Awards: Best YA Books of 2020

This year, the nominees for Best Young Adult Book of the Year in the She Reads awards show a wide range of diverse perspectives and we are excited to see this many fresh voices in the category.

Our annual She Reads awards are nominated and voted on by our readers and fans. Here are the nominees for Best YA Book of the Year, and the winner of the She Reads Award for the Best YA Book of the Year.

The nominees for the Best YA Book of 2020 are:

Fable by Adrienne Young

This book has it all – from family drama, romance, to basic survival – it will hold your interest all the way to the very last page. Receiving recognition on our list for its amazing ability to captivate an audience, Fable’s story takes the reader on a wild ride full of adventure and determination. We couldn’t put it down and have a feeling you won’t be able to, either.

Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

As a transgender having a hard time finding love, Felix encounters a cyberbully who turns his life upside down, making his mission even more complicated. Planning revenge only leads Felix further down the rabbit hole, where more surprises await, including a pseudo love triangle. We love a good plot twist and that’s just one of the reasons Felix Ever After made the list.

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

Witty and wacky, Tweet Cute earned a spot on the list for its fun to followstorylines. While Pepper and Jack are engaged in an all-out war on Twitter, they are also unknowingly messaging on an online app. As the insults get more intense, so do their feelings, leading them straight into an awkward romance.

A Heart So Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

All is fair in love and war and we are living for this nail-biting nominated novel. The kingdom is on the brink of destruction with a crown at stake and the threat of violence looming in the air. This good-versus-evil tale of medieval mayhem has it all, including a little love story, making for a peculiar plot twist.

Furia by Yamile Saied Méndez

Furia made the cut for its brilliant ability to show what girl power is all about. Camila is living a double life; she is quiet and demure at home but on the soccer field, she is a force to be reckoned with. Her dreams of making it big all come down to the approval of her parents as she tries to show them that there is nothing more important than living out your dreams.

This is My America by Kim Johnson

Seeing things through the eyes of 17-year-old Tracy Beaumont will open you up to a whole new way of viewing the world. Nominated for its gut wrenching story-telling of injustice and racism, This is My America offers a relevant perspective on how haunting it can be when history repeats itself. As time starts to run out for Tracy to make things right for her family, the reader will be cheering her on every step of the way.

The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

The year was 1992 and all was well…until it wasn’t. Nominated for capturing a piece of modern history, The Black Kids takes a look at the beating of Rodney King and the riots that engulfed the city of Los Angeles afterwards. This one incident changed everything and brought a scary new view of racism into the light.

Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From by Jennifer De Leon

This powerful story made our list for showing the reader that even though there will always be obstacles, the best way to tackle them is to take them head on. Liliana is facing an identity crisis when she feels that she has to choose between being authentic or changing to fit in. Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From is intense as well as inspiring, and you won’t want to put it down.

The winner for the She Reads Award for Best YA Book of 2020 is:

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

This heartbreaking novel gave us all the feels. Nominated for its poignant portrayal of a grieving family and its ability to capture the raw emotion of two mourning sisters, this story will get your attention right away. As secrets are revealed and reality sets in from the loss of their father, they realize that their lives will never be the same.