Readers Delight: It’s The Most Anticipated YA Books for 2026!

The “troubled teen” industry has long fascinated me because it was such a cultural phenomenon when I was a teenager myself (the number of shows on daytime TV and teen networks that feature “bad kids” going camping or being “fixed” is pretty alarming just to think about!).

This graphic memoir tells the story of Sophia being stolen from her room at night when she was 13 years old. Two strangers pulled her out of bed and dragged her to a “natural therapy camp.” This was something her mother thought was necessary as Sophia’s behavior was getting out of control.

But this camp had no therapeutic effect. It was traumatic, so Sophia repeated several more similar “camps” in an attempt to behave better. Her story is harrowing, but also darkly funny as it eviscerates an unregulated industry that has caused untold damage to generations of young people.

(I’m going to make the weirdest comparison here, but trust me, if you’re even remotely interested in this topic, you need to read Paris: The Memoir by Paris Hilton, which talks about her experiences that are eerily similar to Sophia’s).

The queen of YA is back with her first novel since 2019. This story is about a girl named Finley. Finley’s life changes when her mother announces that Finley will be spending the summer at a family cottage she never knew existed. Finley ends up meeting aunts and cousins ​​he’s never spent time with before, and finds community with the teens who work at his aunt’s diner. At the same time as she develops feelings for a local boy, her relationship with her longtime boyfriend Colin begins to waver. This is the story of a girl finding herself, her voice, her passion, and Dessen has always done great work.

1918, Orcas Island, Washington. Lucy spent her life working in an eccentric shipyard. As a child, she washed ashore in a canoe and was taken in by a shipyard. Lucy was looking for answers she couldn’t get on the island, but she didn’t want to find them by stumbling upon the severed head of her employer. Not only must Lucy now dispel local rumors about the naughty child being a murderer, but she’s also unexpectedly named heir to a fortune, putting her future in jeopardy and raising suspicions that she might be the murderer. Stacey Lee does historical mysteries like no other, and this one seems like a standout.

Derrick, a Navajo native in New Mexico, knows that having the opportunity to attend school on the East Coast is a ticket to a life he would never otherwise have. But leaving the house is difficult. Especially since I will be leaving behind my great-grandmother.

And what about school? It’s difficult to balance all the responsibilities Derrick has now. His classmates in particular seem to be doing just fine. They also ask him many questions about his heritage and home, having no idea about the privileged life they lead.

As her great-grandmother’s health deteriorates, she begs Derrick to quit school and come home. But that conversation stirs something in Derrick. He realizes that he knows the content of the term paper, and that it is something his great-grandmother experienced at a federal Indian boarding school.

It’s so fun to get more Native stories from more Native voices, and this looks like a great read about intergenerational trauma and family bonds.

Mesroboan has returned from writing a novel for the first time in several years, and it looks like it will pack a punch as usual. The 200-plus page book follows two teenagers whose lives are filled with trauma. Leo and Connor are spending the summer in rural Minnesota, where Leo’s mother is renovating the family property — even though she’s not around to see it. The two teenagers begin a passionate relationship with each other, but their relationship escalates when they discover the bones of two dead people in a mansion. They are obsessed with finding out who these two are and are convinced that the two are connected to their future.

As of this writing, this does not have a cover.

Lola and Lisandro are two actor brothers who scam rich people. Laura pretends to be a ghost haunting a wealthy man’s house, and Lisandro pretends to be a medium who helps them. The brothers’ next target is Bixby Fairfax, a newspaper tycoon and doujin real estate owner. But things start going awry the moment Laura and Lisandro decide to switch roles. Strange events are happening one after another in The Doujin, and no matter how hard the brothers try to solve the mysteries, they get more and more involved. Will they be able to pull off their biggest scam or is their act about to be unraveled? This historical thriller sounds interesting.

Every book June Herr has ever written has fascinated me. pride and prejudice. And that was before I learned that the book was about censorship and characters involved in the illegal writing and transcription of fiction that the government had outlawed. Calm my heart! – Rachel Britten

This debut novel lets you look at Chinese folklore from a slightly different angle. In this work, Kang Si-ying is a necromancer priestess who has a big request to take care of her sick father and has to take on the dangerous task of retrieving the corpse of a prince. However, when she reanimates the dead prince, he does not react to her as reanimated corpses usually do. Instead of following her commands, he returns as himself, but requires life force, or ki, to remain on earth. The two travel through the countryside, purifying evil spirits for the sake of the prince, and uncovering secrets along the way. A secret that could threaten the entire kingdom. – Erica Ezefedi

I recently read the comic book series based on Rainbow Lowell’s Fangirl, so when I saw To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before being turned into a graphic novel, my hands immediately started making gimme gimme gestures. Fans now have the original books, an adaptation of the great film trilogy, and soon a graphic novel adaptation. This is a real win for lovers of YA romance, Jenny Han, and her characters! – Jamie Canaves

After a minor media scandal, America’s eldest daughter Abby Arzona is banished to a run-down inn in a small Virginia town for the summer until things calm down. But Abby turns lemons into lemonade, relishing the chance to be a normal teenager: planning Fourth of July festivities, going to barbecues and pool parties, and maybe even getting her first kiss. In 2026, it feels like many of us are looking for a little escapism from the current political climate. This delightful Fourth of July YA romance about the daughter of the first Filipino-American president is just the palate cleanser we all need. – Susie Dumond