Sitting on the beach I glance up from my book. The boys are playing in the sand in front of me; my husband is helping them build a sandcastle. I sit in my chair mesmerized by the fact that I can get a solid five minutes of reading in without interruption.
What am I reading? Any number of things, but more often than not a bit of YA fiction is in my queue. It’s not that I don’t like deep, inspirational tales, nonfiction or adult drama, I just like a bit of easy, whimsical reading when I’m on holiday, and I’m not alone. I’ve grabbed a few friends to compile a list of books you and your teen can enjoy together this summer. Some are heavier than others, but all will entertain in some way. And watch out for that list of fiction series at the end. They will draw you in and not let you out until you finish every last one. Enjoy!

Fiction
- Thousand Words by Jennifer Brow
- The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos
- Whirligig by Paul Fleishman
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- A Separate Peace by John Knowles
- Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Historical Fiction
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Emma by Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensibly by Jane Austen
- Little Woman by Louisa May Alcott
- Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
- Anne of Green Gables (series) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Little House on the Prairie (series) by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Fantasy/ Sci Fi
- Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
- Unwind by Neal Shusterman
- Spirit and Dust by Rosemary Clement-Moore
- The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
- I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have to Kill You by Ally Carter
- The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski
- The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
- Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
- Vicious by Victoria Schwab
- Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
- Stardust by Neil Gaiman
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series) by Douglas Adams
- The Neverending Story by Michael Ende
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

Fiction Series
- Graceling by Kristin Cashore
- The Complete Harry Potter Collection by J.K. Rowling
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfield
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
- Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
- The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Claire
- The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot
- The Mediator series by Meg Cabot
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
- The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
- The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
What’s on your best teen books list?
Many thanks to Marissa Meyer (NY Times bestselling author of the Lunar Chronicles), Jennifer Douma Close (Two Kids and a Map) and my reading buddy Elizabeth for helping me to compile this awesome book list to get us all through the summer. Oh and our kids through it too.
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These are great suggestions! Now if only I can get my daughter (15) to enjoy reading as much as I do.
What about “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeline L’Engle… a classic!