10 Young Adult novels you should read at least once in life

Young-adult novels are much more than just tales of high-school love. Here is a list of 10 young-adult books that are a masterpiece.

Updated on Apr 22, 2020  |  12:27 PM IST |  6.2M
10 Young Adult novels you should read at least once in life
10 Young Adult novels you should read at least once in life

Books are extraordinary – they take you on a journey of imagination filled with the thoughts of the main character. Some books leave you with questions unanswered, some will take you on an adventure and some will just inspire you. You will lose yourself in some and find yourself in others. One way or another, books can have a great impact on your being with their messages and lessons. 

That being said, let’s talk about some young-adult books. Most people categorize the Y/A books as childish and cliché but that’s not true. It is unfair to think that these books are all about high-school romances because they are not. From dystopian sagas to more mature stories, this genre has a lot to offer. If you’re someone who loves the young-adult genre, here is a list of books you should read if you haven’t already.  

Here are the 10 young-adult novels you should definitely read once in your life regardless of your age. 

The Book Thief, Markus Zusak 


Day 25 of the #disneyaugustchallenge is Saddest Death (Lion King) - the Book Thief is one of my favorite books ever. When I read this a few years back I stayed up until 3am to finish it and couldn't stop crying. • • #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookish #thebooktheif #markuszusak #saddestdeath #bookdragon #bookblog #booklife #booklover #booknerd

The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas


Hello everyone, this is my first review on Instagram. Open to criticism, share your views in the comments. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas . . “Good-byes hurt the most when the other person’s already gone.” A turning point in Starr’s life, when her best friend is murdered by a cop, her being the only witnessed, held at gunpoint while holding her best friend’s bleeding body on the ground as the life slowly slips out of him. Killed, why? For being black. By the time she’s 16, she’s already witnessed her 2 best friends getting murdered; at 6 in a water park Natasha was killed, and at 16 while returning from a party Khalil met the same fate. The murderers were not convicted. Why? White privilege! . “Sometimes you can do everything right and things will still go wrong. The key is to never stop doing right” Starr speaks up about what happened that night when Khalil was killed. She testifies against the cop, gives a detailed account of everything that happened, to the detectives, who weren’t interested in getting justice, but were finding ways to justify the cop’s actions. A ‘supposed drug-dealer’ becomes a ‘thug’ according to media, and that’s supposed to justify him getting murdered. Nobody however seems to mention the fact that he did not have any drugs on him, and that he was unarmed when the cop shot him, THRICE, FROM BEHIND! A hairbrush was mistaken as a gun and the kid paid the price by getting shot, and later claims to be scared of 2 unarmed 16-year old kids. . . “Brave doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means you go on even though you’re scared.” Starr’s dad gets called out by the cops, her uncle loses his job, she breaks off with her childhood friends who thought that making racist jokes were funny and started a protest for all the wrong reasons. Starr finds her strength and the shy girl becomes the leader of the riots for getting the justice Khalil deserved. My rating 4.5/5 Picture courtesy @fantasticbooksandwheretofindem Reblogged from my account @somya096 #angiethomasauthor #harpercollinsindia #thehateugavelittleinfantsfuckseverybody #thehateugivebook #contemporarybook #youngadultsbook #racism #hatecrimes

Looking for Alaska, John Green


Book Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green⁣ .⁣ “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”⁣ . ⁣ Miles (Pudge) Halter goes to a boarding school in search of "the great perhaps" and has a fascination with famous last words. There he meets Alaska, a young girl with who is the girl of his dreams and in which he falls in love with. Their journey together at boarding school begins and John takes us on an exciting ride where in trying to learn about Alaska, Pudge learns more about himself and the great perhaps.⁣ .⁣ This book is the first John Green book I have ever read and I loved it. It is a very well-written teen fiction book addressed more towards teenage audiences which is why I feel that I enjoyed it so much because of how it was targeted towards my age group being able to relate to it much more and remind me of high school.⁣ .⁣ The pace of this book was perfect. Not too fast and not too slow which makes you never want to stop reading. It’s definitely a memorable book that I won’t ever forget as it takes you through so many emotions such as sadness, anger and excitement.⁣ .⁣ Looking for Alaska is an outstanding coming-of-age novel that doesn't resort to a "happily ever after" ending, but the characters each seek closure on their own terms. The characters are very well written, witty and full of unique perks.⁣ .⁣ This book also includes some fun pranks, some great humor, and some shocking turns of events. I really loved the "before"/ "after" stricture of book/chapters and the whole countdown. It really added to build suspense.⁣ .⁣ Are you excited about the new series on this book? I recently found out the announcement about Looking for Alaska Hulu series coming October 18th! I then found out in Australia you aren’t able to get Hulu which is very unfortunate for all the Aussie’s out there who have read this book and wished to watch the series but HOPEFULLY that changes. (It did change! It’s going to be on Stan October 19th!) .⁣ Overall, Looking for Alaska is a book I still love, still recommended it to everyone and may soon re-read!⁣ .⁣ Rating = 4.5/5 .⁣ Bonnie xx

