I wish I had read some of these when I was a teen, though granted, some weren’t written then. Others, I’m glad I did. Here are the 10 best books every teen girl (and teenager in general) should read. Fiction, nonfiction, romance, dystopian fantasy, we don’t judge.
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Phil Pullman’s His Dark Materials is about a young girl named Lyra Belacque who has a simple quest: kill God. Well, that’s not how it starts. It starts with the young Lyra discovering a mysterious magical artifact that will allow her to uncover a mystery that the Magisterium—a global-dominating religious organization —would rather keep secret. On her quest, she befriends a giant talking polar bear, hops between dimensions, goes to Heaven, and learns some tough lessons about love. This series’ subsequent movie adaptations could have made it MASSIVE if it hadn’t tanked due to backlash from actual Christian organizations. Art imitates life, I guess. (Though you should check out the HBO show!)
Persepolis is the graphic novel memoir of Marjane Satrapi, who came of age during the tumultuous Islamic Revolution in Iran. The Revolution, a conservative-led backlash against the nation’s formally progressive politics, made the young girl’s world difficult to navigate. Drawn in stunning and stark detail, Persepolis is a story of self-identity and expression in a culture that demands conformity and obedience. It’s a challenging read and a worthwhile one.
If you haven’t heard of the Hunger Games, you must be living off the grid in District 13. Suzanne Collins’ teen dystopian reality TV nightmare series takes place in the totalitarian nation of Panem. Panem is divided into 12 Districts, which are subservient to the central Capital district. Each year, two teens from each District are required to compete in a death match battle called The Hunger Games. After her sister is chosen for the games, District 12’s Katniss Everdeen volunteers in her place. Can this young woman survive The Games and bring down the evil government that created them? I’m going to go out on a limb and say, “Yep, think so”.
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a classic coming-of-age novel about four sisters growing up during the American Civil War. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March couldn’t be more different from one another, but they are all irrevocably bonded by the love that they share. One of the novel’s main themes? Go your own way. That’s the advice that the young Jo takes as she defies gender roles in her pursuit to become a writer. The other theme? Treasure your family and your youth. Neither lasts forever, as Little Women so painfully reminds us.
A Series of Unfortunate Events might seem like children’s literature on the surface, but this macabre series is far from kid-friendly. The plot centers around the Baudelaire orphans—Violet, Klaus, and Sunny—who struggle to survive in a dark world after the death of their parents. And when I say “dark,” I mean DARK. They’re placed under the guardianship of Count Olaf, who spends his days plotting how best to murder his little charges to get his hands on their generous inheritance. It’s up to big sister Violet to come up with a plan to prevent that from happening.
John Green’s The Fault In Our Stars borrows its title from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves that we are underlings,” the scheming Cassius tells his co-conspirator. For teenage cancer patients Hazel and Augustus, the stars have been especially cruel. Despite the grim odds, these friends-turned-lovers decide not to become underlings to their heavy diagnoses. They live their young lives to the fullest, no matter how short they may be.
Emily M. Danforth’s The Miseducation of Cameron Post is essential reading for queer teens. Set in the 1990s, the plot centers around a young woman named Cameron, who struggles with her feelings of same-sex attraction in the wake of her parents’ deaths. She’s sent to a conversion therapy camp called God’s Promise, which promises nothing but trouble. Determined to rebel against the oppressive micro-society, Cameron decides to stick it to the man and “the man upstairs” and embrace her identity.
Tomi Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone is a fantasy novel inspired by West African culture. After Zélie Adebola’s people have their magic stolen from them by the ruling Kosidán, the young woman embarks on a quest to bring that magic back. To do so, she must free her people from the yoke of oppression, and with the help of the prince she just met, she’s ready. The book is a parable about prejudice and systemic injustice, a rich work of fantasy to help understand the reality faced by many.
Malala Yousafza’s I Am Malala is the memoir of one of the most badass teen girls ever to walk the face of the Earth. After growing up in Pakistan under Taliban rule, the teenage Malala took a stand against the organization’s oppression. Despite being shot in the head by Taliban assassins, she survived and continued to fight against the regime in support of education for women and girls. Malala Yousafza is an inspiration.
Angie Thomas’ novel The Hate You Give centers around Starr Carter, a young girl who witnesses the death of her best friend Khalil in a senseless act of police violence. Khalil’s death becomes national news, sparking protests around the country. Meanwhile, Starr is forced to grapple with her grief while appearing in the public eye as a key witness to the event. The Hate U Give is an age-old story about American racial injustice told through the eyes of its newest generation. It’s a novel that can help young minds grapple with the nation’s ugly history and the systemic racism that still plagues society to this day. The book has been banned and challenged in schools across the United States, making it an all the more important title to read.
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