Teen Scene
January 2026

Our Favorites! The Best Teen Books of 2025
Rosa by Any Other Name by Hailey Alcaraz
Rosa by Any Other Name
by Hailey Alcaraz

In this Romeo and Juliet-inspired retelling set during the civil rights era, a Mexican American girl is driven to join a movement for justice after her white classmate and best friend from the barrio are tragically murdered.
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Sisters in the Wind
by Angeline Boulley

When Lucy meets someone who claims to help Native American foster kids reconnect with their communities, she’s skeptical. She’s also pretty busy trying to outwit a violent stalker. Fans of Angeline Boulley’s Firekeeper’s Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed will recognize familiar characters in this powerful mystery.
Under the Same Stars: A Good Morning America Book Club Pick by Libba Bray
Under the Same Stars
by Libba Bray

Three groups of teens -- in the 1940s, 1980s, and 2020 -- are connected by the mysterious disappearance of two girls. This intricately plotted novel about hope and social movements paints evocative portraits of life in Nazi Germany, the 1980s West Berlin queer punk scene, and COVID lockdown in New York City.
Sunrise on the Reaping (the Hunger Games) by Suzanne Collins
Sunrise on the Reaping
by Suzanne Collins

When Haymitch Abernathy's name is drawn for the the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love and shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes.  As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.
All the Noise at Once by DeAndra Davis
All the Noise at Once
by DeAndra Davis

Star quarterback Brandon is happy to have his autistic brother Aiden on the team. When a post-game fight results in Brandon’s unjust arrest, it’s up to Aiden to prove his older brother’s innocence. 
 
Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown by Candace Fleming
Death in the Jungle: Murder, Betrayal, and the Lost Dream of Jonestown
by Candace Fleming

This chronicle of one of American history's most notorious cults follows Jim Jones from humble Midwest origins to "Jonestown" in Guyana, South America, and traces his transformation of Peoples Temple into a nefarious experiment in mind control.
After Life by Gayle Forman
After Life
by Gayle Forman

Amber shocks her family upon arriving home from school one day, because seven years ago, a car struck and killed her. Given this second chance, Amber investigates how she returned, and more importantly, why? Fans of author Gayle Forman’s popular If I Stay will appreciate this character-driven meditation on life and death.
Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire by Don Martin
Verity Vox and the Curse of Foxfire
by Don Martin

The mountain town of Foxfire needs Verity’s help. She’s a witch-in-training, and a huckster named Earl has left the people of Foxfire on the brink of starvation. Fighting Earl requires Verity to confront the ancient magic of the mountains themselves. This cozy fantasy is infused with Appalachian folklore.
This Is the Year by Gloria Muñoz
This Is the Year
by Gloria Muñoz

Grieving the loss of her twin sister and rocked by Florida’s escalating natural disasters, Julieta is initially eager to leave Earth and join a moon colony. But what does she owe her fellow humans and her suffering planet? This hopeful apocalyptic novel alternates between poetry and prose.
Angelica and the Bear Prince by Trung Le Nguyen
Angelica and the Bear Prince
by Trung Le Nguyen

Recovering from burnout, Angelica sees her theater internship as an opportunity for meaningful work. She might also finally unmask the theater’s bear mascot, whom she has been messaging over social media. This tender graphic novel takes inspiration from the Norwegian folktale “East of the Sun and West of the Moon.”
 
Flip: A Graphic Novel by Ngozi Ukazu
Flip: A Graphic Novel
by Ngozi Ukazu

Chi-Chi Ekeh has one huge problem--she keeps crushing on rich white boys who have no idea she exists. Enter Flip Henderson, 6'1, cool, and the most popular boy at school. But when Flip rejects Chi-Chi in front of their entire class, what happens next is completely unexpected: Chi-Chi switches bodies with Flip! With graduation looming, Chi-Chi and Flip must form an unlikely friendship in order to find their way back to themselves. 
And the River Drags Her Down by Jihyun Yun
And the River Drags Her Down
by Jihyun Yun

While women in Soojin’s family have the magical ability to raise the dead, her mother warns her against using the power on a human. When Soojin’s sister drowns, she ignores her mother’s advice, and things quickly spiral out of control. This heart-wrenching horror novel meditates on grief and generational trauma.
 
Contact your librarian for more great books for age 14 and up!
Aalfs Downtown Library
529 Pierce Street
Sioux City, Iowa 51101
712-255-2933

www.siouxcitylibrary.org