2025 B&N Children’s & YA Book Awards Young Adult Shortlist

Margarita Polkowska

The moment has come, our annual Children’s and YA Book Awards are here, and it’s time to celebrate the young adult novels that made this year’s shortlist. From haunting fairytales and high-stakes fantasies to heartwarming romance and whirlwind adventure reads, there is something for everyone on this list. Whether you’re looking for book recommendations for yourself (you’re never too old for a YA page-turner) or you want to share these hand-picked reads with your teen, these stories hit all the right notes.

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Don't Let the Forest In

CG Drews

4.6

Hardcover

$19.99

This item is currently out of stock online.

Notes From Your Bookseller

With a lingering terror that will lurk well after you finish, this psychological horror is packed with monsters of fairytale, folklore and so much more. Good luck not getting hooked (and haunted).

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They Bloom at Night (B&N Exclusive Edition)

Trang Thanh Tran

4.2

BN Exclusive

$19.99

This item is currently out of stock online.

Notes From Your Bookseller

Gritty and gruesome, They Bloom at Night is a haunting story of trauma, identity, family and climate change. This is a terrifying ode to the monster stories that keep us up at night…

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These Vengeful Gods

Gabe Cole Novoa

3.9

Hardcover

$19.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

In this thrilling dystopian fantasy, all who are descendants of the God of Death must hide their magic to stay alive. With plenty of action, vivid world-building and high stakes, this is a great choice for fans of The Hunger Games.

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Our Infinite Fates (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Laura Steven

4.3

Hardcover

$20.00

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Notes From Your Bookseller

A whirlwind adventure about star-crossed lovers, their doomed romance and love that transcends time and space, Our Infinite Fates is perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab and Adrienne Young.

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Immortal Dark (Standard Edition)

Tigest Girma

Hardcover

$19.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Dark academia. The undead. An orphaned heiress. An irresistible vampire tale steeped in mystery rooted in Ethiopian lore ensues. Brimming with enemies-to-lovers tension, family secrets and dark magic, it’s a sharp-edged story that packs bite.

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Never Thought I'd End Up Here

Ann Liang

Hardcover

$19.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Young love gets a second chance in this sweet and funny travel romance where self-discovery meets reconnecting with one’s roots. This is a witty and heartfelt coming-of-age tale — with a heaping dose of butterflies.

Awards What We Are Reading

Celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con libros que inspiran, emocionan y dejan recuerdos imborrables.

Este Mes de la Herencia Hispana, te invitamos a descubrir una selección de libros para adultos y chicos que destacan el talento, la creatividad y la diversidad de grandiosos escritores latinoamericanos. Son historias que entretienen, inspiran, y nos permiten acercarnos a distintas experiencias y perspectivas, mientas celebramos las aportaciones de la comunidad hispana en los Estados Unidos.

The Black Shield: A Guest Post from Wilbur L. Cooper

In The Black Shield, reporter Wilbert L. Cooper explores the complex lives of Black cops living and working in Cleveland as part of the Black Shield organization. Read on for an essay from Wilbur L. Cooper about writing The Black Shield. When I talk about The Black Shield, I often tell people that I started writing it in 2020, the year of George Floyd's murder. I do this because the book is nominally about Black cops, and in the aftermath of Floyd's murder, there was a lot of talk about diversity as a panacea for the racial problems of American policing. Some people made the argument that the hiring of more Black cops would ensure that what happened to Floyd would never happen again. And it's true, I did spend 2020 talking to experts and historians, diving into police archives and reading studies. I did a lot of real journalism stuff. But if I’m being honest, I didn't start thinking about Black cops in 2020. I've been reflecting on the conflicting promise and plight of Black cops my whole life, because I was born into a family of Black cops. I've had family members in the Cleveland police department since the end of World War II up through the Black Lives Matter Era. And so I’ve been thinking about Black cops and what they mean and what they do since I was a child watching my mother, a strong Black woman named Gayle, don a blue uniform and a silver badge. Even as a little child, I desperately wanted to know who my mother transformed into when she went out into the world with a city-issued gun in her holster. And when there have been these visceral incidents of police violence like George Floyd or Tyre Nichols, I've wondered, What my mother's role could be in an institution like that? What does that killing have to do with the work of my father, my sister, my uncle and great uncles? To answer that question, I've been having talks with my family that I never had before, tracing their journeys into policing, as well as talks with their peers and Black cops from all across the country of various generations. So while The Black Shield encapsulates my own story, it's also filled with all of their testimony. Their witnessing for you from behind the blue wall is more harrowing than what you might hear from an activist who advocates for police abolition. For the readers who are still wondering if diversity can make policing work for Black folks, you will have a lot to think about when reading my book. But The Black Shield also addresses much bigger issues of family, assimilation, survival in America, and freedom. I hope that you all will go on that journey with me.

The Best Audiobooks of September 2026

September brings us cooler nights and the start of fall's biggest releases. Get ready for stories of threshing day with Rebecca Yarros, R. F. Kuang is back with a story of finding home and Harry Connick Jr. pays tribute to his late mother in musical style. These are just some of what's to come this fall season. Shop even more new releases here.