19 YA Books On Fat Acceptance That Are 100% Worth Reading

Add these to your reading list ASAP.

1. What I Like About Me by Jenna Guillaume

Peachtree Publishing Co., goodreads.com

What it's about: With Maisie's dad AWOL and her gorgeous older sister rocking her confidence, she certainly wasn't expecting to be spending her vacation entering a beauty pageant. As she documents the trip in her school-assignment journal, things go from bad to worse when her best friend begins flirting with the boy Maisie has always had a crush on. But the journal shifts from being an awful piece of homework to being an account of Maisie proving her moxie not only to everyone else but also to herself.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

2. Speak for Yourself by Lana Wood Johnson

lanawoodjohnson.com, Scholastic Press

What it's about: Skylar is determined to show everyone that her latest app is brilliant and she's going to use it to win State at the Scholastic Exposition. But to do that, she needs a team. And when her teammate Joey asks her to play Cupid for herself and other teammate Zane, things get awkward. Because it seems like Skylar might also be falling for Zane...

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

3. Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera and Celia Moscote

Dial Books, newleafliterary.com

What it's about: In this new graphic novel adaptation of the beloved book of the same name, Juliet is heading to Portland, Oregon, from the Bronx after coming out to her family. Awaiting her is an internship with her favorite feminist author, Harlowe Brisbane, and a journey of self-discovery and search for answers.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

4. If It Makes You Happy by Claire Kann

Swoon Reads, clairekann.com

What it's about: Winnie lives in Misty Haven, a small town where she dreams of someday inheriting her granny's diner. But secrets are impossible in Misty Haven, so when she allegedly snaps at Dr. Skinner, everyone knows about it and feels compelled to chime in with their own weight loss advice, trying to make her body their business. Not only that, but she won't be able to inherit the diner if they can't make a lot of money, fast, so Winnie decides to try to win a televised cooking competition...but she'll have to go around Granny to even enter.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

5. The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Balzer & Bray / Harperteen, goodreads.com

What it's about: This companion novel to Albertalli's award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (aka Love, Simon) follows Molly Peskin-Suso, who has had 26 crushes but never a relationship. After all, she's always known that fat girls have to be careful when it comes to putting yourself out there. But her cynical twin, Cassie, is now smitten with her new girlfriend — who, luckily for Molly, comes with a super-cute hipster sidekick. And then there's Reid, the chubby, nerdy fanboy she works with... If you're a fan of the Love, Simon crew, there are some delightful cameos within.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

6. Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins

Scholastic Press, goodreads.com

What it's about: Felipe is thrilled about spring break and the relaxation that comes with being away from classmates who constantly tease him about his size. But his alone time is cut short when Caio, his neighbor and crush, comes to stay with them for the next 15 days while his own parents are on vacation, forcing Felipe to confront many of his internalized issues.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

7. The Wish Granter by C.J. Redwine

Balzer & Bray / Harperteen, goodreads.com

What it's about: Thad was never supposed to be king. After the mysterious death of the royal family, Thad, the bastard son of the king, is placed on the throne. His twin sister, Ari, grows suspicious, quickly learning that his new position comes from a deal made with Alistair Teague, a Wish Granter, in exchange for the safety of Thad's people and soul. It will take the help of Sebastian, the new weapons master with ties to Teague's criminal empire, for Ari to determine Teague's weaknesses and save her brother.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

8. Love Is a Revolution by Renée Watson

Bloomsbury YA, Shawnte Sims / Via reneewatson.net

What it's about: Nala unexpectedly finds herself crushing on Tye Brown, the MC at an open mic night for her cousin/sister/friend Imani's birthday (which she was attending reluctantly). But while Nala would prefer to watch movies and eat ice cream, activist Tye is spending the summer putting on community events. Determined to impress, she tells a few small lies so that it will seem as if they have more in common, and as she falls harder for Tye, the lies become harder to keep up with.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

9. Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado

Holiday House, Crystal Maldonado

What it's about: The world seems to have ideas about what Charlie Vega should look like, which can make it hard for her to have a good relationship with her body. But Charlie's best friend, Amelia, is always in her corner, which is especially important as Charlie's mom keeps passive-aggressively leaving weight loss shakes on her dresser. When Charlie starts a relationship with Brian, a cute classmate, everything seems perfect. But everything gets messier when she discovers that he asked Amelia out first.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

10. Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson

Razorbill, goodreads.com

What it's about: When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a 100-year trip across the galaxy, she did not expect to wake up in the year 3102 with people around her calling her Goddess. Four years prior, when her glass coffin had disappeared from the palace, the exiled Prince Zhade dedicated himself to finding it, hoping that she would be the key to getting him back to the throne. Andra just wants to know why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth, but Zhade needs her to play her part so that the others don't realize she might not have the power to save their dying planet.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

11. A Dark and Starless Forest by Sarah Hollowell

HMH Books for Young Readers, sarahhollowell.com

What it's about: Derry and her eight siblings are separated from the rest of the world, isolated in a house by the lake near a menacing forest, since the world is not safe for those with magic. When Derry's siblings start going missing, she'll need to head to the forest that is calling to her in the voices of her missing siblings.

