Play 2026 Book Bingo
Books with Teenage Characters
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Whether you’re participating in the Lifetime of Reading Challenge or simply interested in books with teen characters, we’ve curated a diverse list featuring protagonists ages 13 to 19.
What is a coming-of-age novel?
A coming-of-age story follows a young person heading toward adulthood while gaining knowledge and maturity. The teen years are often challenging, always formative, and marked by the tension between needing guidance and seeking independence, which creates compelling storylines.
Most books on this list are adult fiction, but we’ve identified those classified as Young Adult (YA). While YA books target teenage readers, about half of YA readers are actually adults. The highly-rated YA novels we selected offer specific insights into the teen years.
The Best Books with Teenage Main Characters
My Friends
Book Summary
When looking at one of the most famous paintings in the world, it’s easy to miss the three tiny figures in the corner at the far end of the pier. You might even think they’re just part of the sea. But 18-year-old Louisa, an artist herself, noticed them. The painting has unexpectedly been bequeathed to her, and she’s determined to find out the story behind the enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years ago, a group of teenagers spent their days hanging out and laughing on the pier to escape their difficult lives at home. Joar never backs down from a fight. Bookish Ted is mourning his father. Ali’s dad never stays in place for long. And then there is the boy who hoards sleeping pills and doesn’t want too much attention, but who has an extraordinary talent for art.
Louisa sets out on a cross-country journey to learn more about the work of art. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit.
Why We Think You’ll Love It
We will read anything Fredrik Backman writes, and we enthusiastically encourage everyone else to do the same! We share more about his struggles with writing this book in our Fredrik Backman guide, and all we can add is that this novel is Backman at his best as a writer, despite his struggles and feeling emotionally his worst while creating it. As we’ve come to expect, he has a deep understanding of human emotion and motivation that we’ve never seen another author capture in quite the same way.
If you are new to Backman’s writing, it may, at first, seem stream-of-consciousness, and you may even feel like you don’t understand what it’s about or where it’s going… but just keep reading and trust the journey. You’ll soon discover his immense talent for crafting characters and stories that will stick with you long after you’ve read the final page.
If you haven’t read it yet, Beartown is also an excellent choice for this prompt!
Life, & Death, & Giants
Book Summary
Gabriel was born an orphan in rural Wisconsin, and no one knew what to think about him. He was eighteen pounds and twenty-seven inches long. By eight months old, he could walk, was athletically talented, and could communicate with animals. He was cared for by his older brother, but when his brother passed away, he went to live with his Amish grandparents.
At seventeen, Gabriel is nearly eight feet tall, and it’s impossible for him to be kept out of sight. Despite his grandparents’ efforts to shield him from the English world, a high school football coach spots him, setting in motion a new chapter that reshapes not only Gabriel’s future but the lives of everyone around him.
Thoughts About This Book
Early readers describe this novel as both tragic and uplifting, and say it will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading. It’s very character-driven, giving a glimpse into both the English and Amish worlds of Wisconsin, with the ensemble cast of characters being more important than the plot.
The People We Keep
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Sixteen-year-old April has a rough life, fending for herself in a motorless motorhome that her father won while playing poker. She works at a diner but dreams of being a songwriter. After flunking out of school and another fight with her dad, April sets off to find a better life for herself.
Along the way, she meets others with complex stories, which are the perfect inspiration for her songs. But even more important than that, she finds that family doesn’t have to mean the community you were born into. Instead, people you meet can become family.
What to Expect in This Book
This is a beautifully written, character-driven, coming-of-age novel, but keep in mind that it is an adult novel with adult themes.
April isn’t always likable, and she makes many bad decisions along the way. But she’s a raw and real character you’ll come to love despite her flaws.
This book is packed with so much genuine emotion, honesty, and heart that you’ll want a copy on your shelf so that you can read it again!
More or Less Maddy
Book Summary
Maddy’s stress seems typical for a college freshman at NYU. She’s overwhelmed by schoolwork, exams, navigating life in New York City, and dealing with a breakup. Her recent low caused her to be prescribed antidepressants, and now she’s feeling good. However, then she experiences a terrifying manic episode, leading to a bipolar disorder diagnosis.
Growing up, Maddy never felt like she fit in with her picture-perfect Connecticut family. Now this new reality has her feeling like both too much and not enough as she struggles to navigate the complex effects of her diagnosis on her identity, her relationships, and her dreams for her future.
