Are you getting down to the end of your 2021 to-read list? Have you finished it already?
Don't worry, you're not alone and I've got just the thing; fill up your to-read list again with these recommendations!
I've put together a list of the books I'm most looking forward to in 2022 for Young Adults and Middle Graders. I like to read all sorts of stuff, so hopefully, there's something for everyone! Even better? These are all either stand-alone titles or series-starters, so you can add them to your list without feeling like you need to catch up on anything!
So grab a pen (or open up a GoodReads tab) and get ready to add some great titles to your reading list because all of these titles sound too good not to share!
- These Upcoming Titles Are Perfect for Ages 13+
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Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan - Expected Release Date: January 11th
A debut fantasy inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess, Chang’e, in which a young woman’s quest to free her mother pits her against the most powerful immortal in the realm and sets her on a dangerous path—where choices come with deadly consequences, and she risks losing more than her heart.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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At the End of Everything by Marieke Nijkamp - Expected Release Date: January 25th
A group of teens at the Hope Juvenile Treatment Center are shocked to discover their guards have abandoned them, but their joy turns to fear when they learn a catastrophic pandemic has occurred outside their walls, turning their new-found freedom into a fight for survival.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys - Expected Release Date: February 1st
In a country governed by isolation, fear, and a tyrannical dictator, seventeen-year-old Cristian Florescu is blackmailed by the secret police to become an informer, but he decides to use his position to try to outwit his handler, undermine the regime, give voice to fellow Romanians, and expose to the world what is happening in his country.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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You Truly Assumed by Laila Sabreen - Expected Release Date: February 8th
Sabriya has her whole summer planned out in color-coded glory, but those plans go out the window after a terrorist attack near her home. When the terrorist is assumed to be Muslim and Islamophobia grows, Sabriya turns to her online journal for comfort. You Truly Assumed was never meant to be anything more than an outlet, but the blog goes viral as fellow Muslim teens around the country flock to it and find solace and a sense of community.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Cold: A Novel by Mariko Tamaki - Expected Release Date: February 8th
This is the story of a boy who died—and a girl who wants to know why. Todd Mayer is dead. Now he's some sort of ghost, hovering over his body, which has just been found in the town park, naked and frozen in the snow. As detectives investigate Todd's homicide, talking to the very people who are responsible for how he died, Todd replays the events that lead him to his end in the park.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir - Expected Release Date: March 1st
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sabaa Tahir comes a brilliant, unforgettable, and heart-wrenching contemporary YA novel about family and forgiveness, love and loss, in a sweeping story that crosses generations and continents.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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The Lost Dreamer by Lizz Huerta - Expected Release Date: March 1st
Indir is a Dreamer, descended from a long line of seers; able to see beyond reality, she carries the rare gift of Dreaming truth. But when the beloved king dies, his son has no respect for this time-honored tradition. King Alcan wants an opportunity to bring the Dreamers to a permanent end—an opportunity Indir will give him if he discovers the two secrets she is struggling to keep.
Add to your library holds now or find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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The Book of Living Secrets by Madeleine Roux - Expected Release Date: March 1st
No matter how different best friends Adelle and Connie are, one thing they’ve always had in common is their love of a little-known gothic romance novel called Moira. So when the girls are tempted by a mysterious stranger to enter the world of the book, they hardly suspect it will work. But suddenly they are in the world of Moira, living among characters they’ve obsessed about for years. Except…all is not how they remembered it.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Blood Scion by Deborah Falaye - Expected Release Date: March 8th
Fifteen-year-old Sloane can incinerate an enemy at will—she is a Scion, a descendant of the ancient Orisha gods. Under the Lucis’ brutal rule, her identity means her death if her powers are discovered. But when she is forcibly conscripted into the Lucis army on her fifteenth birthday, Sloane sees a new opportunity: to overcome the bloody challenges of Lucis training, and destroy them from within.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown - Expected Release Date: March 8th
When Andrew stumbles upon Jamie’s house, he’s injured, starved, and has nothing left to lose. A deadly pathogen has killed off most of the world’s population, including everyone both boys have ever loved. And if this new world has taught them anything, it’s to be scared of what other desperate people will do . . . so why does it seem so easy for them to trust each other?
