2026 Young Adult Book Releases by BIPOC Authors
Looking for YA books written by BIPOC authors to add to your bookshelves? Here are books for Young Adults & Teens written by Black, Indigenous, and POC authors and illustrators.
Ordering new books written by BIPOC authors tells the publishing industry that books written and illustrated by POC matter and the readership for them isn’t a trend. Thank you for supporting BIPOC!
- Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A powerful, romantic debut novel-in-verse about a Native Hawaiian girl’s fight to find belonging in a fracturing family, sharing a message of love with resounding emotional truth. Aouli Elizabeth Smith...
- Teen Coming of Age, Teen Contemporary Romance, Teen Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
Buckle up for a wild ride with this cheeky and charming rom-com where one girl’s quest across India to seal her first kiss turns into finding first love in the...
- Teen Fantasy, Teen Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
An unputdownable romantasy following a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that the...
- by Shelly Page
- Teen LGBTQ+ Fiction, Teen LGBTQ+ Romance, Teen Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A teen mystic will do anything to solve a series of love-related magical mishaps plaguing her high school, including fake dating her boss’s daughter, in this charming sapphic romance. Magic...
- Teen Fantasy, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
Cursed Ever After is a dazzling romantic fantasy debut brimming with snark, humor, and banter-filled romance. Love is not for cursed girls. Risa is better off without it. Risa Porto...
- Teen Coming of Age, Teen Fiction on Depression & Mental Health, Teen Prejudice and Racism, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
In her raw and resonant debut novel, René Peña-Govea seamlessly interweaves prose and poetry to uplift the power of language, the courage to fight injustice, and the complex beauty of...
- Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A YA thriller about the daughter of a killer who must prove her innocence after a night of fun turns deadly. Dina Soto is used to laying low. Ever since...
- by Jumata Emill
- Teen LGBTQ+ Fiction, Teen Mysteries & Detective, Teen Thrillers, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A teen investigative podcaster decides to dig into the truth behind a grisly murder spree that rocked his hometown five years ago, but soon discovers that this cold case is...
- Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
An epic romance spanning life and death, from New York Times bestselling author Laura Taylor Namey. Sylvie Castellano is used to goodbyes. Every summer, her friends leave to vacation at...
- by T.A. Chan
- Teen LGBTQ+ Fiction, Teen LGBTQ+ Romance, Teen Romance, Teen Science Fiction, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A tale of identity, love, and the hunt for vengeance in the darkest corners of space. Ishara Ming is the sole survivor of a spacefaring whaler destroyed by the Ballena,...
- Teen Fantasy, Teen Fantasy Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
In the breathtaking sequel to The Scorpion and the Night Blossom, the battle has just begun. With Àn’yīng’s kingdom teetering on the brink of destruction, and amidst a budding forbidden...
- by Cindy Pham
- Teen Fantasy, Teen Legends, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A lush and immersive queer “Sleeping Beauty” retelling about escapism, grief, and dreaming of a better world, as imagined by YouTube star Cindy Pham. One hundred years have passed since...
- by Alechia Dow
- Teen Fantasy, Teen LGBTQ+ Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A cozy, romantic fantasy from award-winning author Alechia Dow. Darling is the most talented―and unusual―Guardian to get a chance at winning the coveted once-in-a-generation Mortal Outcome Council mentorship. Getting the...
- Teen LGBTQ+ Romance, Teen Romance, Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
Two teen con-artists must execute an almost impossible scam at an exclusive mansion in this teen thriller. Lola and I grew up hearing that we could become anything, but our...
- Young Adult, Young Adult Fiction
- Publication Year: 2026
A portrait of three women connected through one man in the aftermath of his murder—a stunning literary achievement and the explosive and highly anticipated debut novel from beloved award-winning memoirist...