About the Author
Genova holds a degree in Biopsychology from Bates College and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University. Her previous works of fiction have tackled a variety of neurological conditions while always focusing on the shared human condition.
Mary Jane
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Mary Jane tells the story of two very different family lifestyles and a 14-year-old girl trying to decide who she really is. Mary Jane is a quiet, book-loving girl from a traditional, conservative family in 1970s Baltimore. When she is offered a job as a nanny for a local doctor, her mom assumes their home is equally tidy and respectable.
However, the house is a huge mess, and it’s about to get crazier. The doctor has welcomed a rock star and his wife to stay at the house while he tries to get sober. Mary Jane has a lot to teach them about tidiness and schedules, and all the while, they are opening her eyes to the world outside her bubble. By the end of the summer, she’ll have a much better understanding of who she wants to be.
Our Thoughts on This Book
This was one of our favorite books of the last few years, and one that really stuck with both of us! It’s a beautiful and entertaining story of a 14-year-old girl seeing herself as a separate person for the first time. Angela really enjoyed listening to the audiobook because it incorporates music.
Although the main character is a teenager, this is an adult novel with some adult themes and scenes, not a YA title. It makes an excellent read because of the perspective that comes from looking back at the years between innocence and maturity.
The Girls Who Grew Big
Book Summary
When 16-year-old Adela Wood becomes pregnant, her parents send her away from her comfortable home in Indiana to her grandmother’s home in the small town of Padua Beach, Florida. In Florida, she meets several other teens who have faced pregnancy and motherhood at a young age.
This group, called the “Girls,” includes Emory, who brings her newborn to school because she’s determined to graduate, and Simone, who has four-year-old twins and is pregnant again. The small town considers this group the students who have lost their way, but instead, the Girls are finding their way together.
Themes in This Novel
Readers say this character-driven novel is a raw, heartbreaking, real look at the complexities of motherhood, while also highlighting the power of friendships.
Demon Copperhead
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This is a modern retelling of Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield. Like Copperfield, Copperhead examines institutional poverty, but in the context of contemporary Appalachia.
Born to a teenage single mother, Damon (soon to be known as Demon) braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, opioid addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Angela was hesitant to read this 500-page book because it sounded quite depressing, but once she picked it up, she was immediately hooked. While it is heartbreaking throughout, it’s also an incredibly touching story that somehow feels both meandering and fast-paced at the same time, thanks to Kingsolver’s gorgeous writing.
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda
Book Summary
This hugely popular, highly rated YA novel is a charming, witty coming-of-age story. The main character, Simon, is gay, but not openly. After an email that would out him to the school falls into the wrong hands, he’s blackmailed into playing wingman for classmate Martin. But worse than that, he wouldn’t only be outing himself by refusing. The boy he’s been emailing, nicknamed Blue, would be outed too.
The emails with Blue have been more and more flirtatious, and Simon has to find a way to break out of his comfort zone before he’s forced out. But he doesn’t want to upset his friends or lose his chance for happiness with Blue along the way.
About the Book and Adaptation
If you love a You’ve Got Mail style story, this 2015 nominee for Goodreads Best Debut Author and Best Young Adult Fiction is for you!
The 2018 movie adaptation is titled Love, Simon, and is said to have classic coming-of-age John Hughes-style teen movie charm. While the main characters are teens, this is a crowd-pleasing book and movie that resonates with a wide audience.
The Academy
Book Summary
Set over the course of one year at a New England boarding school, the mother-daughter writing duo of Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham introduces readers to an intertwined cast of characters inspired by Shelby’s lived experience attending a fancy boarding school in Rhode Island. Elin wrote the adult perspectives for the book (parents and teachers), while Shelby wrote key scenes from the student perspectives.
As students move in for the fall semester, America Today releases the newest rankings, and Tiffin Academy just jumped seventeen spots to number two in the country. But how can that be when the dorms need to be renovated, the sports teams never win, and the students excel far more in their social lives than in their academics? On the other hand, Tiffin does boast a beautiful campus, small class sizes, and an acclaimed New York chef running the dining hall.
But something strange is definitely going on. One by one, scandalous items begin appearing on phones across the campus thanks to the new ZipZap app. It appears that everyone has something to hide – students and staff alike, from international influencer Davi and resident queen bee Simone, to the young new history teacher and even the admissions director.
