Ages 12–18

5,770 books for children ages 12–18

Young adult books take children seriously as thinkers. The questions get harder here: identity, justice, love, loss, the dawning awareness that the world is more complicated than anyone let on. These 5,770 books trust teenagers to handle complexity and reward them for it.

The Returning

Christine Hinwood

Cam returns from a six-year war as the sole survivor of his unit and an amputee, but unsettling questions about his past

Ages 12–18

Utopia, Iowa

Brian Yansky

Jack Bell is a typical Iowa teen, except he sees ghosts who demand justice. As he investigates mysterious deaths, he jug

Ages 12–18

Altered

Jennifer Rush

Anna, 17, finds herself on the run from her father's mysterious Agency with four teen boys who were experimented on. The

Ages 12–18

Anthony Burns The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave

Virginia Hamilton

This powerful biography tells the true story of Anthony Burns, a young man who escaped slavery only to be captured in Bo

Ages 9–12

Men of Iron : Howard Pyle (Novel, Adventure Fiction, Coming of Age, Juvenile Story) [Annotated]

Howard Pyle

Follow Myles Falworth as he endures rigorous training to become a knight and challenge the wicked Lord Brookhurst Alban.

Ages 10–14

The Wolving Time

Patrick Jennings

Laszlo Emberek lives a quiet life as a shepherd, but his parents harbor a secret: they can transform into wolves. As Las

Ages 9–13

Every Soul a Star

Wendy Mass

Ally, Bree, and Jack are three very different kids facing big life changes. They converge at a remote campsite to witnes

Ages 9–14

Out of This Place

Emma Cameron

This poignant novel in verse follows Luke, Bongo, and Casey as they grapple with poverty, family abuse, and the desperat

Ages 12–18

Sunrise on the Reaping (A Hunger Games Novel) (The Hunger Games)

Suzanne Collins

Return to Panem 24 years before Katniss Everdeen's story, as a young Haymitch Abernathy is reaped for the 50th Hunger Ga

Ages 12–18

The Heart of a Chief

Joseph Bruchac

Follow eleven-year-old Eddie as he confronts his father's alcoholism, a contentious casino plan on tribal land, and prej

Ages 9–12

Curveball The Year I Lost My Grip

Jordan Sonnenblick

Peter Friedman's life changes when an elbow injury sidelines his promising baseball career. As his beloved grandfather b

Ages 12–16

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

Wendy Wan Long Shang

Lucy Wu is ready for sixth grade, her own room, and basketball captaincy, but her great-aunt's unexpected arrival forces

Ages 8–12

Framed

Gordon Korman

Griffin Bing is in big trouble when a priceless Super Bowl ring is stolen from his middle school, and all signs point to

Ages 8–12

The Clique #5: The Pretty Committee Strikes Back

Lisi Harrison

The girls of Octavian Country Day head to Lake Placid for a class trip, but the real adventure is navigating crushes, cl

Ages 9–13

Foundling

D. M. Cornish

Rossamund, a foundling with a girl's name, faces a dangerous life serving the Emperor of the Half-Continent. This magic-

Ages 12–18

The Big Nothing

Adrian Fogelin

A middle-schooler faces major family problems, including a brother potentially deploying to the Persian Gulf. He finds a

Ages 8–12

Scar Island

Dan Gemeinhart

Jonathan Grisby is sent to a brutal reformatory on a remote island. When a lightning strike eliminates all adults, the b

Ages 8–12

Dark Eyes

William Richter

Wally, a 16-year-old adopted runaway, discovers a shocking connection to her birth father, a notorious Russian mobster.

Ages 12–16

Zen And The Art Of Faking It

Jordan Sonnenblick

After moving yet again, San Lee, 13, decides to reinvent himself as a Zen master to finally fit in. His quick wit and ne

Ages 9–13

The Demonata: Demon Thief

Darren Shan

Kernel Fleck always knew he was different, seeing strange lights in the air. When a window to a demon world opens with h

Ages 12–18

Beyond the Chocolate War

Robert Cormier

Freshman Jerry Renault challenges the oppressive power structures of his Catholic high school, leading to a brutal confr

Ages 13–17

Dark Quetzal

Katherine Roberts

Kyarra, a novice Singer with extraordinary abilities, embarks on a perilous quest to uncover the truth about her mysteri

Ages 8–12

P.S. I Still Love You

Jenny Han

Lara Jean's relationship with Peter Kavinsky is officially real, but navigating true feelings is far harder than pretend

Ages 12–16

Wolf-speaker

Tamora Pierce

Daine, a fourteen-year-old with unpredictable wild magic, answers the wolves' plea for help when humans threaten their h

Ages 9–14