Top 16 Books For 16 Year Olds Updated 04 /2024

As a child, I was a huge fan of reading. When I was younger, I couldn't get enough of Roald Dahl or the Magic Tree House books. I still have my copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, which I still love. For some time in my teens, I didn't want to read.

When I was about 15 or 16, I decided I was done with YA books and wanted to move on to "adult" books. I'll tell you how. It was a mistake. Because I was busy with AP classes and the SATs, I didn't read much fiction until I was in college. (Thanks to my little sister, who got me back into YA.)

Here is a list of books I wish I had read when I was a teenager. I think one of them would have convinced me to keep reading even though I didn't like literary fiction at the time.

As a child, I was a huge fan of reading. When I was younger, I couldn't get enough of Roald Dahl or the Magic Tree House books. I still have my copy of From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler, which I still love. For some time in my teens, I didn't want to read.

When I was about 15 or 16, I decided I was done with YA books and wanted to move on to "adult" books. I'll tell you how. It was a mistake. Because I was busy with AP classes and the SATs, I didn't read much fiction until I was in college. (Thanks to my little sister, who got me back into YA.)

Here is a list of books I wish I had read when I was a teenager. I think one of them would have convinced me to keep reading even though I didn't like literary fiction at the time.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Here's the one that got me back into writing. My sister was 15. I was 21. Because it was so small, I had no choice but to read Perks. During one sitting. All I had to do was read Charlie's thoughts and fall in love with him. His honesty and earnest charm, as well as the big and small things that make him who he is, drew me in.

Where Things Come Back

by John Corey Whaley

In the beginning, when I looked at the premise of this book, I was not sure. Something about a man who sees a woodpecker that isn't alive. There is so much more to it than that. Woodpecker book: I loved the stories about a boy who lost his brother and a missionary in Africa. In this book, you'll read about Cullen Witter and Benton Sage, and you'll keep wondering how their stories will connect.

The Hate U Give

by Angie Thomas

One of the things I didn't like about reading adult books as a teen was that they took too long. They didn't think it was important. The Hate U Give is the medicine. One of the most important and timely books I've read in a long time. It's also one of the best-written and well-paced books I've read in a long time. It’s about a 16-year-old African American girl, Starr, who lives between two worlds — her predominantly black neighborhood and her predominantly white prep school — and witnesses the shooting of her friend. So when the movie comes out next year, you can say that you read it first.

More Happy Than Not

by Adam Silvera

This is not the first book written by Adam Silvera that didn't turn out well. That's true. Author: His stories are known for having well-developed lesbian characters, each of which makes you cry. They also keep Kleenex in business because of him alone. But his first album is still my favorite. There is a boy from the Bronx who wants to forget that he is gay by having his memories changed. This is called "More Happy Than Not." So not only does it make you laugh and cry but it makes you think about what would happen if you could take away a piece of yourself?

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

by Jesse Andrews

I've never felt so bad for laughing my way through a book about cancer, but that's what makes Jesse Andrews' book so great: It takes a sensitive subject and treats it with care while flipping the story on its head. This book is not about a cancer patient. It's about a kid who has to be friends with her because his mom wants him to do it, so it's not about the cancer patient. You can sympathize with it at the same time as you laugh and cry. The movie is also pretty good.

Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys

When I was in fourth grade, I went through a lot of reading historical fiction books and stories. A high school student would have loved Ruta Sepetys's story about the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the worst maritime disaster in history. It was a story she made up. Everything you could want is in this movie: tension and romance, undercover operations with hope, and, at the end, tragedy. Those words aren't a spoiler, by the way. You can't change history! Salt to the Sea is told from the point of view of four teenagers who all have different reasons for getting on the ship. Even though you know what will happen to each of them, you'll still root for them even though you know what will happen.

Down and Across

by Arvin Ahmadi

No, it's not cheating to put your own book on a list of books you would have liked as a teen. Not at all. A young adult author has not written the book I would have liked to read when I was younger. When Scott Ferdowsi, 16, runs away from home, he ends up having the best summer of his life. It's about a boy who is having a hard time deciding what to do in the future. Scott's problems as a teen were the same problems I had when I was a teen. Moral of the story: It's going to be fine.

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