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A Young Adult Fiction Expert's Year of Spectacular Teen Reads
Ellen Oh is an award-winning author of middle grade and young adult novels such as Spirit Hunters, The Dragon Egg Princess, and A Thousand Beginnings and Endings, as well as the cofounder of We Need Diverse Books, the groundbreaking, grassroots nonprofit organization. A recovering attorney and Diet Coke addict, Ellen believes in the power of K-dramas and Krispy Kreme doughnuts.
I hate lists. Whenever someone asks me for a list of recommendations, I always panic. It’s like that desert island question where they ask you what ten must-haves would you bring if you were ever stranded alone, and I’m always like, THIS IS WHY I’LL NEVER LEAVE MY HOUSE SO I CAN NEVER BE STRANDED AND AWAY FROM MY THINGS!! Lists are evil. Like that Things to Do Today list. I feel like it should be renamed Things I Can’t Possibly All Do Today and Will Feel Like a Failure About list. Lists give me absolute performance anxiety. What if I forget something important? Then how can I still call it a Best Of list?
So why am I writing a list for Goodreads?
Well, the truth is I love book lists—curated by other people. I love seeing what books people love and what they recommend, and when Goodreads asked me for a list of book recs, I was absolutely flattered! Until I started to write it up. Just ten, they said. And an additional five for next year. Sure, I thought to myself. That should be easy.
OMG IT WASN’T.
Let me tell you, 2020 might have been a terrible pandemic year, but the books released have been nothing short of spectacular! Especially for diverse books! And this makes me so happy because I wanted a diverse book list, and not that long ago it would have been really hard to think of five, let alone ten, books. But this year, we had the opposite issue, and choosing was terribly hard. I started with a list of over 20 favorites and had to figure out how to narrow them down. I literally had to give myself fake parameters in order to compile this list. Like: No sequels, and no books with numbers in the titles, and no books Justin Reynolds put on his fantastic list, and no books by authors who crossed their arms in their photos, etc. OK, I’m kidding about that last one.
So how did I end up choosing? I decided to list books that I want to talk about. You know how you read a great book and you just want to relive its glory by rhapsodizing about it all night long with a friend? This is that list. Books that just make me want to go on and on because I can’t stop thinking about them. To tell you the truth, it was still really hard to limit myself! So to be completely honest, this probably is a list of books I loved and read more recently.... But whatever the case may be, if you read any of these books, feel free to hit me up on Twitter or Instagram so we can gush about them together!!!
I start my list with this incredible book because I consider it a must-read. This is one of the best books I’ve ever read, and it is about the Japanese American internment told by a large cast of characters who you won’t be able to avoid becoming emotionally invested in. And I’m in awe of Chee’s masterful writing that keeps us absolutely engaged through 14 POVs! It works brilliantly. This book will make you laugh, and make you angry and feel helpless, and absolutely break your heart. And for those of you not interested in historical fiction or turned off by all the POVS: READ IT ANYWAY. It’s a brilliant book, but it’s also an important book.
This book is a complete and absolute delight! I love everything about it! First of all, I am a huge K-pop fan. Second of all, I, too, suffered from my mom’s constant fat shaming all my life. Which made Skye a character I could relate to immediately. She’s a joyful, delightful, strong, happy, beautiful character, and I love her ferociously and rooted for her every moment of the book! I just want to hug her hard! This book makes me so happy! Read it and you, too, will be overcome by its utter charm!
There are certain authors who are auto buys for me, and Tiffany Jackson is one of them because all her books are absolutely brilliant. I think she’s a genius. Grown is a powerful read. Uncomfortable, tense, and absolutely gripping. Jackson never disappoints, and, if anything, she has established a reputation for unforgettable books. As she states in her author’s note, this book is about the abuse of power. And from the opening murder scene to its chilling climax, you will never forget that.
"If there's only one book you read this year, please let it be This Is My Brain in Love! Everyone needs to read this beautiful and important book not only because it manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and grab-a-tissue moving, but it's a novel that can open eyes, change minds, and hopefully change lives. Gregorio's writing made my heart hurt even as I was falling in love with Jocelyn and Will, two characters as complex and real as you'll ever meet on a page. Did I just cheat and include my blurb of This Is My Brain in Love? Yes, I did. Because that’s exactly how I feel. There are not a lot of books about anxiety and depression, especially around the Asian American experience. It is still a major stigma in our community. So books like this are relevant and important. (Plus, it’s a damn good read.)
I had to include this book because it is so different from the rest of my list, and also different for Marie Lu. This is a dreamy, gorgeous book that weaves historical fiction and fantasy into utter glorious perfection. I did not know I needed a book about Mozart and his sister, and yet I cannot let go of it, so deeply did it immerse itself into my heart. And that’s what Marie Lu does so well in all of her books. She burrows her way into your life and becomes your favorite overnight.
This book made my heart ache so bad, I was actually angry at Reynolds, like how dare you make me cry so much!! How dare you make me laugh and cry and fall in love with these beautiful characters and stick a whole lot of needles in my heart like I’m your personal pincushion, how dare you!! And yet how brilliant of a writer is he to leave me in the end still sad and yet also comforted by this beautiful book of loss, friendship, family, second chances, and love—lots of love. That is the trait of a master storyteller. But I’m still mad at him. My eyes still hurt from all that weeping. He’d better write another book quick so I can forgive him.
