YAs for Politically Inclined Teens

Foster the love with these books that take great angles on approaching/reaching voting age

Political YA is tremendously important, given teens reach voting age while they’re still in that target audience. This can come with feelings of futility “What’s the point in caring if I can’t do anything about it?” or excitement or nerdery or determination or any of a million different emotions. If you are or know a teen who’s at all interested in American politics, these are the three books I most highly recommend:

Yes No Maybe So by Becky Albertalli and Aisha Saeed - I’m a big fan of both of these authors’ books in general, but what I think this one really nails is “What does this have to do with me if I can’t even vote yet?” I found it strikingly empowering for the pre-eighteen set, and proves you can make a plenty big difference in the years leading up to reaching voting age.

The Voting Booth by Brandy Colbert - This one’s for the teens who are old enough to vote, and promptly discover voter disenfranchisement and other social justice issues around elections. She’s super excited to vote, only to see him get turned away at the polls for being at the wrong center. Together, they run all over town trying to get him the opportunity to exercise his civic duty, and it’s all told with Colbert’s trademark authenticity and care. (I love her books so much. Have I mentioned that lately? Start with Pointe. It’s so good.)

The (Un)popular Vote by Jasper Sanchez - This one’s about student government (as is Something Like Possible by Miel Moreland, which I also definitely recommend, but is less about American politics at large) but the MC, who’s trans, is also the son of a congressman, and this book gets surprisingly deep into greater government politics - probably my top pick for West Wing nerds.

I will never forget my mom taking me to vote decades ago and impressing its importance upon me, and I always vote now with one of my kids present, though they’re still less than halfway to voting age. It’s literally never too early to start caring about something that affects us all so deeply, so please, get out there and vote, and if you’re under 18, understand that your voice is just as important as you prep to make it official!