YA Book Recommendations

I just published four novels to read with your tween, so I wanted to follow it up with four novels aimed at teens that you can enjoyably read whether you have a teenager at home or not. Here they are.

ONE How to Take the Ex Out of Ex-Boyfriend by Jeannette Rallison. This is one of the few books I’ve read that actually made me laugh out loud. It follows the adventures of Giovanna who, in a fit of passion, dumps her boyfriend. She almost immediately regrets it and starts a campaign to win him back. This results in many hilarious misadventures. I found this story very funny even though in truth I’m old enough to be the mother of a teen (but don’t tell anybody). I need to add that if you like this one by Rallison, I’d also recommend another funny teen novel she wrote called Fame Glory & Other Things on My To Do List. More light-hearted funny doings including a hilariously messed up scene from the high school’s rendition of Westside Story.

TWO The Adoration of Jenna Fox (The Jenna Fox Chronicles) by Mary E. Pearson. This takes place in the not too distant future. Further, although this is set in the future, it is not a dystopian novel which makes it an outlier in the current crop of novels. I was beginning to wonder if there were any books written about the future that didn’t open with ‘and now the evil totalitarian government controls everybody’s life’. This story opens up with Jenna Fox regaining consciousness after a terrible accident. She starts to suspect that she is not being told the complete truth about why she was in a coma and wow is she right. I found the novel just riveting as it gradually revealed the complete truth of Jenna’s situation.

THREE Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. This is a fun fantasy novel based on the premise that years ago an agreement was made with magical creatures to keep them on magical preserves. While most of the world is ignorant of the existence of the magical creatures, there are a privileged few that not only know, but are tasked with the responsibility to run the preserves and keep the creatures protected. Stan Sorenson is one such caretaker. Enter Stan’s grandchildren. There is Kendra who is 13 and Seth who is 11. Through a series of events, they come to stay with him and gradually discover his secret. When a crisis strikes the preserve, Kendra and Seth do their best to avert tragedy. The story was exciting and I really enjoyed the characters. There are [easyazon_link identifier=”1442429771″ locale=”US” nw=”n” nf=”n” tag=”greatbookgood-20″ cart=”n”]four more novels[/easyazon_link] in this series all of which I highly recommend. The series has it all: enjoyable characters who grow and change, excitement, adventure, danger, a touch of romance, and betrayal.

FOUR Twilight by Stephenie Myers. Alright, I confess. I read it and, what’s more, I enjoyed it, too. Fine. Let the judgment begin. For what it’s worth, I didn’t read any of the sequels because I felt the story was following an arc I found hard to believe (like I can believe Twilight’s original plot, I know). At any rate, this follows Bella who is newly living in Forks, WA with her father whom she barely knows after years of living in a different state with her mother. When Bella starts in her new school, she meets bad boy Edward. Although she’s drawn to him, Edward wants nothing to do with her and we soon find out why. Twilight has been out long enough that it’s not a spoiler to say Edward is a recovering vampire. This is one of the few romances out there which explains why the main characters fall in love and it doesn’t happen suddenly, but takes time. I enjoyed the back story of both Bella and Edward and, yes, their timeless romance.

This a short list and there are many other great novels out there to read that are aimed at teens, but still provide a solid plot with an exciting story that adults (including this one) can enjoy. If you are an adult that doesn’t usually read YA novels, I’d encourage you to try a few and see what you think.