TEENS: Uplifting Reads
American Royals
by Katharine McGee

An alternate-history tale reimagines America as a monarchy and follows the experiences of a princess who struggles with her feelings for an off-limits boy, while her handsome twin brother is pursued by two very different girls. 
Along for the Ride 
by Sarah Dessen

Dealing with insomnia since her parents' divorce and an overly demanding mother, Auden is excited to be staying with her father in a beautiful beach town for the summer, but when she develops a crush on a fellow insomniac named Eli, powerful feelings emerge as they begin to share their deepest secrets while the rest of the world sleeps.
Anna and the French Kiss
by Stephanie Perkins

When Anna is sent to an elite American boarding school in Paris for her senior year of high school, she reluctantly sets off; once there, she meets Étienne St. Clair, an amazing boy with whom she would like to be more than just friends--the only problem is that he's taken, as she might be as well if anything comes of her almost-relationship back home.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents and his family that he has never asked before.
Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender Teen)
by Jazz Jennings

The author reccounts how her public experiences have influenced her attitude towards the transgender community, as she works to educate others about transgenderism while navigating the challenges of being a teenager.
Boy meets Boy
by David Levithan

When Paul falls hard for Noah, he thinks he has found his one true love, but when things take a turn for the worse and Noah walks out of his life, Paul has to find a way to get him back and make everything right once more, in a tale about the up, downs, and dramas of teen relationships. 
Carry On: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow
by Rainbow Rowell

Simon Snow's final year at the Watford School of Magicks is overshadowed by a painful breakup, an overprotective mentor, a roommate's disappearance and a plethora of monsters. 
Con Academy
by Joe Schreiber

Con man Will Shea may have met his match in scammer Andrea Dufresne as they make a high-stakes deal that will determine who gets to stay at Connaughton Academy, one of the most elite and privileged preparatory schools in the country, and who must leave.
The Distance Between Us
by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Caymen Meyers knows better thant to trust a rich boy. But then she meets the richest guy of all, who proves money might not matter after all.
Dumplin'
by Julie Murphy

Questioning her plus-sized body for the first time when an athletic boy appears to return her affections, Willowdean enters her city's beauty pageant and uses her sassy styles and talents to compete against thinner contestants. 
Everything Leads to You
by Nina LaCour

Feeling unfulfilled in her romantic life in spite of a promising career in the L.A. film scene, talented set designer Emi discovers a mysterious letter at an estate sale that prompts her investigation into a movie icon's hidden life. 
The Field Guide to the North American Teenager
by Ben Philippe

Uprooted from his native Montreal to Austin, Texas, a black French-Canadian teen navigates the joys and clichés of the American high school experience, including falling in love, before challenging himself to accept friendship into his life.
The Fourteenth Foldfish
by Jennifer L Holm

Hating change and missing both her best friend and her dead goldfish, 11-year-old Ellie encounters a boy who strongly resembles her immortality-obsessed grandfather, in a story that introduces the work of famous historical scientists. By the three-time Newbery Honor-winning author of Turtle in Paradise.
Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum
by Michael McCreary

Stand-up comic and activist Michael McCreary describes how he was diagnosed with ASD in early childhood and found healing and empowerment through journaling, as a comedian and in dispelling misconceptions about autism. 
Geekerella: A Novel
by Ashley Poston

A devoted fan of a classic sci-fi television series risks the ire of her evil stepsisters by entering a contest to win an invitation to a ball where she would meet her favorite actor, a teen star who would prove he is more than just a dumb heartthrob. 
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue
by Mackenzi Lee

Two friends on a Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe stumble across a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt shaped by pirates, highwaymen and their growing attraction to one another. 
Guy in Real Life
by Steven Brezenoff

Colliding on their bikes in the middle of the night, Minnesota teens Lesh and Svetlana forge a bond despite their widely divergent interests while exploring the identities they assume in school, in their families and while participating in role-playing games. 
Howl's Moving Castle
by Diana Wynne Jones

Eldest of three sisters in a land where it is considered to be a misfortune, Sophie is resigned to her fate as a hat shop apprentice until a witch turns her into an old woman and she finds herself in the castle of the greatly feared wizard Howl. 
How to speak boy
by Tiana Smith

A mix-up in one of their classes causes fierce rivals Quinn and Grayson to begin an anonymous correspondence that blossoms into romance before they discover their respective identities on the eve of a debate tournament. By the author of Match Me If You Can. Simultaneous eBook.
I Believe in a Thing Called Love
by Maurene Goo

A high achieving Korean-American student whose botched attempts at romance have made her a laughingstock decides to conquer her insecurities when the most attractive boy she has ever met walks into her life. 
Kings, Queens, and In-Betweens
by Tanya Boteju

Struggling with her mother's sudden departure and a hopeless crush on a straight friend, a socially awkward teen is haphazardly enmeshed in the drag scene on the other side of her insular community, where she navigates questions of identity and self-acceptance.
Leah on the Offbeat
by Becky Albertalli

Leah Burke is an anomaly in her friend group: the only child of a young, single mom; her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she's bisexual, she hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends-- not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. When her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways, it's hard for Leah to strike the right note. And with prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. If onlyreal life was as rhythmic as her drumming.
Let's Talk About Love
by Claire Kann

A secretly asexual college student who desires a swoon-worthy romance without sex despairs of ever having a relationship when she is unable to convince any prospective partners that love and sex do not always go together, a resolve that is tested by her crush on a young man she is sure will not understand her.
Like a Love Story
by Abdi Nazemian

