The new year is off to a quieter start in the publishing world, and that’s certainly reflected in the first 2026 roundup of young adult book news. The country’s political instability–to put it so laughably lightly–paired with ongoing and constant attacks on literature for young people are two of the big reasons why.
Despite the softer start, there is still plenty of news and interviews, book lists and other interesting internet ephemera for young adult book lovers to enjoy.
Get inspired in your own creative endeavors with Hannah V. Sawyerr, prepare to be scared with the first official trailer for the adaptation of This Is Not a Test , build your YA science fiction and fantasy TBR, and so much more.
All Access members, read on for the latest in YA book news.
- One of the biggest days in youth literature happened at the end of January: the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards. I’ve rounded up all of the winners here, and you can find links to additional lists of great YA titles as selected by library workers at the bottom of that post.
- Here’s the official trailer for the adaptation of This Is Not a Test. It definitely looks like it comes from the book, though it looks like maybe there is one fewer character in the film that the book. An “R” rating is going to make this one hard for teens to access in theaters, even if it’s an appeal factor for streaming.
- What do we know about the upcoming The Summer I Turned Pretty film so far?
- Nerd Daily highlights over 70 YA books hitting shelves this year that you’ll want to know about.
- Reading widely includes picking up great books published around the globe. The good news is that you can find some of the best of the best through the annual Outstanding International Book List Award Winners. Check ’em out.
- Wren James, one of the script developers behind Heartstopper, has sold their first YA graphic novel.
- Dragon Cursed, a YA romantasy book that hit shelves in early January, has been scooped up for adaptation by Amazon MGM.
- Kate Bernet, author of the just-released Beth Is Dead (more on that in a second!), breaks down some of the most common tropes in mystery/thriller YA books and shares recommendations based on which tropes you like most.
- Back to Beth Is Dead: this genrified remix of Little Women was selected as the first book for Sunnie Reads, a Gen Z focused YA book club from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine company.
- Here are the finalists for all age categories in the 2025 Muslim Book Awards.
- Looking for new YA speculative fiction? You’ll want to check out Alex Brown’s fantastic roundup of the science fiction, fantasy, and horror YA books hitting shelves in January and February.
- This one comes with all of the trigger warnings, but it’s pretty important. Australian YA author Craig Silvey has been found with child exploitation materials and is currently under arrest. If Silvey’s name sounds familiar, that’s because his book Jasper Jones was a Printz Award Honor book in 2012.
- The Maze Runner adaptation recently switched streaming services, and it’s become a big hit again on Peacock.
- I did not know we needed a Barbie YA novel, but I guess we’re getting a Barbie YA novel, penned by Alex Aster.
- YA author Hannah V. Sawyerr talks with The Creative Independent about how creative work is transformative.
If you haven’t yet, peruse our most anticipated YA books of 2026 and pop some of those books onto your TBR (or library holds lists!).