We challenged our Twitter followers to tell us what’s the most underrated young adult novel. Even more impressive than the bevy of responses were the arguments everyone made for these books—some fantasy, some contemporary YA and plenty in between. We’ve chosen our 10 favorites below. These novels are weird and whimsical and witty, and should find their way on to your reading list once you’ve devoured “The Hunger Games” or “The Fault in Our Stars.”This is a great list, and a terrific way to look beyond some of the more cliched elements existing in YA. (Not every book *has* to be a dystopian trilogy with romance elements, amirite?)
Here’s the list with catalog links:
- The Last Dragonslayer by Jasper Fforde
- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
- The Ancient One by T.A. Barron (contact us and we’ll get it for you)
- Karma by Cathy Ostlere
- After by Amy Efaw
- The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
- Tangerine by Edward Bloor
- Putting Makeup on Dead People by Jen Violi
- Tamsin by Peter S. Beagle
- Hold Still by Nina LaCour
And there’s always others. My personal underrated faves are King Dork by Frank Portman and Blood Red Road by Moira Young (yep, it’s a dystopian. Deal.)
What YA titles do you think need better coverage?
The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean – I actually felt cold while reading this in the middle of July!