What to Expect in This Book
This novel includes recognizable Dark Academia elements, but with a modern, ensemble-driven twist rather than the classic gothic-styled, brooding tone. Early readers say that the mystery elements will keep you guessing, and that the story is perfect for fans of Gilmore Girls, Gossip Girl, and The Dead Poets Society.
If you don’t enjoy themes of rich kids behaving badly, reviewers say you should skip this one.
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Adunni is a 14-year-old girl living in poverty in a Nigerian village. She loves school and knows that learning all she can is the key to achieving a better life. But, despite promising to allow Adunni’s schooling to continue after her mother’s death, Adunni’s father makes a decision that ends her education in the village and changes the trajectory of her life.
You’ll be moved to both tears and cheers as Adunni endures and overcomes heartbreaking challenges while remaining focused on her dream of an education.
Consider This Before Reading
While we didn’t experience this ourselves, some readers struggle with the dialect in either audio or written form, but find that the other form works well for them (if the audio isn’t working for you, try reading and vice versa). The main character, Adunni, tells the story using her limited English, and one of the beautiful parts of the writing is that you can see her improvements over time.
In August of 2024, the sequel, And So I Roar, was released. It picks up when Adunni is 15 years old, and the husband she escaped is searching for her. Again, she must use her louding voice to protect herself and others in her village.
All the Colors of the Dark
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
90% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
All the Colors of the Dark blends literary fiction, mystery, and romance as it follows the characters from their teen years in 1975 into adulthood.
In Mont Clare, girls are disappearing. When the daughter of a wealthy family, Misty, is targeted, an unlikely hero emerges in Patch, a local boy with one eye. He saves her, but the rescue leaves heartache in its wake.
Once close-knit, Mont Clare is changed forever. The trauma experienced by Patch, his friend Saint, and Misty shadows them for decades, driving choices you may not agree with and setting up twist after twist. The result is a sweeping, suspenseful story about love, loss, and the long reach of a single night.
What to Expect in This Book
This novel is character-driven and is longer than your average mystery at 608 pages. However, most readers say that the short paragraphs and chapters make the book feel faster-paced than you may expect.
If you’ve already read and enjoyed All the Colors of the Dark, try We Begin at the End by the same author, which also includes teen characters and a mystery element.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In 1989, Communist regimes were falling throughout Eastern Europe, but Romania was still under the control of a tyrant named Nicolae Ceaușescu. Seventeen-year-old Cristian wants to be a writer, but writing freely is not possible in his world.
When Cristian is forced to work as an informer for the secret police, he must decide whether he’s willing to betray those he loves or if he can use the terrible situation to help bring down Ceaușescu.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Ruta Sepetys has a gift for telling untold stories in compelling, relatable ways, and this book was no exception! We were enthralled with what we had missed happening in the world while we were growing up in the late 1980s. It immediately earned a place on our list of our favorite books of 2022.
While this novel is classified as YA, the characters and subject matter are very well-researched, making it very enjoyable for adult readers. Another highly rated YA historical fiction by Ruta Sepetys is The Fountains of Silence, which follows teenagers living in 1957 Madrid under the Franco dictatorship.
Junie
Book Summary
Junie has spent all of her 16 years on the Bellereine Plantation in Alabama as a slave. She cooks, cleans, and tends to the white master’s daughter, Violet. While she works, she dreams of poetry and a world outside her own, but at night, she’s overcome by grief due to the loss of her older sister, Minnie.
When the family has wealthy guests in town who hint at a marriage for Violet, which would upend Junie’s life, she does something to rouse Minnie’s spirit from the grave. When she needs help, she enlists the guest’s coachman, Caleb, who becomes a friend…then more. As the Civil War approaches, she realizes the dark truths and horrifying secrets about the Bellereine Plantation, and she begins to push back against her old life.
What to Expect in This Book
While the author’s real family history inspired this book, it also incorporates elements of magical realism, as Minnie’s ghost tasks Junie with completing three missions related to family secrets and Minnie’s own fate.
The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship and Hope in America
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
The Newcomers follows twenty-two immigrant teenagers throughout the 2015-2016 school year as they land at South High School in Denver, Colorado. Ranging in age from fourteen to nineteen, most of these students came directly from refugee camps in countries plagued by war, famine, or drought.
The nonfiction read follows the students’ English-language education with their dedicated and creative teacher, Mr. Williams. As they grasp the language, their individual histories unfold, adding faces, names, and stories to those seeking asylum. At the same time that these teenagers are trying to adapt to an unfamiliar way of life in a new country, they are also balancing the more typical teenage challenge of fitting in and making friends.
