Teen or young adult books are published for the 12+ crowd, but we know that adults and some advanced younger readers love to shop this category, too. So Queen Anne Book Company reads our teen selections carefully to be ready to answer questions about content and age-appropriateness. Historical fiction, dystopian fantasy, realistic dramas, light reads, or satisfying non-fiction: find all these and more when you browse our teen section.
Quite the pageturner!!!! I was sucked right into the story of Cassie and her missing older sister, Sutton. The story is mostly told from Cassie's point of view-- the voice of a younger sister who has been manipulated and pushed to the background by her charismatic, driven older sister. Sutton also gets a voice in flashbacks, giving us a bit of a different perspective. Who do we trust? What happened around Sutton's disappearance? This is a compelling thriller with lots of layers! A great summer read. (Nifty fact: The author lives right in Tacoma!)
Great characters, good depth and motivation for why this daring heist has to work! Royalty, revolution, family, found family, class conflict, impersonation, doppelgangers, and legerdemain-- what's not to like?
A dystopian, YA noir with a delightfully prickly main character and a compelling friends-to-enemies-to-tentative-conspiring-allies relationship AND MAGIC! There are speakeasies, there is a ruthless ruling class, there are spells and curses dealt with magical cards... The stakes get high, the emotions get higher, and the book will leave you eager for the next installment! --Tegan
A new, great twist on the classic camp-serial-killer trope! Suspsenseful and creepy, with characters you care about [spoiler: MOST OF WHOM DIE!]. --Tegan
What a blast! Although the characters are squarely teens and the actual relationship is quite chaste, the set-up is delightfully racy (Sharlot's mom rushes her to Indonesia for a summer for the first time after walking in on Shar and her boyfriend; George's dad and little sister start messaging girls on his behalf after they walk in on him pleasuring himself to what looks like gnomes and badgers from a video game). This reads like a current, teen Cary Grant/ Katherine Hepburn movie set in Indonesia! Beautiful setting, a quirky, delightful, and loveable cast, and a very fun fake dating/ modern love plot! This author created another must-read for me. --Tegan
I loved every page of this compelling, funny, suspenseful book. Imagine "Rear Window" meets a queer, teen version of "The Lovebirds." Bianca is endearingly awkward and charmingly honest as a narrator and character, and the good people who enter and stay in Bianca's orbit are absolute delights. Bianca deals with an overwhelming number of fears (listed through #70 in the back of the book and referenced throughout), their gender identity and sexuality, a sister and mother who are both very into THEATRE, and witnessing a neighbor's murder that the police think is a suicide... So there's a lot going on, but it's all handled deftly, with humor and heart. I loved it! --Tegan
This is the feel-all-the-feels feel-good book you need! It's "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" meets "Mrs Queen Takes the Train" with a little "Darius the Great Is Not OK," but with Black, queer best friends who will absolutely melt your heart. Fans of John Green should also pick it up!
Fantastic debut from local Seattle author! Such drama! Such excitement! Such high stakes! Great action scenes, great love story, great exploration of humanity and revenge. It's like a perfect mix of "The Hunger Games," "Cinder," and "Pacific Rim" with some "Robin Hood" tossed in. I've read it described as "sapphic cyberpunk," and I'm here for it 100%! --Tegan
Emotionally resonant and pretty darn creepy, with engrossing magic and powerful relationships. A great read! (And it's the start of a series!) -Tegan
Seamless world-building, loveable characters, a high-stakes mystery, just enough creepiness, and meaningful reflections on grief made this a very satisfying read.
Elatsoe was named for the Lipan word for hummingbird, but it is also the name of her Six-Great Grandmother who was a passionate, powerful woman who, like Ellie and her mother, could wake ghosts from the spirit world. Six-Great used her pack of ghost dogs to fight monsters-- literal and human-- to protect her people. Ellie's grandmother woke a mammoth spirit for protection and companionship. Ellie keeps the ghost of her beloved English springer spaniel, Kirby, near to play fetch, give her emotional support, and yes, keep her safe.
When Ellie gets hints that what was deemed a tragic accident was actually a murder, she, Kirby, her cheerleader best friend Jay, and a wider group of supporters including Ellie's mom, Jay's sister, Jay's sister's vampire fiance, and Jay's sister's basketball teammates, face all kinds of danger to bring justice-- not vengeance.
It’s worth noting that even though Ellie is 17 and this is a young adult novel, it would work very well for advanced younger readers (10+) and adults who are interested in murder mysteries and the paranormal. --Tegan
I was struck by the depth of this gripping story. Seol’s quest for answers about her own past are a fascinating counterpoint to her investigation into a grisly murder. The meditative quality of the narration of this historical mystery felt perfectly suited to the Korean setting and the backdrop of political and religious struggles. Seol’s courage, curiosity, and dedication make her a character I can’t get enough of. Let’s hope this is the start of a series.
Despite the fact that this is marketed as a YA book, I think adults who love a mystery with atmosphere should read it, too.
--Tegan
This debut novel is FANTASTIC. It has enough rich kid drama and lifestyle (PROM! LOVE TRIANGLES! LOS ANGELES!) to be entertaining as well as hard-hitting realizations about race, class, and protest.
I couldn't put it down, and it won't let me go.
I cannot wait to give this to a wide range of readers, teen and adult. If someone liked "The Hate U Give" or "Crazy Rich Asians," they need to try this. Yes, those are wildly divergent comps, but this book contains multitudes. I also cannot wait to read more by this author!--Tegan
This beautiful, moving graphic novel is a must-read. Like George Takei's "They Called Us Enemy," it has so much painful history that should inform and inspire us.
