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Winter Reading Challenge 2026: Going On a Road Trip

Big adventures, big changes, big lessons. These books explore a variety of journeys through one of the most classic travel journeys: the road trip! List created by Torey at Square One.

User from Mid-Continent Public Library

14 items

  • Simon Snow saved the world, but real life after the happily-ever-after is harder. A road trip across the American West forces Simon, Baz, and Penny to figure out who they are now, and where they’re really headed.
    Book, 2019New York : Wednesday Books, 2019. — YF ROWELL
  • Two near-strangers, Jack and Hallie, end up on an unexpected road trip, each chasing their own goodbye and closure. Along the way, they find connection, healing, and maybe even each other.
    Book, 2021Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Fire, [2021] — YF REUL
  • In a medieval world of strict rules and shape-shifting dragons, troublemaker Tess rejects a forced life in a nunnery and strikes out on her own. On the open road, she searches for belonging, redemption, and a future she chooses herself.
    Book, 2018New York : Random House, 2018. — YF HARTMAN
  • Colin has dated and been dumped by nineteen Katherines, so he hits the road to crack a formula that could predict love. With his best friend, a wild adventure, and some unexpected history, he learns that the heart rarely follows any theorem.
    Book, 2006New York : Dutton Books, [2006] — YF GREEN
  • Childhood friends Norah and Skyler reunite for a cross-country RV trip, only to clash and drift further apart. But a summer on the road gives them a chance to rediscover each other, and maybe turn old friendship into something new.
    Book, 2022New York : Delacorte Press, [2022] — YF WEST
  • Three teens ditch jazz camp for a chaotic, law-dodging road trip to chase the perfect gig. Along the way, music, friendship, and first love collide in a witty, wild coming-of-age adventure.
    Book, 2016New York : Amulet Books, 2016. — YF
  • A teen convinces her best friends to take a graduation road trip so she can meet her favorite chaotic YouTuber and finally see if their “parasocial crush” could be the real thing. But somewhere between stops, songs, and late-night confessions, she…
    Book, 2025New York, NY : HarperCollins, 2025. — YF ALBERTALLI
  • Six friends are stranded on a spring break trip with a killer in the dark. Secrets surface, trust shatters, and not everyone makes it to sunrise.
    Book, 2022New York : Delacorte Press, [2022] — YF JACKSON
  • Three friends hit the road to escape fallout from a viral scandal. Along the way, they confront family expectations, identity, and what real friendship looks like.
    Book, 2018New York : HarperCollins, 2018. — YF KARIM
  • Fallon and Chloe, former best friends with a complicated past, must reunite to run their moms’ ice cream truck on a cross-country tour. As tensions rise, unexpected detours spark romance, showing that some things can’t be planned.
    Book, 2022New York : G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022. — YF DUGAN
  • TV star Cash Carter takes four fans on a road trip, revealing his secrets and teaching the true meaning of friendship.
    Book, 2017New York : Little, Brown and Company, 2017. — YF COLFER
  • Winona and Lucille escape their oppressive lives in Michigan, stealing a convertible to start fresh in Chicago. On the way, they face danger, reclaim their power, and forge a fierce, life-changing friendship.
    Book, 2019New York, NY : Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, [2019] — YF CAVALLARO
  • Seventeen-year-old journalist Darren embarks on a road-trip quest to uncover the truth behind country legend Decklee Cassel’s missing time capsule, and the secrets it hides. Alternating past and present, the story reveals Decklee’s rise to fame, the…
    Book, 2024New York : Viking, 2024. — YF VORIS
  • Ivy takes a cross-country road trip with her boyfriend to get an abortion, discovering healing, hope, and her own agency along the way.
    Book, 2023New York : Labyrinth Road, [2023] — YF CALETTI