I love reading. I also love recommending books to others. But recommending books to students isn’t always easy, because we don’t want to recommend books that aren’t suitable. That’s why I read a lot of general teen fiction, also known as young adult fiction.
Of course there’s a lof of Christian teen fiction available, but I have to admit that this isn’t always good. Sure, there are some great exceptions but in my ever so humble opinion, no Christian teen fiction has managed to rise yet to the level of say Hunger Games or Harry Potter, at least in terms of intensity. Christian fiction is often quite safe, both in themes, language and storylines.
But I have another reason for (also) recommending general teen fiction to students: it’s often a great discussion starter. If you have a few book worms in your youth group or small group, talking about a book you’ve both read can be an excellent starting point for a good and deep discussion. While Christian teen fiction naturally also shows issues you can talk about, especially for unchurched teens the general fiction is more realistic. I’ve found it a great way to find teens where they are and go from there.
I love recommending great books to students.
Last year, the NPR published a list of the top 100 of best teen fiction and I thought it would be interesting to read these and review them to help you decide what books to recommend to your students. My reviews will therefore focus on the question whether the content is appropriate for Christian teens (please note that teen fiction is aimed at 12-18 year olds). Now of course ‘appropriate’ is a vague term that’s very subjective. That’s why I will mention if the book has sex, strong language or opposing religious views in it, because these are the three aspects I encounter most that make a book unsuitable.
There are some surprising books on this list, for instance To kill a Mockingbird and The Cather in the Rye. You may also notice some of your favorites missing, for instance The Little House on the Prairies series. If you’re interested in knowing how the NPR came up with this list and what the criteria were, be sure to check out this blog post.
So, here’s the list and I’ll be linking to my reviews every time I’ve written a new one (and just to be clear: I won’t be reading them in the order of the list…gotta have some spontaneity!). And yes, I have read a lot of the books on this list, but it will still take me a while to get through this so stay tuned!
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins
3. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
4. The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green
5. The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien
6. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
7. The Lord of the Rings (series), by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
9. Looking for Alaska, by John Green
10. The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
11. The Giver (series), by Lois Lowry
12. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (series), by Douglas Adams
13. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
14. Anne of Green Gables (series), by Lucy Maud Montgomery
15. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
16. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
17. The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
18. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
19. Divergent (series), by Veronica Roth
20. Paper Towns, by John Green
21. The Mortal Instruments (series), by Cassandra Clare
22. An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
23. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
24. Thirteen Reasons Why, by Jay Asher
25. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon
26. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
27. Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
28. Uglies (series), by Scott Westerfeld
29. The Infernal Devices (series), by Cassandra Clare
30. Tuck Everlasting, by Natalie Babbitt
31. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
32. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (series), by Anne Brashares
33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London
34. Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green, David Levithan
35. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
36. Howl’s Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones
37. Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
38. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
39. Vampire Academy (series), by Richelle Mead
40. Abhorsen Trilogy / Old Kingdom Trilogy (series), by Garth Nix
41. Dune, by Frank Herbert
42. Discworld / Tiffany Aching (series, by Terry Pratchett
43. My Sister’s Keeper, by Jodi Picoult
44. The Dark is Rising (series), by Susan Cooper
45. Graceling (series), Kristin Cashore
46. Forever…, by Judy Blume
47. Earthsea (series), by Ursula K. Le Guin
48. Inheritance Cycle (series), by Christopher Paolini
49. The Princess Diaries (series), by Meg Cabot
50. The Song of the Lioness (series), by Tamora Pierce
51. Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson
52. Delirium (series), by Lauren Oliver
53. Anna and the French Kiss, by Stephanie Perkins
54. Hush, Hush Saga (series), by Stephanie Perkins
55. 13 Little Blue Envelopes, by Maureen Johnson
56. It’s Kind of a Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini
57. The Gemma Doyle Trilogy (series), by Libba Bray
58. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs
59. The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
60. Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
61. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
62. Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen
63. A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeleine L’Engle
64. The Truth About Forever, by Sarah Dessen
65. The Bartimaeus Trilogy (series), by Jonathan Stroud
66. Bloodlines (series), by Richelle Mead
67. Fallen (series), by Lauren Kate
68. House of Night (series), by P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
69. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith
70. Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlsit, by Rachel Cohn, David Levithan
71. Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver
72. Unwind, by Neal Shusterman
73. The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
74. The Maze Runner Trilogy (series), by James Dashner
75. If I Stay, by Gayle Forman
76. The Blue Sword, by Robin McKinley
77. Crank (series), by Ellen Hopkins
78. Matched (series), by Allie Condie
79. Gallagher Girls (series), by Ally Carter
80. The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale
81. Daughter of the Lioness / Tricksters (series), by Tamora Pierce
82. I Am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak
83. The Immortals (series), by Tamora Pierce
84. The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (series), by Patricia C. Wrede
85. Chaos Walking (series), by Patrick Ness
86. Circle of Magic (series), by Tamora Pierce
87. Daughter of Smoke & Bone, by Laini Taylor
88. Feed, by M.T. Anderson
89. Weetzie Bat (series), by Francesca Lia Block
90. Along for the Ride, by Sarah Dessen
91. Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (series), by Louise Rennison
92. Leviathan (series), by Scott Westerfeld
93. The House of the Scorpion, by Scott Westerfeld
94. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci (series), by Diana Wynne Jones
95. The Lullaby, by Sarah Dessen
96. Gone (series), by Michael Grant
97. The Shiver Trilogy (series), by Maggie Stiefvater
98. The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley
99. Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson
100. Betsy-Tacy Books (series), by Maud Hart Lovelace
Which ones have you read and which ones are your favorite?
The Divergent Series is my new favorite!!! There are some very spiritual references in there…LOVE IT.
Haven’t read that one yet…I’ll put it on the top of my list! I’ll read it in the plane on my way to SYM Conference, how about that?
The Dreamhouse Kings series was one I stumbled upon last summer and enjoyed it so much I could not put the books down. I suggested the books to my youth and several did read it. It follows a Christian Family through a crisis. There are lots of references to how faith will help them through.
Thanks for the tip, will definitely check them out!
I am currently reading Paper Towns. I am finding it hard to get past the language (although it is much less than other books I have read). I am on chapter 8 so it is a little too soon to tell, but it is getting interesting. Many of my up and coming picks are on this list. I will be very interested to see your reviews.