Do you have a kid who loves to read and is always looking for the next good book to read? I’ve compiled a list of my favorite books for teenagers and young adults. How many has your teenager read?
12 Good Books to Read for Teens
1. Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
A book lover’s fantasy filled with magic, adventure, and good versus evil.
2. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
One of the great adventure books of all time, Hatchet recounts the 54 days during which 13-year-old Brian is forced to survive on his own when his single- engine plane crashes.
3. The White Fox Chronicles by Gary Paulsen
For boys who prefer action to words, this compelling trilogy is about a 14-year-old’s fight for freedom in a future USA that has been taken over by bad guys.
4. Any biography in the American Presidents series
These brief (approx. 125 pages) biographies focus on what matters most, leaving what the future president ate for breakfast as a youth to longer tomes.
5. The Longest Day by Cornelius Ryan
This compelling account of D-Day, one of the most significant single days in the 20th century, is based on interviews of combatantsandciviliansonbothsides of the conflict.
6. Pegasus Bridge by Stephen Ambrose
This slim volume follows one American unit from its formation through its D-Day mission: Parachute behind German lines and hold a single bridge long enough for Allied ground forces to penetrate the beaches and push inland.
7. Deathwatch by Robb White
A college-age hunting guide becomes the quarry of a crazed client in this survival story. Perfect for kids who like raw adventure and can handle a peek at the darker side of human nature.
8. Maus by Art Spiegelman
This chilling and excellently rendered graphic novel tells the story of surviving the Holocaust.
9. Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
David Hayden remembers the summer his father, the town sheriff, had to decide how to handle allegations that David’s uncle, the town doctor, has been molesting young Native American patients in this novel about family, loyalty, and the sometimes painful choice between doing the right thing and looking out for one’s own.
10. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult.
A younger sister is conceived in vitro in order to provide a perfect genetic match for her leukemia-stricken older sister. Picoult turns button issues into thought-provoking page turners.
11. Child of My Heart by Alice McDermott
Lovely coming of age story in which a 15-year-old Irish-American girl finds herself taking care of just about everyone: Her parents, neighbors’ pets, even the seriously ill cousin who has come to visit.
12. The Trouble With Poetry and Other Poems by Billy Collins
The recent U.S. Poet Laureate writes highly accessible poetry that is also delightful, playful, and thought-provoking.
