The YA Book Prize announced the ten books that made 2026 shortlist for the prize. The book prize, launched in 2014, awards a YA title written by an author living in the UK or Ireland. The prize celebrates great books for teenagers and young adults and aims to get more teens reading and buying books. The prize is also run by the book trade magazine, The Bookseller, in partnership with the Edinburgh International Book Festival. These 10 books are in the running to win this year’s overall £2,000 award.
Last year, Songlight by Moira Buffini took home the 2025 YA Book Prize.
The winner will be announced on Thursday, August 27 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Here Are The Ten Books!
A Beautiful Evil by Bea Fitzgerald
When the Gods make the first human woman, Pandora, they impress on her just one certainty: that she has been made to love and be loved by her husband, the titan Epimetheos. And yet when Pandora arrives at his home on Colchis, she’s surprised to find that Matheos doesn’t feel the same. AT ALL. In fact, he wants nothing to do with her.
Hurt and confused, Pandora struggles to find purpose and meaning in her new life. What was she made for, if not this? And what does it have to do – if anything – with her husband’s brother Prometheus, doomed to eternal punishment by the King of the Gods? Soon she and Matheos find themselves thrown together more and more, as they try to uncover the real reason the Gods sent her to him – and what that might mean for the future of humanity. (Credit: Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
Mondays Are Murder by Ravena Guron
Seventeen-year-old Kay left her sleepy hometown after the devastating death of her friend, Ivy. But when her parents go on holiday without her, Kay is forced to come back to stay with her cousin. And her return comes with a bang. Because when Kay arrives, it’s to find an anonymous letter on her bed.
The letter tells her that there will be a thrill on Tuesday, a wreckage on Wednesday, treachery on Thursday, a fire on Friday, sabotage on Saturday, a stabbing on Sunday – and her murder on Monday.
And if Kay can’t figure out who is behind the threats, the worst day of the week is about to get deadly. (Credit: Usborne Publishing)
US Readers: You can pre-order the US edition here.
Heartbreaker by Anika Hussain
HE BROKE HER BEST FRIEND’S HEART. NOW SAACHI PLANS TO BREAK HIS.
MAY THE BEST HEARTBREAKER WIN . . .
Saachi would do anything for her best friend. So when school bad boy Fahim breaks Mona’s heart, Saachi is hellbent on getting revenge. It’s time to put him in his place once and for all.
And so begins Operation Heartbreaker: Saachi will make Fahim fall in love with her and then pull the plug on him – just like he does to every girl he’s ever dated. Simple.
Except as she spends more time with Fahim, against her better judgement, she finds herself falling for him. Unable to talk to Mona about her mixed emotions, and with the mission veering dangerously off course, Saachi will have to embrace her role as a heartbreaker or potentially end up with her own heart broken . . . (Credit: Hot Key Books)
The Boy I Love by William Hussey
At just nineteen, Stephen has already survived a year at the front. Now he is returning to the trenches to lead a platoon, despite his wounds. Broken-hearted from the loss of his first love, Stephen wonders what he’s fighting for. Then he meets Private Danny McCormick, a smart, talented young recruit. From their first meeting, there’s something undeniable between them – something forbidden by both society and the army. Determined to protect Danny, Stephen must face down the prejudices and ignorance of his superiors as well as the onslaught of German shells and sniper fire.
As the summer of 1916 ticks down to one big push on the Somme, can Stephen and Danny stay together – and will their love save them – or condemn them? (Credit: Andersen Press)
Heir of Storms by Lauryn Hamilton Murray
I am the girl who wove the storm that shook the world.
And I’m coming for my crown.
When Blaze came into the world, she almost drowned it.
Blaze, a Rain Singer, is born into one of the most powerful fire-wielding families in the empire. Her birth summoned a devastating storm that resulted in the deaths of thousands, and she has spent her life as an outsider, reviled and feared.
When Blaze and her twin brother, Flint, are selected to compete in the Choosing Rite, the trials which decide the future rulers of the empire, she’s suddenly thrust into the limelight – and into battle.
Threats abound at the Golden Palace, where intrigue and romance await with not one but two handsome suitors: the enchanting Crown Prince and a dangerously alluring newcomer at court.
