Over the past years, it has come apparent to me that most teenagers and youth don’t read commonly because of the lack of readily available good books. So here is a compiled list of good books for advanced teens and tweens. These books each have a great reputation and a description.
1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird is a highly discussed novel that follows a young white girl’s life during a time of black discrimination. This girl, nicknamed Scout, is especially living during a time when a black man in her town is accused of rape, and her father, a lawyer, defends him in court.
2. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Westing Game follows a number of characters, each with their own experiences and thoughts on the events revolving around the death of a prestigious businessman. Everyone in this quick read has a unique point of view on the events playing out before them, and they must inevitably work together, despite their differences, to unlock the key to the mystery.
3. The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Giver is a wonder of a book, placed in a dystopian society where everything is considered right as it should be, we follow Jonas, who is just another kid in his perfect world. His journey is a powerful example of personal development.
4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is a novel set in a dystopian future, where North America has become Panem, a society where everyone is ruled by a vicious government, and disobedience is punished by a game involving death, fear, and everything else the people have got.
5. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The Boys in the Boat. An amazing true story about the value of perseverance and working until the end, shown by nine Amercian’s journey to the Olympics. Their quest is shown through the hardships of Joe Rantz, a struggling student at the University of Washington, and who didn’t know his potential.
6. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Number the Stars is a novel taking place in a Nazi Invasion of Denmark, following young Annemarie, whose best friend Ellen is a Jew.
7. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
A Tale of Two Cities is a novel following Doctor Manette, a French man going to live with his daughter Lucie, after an 18 year long imprisonment in the Bastille.
8. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
The Diary of Anne Frank is an unedited published work by Anne Frank herself, a Jew living in Amsterdam during WWII. Emphasized by her death at the end, this book shows the terror of the Nazis and the unbearable life they unreasonably gave the Jews.
9. Animal Farm by George Orwell
Animal Farm is a novel about an uprising of farm animals against their owner, and they take over the farm, and over time, they discover things about the farm and each other that could help for better or for worse.
10. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby is a tale following a millionaire named Jay Gatsby, who is pursuing a young woman whom he loved in his youth. This novel is an exemplified version of the American dream, to live happily with initiative, determination, and prosperity.
These ten books are some of the most important, controversial, and impacting books of our time. They each convey a theme about everyday life. So hide in your closet with one of these novels, and discover the importance of them in our society for yourself.