Friendship

Friendship is a universal theme that resonates with teenagers worldwide. Whether you're maneuvering through middle school, high school, or even college, having strong, supportive friendships can significantly impact your life. Delve into our booklist, carefully curated to highlight the essence, intricacy, and significance of friendship. From heartwarming tales of loyalty and trust to insightful reflections on conflict and betrayal, these books will encourage you to value and nurture your friendships. Whether you seek a relatable main character, an exciting journey, or a profound exploration of identity, you'll discover something special in this collection of young adult fiction. Gather a friend (or two!) and delve into these unforgettable tales that celebrate the essence of friendship.
 
 
All alone with you
by Amelia Diane Coombs

Standoffish Eloise Deane, in need of volunteer hours for her college applications, is paired with an agency that offers social support to lonely seniors and meets a dynamic elderly woman and a cheerful fellow volunteer who unexpectedly make her question her loner status. 
 
Grade level: 10 - 12
Fiction; Romance
Barakah Beats
by Maleeha Siddiqui

Leaving Islamic school to attend “real school,” 12-year-old Nimra Sharif, joins the school's popular 8th grade boy band, Baraka Beats, in an attempt to fit in, even though she was taught that music isn't allowed in Islam, forcing her to make a difficult decision. 
 
Grade level: 6+
Fiction; Music
Picture day
by Sarah Sax

Becoming an influencer at Brinkley Middle School after cutting her hair while live-streaming, seventh-grader Viv realizes her dream of reinventing herself and becoming popular, but at what cost? 
 
Grade level: 6+
Graphic Novel; Realistic Fiction
Best nerds forever
by James Patterson

Rendered a ghost by a bicycle accident, young Finn McAllister teams up with fellow spirit Isabella Rojas to commit invisible pranks on the living, before discovering that they cannot move on to the afterlife.
 
Grade level: 6+
Fiction; Fantasy
Komi can't communicate
by Tomohito Oda

Socially anxious high school student Shoko Komi would love to make friends, but her shyness is interpreted as reserve, and the other students keep her at a distance. Only timid Tadano realizes the truth, and despite his own desire to blend in, he decides to help her achieve her goal of making 100 friends.
 
Grade level: 7 - 9
Manga; Comedy
Making friends
by Kristen Gudsnuk

When she and her friends are placed in different classes and begin liking different things at the start of seventh grade, Dany inherits a magic sketchbook and uses it to create a perfect best friend, but this best friend soon becomes far from perfect.
 
Grade level: 6+
Graphic Novel; Fantasy
Phoebe's diary
by Phoebe Wahl

Based on her own teenage diary, the author melds truth with fiction and art in this candid look at adolescence that is full of invaluable friends and heartbreaking crushes, awesome playlists and vintage outfits, drama nerds and art kids, old wounds and new love. 
 
Grade level: 10 - 12
Graphic Novel; Contemporary
Skip!
by Sarah Burgess

Jay is always scribbling poetry in their notebook. When they come across Skip, a Double Dutch team, they befriend the members-and decide to join, too. For the first time ever, Jay has a place to belong-and friends to confide in. But Jay's friendship with their new bestie Beah is intense, both in and out of Double Dutch. As Beah and Jay help each other grow into the people they will become, it challenges their friendship and their own identities. This charming "slice of life" graphic novel is about accepting yourself, navigating "first love" friendship, and finding your own voice.
 
Grade level: 6+
Graphic Novel; Sports
Things that shimmer
by Deborah Lakritz

Set in 1973, Melanie desperately wants to be accepted by the Shimmers, the popular girls in her class, but when she gets to know Dorit, the new girl from Israel, she must choose between popularity and true friendship.
 
Grade level: 6+
Fiction; Historical Fiction