In 2021 I read a lot. But most of that was bingeing sweet romances and cozy mysteries, not MG and YA. I did read a handful of YA that I loved this year, though, and I’m glad to share them now. (If you want the full list, including the romances and cozies and the few nonfiction titles, my email subscribers get access to everything.) A few of the YA books include some adult situations, violence, or language that may not be suitable for younger readers, so I’ve marked them as PG13.
A lot of these books knocked my socks off, to be honest. I always love Patricia C. Wrede’s books (as you can see by how many of them I reread this year), and Naomi Novik has quickly become one of my new favorites. The Night Circus and Instructions for Dancing were both gorgeous and heartbreaking, and I’m already thinking of rereading Dear Hero. I hope you find some books to enjoy!
The Westing Game—Ellen Raskin
Daughter of the Forest—Juliet Marillier (reread, PG13)
Son of the Shadows—Juliet Marillier (reread, PG13)
The Girl Who Drank the Moon—Kelly Barnhill
Child of the Prophecy—Juliet Marillier (reread, PG13)
The Graveyard Book—Neil Gaiman
The Silence Between Us—Alison Gervais
Holes—Louis Sachar
The Good Hawk—Joseph Elliott
Sorcery and Cecelia—Patricia C. Wrede and Caroline Stevermer (reread)
A Deadly Education—Naomi Novik
Mairelon the Magician—Patricia C. Wrede
Magician’s Ward—Patricia C. Wrede
Beauty’s Cursed Sleep—Mary E. Twomey
Spindle’s End—Robin McKinley (reread)
Children of Blood and Bone—Tomi Adeyemi (BIPOC)
Dear Hero—Hope Bolinger and Alyssa Roat
Beauty—Robin McKinley (reread)
The Lady Jewel Diviner—Rosalie Oaks
The Moria Pearls—Rosalie Oaks
The Sapphire Library—Rosalie Oaks
The Crossover—Kwame Alexander (BIPOC)
The Rose Legacy—Jessica Day George
Tuesdays at the Castle—Jessica Day George
Merci Suarez Changes Gears—Meg Medina (BIPOC, Newbery)
The Night Circus—Erin Morganstern (PG13)
Instructions for Dancing—Nicola Yoon (BIPOC)
More than His Best Friend—Sally Henson
When You Reach Me—Rebecca Stead
A Thief in Time—Cidney Swanson
The Blue Castle—L.M. Montgomery
Pure—Catherine Mesick
Thirteenth Child—Patricia C. Wrede (reread)
Across the Great Barrier—Patricia C. Wrede (reread)
The Far West—Patricia C. Wrede (reread)
From the Desk of Zoe Washington—Janae Marks (BIPOC)
Anne of Green Gables—L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea—L.M. Montgomery
The Bear and the Nightingale—Katherine Arden
Rule #1: You Can’t Date the Coach’s Daughter—Anne-Marie Meyer
Ink and Bone—Rachel Caine
Off Limits: the Best Friend—Kat Bellemore
The Girl in the Tower—Katherine Arden
The Last Graduate—Naomi Novik (PG13)