What to Expect in This Book
The author not only gets to know the students, but also the families of those who are comfortable sharing their stories with her. This provides insights into the challenge of starting over for the parents whose education and career achievements in their home countries often mean little in the US because of the language barrier, forcing them to start over in more ways than one.
Angela lives in a neighborhood adjacent to South High School and has seen the positive impacts of the Newcomer program throughout the community.
Ordinary Grace
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
The summer of 1961 started out full of hope and innocence in New Bremen, Minnesota, with a new young president, the Twins baseball team playing their debut season, root beers at the soda counter, and comic books on the barbershop magazine racks. But the summer soon turned grim, with multiple deaths. Accident? Natural? Suicide? Murder?
When the tragedies occur in town, 13-year-old Frank Drum is thrust into adulthood overnight. The novel is part mystery and part coming-of-age story, told by Frank himself as a 40-year-old adult looking back on that fateful summer.
Context Note
Our readers say this book addresses spirituality without being overtly religious.
The Firekeeper’s Daughter
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
98% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This YA thriller, written by a Native American author, is about a biracial teen who is an unenrolled member of the Ojibwe tribe. Eighteen-year-old Daunis has never quite fit in at home or on the reservation. She dreams of heading to college, but after a tragedy, she must remain home to care for her mom.
Life takes another big turn when she witnesses a murder and then reluctantly goes undercover in the criminal investigation to infiltrate a drug ring in her community.
Reader Thoughts on this Book
Although some feel this book starts slow, it made the list of our reader’s favorite books of 2021! They mentioned that it’s great on audio to hear the beautiful native language woven into the book.
Be aware that this book contains a sexual assault.
The Hate U Give
Book Summary
While 16-year-old Starr attends a fancy suburban prep school, it’s a far cry from the poor neighborhood where she lives. When a police officer shoots her childhood best friend from the neighborhood, Khalil, her two worlds collide and are turned upside down.
Khalil’s death becomes national news, with everyone making assumptions about what really happened. Khalil was unarmed, but sides are drawn, with some calling him a thug and others protesting in his name. Starr is the only one who knows what happened that night, but what she says could endanger her life.
Additional Books to Consider
This hit YA novel was the 2017 Goodreads winner for Best Debut Author and Best YA Fiction. Author Angie Thomas was born and raised in Mississippi. If you’ve already read The Hate U Give, try the prequel, Concrete Rose, which is also set in Mississippi.
We also recommend The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed, about a wealthy young Black teen whose life is upended when four LAPD officers are acquitted in the beating of Rodney King.
Dear Edward
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
97% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Twelve-year-old Edward boards a plane with his beloved older brother and his parents, bound for their new home and life in California. But when the plane tragically crashes, Edward emerges as the sole survivor. After recovering from his injuries, he goes to live with his mom’s sister and her husband, with the eyes of the world on him. Everyone is eager to hear his story.
His aunt and uncle work hard to shield him from all the attention and to allow him time to process his loss, but when Edward uncovers a stack of letters, he discovers an unexpected path to healing.
The chapters in the book alternate between Edward’s day-to-day life during the three years following the accident and a minute-by-minute recounting of the ill-fated flight, through which we are introduced to many of the other passengers.
Background on This Book
Although the main character is a teen, this is not a YA book. Half of the book details the experiences of the adults on the plane. As you would expect, this book is heavy in the grief department, so be prepared and keep the tissues close by.
Dear Edward was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction in 2020. Though it is a work of fiction, the author has stated that it was loosely inspired by the 2010 crash of Libyan-operated Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771, in which the sole survivor was a 9-year-old boy. When Ann Napolitano learned about this crash, she said, “This story flayed me. I could not imagine how that boy would be OK, and I could feel from the stickiness of my obsession that I was going to have to write a book that created a set of circumstances to make him OK.”
The book has also been adapted into a television series on Apple TV+.
The Fault in Our Stars
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Hazel has known her life would be cut short since she was first diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. She reluctantly attends the “Cancer Kid Support Group” at the request of her mom, but what she finds there is the last thing she expected- first love.
Hazel and the charming Augustus Waters have many things in common, including their favorite author, whom they are determined to meet, even if they have to travel to Amsterdam to do it.
