The 10 YA & Kids Books You Need To Read, According To The National Book Foundation

Alright YA fans: the 2017 National Book Award Longlist has just been announced and you're going to like what you see. The National Book Award is one of the most prestigious awards a book can be honored with and the panel of publishers who choose the nominees have made choices that align perfectly with the current political atmosphere and a continued commitment to celebrating diverse books and Own Voices books.

Books on the list explore, among them: immigration, police brutality, gang violence, adoption, grief, and mental health; and include diverse characters hailing from Mexico, Port-Au-Prince, Brooklyn, Bangladesh and many more. It is heartening to see a list filled with so many cultures, perspectives, and important stories; many of which are written by and about women.

Many of the 10 authors here are familiar names, from Jason Reynolds to Rita Williams-Garcia, both of whom have been nominated for NBAs before; along with some new names like Samantha Mabry for All the Wind in the World (out October 10.) But perhaps surprisingly, there are also multiple debut YA novels on the list, including Angie Thomas's powerhouse release, The Hate U Give; Erika L. Sánchez's I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (set for an October 17 release); and Ibi Zoboi's American Street.

Here is the complete list:

• What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold
• Far From the Tree by Robin Benway
• All the Wind in the World by Samantha Mabry
• You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
• Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
• I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
• Orphan Island by Laurel Snyder
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Clayton Byrd Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia
• American Street by Ibi Zoboi

Time to make some room on that TBR, readers. The shortlist will be announced on October 4, 2017.