Best YA Books For The Back To School Season That We Love

YA books for the back to school, can you believe its back to school season already? I’m sure many of you are knee-deep in school books and you’ve probably already had the first day of school. Older students and younger students alike now have an entire school year ahead of them and they are going to need constructive ways to relax. One of the best ways I know of to relax, is to read!

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YA Books For The Back To School

Here are 10 YA books for the back to school season we’ve enjoyed reading this year:

1. The Brothers Hawthorne is book 4 in the Inheritance Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes – some amazing books in this series, and she keeps adding more!

Grayson Hawthorne was raised as the heir apparent to his billionaire grandfather, taught from the cradle to put family first. Now the great Tobias Hawthorne is dead and his family disinherited, but some lessons linger. When Grayson’s half-sisters find themselves in trouble, he swoops in to do what he does best: take care of the problem—efficiently, effectively, mercilessly. And without getting bogged down in emotional entanglements.

Jameson Hawthorne is a risk-taker, a sensation-seeker, a player of games. When his mysterious father appears and asks for a favor, Jameson can’t resist the challenge. Now he must infiltrate London’s most exclusive underground gambling club, which caters to the rich, the powerful, and the aristocratic, and win an impossible game of greatest stakes. Luckily, Jameson Hawthorne lives for impossible.

Drawn into twisted games on opposite sides of the globe, Grayson and Jameson—with the help of their brothers and the girl who inherited their grandfather’s fortune—must dig deep to decide who they want to be and what each of them will sacrifice to win.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

2. Calculated by Nova McBee – The first time I read this series I was OBSESSED, and now it’s being made into a movie!

She has many names – Octavia, Double 8, Phoenix, Josephine. She’s a math prodigy, a calculating genius and everyone wants her.

In seventeen-year-old Jo River’s complicated world of numbers, there’s no such thing as coincidence. When she is betrayed by someone she loves, kidnapped by the world’s most wanted smuggler, and forced to use her talent to shore up a criminal empire, Jo deems her gift a curse-until she meets Red.

Fellow captive and unlikely sage, Red teaches Jo to harness her true potential, so she can do more than just escape. Before he dies, Red reveals a secret about her enemies and makes her vow to right his wrongs. But Jo has a vow of her own.

With help from Chan, a bitter billionaire, and Kai, his off-limits son, Jo rises into a new role, ready to take down those who ruined her life. Until a mathematical error comes back to haunt her with a threat much more dangerous than the criminals on the loose.

To beat the odds, Jo must decide who she really is and if risking everything is worth it.

After all, history is not made-it’s calculated.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

3. Enola Holmes: The Case of the Missing Marques by Nancy Springer – The main character in this one is Sherlock Holmes’s sister!

When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits. Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers–all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother’s strange disappearance. Amid all the mayhem, will Enola be able to decode the necessary clues and find her mother?

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

4. Gone by Michael Grant – This was a great book, but be prepared to want to read the rest of the nine-book series.

In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what’s happened.

Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day.

It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else. . . .

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

5. Iggy & Oz The Great Ice Cream Truck Heist – This is definitely a book aimed at middle school-aged kids. But I enjoyed its silliness. 

Get ready for another uproarious escapade with Iggy Risner and his zany crew! This time they’re up against something far cooler-and creepier- than they’ve ever faced before.

When a mysterious ice cream truck rolls into the neighborhood, kids are lining up for a taste of its icy delights. But beware! This isn’t your ordinary soft serve. Anyone who takes a bite finds themselves under a hypnotic spell, triggered by a mesmerizing tune played through the truck’s speakers.

Can Iggy and his friends unravel the frosty secret behind the unique music and break the trance before their neighborhood spirals into icy chaos? It’s a race against time, full of twist, turns, and a whole lot of sprinkles.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

6. Mammoth by Brian McBride – Young Adult Fiction with a lot of action, adventure, and thrills.

Hardy Boys meets Indiana Jones in this thrilling new adventure novel.

