Young Adult stories are stories that are often where the protagonists are coming-of-age, still dealing with school or part-time jobs, parents are significant in their lives, etc. The themes are often coming-of-age, finding suitable mentors (and avoiding villanous mentors), new love, etc.

I'd suggest:

The City Of Ember

Akata Witch

The Hate U Give

The Sun Is Also A Star

There's also the ones most people know: Silverwing (more children's literature), Harry Potter, Holes...