Other Books to Consider
John Green helped the YA (young adult) book scene explode into mainstream popularity in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and this is one of the first YA titles we remember our adult friends all picking up. It remains a modern classic today. You can also choose from many other popular John Green titles, as most have a teen protagonist.
Another very influential YA author during the same time was Rainbow Rowell, who published the popular Eleanor and Park in 2012.
The Lincoln Highway
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This entire novel takes place over the course of 10 days in 1954. Eighteen-year-old Emmett has finished his term on a work farm, where he was sent after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
The warden drives Emmett home to Nebraska, where he plans to pick up his 8-year-old brother before heading west for a fresh start. However, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work camp, Duchess and Wooly, have stowed away in the trunk. The three teens and 8-year-old Billy adjust their plans and set out across the country together. The book is told from alternating points of view.
What to Expect in This Book
Despite its title, this book is about a journey of self-discovery as much as it is about a cross-country journey. Portions of the book are set along the Lincoln Highway, but some readers are surprised that this is less of an adventure novel and more introspective and character-driven.
Lincoln Highway was voted as one of our readers’ overall favorite books in both 2021 & 2022.
The Serpent King
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
94% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Dill’s father is a Pentecostal minister who first drew attention for his extreme beliefs and then for a scandal. His friend Travis has his own demons in the form of an abusive father, so he escapes into a book series called Bloodfall. Dill has secret feelings for friend Lydia, a free spirit, sarcastic, fashion blogger who dreams of leaving rural Tennessee and heading to New York.
The teens must lean on each other for the stability that Dill and Travis don’t have at home.
Themes in This Book
Woven into this story of three unlikely friends trying to navigate the end of high school are stories of small-town life and themes of courage. But you’ll also need a box of tissues handy!
Reconstructing Amelia
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
90% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Kate is in the middle of an important meeting when she gets the frustrating call that her fifteen-year-old daughter has been caught cheating at her exclusive school.
When she arrives to pick Amelia up, the school is surrounded by emergency vehicles, and Kate learns that her daughter jumped to her death. At least that is what she believes until an anonymous text tells her that Amelia didn’t jump.
This suspense/mystery is a great insight into the increasing role of social media during the 2010s and the damage that comes along with it.
What to Expect in This Book
Unlike most of the books on this list, this book is told from the mother’s perspective, but we still feel it’s a great pick for the teenage years because the entire story centers on Kate’s efforts to understand her daughter’s life. Additionally, we see the story through teenage eyes by way of the emails, text messages, and blog posts that Kate pores over as she attempts to piece together her daughter’s final days.
Necessary Lies
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Ivy Hart lost her parents at just fifteen years old and was left to care for her aging grandmother, her mentally ill older sister, her nephew, and even the tenants on the family’s small tobacco farm. It’s too much for any teenager, but especially one who also struggles with epilepsy. Who will care for Ivy?
Jane Forrester takes a job as the new social worker for Grace County and quickly becomes invested in the lives of the residents she works with, including the Hart women. Maybe even too invested, according to her boss and her husband.
Soon, Jane begins to uncover some of the dark secrets of small-town life in rural North Carolina. A decades-long Eugenics sterilization program in the state sought to determine which people were fit to reproduce. Once Jane learns the truth, she must decide whether standing up for what she believes is right is worth the risk.
Recognition and Ratings for This Novel
This novel was a Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Historical Fiction in 2013. In prior years, we’ve had 50 of our readers submit ratings, and all 50 have said they would recommend it to a friend.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
It’s the 1960s, and Elwood has been raised by his loving but strict grandmother. His hard work and focus on always doing the right thing are about to pay off.
Elwood is getting ready to enroll in the local black college and has big dreams. Everything changes when an innocent mistake causes him to be sent to The Nickel Academy to be “reformed” from his so-called crimes.
While this 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is fiction, it’s based on real “schools” and the unspeakable treatment of young Black men who were sent there during the 1960s. Elwood does his best to remain optimistic, but his positive attitude is challenged by his new friend Turner, who has experienced a different world growing up.
Thoughts on This Book
This book will make you feel every emotion. Through Colson Whitehead’s writing, you really get to know and feel for the characters and the situation they are thrown into. Regretfully, racial inequality in America is embarrassingly still a relevant topic today. This is not an easy book to read, but books like this are very important to adding perspective to the ongoing pushes for equality.
