As the author of several well received YA novels, including HER TEEN DREAM, DANGER IN TIME, and GHOST GIRL IN SHADOW BAY, I am often asked what are my favorite teen books.
I have read so many great ones from over the years that I barely know where to begin in narrowing down to a manageable amount.
After giving it some thought, here are ten great books for teenagers that I enjoyed, in no particular order...
1. THE TURN OF THE SCREW by Henry James--helped me to discover ghosts and the supernatural in fiction early in life.
2. ROMEO AND JULIET by William Shakespeare--star crossed lovers that sticks with you forever.
3. OLIVER TWIST by Charles Dickens--what was better to get a good look at street life in Victorian England?
4.HARRY POTTER books by J.K. Rowling -- fascinating series about young wizard Harry Potter and other colorful characters.
5. TWILIGHT series by Stephenie Meyer--great with teen romance combined with vampires and werewolves.
6. HARDY BOYS by Franklin Dixon --loved these mystery and adventure novels growing up and they still read well today.
7. BILLY BUDD by Herman Melville -- great historical tale of adventure on the high seas.
8. DARK SECRETS series by Elizabeth Chandler -- wonderful haunting and suspense stories.
9. BOTH SIDES OF TIME series by Caroline Cooney -- as a time travel fan, enjoyed this set of YA romance books.
10. THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS by Ann Brashares -- a fun and imaginative series on friendship and adventure.
What are your favorite teen reads? What would you read over and over again, if time were not of the essence?
The Harry Potter books for sure. And the Black Stallion series. The Three investigators. I like a lot of YA stuff.
ReplyDeleteOddly, I've read more teen-fiction in my 30's than I ever did as a teen. Wehn I was young, I read one novel about The Three Investigators, but beyond that, not much. Then my girlfriend (now wife) had me read the first Harry Potter book (in exchange for her reading A Princess of Mars), and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I've since read the next three in the series. I've also read the first five books in The Ranger's Apprentice series. Love that one. And my 15-year old has me interested in the Percy Jackson books. But for some reason, I have no interest in the Twilight series (she's a Twi-hard).
ReplyDeleteI've fallen in love with Simone Elkeles's young adult books. I've been reading more and more YA, and cannot believe how much they've changed in the years since I was a teen.
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