Tweens & Teens April Reading List 

The PDF version is available here for download.

Earn community service for reading and reviewing the books on this list by joining our Tweens and Teens Best Books 2022 Committee!

Title links below point to the catalog entry for the standard print version of the book. Audio, eBook, and large-type versions may also be available.

April 2022

I Begin with Spring: The Life and Seasons of Henry David Thoreau, by Julie Dunlap (Grades 3-6) (Nonfiction) Weaving together natural history around Thoreau’s life and times, this exploration of seasonal changes is presented in a beautifully illustrated field notebook.

Honestly Elliott, by Gillian McDunn (Grades 4-6) (Realistic Fiction)
Struggling with ADHD, loneliness, and connecting with his divorced father who would rather see him embrace sports instead of cooking, sixth-grader Elliott finds an unlikely friend in popular, perfect Maribel when the two are paired in a school-wide contest.

The Ghoul of Windydown Vale, by Jake Burt (Grades 4-6) (Supernatural Mystery) Keeping the townspeople of Windydown Vale safe from the surrounding swamps , by dressing up as a ghoul, Copper Ins keep finds his secret threatened when a real ghoul emerges and attacks a young girl.

Wayward Creatures, by Dayna Lorentz (Grade 4-6) (Adventure)
Damaging both the land and his life after accidentally causing a forest fire, 12-year-old Gabe crosses paths with a coyote named Rill and discovers that sometimes it only takes one friend to find the place where you belong.

The Unforgettable Logan Foster, by Shawn Peters (Grade 4-6) (Adventure)
Logan, an undersized twelve-year-old orphan with a photographic memory and no filter, discovers that his foster parents are superheroes in grave danger and only Logan’s highly logical mind can save them.

Maizy Chen’s Last Chance, by Lisa Yee (Grades 4-7) (Realistic Fiction)
In Last Chance, Minnesota, with her family, Maizy spends her time at the Golden Palace, the restaurant that’s been in her family for generations, where she makes some discoveries requiring her to go on a search for answers.

Drew Leclair Gets a Clue, by Katryn Bury (Grades 5-12) (Mystery)
In this modern take on Harriet the Spy, twelve-year-old Drew uses her true crime expertise to catch the cyberbully in her school—only to discover that family, friendship, and identity are the hardest mysteries to solve.

Hardcourt: Stories from 75 Years of the National Basketball Association, by Fred Bowen (Grade 4-8) (Sports/Nonfiction)
The story of the National Basketball Association from its origins through the major events and players who made basketball what it is today.

The School for Whatnots, by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Grades 5-12) (Suspense) Delving into the power of privilege, the importance of true friendship and the question of humanity and identity, this novel follows fifth grader Max as he searches for his best friend who disappeared, leaving behind a strange note.

Unseen Magic, by Emily Lloyd-Jones (Grades 5-12) (Fantasy)
New to the magic-infused town of Aldermere, 11-year-old Fin finally feels safe until she accidentally unleashes an evil doppelganger who wreaks havoc, forcing Fin to face her fears–literally–to stop it.

Magical Boy, by Vincent Kao (Grades 7-9) (Graphic Novel/Fantasy)
Descended from a long line of Magical Girls tasked with defending humanity from a dark, ancient evil, Max, an average high school trans boy, wonders if he can take on his destiny, save the world and become the new Magical Boy.

Gallant, by Victoria Schwab (Grades 7-10) (Fantasy)
Olivia Prior has grown up at the grim Merilance School for Girls with no link to her past except for her one treasure, her mother’s journal, so when a letter arrives inviting her to come home to ruinous manor, Gallant, she seizes the chance to find out about her family.

The Lost Dreamer, by Lizz Huerta (Grades 7-12) (Fantasy)
In this fantasy inspired , by ancient Mesoamerica, a lineage of seers defiantly resists the shifting patriarchal state that would see them destroyed.

Thousand Steps into Night, by Traci Chee (Grades 8-12) (Fantasy)
When a girl who’s never longed for adventure is hit with a curse that begins to transform her into a demon, she embarks on a quest to reverse the curse and return to her normal life, but along the way is forced to confront her true power within

Reclaim the Stars, by Zoraida Cordova (Grades 9-12) (Short Stories)
This brilliant collection that features contributions from best-selling and acclaimed authors, as well as two new voices, takes the Latin American diaspora to places fantastical and out of this world.

The Chandler Legacies, by Abdi Nazemian (Grades 9-12) (Historical Fiction)
Brought together through the Circle, a coveted writing group where life-changing friendships are born and secrets are revealed, five students at an elite boarding school challenge the long-standing culture of abuse through their writing.

From Dust, A Flame, by Rebecca Podos (Grades 9-12) (Supernatural)
On her 17th birthday, Hannah begins exhibiting impossible, temporary mutations–gills one day and horns the next–that are the consequences of a desperate bargain her mother made with a sheyd decades ago, and to break the family curse, Hannah and her brother track down their mother’s estranged family and discover a legacy that traces back to the Golem of Prague.

Cramm this Book, by Olivia Seltzer (Grades 9-12) (Nonfiction)
From the founder of The Cramm, a news outlet, by and for the incredible Gen Z activists who are already shaping our global future, this book is a dive into the history that’s made the world what it is today.

Crushing, by Sophie Burrows (Grade 10-12) (Graphic Novel)
Crushing follows two people– one determined and a bit awkward, the other unsure where to begin — longing to find out where they belong. Their intersecting and overlapping journeys reveal hidden connections and the unpredictable and unexpected ways we may find each other.