The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins 


PEEPS, YOUR HUNGER GAMES FANGIRL NERDY BOOKWORM IS FREAKING OUT RIGHT NOW OVER THE NEW ANNOUNCEMENT!!! If you missed yesterday’s news, we are getting a new prequel novel to The Hunger Games in May 2020! I credit this trilogy a lot for getting me into book blogging and reviewing. It’s a strong part of my life and THIS CALLS FOR A RE-READ NOW! Do you love The Hunger Games? Let’s chat in the comments! #book #books #bookstagram #bookporn #bookphoto #bookphotography #bookblogger #booklover #booknerd #bookish #instabooks #unitedbookstagram #f4f #l4l #follow #read #reading #reader #readersgonnaread #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #blogger #writersofinstagram #bookcover #thehungergames #thehungergamesbook #fangirl #suzannecollins

Harry Potter, J K Rowling 


“I am what I am an' I'm not ashamed. ‘Never be ashamed,’ my ol’ dad used ter say, ‘there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” . . . #harrypotter #harrypotterbooks #bookstagram #book #books #bookstagrammer #booksofinstagram #jkrowling #hagrid #potterhead #magic #wizardingworld #wizard #harrypotterfan #bookish #bookishlove #halfbloodprince #gobletoffire

To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee


"Atticus, he was real nice." "most people are, Scout, when you finally see them." - To kill a mockingbird

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz 


#benjaminaliresaenz #aristotleanddantediscoverthesecretsoftheuniverse #reading #greatbooks # My Oh My, I read this book again and I love it so, I share it here. Thankyou @tatianachiline for your library of books. So #inspiring #lockdown2020 #confinementchallenge # #mondaymotivation #monday #actresslife #gowithin #ilovereading #ilovereadingbooks #

The Sun is Also a Star, Nicola Yoon 


How do you get out of a reading slump? . . . Yes, I’m currently struggling to get out of a reading slump and I do realize that it’s the absolute worst time to have one right because I literally have nothing to do and I could spend three weeks just reading. I think I just need to finally finish some of my current reads and pick up a quick read next! . . . . . I hope all of you had a great weekend! Stay safe! . . . . . . #bookstagram #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookcommunity #bookgram #bookishfeature #bookstagrammer #bookstagramfeature #bookworm #bookwormlife #booksofig #booksbooksbooks #bookishlove #booklover #booknerd #featuredbooklovers #goodreads #igreads #prettybooks #readersofinstagram #readingismagic #unitedbookstagram #welovebooks #books #reading #thesunisalsoastar

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkein  


"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit." - J. R. R. Tolkien . . . #thehobbit #hobbit #thehobbitfan #thehobbitfandom #thehobbitnerd #thehobbitgeek #geek #bilbo #bilbobaggins #tolkien #tolkienfan #jrrtolkien #thehobbitbook #book #bookstagram #bookphotography #bookphoto #unexpectedjourney #disolationofsmaug #battleofthefivearmies #middleearth

The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton


@livi_lou_reads asked “What is a book you read for school you ended up loving?” . Answer: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton . Fun Facts: the author was only 16 when she wrote this book and is credited as starting the entire genre of YA! Originally published in 1967, it was written based on the social groups at Hinton’s own high school. It was suggested for the author to use her initials S.E. Instead of her given names (Susan Eloise) in order to hide her gender from biased male book reviewers. . I originally read this before it was assigned in school. My sister is a year ahead of me and I read it when she had to in grade 7. I would have been 11 or 12 ish? I’ve since reread it as an adult and it holds up. . Plot: Ponyboy is from the wrong side of the tracks. He lives with his older brothers Darry and Sodapop and hangs out with a motley crew of greasers. One night things take a bad turn with the ‘Socs’ which results in murder. Ponyboy and his buddy Johnny leave the scene to protect themselves and hide from the law and their families. . There’s a movie adaptation that’s AWFUL which is surprising because the cast is A.

Tell us your recommendations in the comments section below. 

ALSO READ: 9 Classic books that are worth reading at least once in your life

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