Need summer reading ideas for your teenage readers? This list is meant for all teenagers, 8th grade through 12th grade, 13 years old to 18 years old.
I have read MOST but not all of these books so there will be some that I’m recommending based on the recommendations of teenagers that I know including my own. Because of that, I haven’t indicated which books might be more mature than others as I usually do.
Find more books that I recommend for teens or to see reviews for most of the books on this list, visit all my YA BOOK recommendations for teens list.
You might also like to read all summer reading lists by grade level.
Teen Summer Reading List (Ages 13+)
Fantasy, Paranormal, & Sci-Fi YA Books
- Woven In Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez
- Legendborn by Tracy Deonn
- Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor
- The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert (A NEW FAVORITE!)
- The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
- A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer
- Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
- The Hundredth Queen by Emily R. King
- Renegades by Marissa Meyer
- Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
- Red Rising by Pierce Brown
- Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Adventure & Mystery YA Booklist
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
- The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
- One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus
- Not If I Save You First by Ally Carter
- Girl, Stolen by April Henry
- Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger
- Firekeepers Daughter by Angeline Boulley
- Cherub by Robert Muchamore
- Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
- Wolf by Wolf  by Ryan Graudin
- The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Realistic Summer Reading for Teens
- Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
- The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
- Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
- Home Home by Lisa Allen-Agostini
- 180 Seconds by Jessica Park
- On the Come Up by Angie Thomas
- The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider
- Dear Martin by Nic Stone
- A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
- The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner
- Turtles All the Way Down by John Green
- Almost American Girl by Robin Ha (graphic novel)
Historical Fiction & History Summer Reading for Teens
- Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
- The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
- Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalo
- Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gatz
- Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
- A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
- Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- Bonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend by Karen Blumenthal
Romance Summer Reading for Teens
- Happily Ever Afters by Elise Bryant
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- The Selection by Kiera Cass
- To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
- Heartstopper by Alice Oseman (graphic novel)
Dystopian Summer Reading for Teens
- Ashfall by Mike Mullin
- Scythe by Neal Shusterman
- The Program by Suzanne Young
- Legend by Marie Lu
- The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
- The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
Also Read:
10 Responses
Do you have a printable list? My daughter wants a hard copy to take with her to the library and cross off as she has read! Thank you!
Here you go — https://imaginationsoup.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Teen-Summer-Reading-List.pdf
🙂
Hello,
I did not see the link for the 8th grade reading list. I wanted to download and put the list in my Google Classroom for summer reading.
Thank you!
Sorry about that — here you go: https://imaginationsoup.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/teen-summer-reading-book-list.pdf.
Hi, I just thought I’d toss a book list suggestion at you. I’m looking for books that would be great as read-alouds for a mixed age group. Books that would be engaging for younger listeners but that older kids/young teens might find interesting to listen to as well. Road Trip Reads/Family Read-Alouds? For example, I have 6 kids ages 4 to 16 and we just finished reading The Adventures of Nanny Piggins and every one of them enjoyed it and laughed out loud. When my 16-year-old son said, “Hey, don’t finish that pig book without me,” I knew I’d stumbled upon a great book! Just a thought. Thanks for all of the great recommendations. 🙂
Thank you for this great idea, Jennifer!
Hi Melissa, I’m Diana and I do all writing and public relations for an Automotive (antique) Car Museum in Phoenix, AZ. In an attempt to garner more visitors (families & kids) through the summer, we decided to support a Summer Reading Incentive with prizes donated by the Museum. Would it be all right with you if I used your reading lists? They are wonderful, you’ve thought of everything – I used to be a librarian in a private school and still miss it. Of course, I will re-type all suggestions and offer them in the age appropriate category if you find this acceptable. Many thanks
Of course but please give me credit. Thanks.
My son is a 15 years old freshmen in high school. He is on the Autism Spectrum and in his case has difficulty relating to abstract concepts. I think biographies, stories that take place in his native New York City- he identifies with landmarks such as Times Square etc. , historical fiction, current events such as movies that are soon to be released and the process of who produced them, the actors and voice overs.. I need help to find books like this for him to read. So many of the books for his age group focus on ethnic, racial and sexual tensions. He simply does not relate to this underlying themes. Can you help me to find resources for books he can read and relate to?
I have a lot of ideas, yes — they’re all here: https://imaginationsoup.net/best-ya-books-teens/ with reviews. But, right off the top of my head I would suggest:
The Great Trouble: A Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and A Boy Called Eel by Deborah Hopkinson
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip Hoose
Terrible Typhoid Mary: A True Story of the Deadliest Cook in America by Susan Campbell Bartlett
Wild Boy and the Black Terror by Rob Lloyd Jones
anything by Steve Sheinkin