Here are 7 books that Squarejaw Jordan fans have personally recommended if you like Squarejaw Jordan. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of James

Catherine V. Wolf Author Of The Drum Tree

From Catherine's 3 favorite reads in 2026.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Catherine's 3 favorite reads in 2026

Catherine V. Wolf Why Catherine loves this book

In creating the character of James, based on the character Jim Hawkins in Huck Finn, Everett didn't just retell the original story from Jim's point of view. The author delved deeply into the world that a man like Jim Hawkins would have lived in- the constant need to hide, to explain, to take the punishment that the white people inflicted. It's important to understand what slavery was really like for the enslaved and therefore begin to understand what true freedom could look like.

By Percival Everett ,

Why should I read it?

104 authors picked James as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024


'Truly extraordinary books are rare, and this is one of them' - Roddy Doyle, Booker Prize-winning author of Paddy Clarke, Ha Ha Ha

James by Percival Everett is a profound and ferociously funny meditation on identity, belonging and the sacrifices we make to protect the ones we love, which reimagines The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. From the author of The Trees, shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and Erasure, adapted into the Oscar-winning film American Fiction.

The Mississippi River, 1861. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a new…


If you love Squarejaw Jordan...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Book cover of Man of the Year

Catherine V. Wolf Author Of The Drum Tree

From Catherine's 3 favorite reads in 2026.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Catherine's 3 favorite reads in 2026

Catherine V. Wolf Why Catherine loves this book

The 1970's world of Playgirl magazine, marijuana, and free love from the point of view of a 12 year old is an unexpected story for a memoir. So worth the journey!

By Lou Cove ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Man of the Year as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"Hilarious and poignant" ― People Magazine

For one 1970’s family, the center may not hold, but it certainly does fold.

In 1978 Jimmy Carter mediates the Camp David Accords, Fleetwood Mac tops charts with Rumours, Starsky fights crime with Hutch, and twelve-year-old Lou Cove is uprooted from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to Salem, Massachusetts– a backwater town of witches, Puritans, and sea-captain wannabes. After his eighth move in a dozen years, Lou figures he should just resign himself to a teenage purgatory of tedious paper routes, school bullies, and unrequited lust for every girl he likes.

Then one…


Book cover of Etiquette & Espionage

Katelyn Yates Author Of Mad Marienne

From my list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.

Katelyn's book list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy

Katelyn Yates Why Katelyn loves this book

I love the pun on “finishing” school and how both meanings are taught to the characters. There is something so satisfying about being perfectly polite with all the proper decorum and being expertly capable of deadly violence.

I appreciate that Sophronia retains her rebellious ingenuity, using unique methods to solve her problems. And, of course, the whole thing is on an airship!

By Gail Carriger ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Etiquette & Espionage as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to finishing school.

Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners-and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might…


If you love Katelyn Yates...

Book cover of The Extraordinary Journey of David Ingram: An Elizabethan Sailor in Native North America

The Extraordinary Journey of David Ingram by Dean Snow,

An ordinary sailor named David Ingram walked 3600 miles from Mexico to Canada over the course of eleven months in 1568-9. There, he and two companions were rescued by a French ship on the Bay of Fundy. They were the first Englishmen to explore the interior of North America.

English…

Book cover of The Watchmaker of Filigree Street

Katelyn Yates Author Of Mad Marienne

From my list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.

Katelyn's book list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy

Katelyn Yates Why Katelyn loves this book

I was enthralled by the suspense in this book! Multiple levels of mystery–from anti-government plots to supernatural senses–tugged me along and kept me turning pages past my bedtime! I appreciated that the supernatural element was explained scientifically yet subtly enough that I felt really smart putting it together.

The themes of choice, coincidence, and the ripple effect were so fascinating and intriguing, and well-explored in an entertaining, thrilling way.