After the death of his father, misfit and aspiring paleontologist Tommy Rhodes seeks refuge in the ramshackle lighthouse that stands guard over the city of Mammoth, Washington. Left in disarray by years of bad weather, it’s the perfect place for Tommy to hide from everything that’s gone wrong with his life – and to party with his band of friends, the Jailbirds – the only family he has left.

After a storm uncovers a secret hidden in the walls of the old lighthouse, Tommy unravels a mystery beyond his wildest dreams and the deadly conspiracy that surrounds it – and Tommy’s entire life seems tangled at the heart of it all.

Tommy and the Jailbirds – Jude, Maya, Mars, and newcomer Lydia – are thrust into the middle of a deadly hunt for the truth that will challenge their bond, uncover the secrets that lurk beneath the surface of Mammoth, and test just how far they’ll go to set things right.

On Goodreads and Amazon.

7. The Orb and the Airship by Jenelle Leanne Schmidt – This is the perfect book (or series really) if you want a great lesson underlying the adventure. 

A rogue airship captain. An ambitious youth. A clash of powers beyond their imagination.

With scholarships to a prestigious military school, Grayden and Wynn are thirsty for adventure. But the night before they leave, they discover the mysterious Dalmir and his arcane orb in the forsaken tower outside of town. The old man, who seems to have a wealth of knowledge of what came before and yet so little of the now, insists on accompanying them as they travel to the academy.

Meanwhile, all pirate Captain Marik wants is to keep to the skies, take his due, and care for his crew. Then a straightforward pillaging mission on a ship of fresh academy students leads to betrayal from one of his own and an unlikely friendship forged by necessity.

Yet this new alliance stirs up ancient foes and a conflict too terrible to ignore. Despite Grayden’s inexperience and Marik’s skepticism, working together with Dalmir is their only option.

The fate of the world depends on it.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

8. To Best The Boys by Mary Webber – I love how this young girl spent so much time investing in her dream.

The task is simple: Don a disguise. Survive the labyrinth . . . Best the boys.

Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see if their names are on the list. The wealthier look to see how likely their sons are to survive. And Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.

In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.

With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Except not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.

Welcome to the labyrinth.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

9. The Story Peddler (the first book in a three-book series) by Lindsay A. Franklin – This is probably one of my favorite back cover synopses ever. 

Selling stories is a deadly business.

Tanwen doesn’t just tell stories—she weaves them into crystallized sculptures that sell for more than a few bits. But the only way to escape the control of her cruel mentor and claw her way from poverty is to set her sights on something grander: becoming Royal Storyteller to the king.

During her final story peddling tour, a tale of treason spills from her hands, threatening the king himself. Tanwen goes from peddler to prey as the king’s guard hunts her down . . . and they’re not known for their mercy. As Tanwen flees for her life, she unearths long-buried secrets and discovers she’s not the only outlaw in the empire. There’s a rebel group of weavers . . . and they’re after her too.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.

10. They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman – A true coming-of-age story full of mystery and new beginnings… right? 

In Gold Coast, Long Island, everything from the expensive downtown shops to the manicured beaches, to the pressed uniforms of Jill Newman and her friends, looks perfect. But as Jill found out three years ago, nothing is as it seems.

Freshman year Jill’s best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila Arnold, was killed by her boyfriend. After that dark night on the beach, Graham confessed, the case was closed, and Jill tried to move on.

Now, it’s Jill’s senior year and she’s determined to make it her best yet. After all, she’s a senior and a Player–a member of Gold Coast Prep’s exclusive, not-so-secret secret society. Senior Players have the best parties, highest grades and the admiration of the entire school. This is going to be Jill’s year. She’s sure of it.

But when Jill starts getting texts proclaiming Graham’s innocence, her dreams of the perfect senior year start to crumble. If Graham didn’t kill Shaila, who did? Jill vows to find out, but digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

On Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub.


Starting the new school year means finding new friends, getting new books, and figuring out the layout of a new school for some. We hope this collection of new books will help your sometimes reluctant reader have a good book or two to read in the safe space of the library or your home. Have you found another wonderful story we should include on our list? Let us know in the comments.

Check out more of our Best Mystery and Crime Books for Kids and Teens!

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