Back to School Reading: YA Fiction to Read

by MK French

School's back in session. Whether you are looking for a gift to celebrate or reading material for those book reports, this list of young adult novels would be great for your teen (or for you!).

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Blightfall by Brandon Sanderson and Janci Patterson

September 2026; Delacorte Press; 978-0593707050
audio, ebook, print (496 pages); YA science fiction

Humans of the Defiant Defence Force have finally won freedom from alien oppressors. Arturo Mendez is the leader of Skyward Flight, and with this newfound freedom comes diplomatic missions to reestablish contact with isolated human settlements. It's supposed to be an easy mission, but Blightfall is anything but. It's surrounded by mysterious debris and covered in giant, invasive forests that have swallowed most of the planet. Upon arrival, Arturo’s team is attacked, and it quickly becomes clear that this human settlement isn’t what it appears to be.

This is book one of the Riftwake series. Brandon Sanderson is well known for writing multiple fantasy series and teaching writing at Brigham Young University (some are posted online), and Janci Pederson has written YA novels before moving to collaborations. As the first book in a space opera series, this one has to give us the background on what happened to humanity in the future, the alien Superiority that kept humans in reservation worlds, and Arturo’s desire to stay flying despite the DDF starting to wind down their efforts. It comes across a little heavy-handed in the beginning, which often happens with space opera or second world fantasy novels. Once we get past that and the mission starts, there's action beginning with the attack on the team, an unintended landing on the surface, and exploring the settlement.

The story feels more comfortable once the mission begins and we start trying to find out what happened on Blightfall and who's controlling it. We need the background to really understand how important later developments are, and how significant the team's findings are. We have growing relationships as well, with battles waged against the new threat. It's an interesting premise, one that will appeal to space opera fans.

Buy Brightfall at Amazon

The Gods Will Sing Our Song by Autumn Krause

September 2026; Delacorte Press; 979-8217027668
audio, ebook, print (432 pages); YA historical romance

In 1942 California, Ren Hamada was defined by his troubled past, and Violet Aratani had straight-A grades while helping her parents run their print shop. The two have little in common beyond the old magic in their family relics and the US government forcing them into a concentration camp with other Japanese American families. An old god's mortal form is tethered to the camp, and Ren and Violet can free him. Doing so will earn a reward, but is it powerful enough to save them?

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Japanese American families were sent to relocation camps with nothing but what they could fit into a suitcase. Food is limited, and supplies are often siphoned by opportunistic guards to sell on the black market. One resident is seen as a demented old man, but Ren and Violet see him as younger and capable of magic. While they try to find a way to free the god from his mortal form, life in the camp is difficult. Guards do what they want and blame the inmates, many of whom disagree on how to respond. Some of them try to work within the system to survive and help others, while some of them are full of rage and frustration. In a small space with too many people crammed inside against their will, too much can go wrong. 

This period of history isn't often talked about, and affected many people in the United States. The story brings it home to us in a practical way, letting us see the small joys and the tragedies that occurred. Ren and Violet grow to love one another in these conditions, each trying to do what they can to protect lived one's despite the hurt in the camp. The connections they make help them through, with an epilogue that feels like a sigh of relief. 

Buy The Gods Will Sing Our Song at Amazon

Hawk & Sparrow by Ayana Gray

September 2026; Balzer + Bray; 978-1250411235
audio, ebook print (352 pages); YA supernatural mystery 

Vesper Evans is a reporter determined to keep The Basalton Globe afloat. As she covers a society gala, she stumbles across a body. Many of the magical elite in the city want him dead, but the prime suspect is wealthy industrialist Maximilian Kite. Max will pay Vesper a substantial fee to find the true murderer and restore his reputation. As much as she doesn't like his world, the money would save the struggling paper. The catch is, the two must pose as a couple in order to unearth the truth. Vesper may in danger of losing her heart as well as her life.

Vesper grew up poor and lives above the Globe. She loves the paper and searching for truth; she'd always been called odd because of her deduction skills and observations, and tendency to call people out on it. At the gala to display a machine that can replicate magic, it's inventor is killed. She and Maximilian are present, and both are aware that he could be the prime suspect. He suspects another rival, and together they start looking into who might be the true murderer. Posing as a couple gives Vesper access to the monied set, but too many accidents happen to Vesper for comfort. 

