Favorite Middle Grade / YA Books of 2022

 

I read over 70 books in 2022, and there were a lot of good ones. Here are my favorite YA books I read during the 2022 year. 

Ground Zero by Alan Gratz 

Alan Gratz has done it again you guys! This book is amazing, and I purchased two copies for my middle school library.  In typical Alan Gratz style, the story is told in two perspectives.

Brandon is visiting his dad at work when the planes hit the two towers. They are both trapped inside, but on different floors. In present-day Afghanistan, Reshmina has grown up with her country in war, but dreams of peace. She finds a wounded soldier and puts her entire family in danger.  

This book is an emotional look at the events of both 9/11 and living in Afghanistan in 2019.  Alan Gratz always does an amazing job of tying the stories of characters together and this book does not disappoint. 

A must read for ages middle grade up to adults. 

The Companion by Katie Alender 

I don't usually like horror books, but I could not resist the cover of this book. I have a lot of students that love psychological thrillers, so I decided to try a few so that I could be more confident with readers advisory when it came to this genre. 

Margo is an orphan who has been told her whole life that she is lucky to have survived the accident that killed the rest of her family. Then, the Sutton family comes to the orphanage and asks Margot to come live with them to be their ill daughter's companion, Agatha, who doesn't speak. At first, Margot thinks that watching after the mysterious Agatha and hanging out with the handsome older brother is much better than the orphanage. But then, she starts seeing things, and the house is playing tricks with her mind. Are things what they really seem? Margot starts questioning everything about the Sutton family. 

The Last Cuentista 

I cannot say enough about this book!! First off, THAT COVER : it is amazingly beautiful. 

Very much deserved winner of the Newbery award, this science fiction / dystopian novel is an enchanting and impactful story. Petra wants to be a storyteller, just like her abuelita. But earth has been hit by a meteor, and her scientist parents have been chosen to take their family to another planet to carry on the human race. Petra must leave her abuelita behind. 

Hundreds of years later, Petra awakes and discovers she is the only person that still remembers Earth. A group that calls themself The Collective has wiped the memories of all the humans aboard the ship, a mission of wiping out all of humanity's sins. Petra gets her chance to be the storyteller, and hopefully can save the stories of Earth and hopefully continue the stories into the future. 

Starfish 

In this novel in verse, Ellie has been fat-shamed and bullied all her life. Her safe place is the pool, floating, weightless. Her best friend has moved away, but then a new girl moves in next door who befriends Ellie. With her new friend and through her therapist, Ellie learns to stand up for herself and love herself as she is. 

This is a story everyone should read! Every middle school library should have this book. 

I love the theme of the book, standing up for yourself and your right to take up space in the world. 

Strong as Fire, Fierce as Flame 

Set in 1857, Meera has her future planned out for her, including who she will marry. The night before her 13th birthday, as she prepares to move in with her husband, British soldiers destroy a village in Delhi. In the attack, Meera's husband is killed. Following an old religious tradition, Meera's father insists she ends her life by throwing herself onto her husband's funeral pyre. Meera escapes her family, running away. Her newfound freedom is short as she is captured by a British commander and forced to be a servant for his wife. While working for the commander's family, she finds out some secrets that will bring down the army. Will she face the fire and write her own destiny? 

This is a part of history you don't see often in middle grade historical fiction. Very eye-opening about the British colonization of middle east. I highly recommend this beautiful story about strong young women who make their own destiny.

Queen of Ruin 

This one is actually the second book in a duology about girl power and sisterhood. Naomi and Serina are attempting to lead the women of Mount Ruin to freedom after being banished there by the evil Asa. Both sisters grow stronger in the book and truly find their inner strength. 

The best thing about this book are the characters. The author not only does an amazing job with the main characters, but all the side characters, the women of Mount Ruin, are important to the story. 

This duology, Grace & Fury, is a must have for middle grade libraries with fans of fantasy. 

Thirst

A MUST read for every school. The perfect example of a book described as a "window": this book allows us to see the realities of the water crisis in other parts of the world. 

Minni lives in the poorest aread of Mumbai where access to water is limited, and even the water they have access to must be boiled to be safe. Minni's brother witnesses a water theft, and from fear of the water gang is sent to the country to live safely. Then her mom falls ill, so Minni must take over her mom's maid job. Minni sees how the rich live, with water flowing from a faucet and not having to carry it in buckets to their home. She also discovers that the man owning the home where she works is the water mafia boss. Does she expose him and risk her job and maybe her life?

Part of the Global Read Aloud, this book is an important read. We often don't pay attention to what goes on in other parts of the world, but seeing the reality of the water crisis is important for students to see. 

Shape of Thunder 

THE SHAPE OF THUNDER by Jasmine Warga is one of our Lone Star list books for 2022. I am pleased with the book, and think my 6th graders will love it. The time travel concept was a little off, but not too weird. That's why I think this book will be more for my younger readers. I think my older readers will have a hard time believing that these two girls really believe that they can find a wormhole and travel back in time.

Other than the time travel concept, the characters are done really well! I wish a little more info had been given about Cora's mom. The relationship between the two girls and how it ties into the school shooting is written very well.

Highly recommend for 5th - 7th graders, but be sure they understand the school shooting concept and can handle reading about death and grief.

Blackbird Girls 

A powerful historical fiction set in 1986 in Ukraine about Chernobyl. Told in alternating perspectives of Oksana and Valentina, two enemies who find themselves teaming up together to find their fathers who worked in the factory. After the explosion, families are evacuated to but the families are separated. The girls end up with Valentina's grandmother, who lived through dangers of being a Jew in 1941. 

 

This story is beautifully written and about an event that isn't often written about in historical fiction. The characters learn to be resilient, have hope, and who they can truly trust. This is an emotional book that readers of historical fiction will devour. 

Alone 

This book was unique: survival story, dysptopian, and novel in verse. Three things you don't usually see put together.

I really enjoyed this story of survival and the author's writing is beautiful. Being a novel in verse makes it a faster read, but the poetic devices the author uses builds the story and setting.

The biggest mark down, and which I almost even gave it 3 instead of 4, is that the conflict is not built up or even well explained. There has been an emergency evacuation of the entire western side of the US, but no reason is given. Is this taking place in the future, has a different government taken over? More explanation is really needed.

Some have marked this as a children's book, it is absolutely not. 6th or 7th grade and up only. I would not have this for 4th/5th graders due to a descriptive animal cruelty scene, among other details.

Rivals 

Americans Royals book number 3!!! I love this series so much, and I have had great conversations with my students about this series. There was a 7th grade male student my first year as a middle school librarian that introduced me to this series; he loved reading romance books. We had our own little lunch time book club where we would discuss this book. I wish I knew what school he was at now so we could discuss the second and third book in the series. 

If you haven't read this series, and you like YA, go get this series now. It takes place in an alternate reality where George Washington became king instead of president. Now the Washington family are the royals of the USA, and Beatrice will be the first female queen. 

In the third book, Beatrice is now queen and rivalry is in the air. Betrayal, love, friendships, and enemies are all part of this exciting book. 

Gallant 

Olivia has grown up in an orphanage, but then receives a letter to come home to a family she has never known existed. She arrives at Gallant and immediately knows something is off. Her cousin wants her to leave and she begins seeing ghouls. Olivia sets out to solve the mystery of Gallant. 

This horror/gothic was very emotional at the end, even though the beginning was slow moving. I'm not usually a fan of horror, but this one was exciting and left me turning pages. Highly recommend for middle school and high school libraries where horror and fantasy are popular. I would rate this 7th grade and up.