Each winter the ICPL staff vote on TOP PICKS comprising our favorite books published during the current year. Our ten categories for TOP PICKS include Fiction; Young Adult, Picture Books; Middle Grade and Children’s; Mystery, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy; Biographies and Memoirs; Nonfiction; and Graphic Novels.
Do our TOP PICKS for YOUNG ADULT match your favorite reading experiences from 2020? We want to hear about your favorites too!
Stay tuned for the BEST OF THE BEST list for the year which will be awarded from each TOP PICKS category. The title with the most staff nominations will be awarded the honor of ICPL BEST BOOK of 2020. We'll announce the BEST OF THE BEST for 2020 and our pick for BEST BOOK of 2020 on December 31.
We hope you enjoy our favorite YOUNG ADULT books of 2020 and would love to connect you with any titles that you find interesting!
The ballad of songbirds and snakes
Suzanne Collins
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Collins Suzanne
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined, every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute, and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
Clap when you land
Elizabeth Acevedo
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Acevedo, Elizabeth
Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people ... In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal's office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash. Separated by distance -- and Papi's secrets -- the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered. And then, when it seems like they've lost everything of their father, they learn of each other.
The damned
Renée Ahdieh
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Ahdieh Ren
In 19th century New Orleans, Sébastien Saint Germain, cursed and forever changed, and Celine, recovering from injuries sustained during a night she cannot remember, uncover the danger around them, including their love.
Infinity son
Adam Silvera
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Silvera Adam
"In a world where some people are born with powers and some people take them, brothers Emil and Brighton Rey get swept up in a supernatural turf war generations in the making"--
The Kingdom of Back
Marie Lu
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Lu Marie
Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish: to be remembered forever. She delights audiences with her masterful playing, but has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age-- her tyrannical father has made that much clear. Meanwhile the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true-- but his help may cost her everything. -- adapted from jacket
Not so pure and simple
L. R. (Lamar R.) Giles
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Giles L. R.
High school junior Del Rainey unwittingly joins a Purity Pledge class at church, hoping to get closer to his long-term crush, Kiera.
Of curses and kisses
Sandhya Menon
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Menon Sandhya
When the loathsome Emerson clan steps up their centuries-old feud by targeting Jaya Rao's little sister, nothing will keep Jaya from exacting her revenge. Then Jaya finds out she will be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, and she knows what she must do: Make Grey fall in love with her and break his heart. His Lordship Grey Emerson is doomed once he turns eighteen-- thanks to an ancient curse by a Rao matriarch. When Jaya Rao bursts into his life, he can't shake the feeling that she is hiding something. As the stars conspire to keep them apart, Jaya and Grey grapple with questions of love, loyalty, and whether it is possible to write your own happy ending. -- adapted from jacket
Ruthless gods
Emily A. Duncan
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Duncan Emily
"The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet--those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer"--
A sky beyond the storm : a novel
Sabaa Tahir
ON ORDER BOOK
"Laia, Elias, and Helene must risk everything to defeat their foes--both human and supernatural--and prevent the coming of an otherworldly maelstrom"--
A song below water
Bethany C. Morrow
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Morrow Bethany
In a society determined to keep her under lock and key, Tavia must hide her siren powers. Meanwhile, Effie is fighting her own family struggles, pitted against literal demons from her past. Together, these best friends must navigate through the perils of high school's junior year. But, everything changes in the aftermath of a siren murder trial that rocks the nation, and Tavia accidentally lets out her magical voice at the worst possible moment. Soon, nothing in Portland, Oregon, seems safe. To save themselves from drowning, it's only Tavia and Effie's unbreakable sisterhood that proves to be the strongest magic of all.