Plot/Idea: Emma “Peach” Niemeyer is on the cusp of womanhood in Nazi Germany, her father a respected officer, her mother ready to marry her off, and her brother lost to the war. She longs to be an Olympic hurdler, but when her family travels to the heart of SS headquarters in Wewelsburg Castle for a wedding, her indoctrinated faith in the Nazi party is shredded. Vandella: Resilience immediately grabs readers and transports them to a shrouded world full of unchecked power, constant danger, and the Harbinger of Death.

Prose: Chavarria's words spin a tale to fascinate readers with the moral morass of being a person of privilege raised in a totalitarian world. Readability improves with variation of the first word in consecutive sentences.

Originality: The well-documented Nazi obsession with the supernatural creates a pivotal moment for Peach as everything she knows falls into question. This war story is freshened by the Harbinger of Death as a character.

Character/Execution: Readers will instantly fall for Peach, as her relatively safe world implodes and forces her to test her strength.

Plot/Idea: Maddie Bradford has a secret—several, actually—that places her very life at risk nearly every second in this striking story. Falcon follows her work as a Union spy during the Civil War, through a trim, fast-moving plot that carries her from danger to danger while paying heed to her study of the electrifying world around her.

Prose: The story’s narrator—never quite the same after a horrific childhood injury—has a powerful voice, deeply observant of the social intricacies and complexities surrounding her. Singer writes exceptionally well, pulling in dialogue appropriate to the setting while cleverly merging mystery elements within the greater context of historical fiction.

Originality: Singer’s skillful storytelling will captivate readers, but her most triumphant moment comes in the form of main character Maddie, who is the whirlwind this stunning story rotates around.

Character/Execution: Maddie’s character is dynamic—intense, determined, and a little eccentric, she is a force to be reckoned with, though most people she’s up against don’t realize it until it’s too late. Her metamorphosis throughout the novel is finely wrought, culminating in her growing confidence in who she is now—and who she will be in the future.

Plot/Idea: Two young friends learn to cope with the pain that comes with growing up, all while working together to save a pair of sea otters in this expressive middle grade fiction. The plot turns smoothly, and readers will find the perfect number of twists to keep them engaged, but the highlight is Zerndt’s insight into building intricate, believable characters.

Prose: Zerndt writes smoothly, with nearly flawless prose that rolls across the pages, mimicking the main characters’ tones while delivering powerful scenes through crisp, effective writing. 

Originality: AFK breathes originality in its unique ability to interlace several very distinct stories into one cohesive, heartwarming narrative of love, loss, and the power of friendship to heal pain.

Character/Execution: Zerndt’s characters are deliciously complex, as relatable as they are intriguing. Each is struggling with their own internal battles, and as the story progresses, those conflicts come to light organically—and form the basis for the plot’s forward movement.

Plot/Idea: The blueprint for this gripping view of a displaced girl in the early 1970s hinges on secrets and lies, and deftly explores the implications of the Vietnam war on American families from all angles.

Prose: Wright brings readers straight into 13-year-old Evan’s head with clear, poignant language.

Originality: As the Vietnam war recedes in time, Eat and Get Gas reminds readers about the toxic ripples that emanated from the conflict and the mark it left on generations of Americans.

Character/Execution: Evan’s coming-of-age in the midst of political chaos and familial turmoil is palpable in this page-turner. The bonds of family come to life in Write’s characters.

Blurb: J.A. Wright explores an adolescent girl’s feelings of confusion, abandonment, and a rising desire to find her own place in life in this riveting tale.

Plot/Idea: 9/11 serves as the backdrop for I Hunt For Stars Alone, a gripping tale of immigration, identity, sexuality, and above all else, family, as the young protagonist adjusts to his new life in Indiana. Small moments, like receiving a bike as a gift and sneaking a burger with his mother, have big impact and keep the reader emotionally engaged.

Prose: From the first page to the last, Quintana-­Vallejo’s lyrical verse gives voices to the inner world of the young protagonist, while carefully placed sonnets told from a retrospective adult perspective add gravity to the most serious themes, such as sexual assault and dementia.

Originality: Readers might recognize themes like sexuality and identity, as well as certain plot beats, from many other YA novels but Quintana-­Vallejo’s inimitable, breathtaking free verse sets I Hunt Stars Alone apart. Specific cultural touchstones from 2001-2002 also build out the novel’s world and provide authenticity to the young protagonist’s experience.

Character/Execution: The young protagonist learns to transform his fears about his sexuality into desire, and his pain at leaving his country into hope. Quintana-­Vallejo has also crafted his cast of supporting characters with such tender nuance that readers will empathize even in difficult moments.

