YA Books with One-Word Titles

Young adult books are all the rage. Or, at least, I think so, and, if you’re reading this, I can only assume you think so too.

And, as I have recently discovered, there are thousands of books with just one-word titles. Even better? There are thousands of YA books with one-word titles.

Don’t worry, though, we’re only going to cover some of the best of the best here–not all 5,000+!

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

For those who know what the term “fangirl” means… well, you’ve probably also already heard of this modern classic by Rowell, but, if you haven’t, be prepared to read along for a cute, relatable teen tale.

Image and description taken from Goodreads

“Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan…. But for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving.

Now that they’re going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn’t want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She’s got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend; a fiction-writing professor who thinks fanfiction is the end of the civilized world; a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words… and she can’t stop worrying about her dad, who’s loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?”

Divergent by Veronica Ruth

Another modern classic, Divergent is a story about a dystopian society that fits within more genres than you’d think–sci-fi, fantasy, romance, action/adventure… and, of course the young adult world.

“In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.”

Image and description taken from Goodreads

XOXO by Axie Oh

Although there appears to be (after my recent search) a number of books titled “XOXO” on Goodreads… there’s only one that’s a true contemporary YA romance read. Oh, and it’s slightly about K-pop, so that’s a plus, too.

Image and description taken from Goodreads

Cello prodigy Jenny has one goal: to get into a prestigious music conservatory. When she meets mysterious, handsome Jaewoo in her uncle’s Los Angeles karaoke bar, it’s clear he’s the kind of boy who would uproot her careful plans. But in a moment of spontaneity, she allows him to pull her out of her comfort zone for one unforgettable night of adventure…before he disappears without a word.

Three months later, when Jenny and her mother arrive in South Korea to take care of her ailing grandmother, she’s shocked to discover that Jaewoo is a student at the same elite arts academy where she’s enrolled for the semester. And he’s not just any student. He’s a member of one of the biggest K-pop bands in the world—and he’s strictly forbidden from dating.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Dystopian novels are all the rage! Including this one, which is a highly modern (and just a bit futuristic) take on the story of Cinderella.

“Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. 

She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.”

Image and description taken from Goodreads

Cartoon by Kari Lynn M.

I have three words for you: teens, spies, action. Oh, and, as an added bonus, here’s three more: best combination ever.

“Amnesia (or ‘Nesia, or Mae, or Mable-Ann Rosemary Brown, or whatever her name is now; she can’t remember) is a teenage girl who just woke up one day and became a world-renown spy. Literally: she woke up from a coma in an unfamiliar building surrounded by dead bodies and the need to save herself from whoever is after her. 

Of course, she doesn’t do it all alone. Ace, the experienced secret agent with a constant yearning for danger, gives her hand—not just with sneakily fighting off the bands of criminals determined to take over the world, but also with remembering who she is, where she’s from, and where she’s meant to go.”

Beastly by Alex Flinn

You know what, fairytale-inspired novels must be all the rage these days, too. Because, of course, Beastly is based on another modern tale… although, honestly, I don’t need to call it by name–you should know it!

“I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I’m talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It’s no deformity, no disease. And I’ll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I’ll tell you. I’ll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I’ll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.”

Image and description taken from Goodreads

Feed by M.T. Anderson

You know, I wasn’t really kidding when I said YA dystopian novels are everywhere. Or, at least, everywhere on this page… because so many feature a one-word title! Just take this one, for example, that kind of makes me worry that our brains will someday be implanted with Wi-Fi-enabled microchips…

Image and description taken from Goodreads

“For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon—a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires.”

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Sure, you may remember reading this one in middle school… but, if you never got to, there’s no better time than the present to pick up this teenaged classic about the ever-present battle between fitting in and standing out.

“Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don’t stand out–under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes–for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl’s arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.”

Image and description taken from Goodreads

After by Amy Efaw

For those looking for a heartfelt, emotionally-packed journey, this read is for you. It’s all about a teenaged girl who discarded her own baby–but there’s more to her story than meets the eye.

Image and description taken from Goodreads

“An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . . Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define attempted murderer.”

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

Okay, this is the last dystopian novel on this list–I promise! It will definitely make you think twice about beauty standards, too…

“Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world—and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever….”

Image and description taken from Goodreads

Clean by Amy Reed

In this physiological, contemporary YA read… well, you might want to have a box of tissues nearby. Because, of course, it’s about a group of teen addicts struggling to, you know, get clean.

Image and description taken from Goodreads

“Olivia, Kelly, Christopher, Jason, and Eva have one thing in common: They’re addicts. Addicts who have hit rock bottom and been stuck together in rehab to face their problems, face sobriety, and face themselves. None of them wants to be there. None of them wants to confront the truths about their pasts. And they certainly don’t want to share their darkest secrets and most desperate fears with a room of strangers. But they’ll all have to deal with themselves—and one another—if they want to learn how to live. Because when you get that high, there’s nowhere to go but down, down, down.”

Well, there’s our list for today!

Of course, I probably left a lot of the thousands of other one-worded-title YA books off the list… so, let me know in the comments below what your personal favorite one-word-titled book is!

And, maybe, you’ve never even thought about one-word-title books as a category. I certainly didn’t, either, until I started making some crosswords using popular book titles… and until I realized that the easiest way to create a crossword is by using one-word titles.

(Oh, and, side-note… those crosswords I created were for my “Digital BookTok Puzzle Book”, which is now available to download FREE here!

Until our next book list, homedogs!

–Kari

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