For teens fascinated with gritty urban fiction, check these out or search our catalog for more novels set in big cities.
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas – A prequel to The Hate You Give set in the fictional neighborhood of Garden Heights, inspired by Angie Thomas’s experiences growing up in Mississippi
Pride by Ibi Zoboi – A revamp of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice set in New York
Long Way Down: the Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds and Danica Novgorodoff – A graphic novel based on Jason Reynolds’s novel-in-verse of the same title, which takes place entirely during an elevator ride in an apartment building
Vinyl Moon by Mahogany L. Brown – A novel-in-verse following a teenage girl who recently relocated to Brooklyn
Ballad & Dagger by Daniel Jose Older – A story that blends magical powers and an ancient battle with a tight-knit community in New York
A Blade So Black by L. L. McKinney – A fantasy novel set partly in Atlanta and partly in the nightmarish dream realm called Wonderland
Play the Game by Charlene Allen – A murder mystery that involves video game development set in Brooklyn
The Education of Margot Sanchez by Lilliam Rivera – A coming-of-age novel set in the Bronx