As her powers strengthen and her fellow competitors fall, the throne is suddenly within her grasp. But in order to take the crown, she’ll have to leave behind the stories that others have told about her and find the courage to write her own. (Credit:Penguin Random House Children’s UK)
You can find the US edition here.
Skipshock by Caroline O’Donoghue
Margo is a troubled schoolgirl. After the death of her father, she’s on her way to a new boarding school in a new city.
Moon is a salesman. He makes his living traveling through a series of interconnected worlds on a network of barely used train lines.
They never should have met. But when Margo suddenly appears one day on Moon’s train, their fates become inextricably linked. If Margo wants to survive, she has to pass as a traveling salesman, too—except it’s not that easy.
Move north on the train line and time speeds up, a day passing in mere hours. Move south and time slows down—a day can last several weeks. Slow worlds are the richest ones: you live longer, your youth lasting decades. Fast worlds are sharp, cruel, and don’t have time for pleasantries. Death is frequent. Salesmen die young of skipshock. That is, if they’re not shot down by the Southern Guard first.
As Margo moves between worlds and her attachment to Moon intensifies, she feels her youth start to slip between her fingers. But is Moon everything he seems? Is Margo?
Told through the eyes of both naive Margo and desperate Moon, the unforgettable realm of Skipshock will shake the way you think about love, time, and the fabric of the universe. The first in a planned duology from the best-selling author of the Gifts series, this utterly original epic is a must-read. (Credit: Walker Books)
The Five edited by Elgan Rhys and translated by Mared Roberts
The Five follows a year in the interconnected lives of five very different teenagers who forge a singular bond at their secondary school in north-west Wales. As they navigate the joys and tribulations of what makes them different as individuals, their newfound community is both tested and strengthened.
This boldly original and tender-hearted young adult novel is adapted by Mared Roberts from the multi-award-winning Welsh-language series Y Pump, which was co-created in an innovative authorship process. (Credit: Firefly Press)
Traumaland by Josh Silver
Welcome to your worst nightmare.
Seventeen-year-old Eli has been in a near-fatal car crash. As the anniversary looms, his therapist and family struggle to help him deal with the fall out. The accident has left him emotionally numb, with no memory of the months following the crash.
Desperate to feel something again, Eli winds up at an underground club called Traumaland. But this is no ordinary nightclub. Here he joins crowds of other emotionally numb people, all seeking to experience a new thrill by entering virtual reality simulations of nightmarish scenarios through the points of view of various characters.
When he enters the story of a boy called Jack, he discovers a darker truth to the club. A truth that sets Eli on a dangerous journey to find the source of his own trauma. (Credit: Oneworld Publications)
Our Infinite Fates by Laura Steven
They’ve loved each other in a thousand lifetimes. They’ve killed each other in every one.
Evelyn can remember all her past lives. She can also remember that in every single one, she’s been murdered before her eighteenth birthday by Arden, a supernatural being linked to her soul. The problem is that she’s quite fond of the life she’s in now, and her little sister needs her in order to stay alive. If Evelyn wants to save her sister, she’ll have to find the centuries-old devil who hunts her through each life before they find her first, figure out why she’s being hunted and finally break their curse, and try not to fall in love . . . again. (Credit: Wednesday Books)
The Romantic Tragedies of A Drama King by Harry Trevaldwyn
Patch Simmons has decided that this is the year he will get a boyfriend, so it’s goodbye to his French pen-pal Jean-Pierre and hello to the world!
Unfortunately, the only other “out” boys in his school year are dating each other, so finding a boyfriend isn’t going to be easy… Until fate finally intervenes and two new mysterious boys join drama club: Peter, who’s just moved from New York (very chic) and his best friend, Sam.
Patch is confident that one of them (although either of them will do!) will be his first boyfriend. So armed with his single mum’s outdated self-help books, his over-supportive best friend Jean and an alarming level of self-confidence, Patch is confident that this mission will be a complete success. Whether or not they actually like boys or him is a problem for later.
The Romantic Tragedies of a Drama King is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud comedy from rising star Harry Trevaldwyn, a story about boldly being yourself, going for what you want, but never losing sight of who truly has your back.
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