The travels of present-day main character, Kiku, who is half-Japanese, illuminates the power of memory and the urgency of history.
When Kiku, the gets transported back to when families from San Francisco were being sent to internment camps, someone, noting that she might pass for white, asks, "Are you sure you're supposed to be here?" Kiku researches when she gets back to her time: "I never knew, until that day in SFO airport, that anyone with one-sixteenth Japanese ancestry or more was incarcerated. SO I would have been standing in that line with my mom and sister, no matter how white-passing we were. But that certainly didn't mean we belonged there. Nobody did."
Powerful. Beautifully rendered. Full of evidence of history obscured by trauma, and the necessity of understanding the past to know to stand up in the present.
Magic! Books! Maybe romance?!?! And DEMONS! Yes, please. This was everything I hoped for and more. If you want dark, mysterious libraries, a powerful and loveable main character, and a bit of a mystery, too, this is a great pick.
If you’re looking for engrossing, high-stakes fantasy, you need this emotionally rich, gorgeously written novel. It’s about about power that winds up being about love, sacrifice, honor, and family— that we choose and are given. Raybearer is absolutely brilliant, gripping, and one-of-a-kind. I can’t wait to read more from this author.
--Tegan
This is a beautiful-in-every-way book! The colors, the characters, the growing and blossoming relationship, the intentions to respect and care for one another-- all are so lovely. It's been a long time since I went on a first date, but this reminded me so vividly of the courage that (and subsequent dates) can require! The book illustrates why it's so important to "normalize respecting disabled people without needing to feel inspired by them first" (Alex Darcy/ WheelchairRapunzel). I appreciate that the romance is between women and that two secondary characters are nonbinary.
If you want a love story that's a fast read but will keep you thinking (and swooning), this is it!
Stunning. Gorgeous writing and unlike anything I've read before. This is a powerful look at abuse, society, complacency, and accountability. It should inspire us all to stay vigilant-- but also hopeful. --Tegan
Travel to Madrid of 1957, Franco's Spain, a place of romance and fear, opportunity and oppression, art and intrigue... Sepetys is a master of telling details, striking revelations, and historical atmosphere. This is marketed as YA but works wonderfully for adult readers open to an emotional and powerful coming-of-age story.
--Tegan
Daisy's older sister is marrying into the British royal family, but Daisy is not paparazzi-ready (nor does she want to be). But maybe she can stay true to herself and even have some fun with all the makeovers, A-list hijinks, and royal wedding prep... A jolly good read!
-Tegan
This realistic story of a first year at college feels true, and is written beautifully. If you've ever had to deal with grief, read this. Because someday you will have to deal with grief, read this. It's written with heart.
--Tegan
*Spring Break Recommendation*
Who can you believe and who do you trust? This clever novel about a teen whose family loses everything in a fire will keep you questioning and turning the pages! Interviews, articles, and personal narratives let you decide.
--Tegan
Local author Martha Brockenbrough’s book pits Love and Death in competition. It’s a story of love and longing set in the middle of the Depression. Romantic and magical! --Judy
If you loved The Book Thief and The Night Circus, try this well-crafted YA set in Seattle in 1937-- it transcends genres and ages. --Tegan
Love and Death each choose a human at birth and then compete to see who will win. Henry is chosen by Love, Flora by Death. He is white and adopted into a wealthy family. She is the daughter of African American jazz musicians. Since we all die and don’t always choose or find love does that mean that death always wins this high stakes game? Or is it more complicated than that? Read this endlessly fascinating young adult novel set in 1930’s Seattle and see what you think. I’m still thinking about it. --Anne
After watching “Black Panther,” I wanted to go to Wakanda. The next best thing was to pick up this astonishingly creative YA fantasy set in Nigeria. 12-year-old Sunny was born in America to Nigerian parents, and then her family moved back to their homeland. She is albino, so she needs to hide from the African sun. But as she becomes friendlier with two of her neighbors, she discovers another special thing about her: like her new friends, she is a “Leopard Person,” a person with magical abilities. Unexpectedly, they are chosen to form a team to stop a sorcerer serial killer-- and ultimately save the world. If you love this richly-imagined world and these strong characters as much as I did, you’ll be particularly happy to know that the sequel, Akata Warrior, is available, too.
--Tegan
Fans of the King Arthur legends, rejoice/beware! "Legendborn" turns these classic stories on their head. Take my advice: DON'T mess with Bree. But do read about her! She might be a bit reticent at first, but goodness, has she got a story to tell.
This book is definitely epic! Genie Lo--an authentic, exasperated, Chinese American teenager--tackles everything from SATs to demons to legendary heroes and gods. Fans of the ancient "Journey to the West" will get a kick out of this modern adaptation/twist--a journey to the West Coast, specifically San Francisco!
I loved this rom-com about resilience, hard work, believing in yourself, and dancing and singing your heart out! Put some K-pop on in the background, make yourself some tacos, and settle in for a rip-roaring read about a character you'll adore.
Skye is a great singer and dancer and she lives in LA, so of course she'll try out for the new reality TV show competition to be the next (and first American) K-pop star! Will she be able to overcome the fatphobia of the industry-- and her mother? Is it possible to make friends along the way in such a ruthless competition? And what will happen when the contest pairs her with male-model Henry Cho?
I was hooked from the first page. Give this to anyone who could use some good vibes.
(It reminded me of the feelings I get from movies like "Clueless," "Save the Last Dance," and "Bring It On," but so much better!)
I read all in one go! This book had my heart racing from start to finish. Features alternating perspectives between resourceful and genuine young women. A timely narrative on race and protest, both in broader society and between/within individuals--AND a guaranteed read to raise your blood pressure!