The Teens’ Top Ten is a “teen choice” list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year! Nominators are members of teen book groups in fifteen school and public libraries around the country.
25 nominations were posted during National Library Week (April 23-29, 2023), and readers across the country voted on their favorite titles between August 15 – October 15 at the Teens’ Top 10 site here.
This year’s picks for the Teens Top 10 should be announced any day now! Until then, take a look at the nominations:
2023 Teens’ Top 25 Nominations
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir — A family extending from Pakistan to California deals with generations of young love, old regrets, and forgiveness. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Alone Out Here by Riley Redgate — When the president’s daughter ends up on the only ship escaping a dying earth, she and a group of teenagers must grapple with the challenges of what it will take to survive as the last remnants of humanity. Get the Audiobook
Blackwater by Jeanette Arroyo and Ren Graham — Riverdale meets Stranger Things in this debut YA graphic novel, developed from a hit webcomic. Set in the haunted town of Blackwater, Maine, two boys fall for each other as they dig for clues to a paranormal mystery. Get the eBook
Crumbs by Danie Stirling — Ray, a young seer struggling with her powers, discovers first love and friendship in her town’s magic bakery.
Dig Two Graves by Gretchen McNeil — While at a girls’ empowerment camp, high school pariah Neve and her new best friend Diane joke about killing each other’s bullies, and soon after returning home, Neve finds herself being blackmailed into committing murder. Get the Audiobook
Don’t Look Back: A Memoir of War, Survival, and My Journey from Sudan to America by Achut Deng and Keely Hutton — In this story of unimaginable hardship and selfless bravery, a former refugee recounts her 1,000-mile journey to finally find a life, instead of merely surviving. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Five Survive by Holly Jackson — From the author of the bestselling A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series comes a new blockbuster thriller about a road trip that turns deadly. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Gallant by VE Schwab — Olivia Prior has grown up at the grim Merilance School for Girls with no no past except for her one treasure, her mother’s journal, so when a letter arrives inviting her to come home to the ruinous manor, Gallant, she seizes the chance to find out about her family. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh — In this retelling of the Korean legend “The Tale of Shim Cheong”, sixteen-year-old Mina is swept away to the Spirit Realm, where, assisted by a motley crew of demons, gods, and lesser spirits, she sets out to awaken the sleeping Sea God and save her homeland and family from deadly storms. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Gleanings: Stories from Arc of a Scythe by Neal Shusterman — Bestselling author Neal Shusterman and multiple collaborators return to the world of the Arc of a Scythe series. Discover secrets and histories of characters you’ve followed for three volumes and meet new heroes, new foes, and some figures in between. Get the eBook
Gold Mountain by Betty Yee — Fifteen-year-old Tam Ling Fan disguises herself as her twin brother, journeys from her village in China to California, and works as a laborer on the Transcontinental Railroad to earn the money her family desperately needs. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys — In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Icebreaker by Hannah Grace — Sparks fly when a competitive figure skater and hockey team captain are forced to share a rink.
The Ivory Key by Akshaya Raman — Four estranged royal siblings, each harboring secrets and conflicting agendas, must learn to work together as they search for the Ivory Key–a thing of legend that will lead to a new source of magic. Get the Audiobook
Lakelore by Anna-Maria McLemore — Two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake — but can they keep their worlds above water intact? Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Lesbiana’s Guide to Catholic School by Sonora Reyes — Sixteen-year-old Mexican American Yami Flores starts Catholic school, determined to keep her brother out of trouble and keep herself closeted, but her priorities shift when Yami discovers that her openly gay classmate Bo is also annoyingly cute. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Lia and Beckett’s Abracadabra by Amy Noelle Parks — Seventeen-year-old Lia Sawyer teams up with Beckett–one of the charming Blackwell boys, the latest generation of a rival magic family–to win a stage magic contest and out-con the bad guys. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Lightlark by Alex Aster — In order to break a curse on her kingdom, Isla Crown, the young ruler of Wilding, must compete in the Centennial, a deadly game that only the rulers of six realms are invited to play, and to survive she must lie, cheat, and betray–even as love threatens to undo everything. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of an Wuhanese American by Laura Gao — After spending her early years in Wuhan, China, Laura immigrates to Texas, where her hometown is as foreign as Mars — at least until 2020, when COVID-19 makes Wuhan a household name. Get the eBook
A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow — Two seventeen-year-old trans boys in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, struggling to understand themselves and their love for each other, are inspired by an online story about trans soldiers who fell in love during the American Revolution.
My Sister’s Big Fat Indian Wedding by Sajni Patel — Gifted violinist Zurika Damani tries to juggle the obligations of her sister’s extravagant wedding week while secretly preparing for a prominent music contest all while trying to dodge her family’s matchmaking schemes.
Nothings Burns as Bright as You by Ashley Woodfolk — Over the course of one wild and reckless day, two best friends become something more and the depth of their past, the confusion of the present, and the unpredictability of their future is revealed. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus — Brynn Gallagher uses her internship at a new true crime show to investigate the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher, uncovering secrets about her school, her teacher, and her ex-best friend in the process. Get the eBook | Get the Audiobook
The Rumor Game by Dhonielle Clayton and Sona Charaipotra — At a posh private school for the children of DC’s elite, three girls become targets of vicious rumors and the only one who can stop the gossip in its tracks is not even sure they want to. Get the Audiobook
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer — When a rash decision lands her halfway across the country to finish her senior year, Ellis’ relationship with her best friend is thrown into chaos until a visit home forces her to confront the heartache, betrayal, and anger she left behind.