Ginny Moon
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
96% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Ginny is fourteen, autistic, and hiding a secret. She’s been in the foster care system since the age of nine, when she was taken away from her mother after suffering years of abuse. The social workers are determined to find Ginny a loving forever family, but they’ve yet to find the right fit. Ginny always runs away. She is now on her fourth “forever family” with parents who are determined to give her the love she deserves, but she’s still determined to go.
Although Ginny struggles to communicate with the world around her, we as readers hear Ginny’s inner thoughts and opinions as she tried to make sense of a world that often doesn’t make sense.
Author Background
The author is the adoptive father of an autistic teenager, and he brings that compassion and understanding to the character of Ginny.
This book was previously published under the shorter title, Ginny Moon.
The Outsiders
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Following two weeks in the life of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis as he struggles with right and wrong. His world is made up of just two groups – the “socs, ” a violent gang of rich kids who have money and can get away with anything, and the greasers, like Ponyboy, who live on the outside and need to watch their backs. Ponyboy is a proud greaser until the night that his friend makes a terrible decision, and he begins to question everything.
The Book Girls Say…
This coming-of-age novel is one of the most popular teenage books from the 60’s. The author, Sue Hinton, was a teenager in Tulsa herself when the book was written and published. It’s now regarded as not only an influential piece of literature in the 1960s, but also as one of the novels that laid the groundwork for the YA genre.
In 2024, The Outsiders was adapted into a Tony-winning musical, which is phenomenal.
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Printable Version of this List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site as Inner Circle or BFF members can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update the Lifetime of Reading Challenges throughout the year according to the challenge schedule, the lists will become available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
If you have a suggestion for a book that you think would be a great addition to this list, please fill out this form.
Book Lists By Character Age
Links to our book recommendations for all twelve of the Lifetime of Reading challenge prompts can be found below:
- Books With Characters in Their 40s
- Books With Characters In Their 30s
- Books with Characters in Their 20s
- Books with Teenage Characters
- Intergenerational Novels: Books that Connect Generations
- Books With Characters in Their 50s
- Books With Characters in Their 60s
- Books With Characters in Their 70s
- Books With Characters in Their 80s
- Books With Characters in Their 90s and 100s
- Books with a Child Protagonist (Bildungsroman Novels)
- Books Spanning a Character’s Lifetime
I loved The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor. I loved the fact that it counts for the LifeTime challenge as well as the book. Voyage challenge. It’s set in France as a now and then mystery of this 16 year old’s family. Her grandmother left Alice an apartment in Paris and a mystery that started in 1940.
5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I am reading Truly, Devious by Maureen Johnson for this prompt. Love thrillers and mysteries.
I have read most of the books on this list, and they are all amazing picks! Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any of these books. Beartown and Dear Evan Hansen were my absolute favorites.
Happy reading!
Thank you for the great book list! I am finding books/authors that I didn’t know about, which is wonderful. I appreciate all the work that goes into this. Thanks for helping me branch out in reading.
I read A Thousand Steps by T Jefferson Parker just by chance last month. It’s a terrific coming-of-age story set in Southern California in the 70s. The author really captures the atmosphere and the protagonist is a marvelous kid. I’ve already read over half the suggested books, so I’m counting this for the Lifetime challenge. I think you all would enjoy it, too, hope you’d consider adding it to your great list.
Great list!
I have most of these on my TBR list. I’m going to have a tough time choosing one.
I just want to say thank you for such a comprehensive list. Although all these books have teenagers as the main characters, your selections are so diverse in authors, genre, location, and topic. There is truly something for everyone!
You are so welcome! We consider SO MANY books and narrow them down trying to create the most well-rounded & diverse in many ways list we can. All the time is worth it when someone notices and appreciates that!
I would also suggest a new book by Amor Towles, The Lincoln Highway. All the main characters are teens.
@Louise Forman, that is in my TBR list so good to see another recommendation.
Thank you. Can’t wait to jump in and swim through this sea of goodness! So many great choices. Been looking forward to Mary Jane and Beartown. But Dear Edward looks good too.
@Jane C, Dear Edward was one of my favorite books I read in ’21! But, Beartown is another and Mary Jane ranked, too. You can’t go wrong!
I think my pick will be Beartown. It’s been on my TBR list for quite awhile and this will be my push to read it. The list includes so many wonderful choices. I was surprised at how many I have read.
Thank you for all the work you’ve put into this!
Hello,
Thank you for the book list! I am being introduced to different authors and that is fantastic! I am reading a book a month because my schedule for work and school keeps me busy. I look forward to reading a book from the list, as it is available at the library.