This is a murder mystery set in a second world fantasy where technology and magic butt heads. Class and gender restrictions mirror the Gilded Age, where new money vs old money and similar technological advances existed. This is a large part of the motive and how the murderer gets away with it until Vesper and Max start looking into the truth. It's a clever investigation with a romance that came together neatly at the end.

Buy Hawk & Sparrow at Amazon

The Dreamless by Jen Williams

September 2026; Wednesday Books; 978-1250409317
audio, ebook, print (336 pages); YA monster fiction

Mother Maura had sacrificed Elver again, and she has come back a second time. She is more jih than human now, with new powers. The Queen of Serpents warns her that she will soon be called from the land of mortals. At the same time, Artair and Lucian form an uneasy truce as they share the same body and try to work with the part of Maura's power that they stole. It keeps her from becoming a god, and the trio looks for something able to kill a god. At the same time, the trio tries to work through their growing feelings for each other. 

This the second half of the Sleepless duology. While we get a bit of summary here and there in the first few chapters, it's best to have read the first book so you know why Elver is different, and why Artair and Lucian share a body. We pick up with them on the run from Mother Maura, who achieved godhood and needs the last fragment of power to make it truly work. They are on the run, and Elver's changing body and power set make her uneasy. Artair and Lucian have to figure out how to use the magic Lucian stole while they're on the run. Mother Maura is desperate to find that magic to be whole, so as she makes allies of her own, the group feels that the very first monster made will be the weapon to take her down. 

The book is almost all action. They move from one place to another, try to figure out what to do next, and then dodge some gods or receive help from others. Elver, Artair, and Lucian feel like chess pieces, and most gods don't care what happens to mortals. Maura broke the rules to become a god, and she doesn't care about them or her followers either. It becomes something of a race to the finish line, which kept me glued to the book. The quiet moments give us the character growth and closeness to care about them, and the growing respect Artair and Lucian develop even as they both care for Elver. The finale held surprises, and I enjoyed seeing how it all came together. It's a fascinating duology I will gladly reread.

Buy The Dreamless at Amazon

House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas

September 2026; Dutton Books; 978-0593620410
audio, ebook, print (288 pages); YA ghost story

Minerva Treviño is a coward, but gathers enough courage to flee her abusive father and take a job as lady’s maid to Encarnación del Valle. The widow lets Minerva have food and a place to stay, and uses magical chispa to light her home. Encarnación goes to the family’s mountainside estate to wait out the inevitable slaughter of the viceroy’s enemies when he returns to power. At la Casa de las Gardenias, Minerva is surrounded by servants and scheming del Valles, as well as forces far older and more bloodthirsty than anything she could have imagined.

Chispa is a magical substance mined from the mountains and used by the rich as lighting, heating, and a power source. It also turns out to be the solidified life force of people. (We find this out later, but that's not a spoiler.) Minerva fled into Encarnación del Valle's employ, and the old woman is frail but strong willed. Amidst the political turmoil, personal for Minerva only because her brothers sided against the viceroy, she initially cares only for her own safety. It's hard to think about ideals when she's hungry, beaten, and feels like her brothers abandoned her. We understand her point of view, because it's how most of us are.

Ygnacio is a disembodied spirit haunting the house, and watches the del Valle family and their servants jockeying for power any way they can. It's easy to make them turn on each other, much like Encarnación had thought of them, and he thinks Minerva would be a tool to make it happen. As cowardly as she feels, there is a core of loyalty and strength as well, which Encarnación had nurtured in their time together. For all her faults, the old woman had some good as well. She and several other characters are more complicated than they first appear, and that makes them fascinating to read about. I kept reading to find out what happens next, and how Minerva would get through the maneuvers of the del Valles. It is an intense finale, and kept me hooked on every page.

Buy House of Gardenias at Amazon

Born and raised in New York City, M.K. French started writing stories when very young, dreaming of different worlds and places to visit. She always had an interest in folklore, fairy tales, and the macabre, which has definitely influenced her work. She currently lives in the Midwest with her husband, three young children, and a golden retriever.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.