On the very last day of 2024, I made my goal of reading 75 books, whew! I usually exceed my goal by at least a few books, but it’s been a busy/hectic/bananas year, so I’m happy with my 75. Lots of these were audiobooks on my commute, and I read a few ebooks too, but my favorite type of book remains the good old-fashioned paper kind. My top 10 favorites this year:
THIS BOOK WON’T BURN by Samira Ahmed. Noor Khan is an inspiring heroine facing multiple tough situations (her father leaving the family with no warning, a move to a new small town from the big city, and dealing with small minds banning books in the school and library). Her relationship with her mom and sister is rocky but loving, and her new friends are everything every teen at a new school could wish for.
RADIO SILENCE by Alice Oseman. I adore all the Heartstopper graphic novels, but I think I loved this traditional prose novel even more.
WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR IS IN THE LIBRARY by Michiko Aoyama translated by Alison Watts. I literally can’t find my copy, which makes me sad because I want to read it again. I absolutely loved the way these characters’ lives inter-connect through the library and librarian on their paths to discovery. So lovely and inspiring!
REZ BALL by Byron Graves. I am not a sporty person, but I absolutely LOVED this book. I think sporty people will love it even more, if that’s possible. I listened to the audiobook and was on the edge of my seat the whole time. Just fabulous.
MOST ARDENTLY by Gabe Cole Novoa. This is my favorite P&P retelling ever! So earnest and lovely and the characters are just so authentic and wonderful. <3 <3 <3
BRIGHT RED FRUIT by Safia Elhillo. Gorgeous poetry, and verse was the perfect form for this story. What the protagonist goes through is heartbreaking, and the ending packs a powerful punch.
WARRIOR GIRL UNEARTHED by Angeline Boulley. I loved Firekeeper’s Daughter, and I loved this one even more. It was SO FABULOUS, everything about it. Perry was such a gritty, real character, while also being completely loveable. Her quest was so admirable, and her mistakes and choices so believable. She and her friends were an unstoppable team in getting justice for these missing native women.
WHEN WE FLEW AWAY by Alice Hoffman. I read a lot of WWII MG books this year, and this was exceptional. Loved hearing the details about Anne’s life before she began her diary. I’ve read as many books as I can find about Anne Frank, and Hoffman still managed to uncover details that were completely new and bring them to life on the page.
THE BLETCHLEY RIDDLE by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. Fabulous book to pair with THE ENIGMA GIRLS! Really engaging and completely plausible story that will probably hook lots of readers on history.
THE ENIGMA GIRLS by Candace Fleming. Really gripping nonfiction about the teen girls working at Bletchley Park during WWII.
On top of these and other fabulous books that came out in 2024 or earlier, I also read and blurbed several advance copies of books that will be out in 2025, so get these on your radar now:
THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messner. Verse is the perfect format for Finn’s journey through the Adirondack High Peaks in The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. The pitch-perfect tween voice spills out of the poetry with raw authenticity. Any tween who’s ever lost someone, made bad choices, or felt unworthy of love will identify with Finn, forced to hike the peaks as reparation for vandalism. Finn might be angry at the world, but readers will find an unlikely hero in him as he figures things out about his deceased firefighter father—and himself—through hiking, poetry, and new relationships. I couldn’t put this book down!
ONE STEP FORWARD by Marcie Flinchum Atkins. One Step Forward by Marcie Flinchum Atkins marches the reader alongside teen Matilda Young, the youngest suffragist jailed for standing up for the right to vote. A wealth of historical details, poetic play with words and whitespace, and absolute relevance to young women today make this verse novel a must read!
A MOST PERILOUS WORLD by Kristina R. Gaddy. Impeccable research and incredible details bring the stories of these four young people (two white and two Black) to life as they come of age in the years leading up to and during the Civil War. The inclusion of surprisingly relevant primary source materials will draw readers in, allowing them to connect the dots from this nation’s dark past to today and furthermore to arm themselves with information to work toward a brighter future.
THE REBEL GIRLS OF ROME by Jordyn Taylor. The Rebel Girls of Rome alternates between the stories of two young women from the same Jewish family in different timelines: Lilah in the present day and her great-aunt Bruna in World War II. Both their stories kept me on the edge of my seat as details emerged about what happened to the family after a Nazi roundup in 1943. A gripping tale of resistance, survival, and love.
