YA Fall Books to Read: Books That Capture the Spirit of Fall

It’s officially fall! Autumn, fall, Halloween month, whatever you’d like to call it, it’s a season full of magic, both figurative and literal. While thriller season is a highlight, Thanksgiving and the fall foliage are both delights. There are a few things that exude the spirit of autumn—candles, apple cider, caramel, cozy sweaters, and books! Below you’ll find reads that go hand in hand with apple cider and a full moon. Check out this list of YA fall books to read this season.

Alma Presses Play

By Tina Cane

Alma’s life is a series of halfways: She’s half-Chinese, half-Jewish; her parents spend half the time fighting, and the other half silent; and she’s halfway through becoming a woman. But as long as she can listen to her Walkman, hang out with her friends on the stoops of the Village, and ride her bike around the streets of New York, it feels like everything will be all right. Then comes the year when everything changes, and her life is overtaken by constant endings: friends move away, romances bloom and wither, her parents divorce and–just like that–her life as she knew it is over. In this world of confusing beginnings, middles, and endings, is Alma ready to press play on the soundtrack of her life? This is a must-read for your YA fall books TBR.

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (HBO Tie-In Edition)

By Philip Pullman

The modern fantasy classic that Entertainment Weekly named an “All-Time Greatest Novel” and Newsweek hailed as a “Top 100 Book of All Time.” Philip Pullman takes readers to a world where humans have animal familiars and where parallel universes are within reach.

A Lesson in Vengeance

By Victoria Lee

A dark, twisty thriller about a centuries-old, ivy-covered boarding school haunted by its history of witchcraft and two girls dangerously close to digging up the past. The dangerous romance and atmospheric setting makes it a perfect read for fans of dark academia.

Nothing More to Tell

By Karen M. McManus

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened.

On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

By Julia Walton

A girl rewrites sex education, one viral post at a time, in this fiercely honest and delightfully awkward novel from the award-winning author of Words on Bathroom Walls.

Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman

By Kristen R. Lee

A striking debut novel about a college freshman grappling with the challenges of attending an elite university with a disturbing racist history, which may not be as distant as it seems.

Six Crimson Cranes

By Elizabeth Lim

Shiori’anma, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted. But it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.

Skin of the Sea

By Natasha Bowen

The must-read Black mermaid fantasy series that #1 NYT bestselling author Nicola Yoon calls “epic and original,” in which one mermaid takes on the gods themselves. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Beasts of Prey.

Take Me With You When You Go

By David Levithan, Jennifer Niven

From the New York Times bestselling authors of All the Bright Places and Every Day comes a story of hope, siblinghood, and finding your home in the people who matter the most.

This Is My America

By Kim Johnson

The Hate U Give meets Just Mercy in this unflinching yet uplifting first novel that explores the racist injustices in the American justice system.

You'd Be Home Now

By Kathleen Glasgow

From the New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces comes a stunning novel that Vanity Fair calls “impossibly moving” and “suffused with light”. In this raw, deeply personal story, a teenaged girl struggles to find herself amidst the fallout of her brother’s addiction in a town ravaged by the opioid crisis.

Books That Capture the Spirit of Fall

Alma Presses Play

By Tina Cane

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (HBO Tie-In Edition)

By Philip Pullman

A Lesson in Vengeance

By Victoria Lee

Nothing More to Tell

By Karen M. McManus

On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

By Julia Walton

Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman

By Kristen R. Lee

Six Crimson Cranes

By Elizabeth Lim

Skin of the Sea

By Natasha Bowen

Take Me With You When You Go

By David Levithan, Jennifer Niven

This Is My America

By Kim Johnson

You'd Be Home Now

By Kathleen Glasgow

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Books That Capture the Spirit of Fall

Alma Presses Play

By Tina Cane

His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (HBO Tie-In Edition)

By Philip Pullman

A Lesson in Vengeance

By Victoria Lee

Nothing More to Tell

By Karen M. McManus

On the Subject of Unmentionable Things

By Julia Walton

Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman

By Kristen R. Lee

Six Crimson Cranes

By Elizabeth Lim

Skin of the Sea

By Natasha Bowen

Take Me With You When You Go

By David Levithan, Jennifer Niven

This Is My America

By Kim Johnson

You'd Be Home Now

By Kathleen Glasgow

Did you enjoy this article about YA fall books? Get social with us at @getunderlined!

Join the conversation

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