It’s never been a secret here that all 3 of my kids LOVE reading. And as they get older, so does their taste in books. Given that we now have a teen and 2 tweens in the house, Young Adult fiction novels make up the largest part of the pile of books that get lugged home after a family visit to the library.
When I say that my kids love reading, what I mean is, if they aren’t eating a family meal or physically out of the house, they are at home perched somewhere comfortable with a pillow and a book.
And if there has ever been an excuse for kids to celebrate a love of reading, then World Book Day on April 23rd is a pretty darn good one!
Over the past couple of years, each of my 3 children have put together their own personally recommended lists of book series for different ages of fellow bookworms here on my blog. (You can find the links to them all at the bottom of this blog post 👇).
But in this blog post, my Miss 14 wanted to share her picks for YA fiction. With a mix of fantasy and relationships, mystery and manga, your teen will be sure to discover a new book here to get lost in!
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning that I get a small commission if you decide to make a purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you.
This blog post has been written by my 14-year-old daughter. I haven’t read many of these books myself, but some of them are also on my reading to-do list.
Although all of them are classified as “Young Adult” literature, it is worth noting that Young Adult generally covers the age range of 12 to 18 years old. Clearly there are books available that would be more interesting or appropriate for various ages within this range.
As always, parents are advised to inform themselves about which books are a good fit for their own children, based on age, maturity, reading level and of course, interests!
Check these teen book recommendations out and discover which ones your own teen will love!
Young Adult Manga Book Series
Jujutsu Kaisen by Gege Akutami
Jujutsu Kaisen translates as Sorcery Fight and this popular manga series is full of them! As main character Yuji and his classmates find themselves in ever more dangerous and daring battles with the evil Curses. And then there’s betrayals and even more chaos! Guaranteed to be a page turner. Luckily for manga fans, it’s a very long book series!
Miss 14 says: “This is a series with 19+ Mangas and one anime TV season (the second one will be released this year!). It is about Yuji Itadori and his friends from the “Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical School”, whose job it is to stop Curses from Harming other People. I chose to read these Series because a friend recommended them to me. It was definitely worth it!”
My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi
Like all popular mangas, My Hero Academia is also an extensive book (and TV) series. Main character Izuku is one of a minority born without superpowers and dreams of being as amazing as the rest of the kids at Hero School. After a chance meeting with his hero, he discovers he does have some talents, but finds himself constantly having to prove himself in ever-increasingly dangerous battles with plenty of shadowy characters.
Miss 14 says: “This manga series (32 mangas and six anime TV seasons!) is about a modern Tokyo where some people have “Quirks” or, as we would call it, superpowers. Young Izuku Midorya, born Quirkless, wants to be as awesome a superhero as his idol All Might. When he gets an opportunity to go to the best Hero School, he finds out that being a hero isn’t as easy as it seems. But together with his new friends, his childhood best friend Bakugou and the rest of the class, he can do anything! (Including defeating the League of Villains…maybe.)”
Fantasy Books to Keep Teenagers Reading
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Mysterious island. Abandoned orphanage. Strange photos. Children who might be dead or perhaps not… What more could a fantasy-loving teen ask for in a thrilling book series?!? Follow the teen Jacob on his adventures with his new camaraderie of special allies, set in the early 1900s.
Miss 14 says: “I absolutely love this Series! There are six books and a movie (which is said to be quite different from the 1st book). It is about Jacob Portman, who is sent to a mysterious island by his grandfather before he died. On this island, he travels back in time and meets a house full of children with magical abilities (e.g., a flying girl, a boy who can predict the future etc.) and Miss Peregrine, who takes care of them. I love these books and the characters a lot.”
Long Live the Pumpkin Queen by Shea Ernshaw
The cult movie “The Nightmare before Christmas” has made a return in this fun fantasy novel. Sally escapes a life of entrapment with Dr Finkelstein and marries Jack Skellington to become the Pumpkin Queen. But is being a Queen really all it’s cracked up to be?
Miss 14 says: “The sequel to “The Nightmare before Christmas”! It is about Sally and Jack after their marriage. Sally unknowingly opens a new gate to an unknown Town and sets somebody very dangerous free. This book features the other Towns, that were only briefly mentioned in the movie, and a whole new Town! This book focuses on Sally and is told from her perspective. A great read for everyone who enjoyed the movie!”
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Scarlett and Donatella’s life at home is not easy, so when the mystical and marvellous annual circus arrives in town, all of their dreams seem to have come true at last. But as soon as Tella gets taken, it’s game on for Scarlett before Tella disappears for good.