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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A Million Quiet Revolutions by Robin Gow - Expected Release Date: March 22nd
Aaron and Oliver have only ever had each other. In a small town with few queer teenagers, let alone young trans men, they've shared milestones like coming out as trans, buying the right binders--and falling for each other. But just as their relationship has started to blossom, Aaron moves away. Feeling adrift, separated from the one person who understands them, they seek solace in digging deep into the annals of America's past.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Survive The Dome by Kosoko Jackson - Expected Release Date: March 29th
Jamal Lawson just wanted to be a part of something. As an aspiring journalist, he packs up his camera and heads to Baltimore to document a rally protesting police brutality after another Black man is murdered. But before it even really begins, the city implements a new safety protocol...the Dome. The Dome surrounds the city, forcing those within to subscribe to a total militarized shutdown. No one can get in, and no one can get out.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Queen of the Tiles by Hanna Alkaf - Expected Release Date: April 19th
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It might be even though Najwa’s trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado - Expected Release Date: May 3rd
For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention—especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances.
- These Upcoming Titles Are Perfect for Ages 8 - 13
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Wishing Upon the Same Stars by Jacquetta Nammar Feldman - Expected Release Date: February 1st
When twelve-year-old Yasmeen Khoury moves with her family to San Antonio, all she wants to do is fit in. But her classmates in Texas are nothing like her friends in the predominantly Arab neighborhood back in Detroit where she grew up. Almost immediately, Yasmeen feels like the odd girl out, and as she faces middle school mean girls and tries to make new friends, she feels more alone than ever before.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Each of Us a Universe by Jeanne Zulick Ferruolo - Expected Release Date: February 1st
What do you do when you're facing the impossible? Ever since the day when everything changed, Cal Scott's answer has been to run. The only thing Cal runs toward is nearby Mt. Meteorite, named for the extraterrestrial object some claim crashed there fifty years ago. Cal spends her afternoons plotting to summit the mountain, so she can find the magic she believes will make possible the impossible Then Cal meets Rosine, a girl who's faced more impossibles than anyone should have to.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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A Comb of Wishes by Lisa Stringfellow - Expected Release Date: February 8th
Ever since her mother’s death, Kela feels every bit as broken as the shards of glass, known as “mermaid’s tears,” that sparkle on the beaches of St. Rita. But when she discovers a different kind of treasure, she accidentally summons an actual mermaid—the wrathful Ophidia. Ophidia makes Kela a bargain: her ancient comb, in exchange for a wish. And though Kela knows that what she wants most is her mother back, a wish that big will exact a dangerous price…
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Pilar Ramirez and the Escape from Zafa by Julian Randall - Expected Release Date: March 1st
Twelve-year-old Pilar Violeta “Purp” Ramirez’s world is changing, and she doesn’t care for it one bit. Her Chicago neighborhood is gentrifying and her chores have doubled since her sister, Lorena, left for college. The only constant is Abuela and Mami’s code of silence around her cousin Natasha—who vanished in the Dominican Republic fifty years ago during the Trujillo dictatorship.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Paws: Gabby Gets It Together by Nathan Fairbairn - Expected Release Date: March 8th
Meet best friends Gabby, Priya, and Mindy. They're different in just about every way, but they have a few important things in common: they're all in the same class, they absolutely love animals, and for reasons that are as varied as the trio themselves none of them can actually have any pets. Unable to resist the adorable temptation any longer, the girls decide to come up with a way to finally get their hands on some furry friends. - Graphic Novel
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos - Expected Release Date: March 15th
Marisol loves her colorful island home. Cuba is vibrant with flowers and food and people…but things are changing. The home Marisol loves is no longer safe—and then it’s no longer her home at all. Her parents are sending her to the United States. Alone. Nothing about Marisol’s new life in cold, gray Brooklyn feels like home—not the language, school, or even her foster parents. - Wordless Graphic Novel
