Our Top 16 Best Books for Teens

Contents

1. What are the benefits of reading for teenagers?
2. Interesting books for teenagers today
3. Books for teenagers who have read everything
4. Books for 12-13-Year-olds
5. Books for 14-16-year-olds
6. Books for 17-18-year-olds
7. Famous books for teenagers
8. What books should every teenager read?
9. Books for teenagers who do not want to read

The US high school curriculum is crammed with some important books for teenagers to read such as To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, and The Great Gatsby. 

However, studying a book in the classroom is not the same as devouring a book during free time and being transported to that world for a while 🌎.

Moreover, you may have noticed that your required reading features almost no BIPOC writers.

👩‍🏫 Reading for fun can be challenging for teenagers who already have a busy school timetable and plenty of compulsory reading. If you struggle with reading and you’d like to read more, you can contact one of our GoStudent tutors to help you fall in love with reading 💖.

We’re sure that you already know a lot of famous and interesting books that are usually recommended for teens such as the Harry Potter series, The Hunger Games, Twilight, and Divergent. 

We’ve passed by some of the obvious, but nonetheless brilliant books for teenagers to give you some inspiration for more original reads. This list explores 16 titles of our top books for teens that will genuinely interest and engage them in reading. 👍 

What are the benefits of reading?

Your literacy level cannot be underestimated as a stepping stone for academic success. Almost all major exams in high school require teens to read and carefully consider questions using a large range of vocabulary. 

In addition to this, reading for pleasure as a teenager has been shown to have the following benefits according to Family Education: 

• Reading attainment and writing ability;
• Text comprehension and grammar; 
• Gaining a wider vocabulary; 
• Greater self-confidence as a reader; 
• Pleasure in reading in later life;
• General knowledge; 
• A better understanding of other cultures; 
• Greater insight into human nature and decision-making

We’d be lying if we said that we hadn’t enjoyed reading or re-reading many of the stories on this list into adulthood 📖.

Interesting books for teenagers today

Timely and significant commentary on the world that relates to headlines today in these interesting books for teenagers.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

A frightening tale that creeps under the skin, set in an alternative land in the not-so-distant future. Get to know this misogynistic society where women are not allowed to read and an environmental disaster has caused infertility among most women. 

‘Handmaids’ refer to the minority of women who can biologically have children. The Handmaids face a terrible fate as they are assigned to high-ranking households to reproduce and hand over the children for another family to raise.

2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Gripping from the start, teens will be swept away by this story of our imperfect protagonist growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Against the backdrop of his country's destruction, Amir searches for redemption after badly letting his friend down and seeking his father's approval. Scenes are painted in a vivid warmth but cover serious content including an assault, which may be disturbing for some teen readers.

Books for teenagers who have read everything

📚

Maybe you're an avid reader who has read just about everything in the Amazon bestseller list? But have you read these great books?

3. Educated by Tara Westover

A girl raised by parents in the USA who did not believe in going to school won a scholarship to study at Cambridge University. This is a powerful memoir of Tara’s tumultuous start in life through the 1990s.

Her mother is a self-taught herbalist and midwife, her father owns a junkyard where Tara spent many of her days doing dangerous and grueling work. Her parent’s total distrust of modern medicine and the government made for an isolated start to life. At the age of 17, Tara entered a classroom for the first time and began to experience formal education. She inhales the opportunity, while Tara’s parents turn their back on her for pursuing academia. 

4. The Children Act by Ian McEwan

A judge in London must decide on an emotionally complex case. In this case, a boy named Adam who is a few months shy of his eighteenth birthday denies a life-saving blood transfusion as it conflicts with his religious beliefs as a Jehovah’s Witnesses. Adam writes letters to the judge from his hospital bed to supplement his point of view showing an articulate, kind, and talented young man.

High Court judge Fiona must decide whether the hospital may proceed with the transfusion or if the patient is allowed to refuse the treatment, leading to certain death.  

Books for 12-13-Year-olds 💡

The adventures of life are told entertainingly with these good books for 12-13-year-olds.

5. Going Solo by Roald Dahl:

Before becoming a well-known author, Dahl lived a very adventurous life. In this autobiography of early adulthood, he tells stories of sailing from England to Africa in search of excitement after finishing school. Then joining the Royal Air Force and surviving an airplane crash, even being bitten by a poisonous snake and seeing a lion carry a woman in its mouth. 

Going Solo is written with the humor and charm of a classic Roald Dahl story. A truly fascinating account of some of the life experiences that created one of the UK's most cherished children's authors.

6. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher:

A 10-year-old boy, Jamie tells in his own words of life after the death of his older sister 5 years earlier. His sister died suddenly in a London terrorist attack. Jamie tries to come to terms with the new and sad dynamics of a family torn apart by sadness.

Jamie tells his story with simplicity and innocence. This is a fresh and timely exploration of the many colors of grief as well as sensitively addressing prejudices in the UK, mental health issues, and alcoholism.

Books for 14-16-year-olds

Is your teen studying History? Get them gripped with these books for 14-16-year-olds.

7. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Two boys aged 9 years old meet through a barbed fence of Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. The boy outside the fence is the son of a high-ranking military commandant, the other is a Jewish boy who wears striped “pajamas” every day. They strike up a friendship and meet up daily to share stories, leading to tragic consequences. 

The story is narrated from the perspective of a young boy who is naïve to the realities of Poland in the 1940s and how exactly his father plays a part in the suffering of his Jewish friend. This is a work of Holocaust fiction, written as a fable that portrays friendship, bravery, and ultimately tragedy.

8. Animal Farm by George Orwell

It may have been some time since your teen has read a book all about farm animals, but Animal Farm is a good one to break the ice. At a surface level, the farm reflects society today as we know it. The pigs take the place of good, strong leaders (at the start of the novel at least) with each animal having their part to play in the rebellion against the farmer to finally be free. 

Books for 17-18-year-olds 📙

The hardships of life are not sugar-coated in these brilliant books for 17-18-year-olds. 

Content warnings include language, abuse, assault, mental health issues, and death.

9. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

A Famous writer tells her coming-of-age story in the 1960s USA compellingly and directly. The early years were not easy for Angelou, a  childhood riddled with racism and sexism. Some days, a love of literature was sometimes her only crutch. 

Angelou thoroughly inspires with her strength of character and maturity to overcome some of the cruelest fates that life has dealt her up until the age of sixteen. The book is not needlessly graphic, but matter-of-factly describes horrendous situations, interspersed with poetry, beauty, and sensitivity.  

10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

A mystery novel written from the perspective of endearing 15-year-old boy Christopher. One night Christopher finds the neighbor's dog has been viciously murdered by a pitchfork, he sets out to investigate who committed this violent act. 

Christopher is a brutally honest voice in his own story, as he views life in a very literal way, it is heavily implied that he has autism due to his very particular behaviors and unawareness of others' emotions and nuances.  The investigation leads Christopher to discover some unexpected truths closer to home that will intrigue readers until the last page.

Famous books for teenagers ✨

These titles might appear on many “Must read” lists but did you ever think that your teen might enjoy some of these famous books?

11. On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Classic Americana literature tells the story of a 16-year-old with little money in his pocket going on a series of road trips across the United States. This is a revealing story of the underbelly of American culture and lost youth in the context of life after war, and life with jazz, poetry, and drugs.

The story is written while the author traversed America in search of inspiration, many have credited a desire to take a road trip in their youth to reading On the Road. In fact, this title is referenced as paving the way as the first of many novels about road trips that followed.

12. The Catcher in the Rye by JD. Salinger:

A teenage story that conveys how the Second World War shaped Americans growing up. The narrator, Holden is a likable albeit flawed 16-Year-old boy and although based on the 1950s, has a modern voice. Holden takes the reader on a journey through a few days of his life in December, grieving the loss of his sibling and carrying the burden of expectation from his Private School education. His own worries lead Holden to have a psychological crisis that unfolds on the page.

At one time the book was banned from the classroom for themes including strong language, sex, and violence. Today we can consider this book ultimately about preserving the innocence of children.

What book should every teenager read?🚨

Powerful, essential, and poignant messages are communicated in these timeless books for teenagers that every teen should read.

13. The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

Set in 1960s Mississippi. The voices of three women Aibileen, Skeeter, and Minny show courage as they try to publish a book about life as a Black maid during the civil rights movement taking care of prominent white families.

Although historical fiction, the author encapsulates some of the hypocrisy of the USA during that time and also demonstrates the complex relationship between Black maids and the families that they worked for including both hate and love, distrust and dependency, abuse, and attachment.

14. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank:

A Jewish teenager receives a blank diary on her 13^th birthday just a few weeks before she and her family are forced to hide in an attic in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam. The diary of Anne Frank details the daily musings of an incredible, spiritual and resilient teenager enduring the horror of war.

The book stands apart from other accounts of the Second World War since it was written in real-time and with all the honesty of a teenager who could not imagine that their diary would be read by millions one day.

Books for teenagers who don't want to read 📗

If you're not super excited about reading, we challenge you to resist not being drawn into these intriguing and relatable worlds.

15. Solitaire by Alice Oseman:

A realistic and comforting portrayal of the trials and tribulations of secondary school without falling into any of the clichés. The main character Tori battles undiagnosed depression trying to find joy. 

Touching on tricky topics such as growing up in the UK LGBTQ+ and juggling secondary school alongside mental health issues. The author herself has written a list of content warnings to help guide parents as to whether this book is suitable.

16. Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman:

The first book in a powerful trilogy portrays segregation in a parallel universe where the Noughts (light-skinned people) are underclass to the ruling class Crosses (dark-skinned people). Two childhood friends, one a Nought and another, a Cross grow up and begin to develop a romance that is forbidden and dangerous.

We think it’s fantastic that you’d like to read more, and you’re likely aware that reading for teenagers has important advantages not just for your schoolwork but also for your quality of life outside of school.

If you’d like some help with developing an interest in reading, get in touch with us at GoStudent – we’d be happy to help you, and you can book a trial session for free!