Every year our staff vote for their favourite books of the past 12 months. Here are the best young adult books of the year, as voted by Readings' staff, and displayed in alphabetical order by author.

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black

Jump back into the world of Elfhame in The Stolen Heir. It’s been eight years since the Battle of the Serpent and we are now following Jude’s brother Oak and the changeling queen, Suren. The two were…

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Songlines: First Knowledges for Younger Readers by Margo Neale, Lynne Kelly & Blak Douglas (illus.)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

The 169-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths & Terry Denton (illus.)

No Brainer (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 18) by Jeff Kinney

Write Fight Flee! by 100 Story Building

Artichoke to Zucchini by Alice Oehr

Look Who’s Talking (the Bad Guys: Episode 18) by Aaron Blabey

What to Do When You’re Not Sure What to Do by…

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The Gab Williams Prize seeks to acknowledge the contribution of young adult author and immediate past manager of The Readings Prize, Gabrielle Williams, who passed away early in 2023.

Unlike the other prize winners, which are chosen by panels of Readings booksellers this prize has been chosen by teens themselves, all aged between 14 to 18, and all participants in The Readings Teen Advisory Board. The board read the shortlist for The Readings Young Adult Prize and came together to…

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Are you finding it hard to decide which title on the 2023 Readings Young Adult Prize shortlist to read? Well this guide will help you choose based on books you've previously read and loved!

If you loved Wuthering Heights...

Where You Left Us by Rhiannon Wilde

An evocative YA mash-up that’s like Wuthering Heights meets Sherlock Holmes, with Taylor Swift’s Evermore as the soundtrack.

Sisters Cinnamon and Scarlett are home for the summer, looking after their father who’s suffering…

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With the upcoming announcement of this year's winner, our Young Adult Prize shortlist authors talk about their inspiration, the creative process, their perfect reader, their favourite writing advice, and what they hope readers take away from their books.

What was the initial inspiration for your story?

Alice Boyle (Dancing Barefoot): The initial inspiration for Dancing Barefoot came in my final year of my creative writing degree. I was doing a subject on writing for young adults and…

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The 169-Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths, Terry Denton (illus.)

Never a Hero by Vanessa Len

No Words by Maryam Master

Cat of Death! by Aaron Blabey

If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

Evie and Rhino by Neridah McMullin, Astred Hicks (illus.)

This Camp is Doomed by Anna Zobel

One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus

Ghost Book by Remy Lai

Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan

The Bookseller’s Apprentice by Amelia Mellor

The…

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Alicia from Readings Kids recently had the exciting opportunity to interview YA fantasy superstar Megan Whalen Turner and below is the transcript of what transpired.

Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to ask you some questions on behalf of Readings. Before I get into those I just wanted to tell you how much I love your books and how much they have meant to me. I began reading the Queen’s Thief series when I was 14 and…

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As years go by, time after time, humans around the world are drawn to the same books, connecting us from every corner of the globe: some notable examples include plays, such as Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, classic novels such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None, as well as Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, to name a few.

But why should we be chained to the books of our past…

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Olivia from our Teen Advisory Board has curated a selection of all-time favourite fantasy novels to tempt you.

Fantasy novels are totally immersive. They’re perfect for staying up late over summer (or during term!), to read on the tram home from school, or really, just to crack open in any situation! Below are four fantasy books I highly recommend escaping into.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

This is the book that made me fall in love with fantasy; strange…

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One of Us is Back by Karen M. McManus

Welcome to Sex! by Dr Melissa Kang & Yumi Stynes

The World’s Worst Monsters by David Walliams

Ghost Book by Remy Lai

Scar Town by Tristan Bancks

Never a hero by Vanessa Len

The Skull by Jon Klassen

It’s the Sound of the Thing by Maxine Beneba Clarke

This Camp is Doomed by Anna Zobel

Ember and the Island of Lost Creatures by Jason Pamment

Storm by Jane Bunn

The Detective’s…

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