Plot/Idea: On the cusp of turning 16, Carly Klein tries to juggle school and her parents’ conflict-ridden relationship while living vicariously through stolen stories of her mother’s psychiatry patients. One in particular draws her attention the most—Daniel, a blind man attending Columbia College—and soon she’s secretly following him, posing as a fellow college student to get close. As her fixation grows, Carly is thrust into a web of deceit and infatuation that rains down both devastating endings and revolutionary beginnings in her life.

Prose: The prose is delicate but precise and clear, building Carly’s world with gentle lines and evocative musings.

Originality: Harlan’s story sets up quickly before devolving into a twisty tangle of duplicity that creatively gives birth to a new Carly. Readers will be entranced with the novel’s transformation.

Character/Execution: Carly is an enigma of endearing and troubled, hiding her angst surprisingly well from her family—and herself. Her metamorphosis is gratifying, brimming with lessons on the uneven paths that often lead to the most worthwhile destinations.

Plot/Idea: In Everly, writing has been outlawed, and when a tragic event occurs in the Pennymore household, Parker Pennymore vows to uncover the truth—and tell stories in her own way, by putting quill to paper, despite the consequences. She soon finds herself at the center of a dangerous game, forced into the role of a hero, in order to rescue her world from certain destruction. Koester’s plot is appealing from the start, full of exciting twists that keep readers engaged. 

Prose: The prose is every bit as expressive and sparkling as the story’s setting, and Koester interjects humor into all the right places—a perfect fit for YA audiences.

Originality: Koester stuns with vivid worldbuilding, crafting a fantastical place where writing truly is magic, with written words that howl at their author, writing pages that fashion themselves into shapes from stories, and quills with a mind of their own.

Character/Execution: Koester builds convincing characters, crafted with careful attention to their place in the story. Parker is desperate to write her own story, her way. As she grows more convinced of her strength, she blossoms naturally into the leader she was born to be, willing to take the necessary risks to save her family and their world. Her siblings are supportive, entertaining in their own right, and play important roles in the storyline.

Plot/Idea: A hodgepodge of Edwardian London kids from upstairs, downstairs, and around the corner work together to solve the mystery of what’s going on at townhouse number seven in this charming adventure, an installment in the Mysterious Mansions series. 

Prose: Hatt has a sparkling prose style that captures the beats of the historical era while maintaining energy and forward momentum. 

Originality: Hatt draws from classic capers to craft a lively, kid-centered, and lightly spooky mystery. Throw in a cute dog and bumbling adults, and this romp through important London landmarks is thoroughly enjoyable.

Character/Execution: Alice, Theo, and their East End companions prove to be fully-formed, magnetic characters who each play an integral role in the storytelling. The London setting comes to life via the well-described environs, both historic locales and mysterious nooks and crannies alike. 

Plot/Idea: In an alternate world where witches and magic exist, Olaf the bear and Essex the fox set out to find the parents of a human baby who was abandoned in Central Park—but the humans they find are the biggest danger of all to the baby’s safety. The bond that develops between them plucks at readers’ instinct to protect babies and animals alike.

Prose: Calkosz describes a magical world with the ease of the everyday, delivering a nice balance of entertainment and themes with deeper meaning. 

Originality: Olaf and Essex leads readers on an epic quest to help and protect the vulnerable, leaving readers with thought-provoking questions on belonging, found family, and friendship.

Character/Execution: Olaf springs to the forefront as the main character and moral compass of this book, giving readers someone to identify with and root for. Essex is the perfect foil, and Calkosz does a solid job of showing the animals’ motivations.

Plot/Idea: Carved from Wood offers action from the first pages, as James and his crew escape the Federation’s clutches and design their own mission to take down the BlankZone by any means necessary. That entails a lot of high-risk escapades, particularly for James, who’s eventually caught and interrogated, in gruesome prison scenes that both disquiet and propel the plot forward. The action is fittingly intense, and readers will be hooked.

Prose: O’Meara writes smooth, crisp prose that delivers tension and inspiration in equal measure.

Originality: James and his crew have startling interiority for such an action-packed novel, lending it a depth that makes it stand out, and O’Meara excels at worldbuilding.

Character/Execution: James’s character is striking, and he remains a steady lead throughout the novel. His experiences are harsh, but they play an important role in his development, and he undergoes several meaningful transformations before the cliffhanger ending.

Plot/Idea: When Risuko, Emi, and Toumi—three daughters of a disgraced samurai who are training to become spies and assassins— are sent on a quest to avenge their fathers, they becomes embroiled in the fate of Japan. 

Prose: Kudler’s writing displays an ease that only comes from talent combined with hard work in this third installment of his Seasons of the Sword series.

Originality: Readers will appreciate that the heroes of this story—navigating their journey of self-discovery and redemption—are girls.

