WHAT TO READ NEXT IN YOUNG ADULT
DECEMBER 2025
by Sydney Spell
Welcome to Texas Reads YA! As a teen who loves to read YA, I sometimes have a hard time finding quality YA novels.
These two novels tell very different stories, but with similar themes. One of them is realistic fiction and the other is scientific fiction, but they both deal with topics such as revenge, standing up against injustice, and family dynamics.
Cross the grid. Survive the storms. Let your destiny burn.
When mankind’s attempts to control nature backfire, Texas descends into a wasteland. Storms rage and ravenous beasts roam the Outer Grid. The only safe havens rest inside the tech-obsessed domed cities. But when her parents are murdered inside the Plex City dome, seventeen-year-old Juniper Conway wants revenge.
Ties to her extended family threaten to pull her back as she runs from city to city. The Plex is endangering its citizens by legalizing a deadly nano drug, and Juniper’s family needs her help to deliver the counteragent. Saving the city who orphaned her goes against everything she stands for. The only way out is to brave the wasteland.
Juniper joins a shipping crew fearless enough to transport food across the Outer Grid. But when a string of bad luck turns lethal, she fears something, or someone, is dragging her back to the Plex. As her world sinks into chaos, Juniper must decide if revenge is worth the lives of the crew she has come to love.
The Chaos Grid is a fun, compelling, and christian based novel. It contains action and beautiful worldbuilding with an allegory expertly woven throughout that you won’t expect til the end. The plot and characters will keep you reading and the unique monsters and pets will bring joy.
Lyndsey Lewellen grew up on a healthy dose of comic books, punk music, and sci-fi. She infuses all three loves into novels written for young adults. When she’s not writing or whittling down her endless TBR, she designs novel covers and paints on shoes. She lives on a small Texas farm with her best friend/husband, five children, and what some might call a zoo of animals (especially after meeting the peacocks).
Immediately after high school graduation, eighteen-year-old Maya is kicked out of her wealthy dad’s NYC home; he prides himself on forcing his kids to “make their own way in the world.” Maya’s mom lives in Guatemala, so Maya crashes with friends while working and trying to land freelance writing gigs.
Maya struggles to find her footing until she gets access to a “writing room,” a shared workspace where she can focus―and get to know the intriguing neighbor, Jake, who’s often there.
When she discovers her dad is bankrolling a virulently anti-immigrant candidate for governor, Maya―the daughter of an immigrant―realizes she can’t continue quietly accepting his choices. She’ll have to take a stand, using the voice she’s found in the writing room.
The Writing Room is a raw and relatable novel about the struggles of being young, broke, and still needing to stand up for what is right. This novel deals with morals and parental relationships as well as how to build your life from the ground up. It contains characters full of passion, love, and the want to truly make a difference.
Marcia Argueta Mickelson was born in Guatemala to Corina and Jose Argueta. When Marcia was an infant, her family immigrated to the United States. She attended high school in New Jersey and then graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in American Studies. She lives in Texas with her husband, three sons, and two dogs.
Sydney Spell is a college freshman at UT Austin. She has enjoyed reading through adolescence and is a big fan of YA novels specifically.