Best Audiobooks

Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults: 2022 List Guide, 2026

Find YALSA's 2022 teen audiobook selections, match titles to narrators, and use a close-listening exercise to choose and discuss a recording.

Last updated November 2026

Books and headphones arranged for a listening session
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Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults is an annual selection of recorded books for teens. YALSA published the 2022 list discussed here; the program now sits with ALSC. The recording matters as much as the book's name. A title can have more than one audio edition, with a different voice or cast on each. Use the list to find a recording to try, then check its credits before you borrow it.

Choose a list year, find a title that interests you, and match the credited narrator to the edition in your library. The 2022 selections remain a place to start, but they aren't a list of new releases for 2026. Sample the voice before committing. A place on an award list is a reason to listen, not a promise that every book will suit every teen.

What Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults means

YALSA is the Young Adult Library Services Association. The ALA's Amazing Audiobooks overview says the program moved to ALSC when the two divisions reunited in September 2026.

A book and its audio edition are two related choices. You might enjoy a story on paper yet prefer a different voice when you hear it. An audio selection directs attention to a particular performance. Keep the narrator's name beside the title as you browse, rather than treating the list as a set of book names alone.

That distinction is useful when you share a recommendation. A friend might search the title and find another edition. Give them the author and narrator too. If a library result has different credits, check it before borrowing. The story may be the same, but you haven't yet found the recording that brought you to the list.

Use selection as a starting point for your own choice. You don't have to finish a recording because a committee chose it. If the opening doesn't hold your attention, try another title or another format. The useful result is a book you want to hear, not a completed checklist of awards.

Find the 2022 list and its recording credits

For the historical selection, open YALSA's official 2022 list. Use that page for the full inventory and its title-by-title links. Our examples below are a small subset. They aren't the whole list or a new ranking of its choices.

The ALA's 2022 announcement provides the dated announcement. Keep the year attached when saving or sharing the list. An old selection can still lead to a good listening choice. It should not be passed around as the current year's announcement.

When you open the full list, pick a title before searching a library catalog. Copy its author and the credited voice into your search record. If you find several results, compare the narrator field first. A cover image alone is a poor way to tell recordings apart, since the same artwork may appear on more than one format.

Don't use an old price on a list page as today's buying advice. Search the current library or publisher listing if you need availability or format details. Historical pages document a selection at a given time. They don't promise that a library still holds a copy or that a seller uses the same terms.

If an old bookmarked link fails, return to the official 2022 list linked above or the ALA overview. Keep the publisher of the information in view. A search result with the right title may be a review, a retail listing or a different year's selection.

Five 2022 examples to look up by narrator

These title and voice pairings appear in YALSA's official 2022 selection. The order here is alphabetical by title, not a ranking. The short prompts are our suggested ways to compare formats.

  • Apple: Skin to the Core: Eric Gansworth; narrated by Eric Gansworth. An author reading their own words offers a starting point for asking how you hear a written voice.
  • Chlorine Sky: Mahogany L. Browne; narrated by Mahogany L. Browne. If you have the print edition, try the passage exercise below and pay attention to pauses.
  • Concrete Rose: Angie Thomas; narrated by Dion Graham. Keep both names in your catalog search so you can identify the listed recording.
  • Firekeeper's Daughter: Angeline Boulley; narrated by Isabella Star LeBlanc. Use the narrator credit to distinguish the audio edition from a print or ebook result.
  • Game Changer: Neal Shusterman; narrated by Andrew Eiden and Jennifer Jill Araya. Check for both credited voices when matching the edition.

Look up the full record before placing a hold. Your library may show a subtitle, series field or format label that differs from a short list entry. Compare the author and voice credits, then check whether the record gives enough detail to identify it. Ask a librarian if two records remain hard to tell apart.

You can use the same process for any other title on the official list. Our five examples are search starting points, not a claim that these are the only choices worth hearing. Let your interest in the book decide which sample you try first.

Match the narrator before you borrow

The narrator field is the first check when you want the selected performance. Search for the book's title and author, open the audio record, then compare the voice credit with the official list. Check that you're looking at a sound recording rather than a print edition with the same cover.

Look for edition details such as the publisher, format and ISBN. An ISBN identifies an edition or format, so copy the one attached to the audio record if you need help finding it. Don't take the ISBN from a paperback and assume it will lead to the audio. A catalog may also use its own record number.

Read any label that says abridged or unabridged. An abridgment shortens a work. If you plan to follow along in print, that difference can make a passage hard to locate. Don't infer a recording's status just from its running time; use the record's own description or ask the library to check.

Play a sample when one is offered. Listen for a voice you can follow without strain. Try a quiet scene as well as dialogue if the sample allows it. You may prefer a single voice, or enjoy a cast. Neither preference requires you to make a judgment about the book itself.

Keep a simple record of the choice: title, author and narrator. Add the format and where you found it, along with the list year. This is especially useful when a group has several copies. Agree on the recording before the discussion if hearing the same performance matters to your plan.

Choose a teen's first recording with YALSA

Start with the teen's interests, then use YALSA's selection to find possible recordings. Ask which kinds of books they already choose, or which films they like to talk about. Offer a few options rather than turning a long list into homework. Leave room to stop a sample and pick again.

Read the book's description before sharing it with a group. A selection for young adults doesn't mean that every title fits every age or every listening setting. Check the subject matter against the actual group, and give each person a way to choose another book without having to explain a private reason.

