WHAT TO READ NEXT IN YOUNG ADULT SEPTEMBER, 2026
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.
Running and The Liars of Mariposa Island both feature Cuban-American protagonists as they uncover secrets about their histories and parents. One revolves around political scrutiny, presidential campaigns, and finding yourself within a time of turmoil. The other focuses on the history of a mom and two siblings and the tension that follows.
When fifteen-year-old Cuban American Mariana Ruiz’s father runs for president, Mari starts to see him with new eyes. A novel about waking up and standing up, and what happens when you stop seeing your dad as your hero—while the whole country is watching.
In this thoughtful, authentic, humorous, and gorgeously written novel about privacy, waking up, and speaking up, Senator Anthony Ruiz is running for president. Throughout his successful political career he has always had his daughter’s vote, but a presidential campaign brings a whole new level of scrutiny to sheltered fifteen-year-old Mariana and the rest of her Cuban American family, from a 60 Minutes–style tour of their house to tabloids doctoring photos and inventing scandals. As tensions rise within the Ruiz family, Mari begins to learn about the details of her father’s political positions, and she realizes that her father is not the man she thought he was.
But how do you find your voice when everyone’s watching? When it means disagreeing with your father—publicly? What do you do when your dad stops being your hero? Will Mari get a chance to confront her father? If she does, will she have the courage to seize it?
Running is a novel about finding your voice amidst the scrutiny and power dynamics of a presidential election. Mari deals with coming of age and forming her own views with grace and strength. She empowers others and shows what it’s like to stand up for what you think is right even when it is hard.
Natalia Sylvester is the award-winning author of books for kids, teens, and adults among them the Pura Belpré- and Schneider Family-honor winning YA novel Breathe and Count Back from Ten, the picture book A Maleta Full of Treasures, and for adults, the novel Everyone Knows You Go Home. She is an engaging speaker and writing instructor who shares the power of storytelling with readers of all ages.
Every year, summer begins when the Callahans arrive on Mariposa Island. That’s when Elena Finney gets to escape her unstable, controlling mother by babysitting for their two children. And the summer of 1986 promises to be extra special when she meets J.C., the new boy in town, whose kisses make Elena feel like she’s been transported to a new world.
Joaquin Finney can’t imagine why anyone would want to come to Mariposa Island. He just graduated from high school and dreams about going to California to find his father and escape his mother’s manipulation.
The Liars of Mariposa Island follows siblings Elena and Joaquin, with flashbacks to their mother’s experience as a teenage refugee fleeing the Cuban revolution.
The Liars of Mariposa Island features unreliable narrators who complicate the story and create a web of lies fueled by varying motivations. As the characters untangle the web, they also find love and joy with each other.
Jennifer Mathieu is the critically acclaimed author of seven novels for young adults including Moxie. A former journalist, Mathieu is a graduate of Northwestern and has been a teacher for twenty years. She lives with her family in Houston.
Sydney Spell is a college freshman at UT Austin. She has enjoyed reading through adolescence and is a big fan of YA novels specifically.