Character/Execution: Risuko comes to life as a girl forced to grow up because of harsh cultural norms and political strife. Her friendships with Emi and Toumi are genuine, and their teamwork is uplifting. 

Plot/Idea: Lukas Lincoln is in love with his brother’s girlfriend, which seems like a big deal until the zombies—or ‘Furies’—arrive. Lyons leads the story to a satisfying conclusion while leaving open the possibility of a follow-up book.

Prose: Lyons’s writing is smart and engaging, making it easy for readers to connect with the story. Cleaning up instances of passive voice would hone it even more.

Originality: Teens fighting against overwhelming odds is nothing new, but this is a worthwhile read. Lyons layers in a love triangle, which adds interest.

Character/Execution: The characters are all distinct and well-rounded—quite a feat for a large cast of teens in a fast-paced story. Lyons also impressively manages to make key Furies recognizable—all without dialogue.

Plot/Idea: Gilm! is a YA Fantasy/Horror novel about new kid Geoff Smith who, intent on impressing his crush, breaks his father's rules, turns to the wrong book, and accidentally plays a cursed song, which has exhilarating/frightening implications for everyone.

Prose: Corley's prose is hilarious and on-point, capturing all the agonies and ecstasies of adolescence, and his internal monologues are especially entertaining. 

Originality: Gilm! is remarkable for its clever, relatable hero and the hilarious/dangerous trouble he brings on himself...and the lengths he's willing to go to in order to solve the problem.

Character/Execution: Geoff is a wonderful hero, foibles and all, with wry self-awareness and the courage to try to fix his mistakes, regardless of the cost. His dimpled dad, the pun-loving owner of Curio City, is terrific, too; his loving support of his son comes through in every interaction. Corinne and Will are also distinct individuals with their own problems as opposed to cookie cutouts billed as "hero's love interest" and "school bully." Corley's ability to write them without relying on common tropes is refreshing.

Plot/Idea: The story of a princess on the run and the ragtag strangers who help her is expertly woven and delivered in this well-crafted fantasy that appears poised to launch a series.

Prose: Harvey’s dialogue is natural, reading like silk as the worldbuilding engrosses readers in the tale. Romantic descriptions are genre appropriate and on point.

Originality: Heir to the Ice Flame borrows from classic fairy tale lore, adding a touch of the familiar to a fresh adventure.

Character/Execution: Harvey’s characters spring from the page. Readers will root for Princess Nina and her band of misfit heroes.

Plot/Idea: Charlotte's Ghosts, a YA historical novel, is the charming, heartbreaking tale of new kid Charlotte "C.C." Cross, who has a plethora of problems: her father was recently killed in Afghanistan, her widowed mother has dragged her across the country to a new school, and she sees dead people. Specifically, she sees Jeremy Turner, killed fighting for the Union in Manassas, Virginia, in 1862.

Prose: Aside from some grammatical and formatting errors, Simone's prose is precise and descriptive, and she does a fine job juggling Charlotte and Jeremy's POVs, jumping between Charlotte's struggles in the present and the early battles of the American Civil War. Simone also vividly captures the cost of war even beyond the loss of lives.

Originality: There are many YA novels about grieving teenagers and the Civil War, but Charlotte's Ghosts is singular: not just a book about a modern teenager and a long-dead teenager; not just about the titular heroine's struggles to deal with family tragedy; and not just a book about the early battles of the Civil War, but a successful blending of these elements that will deeply gratify perceptive readers.

Character/Execution: Simone's characters are each well articulated and developed: Charlotte is a grieving bundle of anxiety, hormones, and curiosity, struggling to deal with the abrupt changes in her life even as she wonders if she's losing her mind. Her widowed mother's suffering is also quietly impactful. For his part, the long-dead Civil War casualty Jeremy Turner, is convincingly portrayed, his regrets trapping him in the ground he died in.

Plot/Idea: Sixth grader Jay Weaver is shocked when his family moves to Boston, uprooting him, once again, when all he wants to do is settle in with friends and navigate middle school. As he adjusts to his new environment and changing family dynamics, he also undergoes the conventional trials of adolescence. The story reflects universal coming-of-age themes that will resonate with readers from all walks of life.

Prose: Wesslen skillfully transports readers into a teenager's mind, exploring the angst, elation, and drudgery that often accompany adolescence. The prose convinces, painting a stirring portrayal of growing up—and the challenges that go with it.

Originality: Jay's efforts at building trust within an unfamiliar community, in the middle of a school year, will resonate with readers, as will the rites of passage he experiences in the context of the narrative.

Character/Execution: Readers will easily connect with Jay and recognize his growth as the story develops. Wesslen depicts his challenges and triumphs with authenticity, and the supporting cast advances Jay's maturation as well.