Teen Books I Enjoyed Reading as a Teenager
I really enjoyed reading as a child. I remember trying to be Matilda with a bow tied into my hair. I laid a blanket out on the lawn and brought out all my books to read. As I got older I moved into chapter books and really enjoyed reading The Babysitter’s Club Series and Sweet Valley High. Funnily, I remember trying to read Bunnicula, which I did not like. The beady red eyes really freaked me out. And they still do to this day. Other timeless authors I tried to read were Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume. These books totally date me, don’t they!
There are some books that I read back in the day that really stuck with me. I could tell you a good chunk about what happened, when I read it, and how I felt about the book. Looking back, one in particular seems a little sketchy and could be super heavy for a teen reader. Another holds the title for being the first book to make me cry.
Wanna know what they are? I’ve shared the books I enjoyed reading as a teenager below.
BOOKS I ENJOYED READING AS A TEEN
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
I know! It’s a classic. I wish I still had the hardback books I had when I was a kid. Though I don’t have my originals, I’ve read the books again in my adult life. Harry Potter is wizard who lives with his awful, muggle aunt and uncle. By the way, a muggle is a non wizard. Harry goes off to wizard school at Hogwarts and his adventures begin with best friends Hermoine and Ron Weasley who spend much of their time trying to defeat He Who Should Not Be Named.
Other Harry Potter Books:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
amazon | thriftbooks | betterworldbooks or check your local library
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl marches to the beat of her own drum. She’s the “weird” girl at school but she doesn’t care because she is completely herself. She becomes friends with Leo who is the total opposite. No one understands Stargirl but Leo really wants to try. Stargirl is awesome because she wears what she wants, she plays ukulele, and she sings happy birthday to other kids in her school. Oh and did I mention she has a pet rat?
amazon | thriftbooks | betterworldbooks or check your local library
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
This is one of the only books that have ever made me cry. I remember reading this book in my room and weeping over the ending. A young boy, Billy, saves his money to buy hound dogs. He trains his dogs to hunt coons and they go on many adventures in the woods. Sadly, his beloved pups meet an unfortunate ending.
amazon | thriftbooks | betterworldbooks or check your local library
The Giver by Louis Lowry
This book is so deep, so thought provoking I’ve tried to write this summary several times. The superficial version is Jonas lives in a community where everything is black and white… literally. Everything is controlled. Everything is the same. When everyone turns twelve they get a job and Jonas gets to be the Receiver of Memory. He starts to see flashes of color and wonders what’s beyond, Elsewhere. He realizes there is way more to life than the life he has been living. The deeper version of this story—you just gotta read it.
amazon | thriftbooks | betterworldbooks or check your local library
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
This book is a little dark and looking back, may not be a wise choice for reading as a young girl. Susie Salmon gets lured by an older man into a den he dug in the ground. He takes advantage of her and eventually kills her. She retells her story from heaven. I remember the movie totally freaked me out.
amazon | thriftbooks | betterworldbooks or check your local library
What were some of your favorite chapter books to read as a teen?