Graphic novel memoirs are really becoming a huge favorite of mine. I have two of them on this list. The first is Almost American Girl, about a Korean American girl who immigrates with her mom to the U.S. and feels utterly alienated by her new world, her new family, and new language. This beautiful coming-of-age story really resonated with me. As different as Ha’s story is to my own lived experience, there was so much I could relate to and that made me feel deeply for young Robin. I wanted to swoop into the pages of this book and just give her a hug. And it was so gratifying to see the moment where she finally accepts who she is and makes peace with being caught between two cultures and accepting them both. I absolutely loved this book!
I have a love-hate relationship with illustrators. I love them for their talent and hate myself for not being able to even draw a stick figure. Gene draws AND illustrates, so I become a twisted pretzel of envy. I can’t even pretend I could have written this book because it’s a freaking memoir! So it’s his life experiences that he writes and draws about. And the layers in this story! Damn it, Gene! Why do you have to be so brilliant!!! It’s both a memoir of Gene the creator, as well as a nonfiction story about basketball, and an amazing story about a basketball team! Even if you don’t like basketball, you’ll end up loving this book!
I have to include another awesome sports book into the mix. This time a raging feminist triumph of a book about a girl soccer player who you can’t help but adore. A girl who has to prove herself in a deeply sexist world that doesn’t want her to succeed. But Camila is La Furia; she is fierce and determined and extraordinarily talented. She doesn’t let the world keep her down, no matter how hard her struggles are, and she never takes the easy way out. This girl is such a badass, and I love her so much! Also, nice-guy love interests are really sexy! I don’t care what anyone says. Give me a nice, understanding, supportive love interest that recognizes the worth of the woman he loves any day!
This gem of a book is filled with gorgeous, lyrical prose, drool-inducing food descriptions, a bustling Night Market, and a Star Court! Utterly enchanting and beautiful. Half celestial star, half human teenager, and all magic, this is fantasy unlike anything else. It’s also so beautifully written that I found myself sighing wistfully at all the magical imagery. It all feels so effortless on Thakrar’s part, wrapping you up in starlight and sweeping you away with her fantastical world-building, unwilling to return to the mundane, reluctantly reading till the end, angry it’s all over, ready to get in your car and drive to her house and demand another story…
2021 Preview
I’m also going to include just a few of the books I’m excited about for 2021. This is just a hint, a taste, of the smorgasbord of goodness that is coming our way. I’m so excited!!
A not-yet-out trans guy being cast as a nontraditional Romeo who then finds his true self by acting in the school play? I want this book RIGHT NOW!!!
Expected publication date: April 13, 2021
Expected publication date: April 13, 2021
I am a HUGE Courtney Summers fan. She is one of the best suspense novelists out there, and I read all her books in one sitting, at the edge of my seat, with my heart pounding in my throat. Plus, the marketing for The Project has made me bite all my nails off, so anxious am I to read it!
Expected publication date: February 2, 2021
Expected publication date: February 2, 2021
Time-travel powers from a liver transplant? I am so curious, it’s killing me to wait!!!
Expected publication date: February 2, 2021
Expected publication date: February 2, 2021
Truth is, Malinda is an auto buy for me. But this book also sounds amazing! A beautiful queer love story set in 1954 San Francisco’s Chinatown? I am ready!!
Expected publication date: January 19, 2021
Expected publication date: January 19, 2021
So technically I read this book already, but you can’t yet, so I think it belongs under most anticipated for you! This is a mystery set in the Joseon period of Korea (1490 or so). That alone makes it so very different from anything else out there! But it is also a story about two estranged sisters and the mystery only they can solve. Their relationship is the soul of the book and truly my favorite part of it. It’s historical and a thrilling mystery that, at its core, is a story about the bonds of family, both good and bad. Plus, Hur does such a wonderful job bringing Jeju Island vividly to life!
Expected publication date: April 20, 2021
Expected publication date: April 20, 2021
See more Reading Year in Review book recommendations in the following genres: Mystery, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Romance.
Now it's your turn! What were your favorite YA books published in 2020?
Check out more recent articles:
The Most Anticipated YA Books of December
Goodreads Staffers Share Their Top Three Books of the Year
Goodreads Members Suggest: Favorite Winter Reads
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Dec 10, 2020 10:20AM
Geez. It’s not like I don’t already have a huge list of books to read, and now I have more that I can’t wait to read. Sigh. Common experience, I know. Thanks, Ellen!!!
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I feel like I need to just ignore all my stacks of books and just start with this list. I had planned on using the hyperlink to the book list Ellen mentions in her opening comments but I think I’ll wait until I get through some of these books!
Our library has ALL of your 2020 recs. Just ordered them for my kids and can't wait to read a few myself.
I don't have a favorite 2020 release yet but definitely enjoyed Furia and Almost All American Girl!
I have added almost all of them to my TBR. Thank you!
I loved this list added 2 3 books to my library and reading it they are amazing I am also waiting for 2021 updateds the thing is 2 feb is my bday m really excited
Ellen Oh- You're one of my heroes (heard you speak at AASL)! Thank you, thank you for this list of terrific titles. Just what I was "wishing for" this morning as I am rethinking my school's choices for a "Reading for Change" program! Happy New Year to you and yours and the 2021 titles sound great.
