel like old friends who make any day better. This YA novel is sure to appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell, Jennifer Niven, and E. Lockhart.
Everything about Jessie is wrong. At least, thats what it feels like during her first weekof junior year at her new ultra-intimidating prep school in Los Angeles. Its been barely two years since her mothers death, and because her father eloped with a woman he met online, Jessie has been forced to move across the country to livewith her stepmonster and her pretentious teenage son, and to start at a new school where she knows no one.
Just when shes thinking about hightailing it back to Chicago, she gets an email from a person calling themselves Somebody/Nobody (SN for short),offering to help her navigate the wilds of Wood Valley High School. Is it an elaborate hoax? Or can she rely on SN for some much-needed help?
In a leap of faithor an act of complete desperationJessie begins to rely on SN, and SN quickly becomes her lifeline and closest ally. Jessie cant help wanting to meet SN in person. But are some mysteries better left unsolved?
More praise for TELL ME THREE THINGS
Three Things about this novel: (1) I loved it. (2) No, really, I LOVED it. (3) I wish I could tell every teen to read it. Buxbaums book sounds, reads, breathes, worries, and soars like real adolescents do. Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Leaving Time and Off the Page
The desire to find out whether Jessies real-life and virtual crushes are one and the same will keep [readers] turning the pages as quickly as possible. PW, Starred
A heartfelt, wryly perceptive account of coming to terms with irrevocable loss when life itself means inevitable change. Kirkus
Buxbaums debut is hard to put down because of its smooth and captivating text. The addition of virtual conversations through email and chatting adds to the exciting plot twist. SLJ
6. The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Winner of the 2017 Newbery Medal)
7. The North Hollywood Detective Club in The Case of the Hollywood Art Heist
8. The Scarlet Letter (Clydesdale Classics)
9. Girl Last Seen: A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist
10. Sold on a Monday: A Novel
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