Best Fiction for Young Adults

About the Best Fiction List

YALSA’s Best Fiction for Young Adults Blogging Team presents fiction titles published for young adults in the past 14 months that are recommended reading for ages 12 to 18. The purpose of the annual list it to provide librarians and library workers with a resource to use for collection development and reader’s advisory purposes.

Although now a blogging team, the group was originally a committee. The committee evolved from a committee established under the School Libraries Section of ALA, which was charged with producing a list of 1930's "Best Books for Young People." The committee has undergone several changes of focus and names over the years, including the Book Selection Committee (1954), and later the Committee for the Selection of Significant Adult Books for Young People (1963). It became the Best Books for Young Adults Committee (BBYA) in 1966. As publishing for the young adult market grew exponentially (over 2,000 titles per year in 2008) and seven other YALSA selection and award lists for young adults were created since its inception, Best Books for Young Adults was restructured and named Best Fiction for Young Adults by the YALSA Board of Directors at the Midwinter Meeting in 2010.

Visit YALSA's Teen Book Finder Database, a one-stop shop for finding selected lists and award winners. Users can search this free resource by award, list name, year, author, genre and more, as well as print customizable lists.

Current List

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Current Nominations

Policies and Procedures

Committee Contacts

Best Books for Young Adults Archive

Teen Book Finder App


Current List   

2024 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2024 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults 

Past Lists

2023 Best Fiction for Young Adults 

2023 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2022 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2022 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2021 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2021 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2020 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2020 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2019 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2019 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2018 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2018 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2017 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2017 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2016 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2016 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2015 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2015 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2014 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2014 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2013 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2013 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2012 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

2011 Best Fiction for Young Adults

2011 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

Best Books for Young Adults Archive