Miss 14 says: “A magical circus and a game with an interesting prize. Doesn’t that sound great?! Yea well for Scarlett and her sister Donatella it sure does. Not so cool anymore when Donatella gets kidnapped. Of course, Scarlett wants to find out where she is and who took her, but a lot of magic is happening…”
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
In true Terry Pratchett style, the end of the world has been foretold quite precisely. (This Saturday, if you must know.) But there are some angels and demons who are quite comfortable with their current lifestyle and aren’t really interested in hosting the Armageddon right now…
Miss 14 says: “When an Angel and a Demon try to prevent Armageddon, there must be chaos! Angel Aziraphale and Demon Crowley may have misplaced the Antichrist. And since they both don’t want Armageddon to happen, they’ll just have to find him. This book is really funny. It is a bit older than the other books, but still worth it. There also is a television series, and season two will come out soon! I can’t wait!”
Relationships & Romance Novels that Teens Love
Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Boy meets boy, this graphic novel series follows Charlie and Nick at their high school where they had never before met. Until now. Friendship and love work in surprising ways. These novels cover teenage issues like relationships, friendship, family, mental health and identity, all in tender and relatable ways.
Miss 14 says: “I’m sure at this point we’ve all heard of this popular graphic novel/TV series! There are four comics (two more to come!) and one season of eight episodes on Netflix (two more seasons will be released this year!). It’s about Charlie Spring, a gay teenager and his relationship with rugby player Nick Nelson. It also talks a lot about mental health, but it’s full of love! I enjoy all of Alice’s books and this is no exception! If you really liked these, you can read the short novella “Nick and Charlie”, which plays about a year after volume four.”
Solitaire by Alice Oseman
Tori is the big sister of Charlie from the Heartstopper book series and has her own struggles to deal with. Like school exams and university applications. But now there’s a group of kids at school who seem hell-bent on causing trouble and Tori wants to know why.
Miss 14 says: “Yes, I put in another of Alice’s books. I like them so much! This book is about Charlie’s older sister Tori and is the first book Alice wrote. At Tori’s school a mysterious group named “Solitaire” is playing pranks on the school. Tori and her new friend Michael want to find out who is responsible for these pranks before they escalate, and meanwhile Tori has her own problems to deal with. This book is set around the time of Heartstopper volume four. I absolutely love Tori, her character is just so amazing, sarcastic and relatable.”
YA Mystery & Thriller Book Series to Discover
Enola Holmes by Nancy Springer
Has Sherlock Holmes met his match in his younger sister? Feisty, determined and just as quick-minded as he is, Enola’s adventures start after her mother leaves her behind. Enola has to all sorts of villains and avoid being captured by her 2 older brothers who are determined to turn her into a proper lady who would never be caught running around London on adventures of her own!
Miss 14 says: “Sherlock Holmes’ younger sister Enola runs off to Victorian London to find her mother, who left her on Enola’s 14th birthday, leaving only mysterious messages and a code book. While Enola is struggling with cases she wants to solve, she is also hunted down by her two brothers Sherlock and Mycroft who want to send her to a special school for girls. But Enola won’t let them get her! I really like Enola’s character; she is one of my favourites because she is so smart and brave! I read all six books and watched both movies, and they’re definitely very different, but good!”
One of us is Lying by Karen M. Marcus
This is the first novel of the Bayview trilogy and the mystery in this book starts immediately. 5 students with very different backgrounds all end up in school detention but 1 of them won’t be going home alive. Everyone has a secret life they desperately want to protect, especially from school gossip. But which person really killed Simon?
Miss 14 says: “Five students in detention and one of them dies. That sounds like drama! (It is. A lot of drama, actually.) When Bronwyn, Nate, Abby and Cooper get into detention with their classmate Simon who dies from an allergic shock, (it’s not a spoiler, it happens right at the start) they all are accused of murder. None of them did it though, so together they try to find out who it was. I really liked it! It was exiting to read and the characters were so cool! Apart from the trilogy, the author has written other books that are similar.”
As your own teen book lover would already know, there are gazillions more books available online, in bookstores and at your local library. This was just a handful my own daughter wanted to put into a list and share with the world. We hope that your teenage bookworm will have hours of fun with these recommendations!
As promised, if you’re looking for books more suited to other ages, my kids have got you covered! (Of course 😅)
⭐ Best Book Series for Boys Aged 6 to 9
⭐ Brilliant Book Series Girls Aged 6 to 9 Should Read
⭐ Best Book Series for 9 to 12 Year Old Girls
⭐ More Awesome Book Series for Tween Girls to Read
Have you and your kids got more book recommendations to share with us? Drop them in the comments below!