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass - Expected Release Date: March 22nd
13-year-old Ellen Katz feels most comfortable when her life is well planned out. She attends temple with Abba and Mom every Friday and Saturday, only gets crushes on girls, never boys, and she knows she can always rely on her best-and-only friend, Laurel. Laurel has always made Ellen feel like being autistic is no big deal. But lately, Laurel has started making more friends and canceling more weekend plans with Ellen than she keeps.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Rabbit Chase by Elizabeth LaPensée - Expected Release Date: March 29th
Aimée, a non-binary Anishinaabe middle-schooler, is on a class trip to offer gifts to Paayehnsag, the water spirits known to protect the land. While stories are told, Aimée zones out, distracting themselves from the bullying and isolation they've experienced since expressing their identity. When Aimée accidentally wanders off, they are transported to an alternate dimension populated by traditional Anishinaabe figures in a story inspired by Alice in Wonderland. - Graphic Novel
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Fibbed by Elizabeth Agyemang - Expected Release Date: April 5th
Everyone says that the wild stories Nana tells are big fibs and when another outlandish explanation lands her in hot water, her parents announce that Nana will be spending the summer with her grandmother in Ghana. She isn’t happy to be missing summer camp, or to be living with family that she barely knows, in a country where she can’t speak the language. But all her worries get a whole lot bigger when she comes face-to-face with Ananse, the trickster spider of legend. - Graphic Novel
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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It's the End of the World and I'm in My Bathing Suit by Justin A. Reynolds - Expected Release Date: April 5th
12-year-old Eddie has concocted his most genius plan ever to avoid chores. If he can wear all the clothes he owns, he'll only have to do the laundry once during his school break. On the day of the highly anticipated Beach Bash, Eddie's monstrous pile of dirty laundry is found by his mom. And Eddie's day has just taken a turn for the worst. Now he's stuck at home by himself, missing the bash, and doing his whole pile of laundry. But mid-cycle, the power goes out!
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Freddie vs. The Family Curse by Tracy Badua - Expected Release Date: May 3rd
Freddie Ruiz is cursed. While other people may have bad days, Freddie and his family have had bad generations. But when he discovers a family heirloom, a century-old amulet from the Philippines that’s supposed to bring good fortune, Freddie thinks his luck is finally about to change. He couldn’t be more wrong. Because the spirit of Freddie’s cranky great-granduncle Ramon is trapped in the heirloom, and the evil spirits responsible for his death have returned with a vengeance.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Small Town Pride by Phil Stamper - Expected Release Date: May 31st
Jake is just starting to enjoy life as his school’s first openly gay kid. While his family and friends are accepting and supportive, the same can’t be said about everyone in their small town of Barton Springs, Ohio. When Jake’s dad hangs a comically large pride flag in their front yard in an overblown show of love, the mayor begins to receive complaints. A few people are even concerned the flag will lead to something truly outlandish: a pride parade...
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun by Tola Okogwu - Expected Release Date: June 9th
Onyeka has a lot of hair – the kind that makes strangers stop in the street. She’s always felt uncomfortable with her flamboyant curls until she makes an important discovery: she can control her hair with her mind! Her mother quickly whisks her off to the Academy of the Sun, a school in Nigeria where Solari – children with special powers – are trained.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
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Gabe in the After by Shannon Doleski - Expected Release Date: June 28th
Two years after a global pandemic, twenty survivors (most of them children) have relocated from their coastal Maine island full of sad memories to a mansion on a small, neighboring island where they have school and farm chores. When Gabe and his dog Mud find Relle Douglas alone in the woods on the mainland, they take the strange new girl across the channel to live with them.
Find out more and add to your shelves on goodreads.com
All Summaries Adapted from Publishers.