27 Canadian young adult books to read in spring 2023
If you're a fan of YA, here's your spring reading list!
If you're a fan of YA, here's your spring reading list!
Countdown by M.J. McIsaac
In the YA novel Countdown, a teen boy named Myles is ensnared in an online texting situation that could uncover a deep personal secret. Myles has to quickly discover the identity of the person threatening to expose him before it's too late.
Countdown is for ages 12 and up.
M.J. McIsaac is an Ontario illustrator and author of several books for young people, including Boil Line, Underhand and Alien Road.
Then Everything Happens at Once by M-E Girard
Then Everything Happens at Once is a coming-of-age story set during the COVID-19 pandemic. It revolves around a teen named Baylee and her experiences with body image and first love. While Baylee has had a huge crush on gorgeous best friend and neighbour Freddie, she worries that he will only see her as a friend. When Baylee meets a girl named Alex online, the attraction is mutual. But when Freddie wants to start up something with Baylee, things get complicated all around.
Then Everything Happens at Once is for ages 14 and up.
M-E Girard is a YA writer from Ontario. Her debut novel, Girl Mans Up, won the Lambda Literary Award in 2017 and was a finalist for the William C. Morris Award.
Who Owns the Clouds by Mario Brassard
Themes of pain, memory and hope are present in the YA novel Who Owns the Clouds. It's the story of a girl named Mila and the dreams she is having of a life left behind. In her dreams, Mila and her family are hoping to move on to better lives — but thoughts of a missing uncle and visions of clouds blur the lines between what's real and what's not. Mila must resolve past pain to move on in the present.
Who Owns the Clouds is for ages 14 and up.
Mario Brassard is an artist and author of children's books from Quebec. Who Owns the Clouds is his first illustrated work. Brassard won the Prix de poésie Radio-Canada 2018 for his poem Séconal.
Gérard DuBois is an artist and illustrator based in Quebec.
The Everlasting Road by Wab Kinew
In the follow-up to the YA fantasy novel Walking in Two Worlds, Wab Kinew picks up where he left off. In The Everlasting Road, main character Bugz, an Indigenous teen with an online alter ego, continues to navigate the real-life stresses of growing up on the Rez and virtual battles of life in the Floraverse, an online multiplayer video-game universe. The only difference is, this time, Bugz may have met her match in the form of a new villain in the Floraverse.
The Everlasting Road is for ages 14 and up.
Kinew is the leader of the New Democratic Party in Manitoba and bestselling author. In addition to his two YA novels, he also wrote the memoir The Reason You Walk, about mending the relationship with his father before his death, and Go Show the World, a children's picture book about Indigenous heroes throughout history.
Queen Among the Dead by Lesley Livingston
The YA fantasy novel Queen Among the Dead is a tale of dark magic, myth and treason set in the ancient kingdom of Eire and inspired by the legend of the first true queen of Ireland. Neve, the king's daughter, and Ronan, a petty thief, form an unlikely alliance to face dangers that threaten to upset the balance of power in the land.
Queen Among the Dead is for ages 14 and up.
Lesley Livingston is the bestselling Canadian author of YA fantasy books such as The Valiant.
Star Eaters by Brooke Carter
Star Eaters is a YA novel featuring starships and intergalactic warfare. The Star Eaters represent an advanced group who use technology to plunder resources across the universe. But a Star Eater named Destin has had enough of planetary destruction. While on a solo mission, he meets a mysterious girl named Calla and must decide whether or not to save her world.
Star Eaters is for ages 12 and up.
Brooke Carter is a British Columbia-based writer of Icelandic heritage. She is the author of several books for teens, including Another Miserable Love Song, Learning Seventeen and The Unbroken Hearts Club. She earned her MFA in creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
Nathalie by Debra Amirault Camelin
Nathalie is a coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old Acadian named Nathalie Belliveau set during the 1755 expulsion of Acadians from Grand-Pré, N.S. Nathalie must cope with the love, loss and romance during a turbulent time.
Nathalie is for ages 12 and up.
Debra Amirault Camelin is an Acadian with ancestral roots in Nova Scotia. Her 2019 poetry collection, Light in the Mist, includes several poems highlighting her Acadian connections. She has a journalism degree from Carleton University and she currently lives in Yarmouth, N.S.
Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury
The YA novel Delicious Monsters is set in Toronto and involves a girl named Daisy who can see ghosts. When her mother inherits a secluded mansion in northern Ontario, Daisy discovers supernatural secrets that might be beyond her control. Flash forward a decade later and a teen named Brittney gets wrapped up in a mystery about what befell Daisy years prior.
Delicious Monsters is for ages 12 and up.
Liselle Sambury is a Trinidadian Canadian YA writer and blogger. Her debut novel, Blood Like Magic, was on the shortlist for the 2021 Governor General's Literary award for young people's literature — text.
Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting by Jean Mills
Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting centres around a teenage girl who loves to knit. Bliss Adair helps out at her parents' yarn store and is also recognized as a math whiz. But Bliss soon learns that whether it involves knitting or math, helping out and offering advice just might have its downsides.
Bliss Adair and the First Rule of Knitting is for ages 12 and up.
Jean Mills is a Canadian YA author based in Guelph, Ont. Her books include Skating Over Thin Ice and Larkin on the Shore — which won the 2020 Whippoorwill Award.
When the Dikes Breached by Martha Attema
In When the Dikes Breached, it's 1953 Netherlands and a natural disaster has uncovered a terrible family secret. Klara is soon to wed into a wealthy family but when a flood hits the region, secrets and lies come to light — forcing Klara to make a choice.
When the Dikes Breached is for ages 12 and up.
Martha Attema is an educator, writer and novelist based in North Bay, Ont.
Cleaning Up by Leanne Lieberman
In the YA novel Cleaning Up, a young teen named Jess lives with her father who is coping with addiction and unemployment. Jess gets a gig cleaning a gorgeous country home and discovers the trashed bedroom of the teenaged daughter, Quinn. When Jess discovers Quinn's secret diary, it leads her to imagine another life through the author's seemingly perfect life. Jess learns that being "the girl who has everything" isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
Cleaning Up is for ages 13 and up.
Leanne Lieberman is an Ontario author of children's books and YA novels.
Danger and Other Unknown Risks by Ryan North, illustrated by Erica Henderson
In the YA novel Danger and Other Unknown Risks, a girl named Marguerite and her dog Daisy are thrust into a position where they have to save the world. The story involves magic, technology and a transformed Earth that needs protection.
Danger and Other Unknown Risks is for ages 12 and up.
Ryan North is a writer and comics creator from Toronto. He rose to popularity with the webcomic Dinosaur Comics, featuring a neurotic, wordy T-Rex. North's work on the comics Adventure Time, Jughead and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, have received three Eisner Awards. He has also written two "choose-your-own-path" books, To Be Or Not To Be and Romeo and/or Juliet, parodying Shakespeare's famous tragedies. His other work includes How to Invent Everything and How to Take Over the World.
Erica Henderson is an artist best known for her work on comic books such as Marvel's The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Archie's Jughead.
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is a tale about a girl who befriends a ghost. The title is a haunted look at the nature of grief and belonging as a lonely girl named Winifred who loves to wander a cemetery meets Phil, a teen girl ghost. The pair learn more about themselves and where they belong in the world via their regular connections.
Funeral Songs for Dying Girls is for ages 14 and up.
Cherie Dimaline is a Métis author and editor whose fiction has been published and anthologized internationally. Her books include Red Rooms, The Girl Who Grew a Galaxy, A Gentle Habit, Hunting by Stars and The Marrow Thieves. In 2017, The Marrow Thieves won the Governor General's Literary Award for Young people's literature — text and the Kirkus Prize for young readers' literature. It is currently being adapted for television. The Marrow Thieves was defended by Jully Black on Canada Reads 2018. Her most recent book is the 2023 novel VenCo.
A Shadow Crown by Melissa Blair
In the sequel to the YA fantasy novel A Broken Blade, the story of mysterious halfling and assassin Keera continues as she is forced to confront her grief while continuing her quest to defeat the monarch who still poses a threat to her land and people.
A Shadow Crown is for ages 13 and up.
Melissa Blair is an Anishinaabekwe of mixed ancestry who split her time between Treaty 9 in Northern Ontario and Ottawa.
Baby Drag Queen by C.A. Tanaka
In Baby Drag Queen, a transgender teen named Ichiro, coping with money issues to support his family, takes up a second job performing drag at a local club. But when his fellow classmates discover what he does in his spare time, Ichiro worries about fitting in and being accepted.
Baby Drag Queen is for ages 12 and up.
C.A. Tanaka is a trans masculine multiracial writer of Japanese, Chinese, Indonesian and Scottish descent based in B.C.
Someone is Always Watching by Kelley Armstrong
The latest YA novel by Kelley Armstrong involves a mystery about students at a private school who uncover a shocking truth about the violence, memory loss and nightmares plaguing their lives.
Someone is Always Watching is for ages 12 and up.
Kelley Armstrong is the author of several young adult books. She writes fiction designed to keep her dedicated audience on the edge of their seats — and they've stuck with her through 40 books ranging from horror in her hit Women of Otherworld series to a New York Times #1 bestselling young adult novel. Her standalone novels include Aftermath and Missing, but she is best known for her Darkest Powers and Darkness Rising series as well as her Cainsville and Otherworld series.
Standing on Neptune by Valerie Sherrard
Standing on Neptune is a poetry-in-verse YA novel about a 17-year-old named Brooke and what happens when she discovers she is pregnant.
Standing on Neptune is for ages 13 and up.
Valerie Sherrard is a children's book author from New Brunswick. She has written more than a dozen books for young people, including Birdspell, the Shelby Belgarden mystery series, The Glory Wind, Kate and Speechless.