An Iranian youth who hides his sexual orientation from his family, an openly gay photographer and an aspiring fashion designer with an HIV-positive uncle fall in love and find their voices as activists during the height of the AIDS crisis in New York City. 
A Match Made in Mehendi
by Nandini Bajpai

A 15-year-old girl from a family of Indian vichole matchmakers accidentally sets up a cousin with a law student before struggling to convince her loved ones to support her dreams of becoming an artist. 
My Lady Jane
by Cynthia Hand

A fantastical, comedic romance adventure inspired by the true story of Lady Jane Grey follows the experiences of a 16-year-old noblewoman who, on the eve of her marriage to a stranger, is swept up in a conspiracy to usurp the throne from her cousin. 
My So-Called Bollywood Life
by Nisha Sharma

Staying loyal to her boyfriend in spite of her reservations because of an astrologer's prediction only to discover that he has fallen for someone else, Winnie Mehta considers the advice of a friend and fellow film enthusiast, Dev, who encourages her to look beyond her horoscope and find someone who makes her happy. 
Once and for All 
by Sarah Dessen

Gaining considerable experience while working for her cynical mother's successful wedding-planner business throughout her high school years, Louna holds her own wary beliefs about love before charming playboy Ambrose joins the company and dares her to date while he attempts a long-term relationship with one woman. 
The Princess Diaries
by Meg Cabot

Fourteen-year-old Mia, who is trying to lead a normal life as a teenage girl in New York City, is shocked to learn that her father is the Prince of Genovia, a small European principality, and that she is a princess and the heir to the throne.
Pumpkinheads
by Rainbow Rowell

Working at a pumpkin patch every autumn, two seasonal best friends organize ultimate Halloween plans to celebrate their last working year together. 
Save the Date
by Morgan Matson

When seventeen-year-old Charlie Grant's four older siblings reunite for a wedding, she is determined they will have a perfect weekend before the family home is sold, but last-minute disasters abound.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
by Ann Brashares

As they part for the summer, four friends, Carmen, Lena, Tibby, and Bridget, embark on a journey of self-discovery when they decide to share an old pair of worn jeans that were purchased from a thrift shop and form the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Ship It
by Britta Lundin

A viral video of a politically charged clash between a popular LGBTQ fan-fiction writer and the actor at the heart of her creations leads to her inclusion in a publicity tour marked by the actor's struggles to protect his career and heated debates about his character's sexuality.
There's Something About Sweetie
by Sandhya Menon

A companion to the best-selling When Dimple Met Rishi finds a brokenhearted Indian-American teen agreeing to allow his parents to set him up on culturally approved dates with a talented track athlete, who is tired of being nagged by her traditionally minded family about her plus-sized body. 
This Book is Not Yet Rated: A Novel
by Peter Bognanni

Learning that a beloved local movie theater is going to be demolished, a young film buff teams up with a motley crew of cinema employees and his oldest friend, who has been working stage crew jobs in Hollywood, to save the site they love. 
This is Kind of an Epic Love Story
by Kacen Callender

A teen film buff and aspiring screenwriter, jaded after seeing too many real-life relationships go sour, questions his beliefs about the impossibility of happy endings when his former best friend moves back to town. A first young-adult novel by the author of Hurricane Child. 
To All the Boys I've Loved Before
by Jenny Han

Keeping private love letters written to five secret crushes she has had, Lara Jean Song finds her personal life going from imaginary to out of control when the letters are unexpectedly mailed. 
Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard
by Alex Bertie

The YouTube personality and social advocate presents a courageous firsthand account of his life, struggles and victories as a transgender youth, discussing his private battles with identity, the challenges of the healthcare system and what he recommends for today's transitioning teens.
The Hidden Oracle
by Rick Riordan

Cast down from Olympus and transformed into a human after angering Zeus, a weak and disoriented Apollo arrives in New York City as a regular teen and is forced to survive in the modern world while endeavoring to regain Zeus' favor.
Tweet Cute
by Emma Lord

A reimagining of You’ve Got Mail follows the unlikely romance between an overachiever from a successful family and the class clown, who exchange snarky tweets that escalate into a viral Twitter war. 
The Upside of Unrequited
by Becky Albertalli

Avoiding relationships to protect her sensitive heart, plus-sized Molly supports her once-cynical twin, Cassie, when the latter has her own bout of lovesickness, a situation that is complicated by sibling dynamics and an unexpected romantic triangle. 
The Way You Make Me Feel
by Maurene Goo

Sentenced to a summer working on her father's food truck after taking a joke too far, prankster Korean-American Clara Shin unexpectedly bonds with a straitlaced co-worker and a cute boy on another food truck while reevaluating her relationship with her estranged mother. 
What If It's Us 
by Becky Albertalli

The award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and the best-selling author of They Both Die in the End present the story of two very different boys who cannot decide if the universe is pushing them together or pulling them apart. 
What Light
by Jay Asher

Dividing her life between her family's Oregon Christmas tree farm and the California tree lot where they spend the holiday seasons, Sierra falls for a boy who lives under the shadow of a terrible mistake, a relationship that is met with disapproval and suspicion.
What to Say Next
by Julie Buxbaum

Distancing herself from her friends when she realizes that nobody she knows will understand the difficulties she is facing in the wake of her father's death, Kit impulsively sits at the lunch table beside longtime loner David, with whom she forges an unexpected connection. 
When the Moon Was Ours
by Anna-Marie McLemore

As their deep friendship turns to love, Latina teenager Miel, who grows roses from her wrist, and Italian-Pakistani Samir, a transgender boy, fear their secrets will be exposed by the beautiful Bonner girls, four sisters rumored to be witches.