American Library Association Recommended Reading: Award Winners
This is a collection of ALA's literature award winners in a variety of categories.
This is a list of books that have won the National Book Award searchable by year.
This is a searchable database of book suggestions from Young Adult Literacy Services Association
Have you read a book that you want to review? Would you like everyone to know how great a book was to read? Submit a book review to be used on our website or in the Learning Commons.
Student Book Reviews
Mystery and Suspense
You will want to read this book if you like mysteries and games that pique your interest. Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a number one New York Times bestselling young adult author. Her book The Final Gambit is the last book of a three part series along with The Inheritance Games and The Hawthorne Legacy. The main character in The Final Gambit is a soon-to-be eighteen year old girl who inherits a billionaire's fortune when he passed away. In order to receive the payment, she must stay in his house for a full year with his family members, most importantly his four grandsons. She grows relationships with them and solves the mysteries of why she was chosen to inherit everything Mr. Hawthorne has worked for his whole life.
In The Final Gambit, the ending of the book was predictable and some side characters, like Avery’s sister and best friend, had poor development throughout the story and had little to no significance. Some things I liked about the book were the never ending puzzles and mind games that kept me interested. My favorite character was Jameson Hawthorne, one of the Hawthorne grandsons, who had a romantic relationship with Avery and had some comic relief in the story. The story made me want to read more because some puzzles were hard to figure out and were key turning points of the book. My favorite part of the book was the way Avery found a new family with the relationships she built in the house over the year. I am glad the story ended the way it did because it felt as if the whole puzzle was finally solved, and there were no cliffhangers.
The Final Gambit concludes the series of puzzles and journeys of Avery Grambs. This book is best suited for young adult readers who love mysteries and guessing games with some romance. A book to compare it to would be One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus because both books have aspects of mysteries and puzzle-solving. Overall, I would give The Final Gambit a score of nine out of ten with a couple of flaws, but generally having clever puzzles and emotion because of the passing of a loved one. This book was great and was a perfect way to end the series.
-- Anonymous Student
The novel Suck It In and Smile by Laurence Beaudion-Masse is about a girl named Ellie who suffers with body image issues because she is a social media star. She didn't always start out skinny, which puts a lot of pressure on her to live up to the expectations of her fans and not to fall behind. Ellie is dating the boy of her dreams Samuel (Sam) Vanasse. He is a musician preparing for his world tour. Ellie and Sam have a huge image to obtain; they're both famous but they both have their flaws. One of Ellie's flaws is falling in love with another guy, David. But her boyfriend Sam doesn't know.
The book overall was good but there were some parts I did not like. Ellie didn't really know how to make up her mind. Whenever something bad happens she leans on David not Sam. She loves Sam but not in the same way she loves David. It was like a big love triangle with no way out. After a while Sam isn’t the dream guy anymore. I did like the suspense in the book though some days you never knew who she was going to end up with, and the characters were also very well developed.
The novel was overall a really good book. It had many components that made you want to keep reading.
-Anonymous Student
Mystery and Suspense
If you have lined a Holly Jackson book in the past, you will like this one too. Holly Jackson has written multiple New York Times best selling books. Her most well known book is A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. This book starts off with a girl named Bel at an interview for a documentary that she and her family are doing about her mother (Rachel Price) who disappeared sixteen years ago. Living alone with just her dad has become her new normal because her mother disappeared when she was only two years old. But little does she know that her whole life is about to change. When Rachel Price reappears no one knows what to think. Bel was very suspicious of her mother by the way she was acting; the stories she was telling were not adding up. Bel needs to get to the bottom of this mystery so she decides to follow Rachel around trying to see if there is anything she is doing that day that would be a clue to finding the truth. When she is flowing Rachel she realizes she mentions Bel’s grandfather's house a lot so the next day Bel takes an adventure over to her grandfather's house to discover evidence. She then hides a camera to spy on her mother if she walks into the living room. What secrets is Rachel hiding? Will Bel find them?
I believe this book was written very well. It always kept me waiting and wondering what was going to happen next. The incredible cliffhangers at the end of chapters just made me want to flip page after page. One of my favorite characters is Carter (Bel’s cousin). I enjoy her character because she is independent, funny, kind, and caring for her family. I also appreciate her because I like her and Bel’s sister's relationship. The other characters also felt very real to me because I could relate with their complex and valid emotions.
I thought The Reappearance of Rachel was a great book for people who like mystery or suspense novels. This is one of my favorite books I have read in a while. It was a total page turner. I have never read a book like this. It is unique and you will never find anything like it. If I were to rate this book on a scale from 0 to 10 I would rate it 9 out of 10. The reason I gave it a nine and not a ten is because some details in the book were dragged on for too long not needing to go so in depth to that specific thing in my opinion. Other than that one small flaw I will definitely be picking up another book by Holly Jackson.
-Anonymous Student
Science Fiction
Sky’s End is a dark sci-fi fantasy book about a 16 year old boy fighting to save his sister from their ruthless uncle after their parents die.
The story follows Conrad, who’s been cast away from his once high status after his uncle murders his father and banishes him and his mother to the outskirts of their city, where food is scarce and money is hard to earn. To get his sister Ella back, Conrad has to battle giant steel sky serpents called Gargantauns aboard floating skyships in a brutal competition known as the Gauntlet. Set in the floating islands of the Skylands, Conrad trains under the fierce Hunter Trade to survive the Selection and see his sister again.
If you’re into dark fantasy with science fiction elements, I’d definitely recommend this book. And if you’re a fan of The Hunger Games or Harry Potter looking for a new series, Sky's End is really underrated!! The third book is coming out in 2026!!!!
-Anonymous Student
Graphic Novel
The book called Call Me Iggy, written by Jorgue Aguirre, is about this boy named Iggy who loves his teenage life. He meets a girl named Marisol that has a crush on Iggy. Marisol helps Iggy with Spanish class so he can pass the class. The book is a graphic novel and I like this book because I like the dramatic scenes in the book.
The plot of the book is about Iggy’s grandfather’s ghost that is summoned after Iggy accidentally knocks over his grandfather's ashes. Iggy’s grandfather wants to help Iggy do well in Spanish. Iggy accepts and takes his grandfather to school to show his life at school. As the story continues, Iggy and Marisol become close.
The first thing I liked about the book was the drama at school because it makes me laugh. The second thing I liked about the book was the character Iggy because his personality reminds me of myself by being kind and helping. The thing I disliked about the book was Iggy’s brother. His brother always tattles on Iggy and tells him not to embarrass him. My favorite part of the book was when Iggy’s grandfather summons and comes to Iggy as a real ghost because that's when the grandfather starts to bond with Iggy.
The book I would recommend for readers who like drama, school and sibling bossiness. I would rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.
-Anonymous Student