Get it from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

12. I'll Be the One by Lyla Lee

Katherine Tegen Books, lylaleebooks.com

What it's about: Skye Shin has just made it into an internationally televised competition looking for the next K-pop star. Her spectacular voice earns her a spot in the singing portion of the competition, and despite what her mother has told her — that fat girls shouldn't dance, that they shouldn't draw attention to themselves — her incredible moves get her into the dance portion. But her mother isn't the only one whose fatphobic standards Skye will have to overcome on her quest to become the world's first plus-size K-pop star. Hufflepuffs will swoon hard over this book, and if you're thinking it's odd that a competition book is being sorted into the house that represents "loyalty," it's because no matter what, Skye always stays true to herself.

Get it from Bookshop or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

13. Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

Penguin Books, Twitter: @adibkhorram

What it's about: Three things to know about Darius Kellner: 1) He's a nerd. 2) He's got clinical depression. 3) He is about to take his first trip to Iran. While there, he gets to know his ailing grandfather, loving grandmother, and other family members. He also meets Sohrab, who becomes his first real friend. Sohrab makes Darius feel like a new version of himself. But as the trip winds down, he has to wonder if he can still be the new Darius without Sohrab by his side.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

14. Off the Record by Camryn Garrett

Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers, camryngarrett.com

What it's about: When 17-year-old journalist Josie wins a contest to write a celebrity profile, she's equal parts excited and scared. The fact that the subject of the profile is the young up-and-comer Marius Canet certainly contributes to that. While on a multicity tour for interviews, she ends up face-to-face with a young female actor who lets her in on a terrible secret about a Hollywood mainstay, leading to more and more accounts from other women. Josie has to figure out if she's willing to speak up and expose him and not let down those who entrusted her with their stories.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

15. There's Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon

Simon Pulse, Dana Foster / Via goodreads.com

What it's about: Sweetie Nair is launching a project — the Sassy Sweetie Project, to be precise — to prove herself to the world, herself, and her traditional parents, who see her fatness as the kiss of death. Ashish Patel has lost his mojo after being dumped, so when his parents smugly note that they could find a better match for him, he agrees. As Ashish and Sweetie both strive to prove themselves, something begins to grow between them, more and more so with every date.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

16. A Sisterhood of Secret Ambitions by Sheena Boekweg

Feiwel & Friends, Jessica Walters / Via us.macmillan.com

What it's about: Elsie and four other teenage girls are dropped off in a new city in 1926. Trained since childhood as a member of the Society, each is set to become the Wife of a powerful man — and the target of the group is earmarked to become President. They've got a chance to earn the most powerful position in the Society — they just have to be the one to make him fall in love with them to get it.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

17. Faith Taking Flight by Julie Murphy

Balzer & Bray / Harperteen, Christy Archibald / Christy Archibald Photography (www.christyarchibald.com)

What it's about: Faith Herbert can usually be found hanging with Matt and Ches, her two best friends, volunteering at the local animal shelter, obsessing over teen drama The Grove, or flying. That last one is new. When The Grove production relocates to her town and the star, Dakota Ash, takes a romantic interest in her, it's almost enough to distract her from a troubling conundrum: People have begun to vanish from the town, and only Faith can figure out why.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

18. The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat & Fierce edited by Angie Manfredi

Harry N. Abrams, bookpassage.com

What it's about: This nonfiction anthology features personal essays, poems, art, and more, all by incredible fat influencers, authors, and creators such as Ady Del Valle, Alex Gino, Samantha Irby, Isabel Quintero, and Saucye West. One of my absolute favorite things about this book is that in the back, you'll find a resource list for fat fashion, which I have turned to several times since this book was first released.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.

19. Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat edited by Cassandra Newbould

Bloomsbury YA, Twitter: @CassNwrites

What it's about: This upcoming anthology, with a foreword by the creator of Your Fat Friend, Aubrey Gordon, features short stories from some of the folks you'll find elsewhere on this list as well as Nafiza Azad, Chris Baron, Alex Gino, amanda lovelace, Hillary Monahan, Francina Simone, Rebecca Sky, Catherine Adel West, Jennifer Yen, and more! The stories inside span genres and tones, but all feature fat characters as the leads in their own stories.

Get it from Bookshop or Target or from your local indie bookstore through Indiebound here.