By Natasha Pulley ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Watchmaker of Filigree Street as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016 SHORTLISTED FOR THE BETTY TRASK PRIZE 2016 FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS FIRST NOVEL AWARD 2016 An International Bestseller - A Guardian Summer Read - An Amazon Best Book of the Month - A Goodreads Best Book of the Month - A Buzzfeed Summer Read - A Foyles Book of the Month - AHuffington Post Summer Read - A Yorkshire Post Book of the Week In 1883, Thaniel Steepleton returns to his tiny flat to find a gold pocketwatch on his pillow. But he has worse fears than generous burglars; he…


Book cover of Boneshaker

Katelyn Yates Author Of Mad Marienne

From my list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.

Katelyn's book list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy

Katelyn Yates Why Katelyn loves this book

How could I resist steampunk zombies? Every character in this book is unique and memorable, and I admire their grit and ingenuity as they navigate the dangerous environment they live in.

I found it very refreshing to have a book focused on the relationship between a middle-aged mother and her teenage son, and that it was her love for him that drove all her choices.

By Cherie Priest ,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Boneshaker as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

At the start of the Civil War, a Russian mining company commissions a great machine to pave the way from Seattle to Alaska and speed up the gold rush that is beating a path to the frozen north. Inventor Leviticus Blue creates the machine, but on its first test run it malfunctions, decimating Seattle's banking district and uncovering a vein of Blight Gas that turns everyone who breathes it into the living dead. Sixteen years later Briar, Blue's widow, lives in the poor neighborhood outside the wall that's been built around the uninhabitable city. Life is tough with a ruined…


Book cover of The Bands of Mourning

Katelyn Yates Author Of Mad Marienne

From my list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.

Katelyn's book list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy

Katelyn Yates Why Katelyn loves this book

This is my favorite of the Wax and Wayne series! Not only do the characters really work together in ways we haven’t seen before, but the treasure-seeking adventure gripped me tight and wouldn’t let me go. I could not put the book down; from train-top fights to secret base infiltrations, to ancient booby-traps, I was hooked the entire time.

Light humor and deep emotion in equal measure made this an entertaining read that has stuck with me more than any of the other books in the series.

By Brandon Sanderson ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Bands of Mourning as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The Mistborn trilogy has become a firm favourite with fantasy fans the world over. The imagination that Sanderson brought to the series and his skill at marshalling epic storylines and dramatic action, his ability to create vivid characters made him a natural choice to complete Robert Jordan's epic wheel of time sequence. But with Mistborn, Sanderson has shown his bountiful talents in his own fiction. Now he returns to the series that made his name with a new story, building on the incredible success of THE ALLOY OF LAW.

The new Mistborn books move the series into a richly imagined…


If you love Squarejaw Jordan...

Book cover of Starship Fleet Commander

Starship Fleet Commander by Aer-ki Jyr,

A series of galactic empire building, space battles, and the personal struggle of an exiled war leader to bring down the Galactic Empire that killed his mother and destroyed the Keeno Order.

Book cover of The Rithmatist

Katelyn Yates Author Of Mad Marienne

From my list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy.

Why am I passionate about this?

Steampunk has always been a fascinating genre to me, especially seeing how different creators play with historical elements. But the question that I’m always looking to answer is, “Why is this history different from our own?” What has allowed this alternate Victorian era to create fantastical technology? As I asked this question about my own steampunk books, I found great delight in how other authors have combined magic with their technology to create delightfully refreshing outcomes. I continue to search out these books as I am always surprised at their creativity and novelty.

Katelyn's book list on YA steampunk novels with a dash of fantasy

Katelyn Yates Why Katelyn loves this book

In true Sanderson fashion, the worldbuilding in this book is unparalleled. I adore how he has blended both steampunk elements and an entirely unique magic system revolving around chalk drawings–it gives a sense of a much larger world beyond what the story shows.

The combination of art and math in the magic system is something that really fascinated me, and I love how the characters only succeeded when they combined their respective strengths. I always love a good mystery-adventure in a school setting!

By Brandon Sanderson , Ben McSweeney (illustrator) ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Rithmatist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

The Rithmatist, Brandon Sanderson's New York Times bestselling epic teen adventure is now available in paperback.

More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity's only defense against the Wild Chalklings. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles.

As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students learn the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing―kidnapped from their rooms at…


Book cover of James
Book cover of Man of the Year
Book cover of Etiquette & Espionage

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