The Sound of a Rainbow by Sharon Frayne
The Sound of a Rainbow is a YA novel is about 16-year-old Raven Tantie — a teen devastated after her less-than-perfect performance at a talent show goes viral on social media. But when her family sends her to a performance arts summer camp in Northern Ontario, Raven learns more about acceptance and belonging.
The Sound of a Rainbow is for ages 14 and up and will be available on April 22, 2023.
Sharon Frayne is a retired principal, artist and author based in Ontario.
The Stars of Mount Quixx by S.M. Beiko
The Stars of Mount Quixx is a YA novel about the Ivyweather sisters, teens who are forced to get along after experiencing mysterious happenings during a vacation in a desolate town named Quixx. The girls soon find themselves up against monsters and a dangerous fog that threatens to doom the town forever.
The Stars of Mount Quixx is for ages 13 and up and will be available on April 25, 2023.
S.M. Beiko is a Winnipeg-based fantasy author and an award-winning graphic novelist. Her work includes The Lake and the Library, the Realms of Ancient trilogy, and the webcomic Krampus Is My Boyfriend!
Buffalo Flats by Martine Leavitt
Buffalo Flats is a YA historical novel about 17-year-old Rebecca who has traveled by covered wagon from Utah to the Northwest Territories. There, she must work with her family to build a new home and a new sense of community.
Buffalo Flats is for ages 13 and up and will be available on April 25, 2023.
Martine Leavitt is a Canadian author of books for adults and young readers. Her YA novel Calvin won the 2016 Governor General's Literary Award for young people's literature — text.
The Meadowlands by Kate Kelly
The Meadowlands is a YA fantasy novel about four children who reside in a dystopian future featuring advanced technology and state control. It's a world where Terran and his younger sister Brooke must find community and the meaning of family.
The Meadowlands is for ages 14 and up and will be available on May 10, 2023.
Kate Kelly is an Ontario educator, singer-songwriter, poet and novelist.
The Call of the Rift by Jae Waller
The Call of the Rift is a YA fantasy novel about a teen girl named Kateiko Rinpower who has the power to shapeshift and control water. She must learn to harness her abilities as she faces parallel worlds and versions of herself.
The Call of the Rift is for ages 13 and up and will be available on May 23, 2023.
Jae Waller is a novelist and artist originally from Prince George, B.C. She has a joint BFA in creative writing and fine art from the University of Northern British Columbia and Emily Carr University of Art + Design.
A Mist of Memories by Kate Blair
A Mist of Memories is a YA novel about a mysterious island and a girl named Charlotte who must uncover the secrets within. The region has been closed to the public since Charlotte's freak accident on the cliffs — but her memory loss and visions of a mysterious woman force her to solve the mystery once and for all.
A Mist of Memories is for ages 13 and up and will be available on May 27, 2023.
Kate Blair is a Toronto author originally from the United Kingdom. Her novels Transferral and Tangled Planet were both longlisted for the Sunburst Award.
The Melancholy of Summer by Louisa Onomé
YA novel The Melancholy of Summer is about a girl named Summer who must fend for herself when her parents abruptly leave town. When Summer is discovered to be living alone, without a guardian or a permanent residence, for a whole year, she is sent to live with a cousin who teaches her more about trust and the meaning of resilience.
The Melancholy of Summer is for ages 14 and up and will be available on May 30, 2023.
Louisa Onomé is a Nigerian Canadian author living in Toronto. Her YA books include novels Like Home and Twice as Perfect.
Killing the Wittigo by Suzanne Methot
Killing the Wittigo is a YA nonfiction title by Nehiyaw writer Suzanne Methot that educates and informs young readers about the legacy effects of colonization on Indigenous people and communities. The title highlights how trauma alters an individual's brain, body and behaviour.
Killing the Wittigo is for ages 12 and up and will be available on June 6, 2023.
Methot is a Nehiyaw writer, educator and community worker
When It All Syncs Up by Maya Ameyaw
When It All Syncs Up is a YA novel about determination and the healing power of art. When a young ballet dancer named Aisha struggles to make the lead at her school, mounting micro-aggressions and discrimination begin to affect her mental health. And when a change to a new school results in the same issues, Aisha must summon her inner strength to carry on and succeed.
When It All Syncs Up is for ages 14 and up and will be available June 6, 2023.
Maya Ameyaw is an author, former bookseller and community arts writing instructor based in Toronto.
Bonesmith by Nicki Pau Preto
In the YA fantasy novel Bonesmith, a warrior named Wren must fight for respect and a rightful place in the House of Bone. But when an act of sabotage causes her to fail the qualifying trial, Wren must contend with the dangerous Border Wall and reclaim respect by battling the vicious undead that roam the region.
Bonesmith is for ages 14 and up and will be available on July 25, 2023.
Nicki Pau Preto is an Ontario graphic designer and YA author. She is the Canadian author of YA fantasy books including the debut book Crown of Feathers.