For a first session, choose a stopping point that feels manageable. A chapter break is useful if the recording has clear chapters. A fixed point in the story also works. Avoid promising that everyone will listen at the same pace, since routines and access to copies differ.

Treat print as an option alongside audio. A teen might want to read first, hear a passage again or switch formats halfway through. That can make the discussion more specific: they can compare the voice they imagined with the one they heard. No one needs to defend one format as the proper way to read.

Our general audiobook guide offers routes into listening to classic literature. For this teen selection, keep the focus on the chosen title and credited recording. A service comparison can wait until you know which book you want and where you can obtain it.

Try a close-listening exercise with Chlorine Sky

Use a short passage from Chlorine Sky or Apple: Skin to the Core if you have lawful access to both print and audio. The process below is our suggested exercise, not a YALSA test or a finding about either narrator. You can use another title if its text and recording are easier to obtain.

First, read the passage silently. Mark a place where you would pause. Choose one sentence or line whose tone you aren't sure about. You might hear anger, doubt or a joke in it. Write down that first reading before hearing the recording, so you have something concrete to compare.

Next, hear the same passage once. Keep the text open if you want, but don't try to write down every sound. Notice one pause or stressed word. Record what you actually heard in that moment. Separate it from your guess about why the narrator made that choice.

Then compare the two readings. Look at the place you marked on paper. Did the narrator stop there, carry on or place stress elsewhere? Describe the difference without declaring one version correct. If the sentence now feels different, point to the sound that led you there.

Finally, return to the text. Read it again with that sound in mind. Try a second reading aloud if you feel comfortable doing so. You may keep your first view, adopt the recorded one or find a third way to hear it. The point is to make a specific comparison you can explain.

Keep the passage short enough to replay without losing your place. A close listen doesn't need to cover a whole chapter. One well-described pause gives a group more to discuss than a broad claim that a voice was good. Don't upload or distribute the audio excerpt; direct others to their own lawful copy.

Discuss a recording with a library group

Build the meeting around a shared passage and one clear prompt. For a YALSA selection, ask each listener to bring a moment they can locate by chapter or timestamp. Let them describe it before playing anything. The discussion can proceed even when copies or playback tools differ.

Separate comments about the text from comments about the recording. Someone may dislike a character yet admire the way a voice presents them. Someone else may enjoy the story but find the pace hard to follow. Ask for the passage behind each view, rather than trying to settle which listener is right.

For a recording with several voices, such as the listed edition of Game Changer, ask how listeners kept track of speakers. Keep the answer tied to what they heard. Don't assume a larger cast makes a story easier to follow, or that a single voice must be harder. Let the example do the work.

Offer a written response as another way to join in. A participant can name a passage, give a reason and pass their response to the host. They shouldn't have to perform aloud or share a personal story to take part. A quiet comparison can be as specific as a spoken one.

Finish by asking what each listener would try next. They might choose another recording by the same narrator, a print edition or another title on the 2022 list. Record the title and voice credit when someone recommends a performance. That gives the next person enough information to find it.

For a longer schedule, our Audiobook Month guide has a listening plan you can adapt at any time of year. Use it as a suggested routine, not a condition for joining the group.

Keep 2022 selection dates separate from 2026 access

The year on an award list tells you which selection you're reading. It doesn't mean that every recording came out in that year. Check each record's release date separately if it matters to your search. Avoid replacing one field with the other when making a handout or catalog request.

This guide was checked in November 2026 and focuses on the historical 2022 selection. For another year, look for an official ALA announcement dated for that selection. We don't relabel the old choices as new, or treat an old announcement as proof of a later year's results.

Availability is another separate question. A library may offer a hold, a physical copy, a digital loan or no copy at all. Check your library's actual record and borrowing terms. A title's appearance on a national list doesn't tell you which formats your local service has licensed.

If you need a different format, ask the library about its options before buying another copy. Give the title and author, then explain which recording you were trying to find. If an exact edition isn't available, ask what differs about the alternative. You can still choose it, while keeping the original selection credit accurate.

When making a group handout, date your access information. Keep the historical list year beside the title and current availability in a separate field. That small distinction stops an old recommendation from becoming a claim that a copy is available now.

FAQ

Who chooses Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults?

YALSA published the 2022 selection; the program now resides with ALSC. The ALA overview links to current program information. The Marginalia Press doesn't make those selections. This page adds a method for finding and discussing a recording, with a few factual examples from the historical 2022 list.

Does the 2022 list contain only 2022 releases?

Don't use the list year as a recording's release date. The year identifies the selection, while each audio entry has its own publication details. Check the individual record if you need a release year. Keep both fields in your search record so you don't confuse the selection with the edition.

Why should I check the narrator's name?

The list points you to an audio performance, and another edition may use a different voice. Matching the narrator helps you find the listed recording. Compare the author and format as well, then use a sample if available. If the credits differ, check before calling it the same edition.

Is this the full 2022 Amazing Audiobooks list?

No. The five examples here are a subset used to explain how to search for a recording. Open YALSA's official 2022 page for the complete inventory and its links. Our listening exercise is independent, and the order of our examples is alphabetical rather than a new ranking.

Verdict on Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults

Use Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults to make one precise listening choice. Keep the list year, title, author and narrator together. For the 2022 selection, follow YALSA's full list, choose a book that interests you and match its recording to a copy you can obtain.

Then give one passage your attention. Notice a pause, a voice or a word that sounds different from your silent reading. You don't need to finish the list or agree with every choice. A specific response to one recording is a good place to begin your next book discussion.

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