School Library Journal Best Books - Young Adult (Awarded by School Library Journal)

Awards List

2023

We Are All So Good at Smiling
(*)
Amber McBride

Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim
(*)
Patricia Park

Dear Medusa
(*)
Olivia A. Cole

Enter the Body
(*)
Joy McCullough

The Next New Syrian Girl
(*)
Ream Shukairy

Into the Light
(*)
Mark Oshiro

Saints of the Household
(*)
Ari Tison

Spin
(*)
Rebecca Caprara

Imogen, Obviously
(*)
Becky Albertalli

Painted Devils
(*)
Margaret Owen

Warrior Girl Unearthed
(*)
Angeline Boulley

Where You See Yourself
(*)
Claire Forrest

Threads That Bind
(*)
Kika Hatzopoulou

A Guide to the Dark
(*)
Meriam Metoui

Their Vicious Games
(*)
Joelle Wellington

Just Do This One Thing for Me
(*)
Laura Zimmermann

Tilly in Technicolor
(*)
Mazey Eddings

Ryan and Avery
(*)
David Levithan

The Spirit Bares Its Teeth
(*)
Andrew Joseph White

Beholder
(*)
Ryan La Sala

The Blood Years
(*)
Elana K. Arnold

Plan A
(*)
Deb Caletti

The Scarlet Alchemist
(*)
Kylie Lee Baker

What the River Knows
(*)
Isabel Ibanez

Godly Heathens
(*)
H.E. Edgmon

2022

African Town
(*)
Charles Waters

Ain't Burned All the Bright
(*)
Jason Reynolds

Anatomy: A Love Story
(*)
Dana Schwartz

Medusa
(*)
Jessie Burton

The Red Palace
(*)
June Hur

I Must Betray You
(*)
Ruta Sepetys

Only a Monster
(*)
Vanessa Len

All My Rage
(*)
Sabaa Tahir

The Silent Unseen
(*)
Amanda McCrina

This Rebel Heart
(*)
Katherine Locke

The Ghosts of Rose Hill
(*)
R.M. Romero

Hollow Fires
(*)
Samira Ahmed

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet
(*)
Jen Ferguson

When You Call My Name
(*)
Tucker Shaw

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches
(*)
Kate Scelsa

Our Crooked Hearts
(*)
Melissa Albert

The Honeys
(*)
Ryan La Sala

How You Grow Wings
(*)
Rimma Onoseta

Long Story Short
(*)
Serena Kaylor

What's Coming to Me
(*)
Francesca Padilla

The Sunbearer Trials
(*)
Aiden Thomas

Three Kisses, One Midnight
(*)
Roshani Chokshi

The Weight of Blood
(*)
Tiffany D. Jackson

Children of Ragnarok
(*)
Cinda Williams Chima

We Deserve Monuments
(*)
Jas Hammonds

Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman
(*)
Kristen R. Lee

2021

Concrete Rose
(*)
Angie Thomas

Last Night at the Telegraph Club
(*)
Malinda Lo

The Gilded Ones
(*)
Namina Forna

The Girls I've Been
(*)
Tess Sharpe

Love Is a Revolution
(*)
Renee Watson

Firekeeper's Daughter
(*)
Angeline Boulley

The Mirror Season
(*)
Anna-Marie McLemore

Prepped
(*)
Bethany Mangle

Counting Down with You
(*)
Tashie Bhuiyan

The Ones We're Meant to Find
(*)
Joan He

A Sitting in St. James
(*)
Rita Williams-Garcia

Tokyo Ever After
(*)
Emiko Jean

Ace of Spades
(*)
Faridah Abike-Iyimide

All Our Hidden Gifts
(*)
Caroline O'Donoghue

Blackout
(*)
Dhonielle Clayton

An Emotion of Great Delight
(*)
Tahereh Mafi

Instructions for Dancing
(*)
Nicola Yoon

How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe
(*)
Raquel Vasquez Gilliland

A Lesson in Vengeance
(*)
Victoria Lee

Me (Moth)
(*)
Amber McBride

Kaleidoscope
(*)
Brian Selznick

Take Me With You When You Go
(*)
David Levithan

When We Make It
(*)
Elisabet Velasquez

White Smoke
(*)
Tiffany D. Jackson

Beasts of Prey
(*)
Ayana Gray

2020

Black Girl Unlimited
(*)
Echo Brown

Not So Pure and Simple
(*)
Lamar Giles

Tigers, Not Daughters
(*)
Samantha Mabry

The Black Flamingo
(*)
Dean Atta

Camp
(*)
L.C. Rosen

Clap When You Land
(*)
Elizabeth Acevedo

The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
(*)
Maggie Tokuda-Hall

Stay Gold
(*)
Tobly McSmith

We Are Not From Here
(*)
Jenny Torres Sanchez

The Black Kids
(*)
Christina Hammonds Reed

Raybearer
(*)
Jordan Ifueko

How It All Blew Up
(*)
Arvin Ahmadi

Legendborn
(*)
Tracy Deonn

Punching the Air
(*)
Ibi Zoboi

Sanctuary
(*)
Abby Sher

We Are Not Free
(*)
Traci Chee

Breathless
(*)
Jennifer Niven

Charming as a Verb
(*)
Ben Philippe

Super Fake Love Song
(*)
David Yoon

Award Categories

Chapter Books

Graphic Novels

Middle Grade

Picture Books

Young Adult

Award Years

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019