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This was, as far as I can tell, not marketed as a young adult novel, but I think it would fit that niche very well.

An orphan from a seemingly-Medieval village ruled by a wizard finds a sleeping princess (who is actually a knight, and dead), makes friends, learns about his world’s past, wakes another sleeping princess, retrieves a sword from a water lady, and defeats dragons.

But it’s not what you think.

There is very little violence, no romance, and lots of Becky Chambers vibes (esp. reminiscent of the Dex & Mosscap duology). Most importantly, there are talking beavers who take collective decisions as a result of discussions conducted through a medium of dam-building. Less importantly, cool cities, robots, monks, space travel.

I’m told there are also Redwall vibes, but I sadly haven’t read that.

I’ve been subscribed to the author’s newsletter for a while, even before I read his first novel, “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” (which was also nice). I can’t remember why I subscribed, but I haven’t unsubscribed, so that’s a recommendation.