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Coming of age as a theme in young adult novels is common. Many of these stories contextualize growth with tales of new beginnings. From fresh starts in a new town to taking on a first adult job, these changes can be daunting for their main characters and sometimes those around them, too. With the new, too, we sometimes see echoes of the old in surprising ways. We counter challenges we never anticipated. And we prove ourselves resilient. These novels are a testament to the ability and strength of the human spirit.
I am facing a change myself: After eight years of service at DC Public Library, many of which I worked with the Staff Picks (formerly Read Feeds) team to bring book recommendations to your fingertips, I am saying not so much goodbye to DC, but hello to a new library system.
I couldn’t think of a more fitting theme for my last list with Staff Picks. I hope wherever you are in your life or reading journey, you find people and books who bring comfort even within the most difficult times of transition and uncertainty. And if you see me around, be sure to ask me for a book rec.
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Midnights with You by Clare Osongco
Struggling with a difficult relationship with her mother, Deedee is desperate to start a life of her own, even as guilt holds her back. The first step? Learning to drive. In secret driving lessons with the boy down the street, Deedee gets to know Jay who also faces a challenging homelife. But as she edges closer to a life fully transformed by her freedom, she discovers increasingly chilling information about her family history that will have her questioning whether she can only ever be stuck in a generational cycle.
Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett
Bailey can hardly believe it when she finds herself moving to the same town as her online crush and fellow film fan, “Alex.” Of course, he doesn’t have to know. Keeping up their online banter and the flame alive is easy enough until she meets Porter. Infuriating as he is, Bailey can’t deny there’s just something about him that has her coming back. And while she doesn’t know it yet, it might just be because Porter is Alex. Maybe her fresh start isn’t so fresh after all.
The Melancholy of Summer by Louisa Onomé
Summer is nearly an adult – surely she can get by the next few weeks without a guardian hovering by her shoulder in the absence of her alleged criminal parents. But new living circumstances are thrusted upon her nonetheless when a social worker discovers her independence and arranges for her to live with an older cousin, Olu. While Summer feels like she has her life together, actual-adult Olu is another story, bringing Summer to confront her emerging adulthood in new ways.
Permanent Record by Mary H. K. Choi
Day to day, life is pretty much the same for college dropout Pablo. He owes mountains of money, is working a dead-end job at New York deli, and doesn’t see any of it changing anytime soon. Enter popstar Leanna Smart. When she wanders into his corner in the pre-dawn morning, Pablo’s whole life turns on the dime. Soon he’s flying in private jets, dodging paparazzi, and dating one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. But is his new life worth the trouble it brings?
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
The time has come for teens Citra and Rowan to enter the workforce. Now that the world is beyond the inconvenient fact of death, it is the job of Scythes to cull the population to keep it at a manageable number. Not an enviable job, being a Scythe means facing tough philosophical questions and, for Citra and Rowan, undergoing strenuous training under the apprenticeship of long-serving Scythe Faraday. But not everyone takes their new job as thoughtfully and seriously as Citra and Rowan – and bigger plots may be afoot.
This Will Be Funny Someday by Katie Henry
After accidentally performing at a stand-up comedy club, Izzy finds herself taking on a whole new identity as a supposed college kid who is everything that the real Izzy isn’t: self-assured, funny, and always up for a good time. And her new life as cool-Izzy is great – but if she wants to maintain it, she has to keep up the lie covering up her real life as a shy and unconfident high school student.
About the Author
Abby is a New-Hampshire-grown Assistant Branch Manager at Southwest Neighborhood Library. In addition to writing book lists for DC Public Library, she's written for Book Riot, School Library Journal, Library Journal, Booklist, and other professional library and bookish publications. She reads broadly, but often enjoys literary young adult fiction, contemporary young adult fiction, and young adult fantasy. She lives in Virginia with her husband and her cat, Oopsilon.