American Born Chinese
Gene Luen Yang · 2006
Three intertwined graphic-novel storylines about identity, stereotypes, and belonging, including the Monkey King of Chinese legend.
Books by topic
Teen Reading
Our focus is ages 0–12, but readers do not stop at twelve. This short shelf collects widely taught young adult and crossover titles, with content notes so that parents and teachers can make informed choices alongside teens.
Teen readers deserve autonomy. Notes here are meant to inform conversations, not to restrict them.
- Picture Books
- Early Readers
- Chapter Books
- Middle Grade
- Graphic Novels
- Nonfiction & Biography
- Science & Nature
- History & Biography
- Fantasy & Imagination
- Diverse Books
- Feelings & Social-Emotional Learning
- Classroom Favorites
- Teen Reading
8 books
Sorted from youngest suggested age. Age ranges are editorial estimates.
The Giver
Lois Lowry · 1993
In a seemingly perfect community without pain or choice, twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to receive the community's memories.
The Iliad
Gareth Hinds · 2019
Gareth Hinds's graphic-novel adaptation of Homer's epic of the Trojan War.
Long Way Down
Jason Reynolds · 2017
In sixty seconds on an elevator ride, fifteen-year-old Will — intent on revenge for his brother's death — meets ghosts from his past.
March: Book One
John Lewis, Andrew Aydin; illustrated by Nate Powell · 2013
The first volume of Congressman John Lewis's graphic memoir about his life and the civil rights movement.
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak · 2005
Narrated by Death, the story of Liesel, a foster girl in Nazi Germany who steals books and shares them during the war.
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas · 2017
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter witnesses a police officer shoot her childhood friend and must decide whether to speak out.
The Poet X
Elizabeth Acevedo · 2018
Xiomara, a teen in Harlem, finds her voice through slam poetry while navigating her strict mother and her own questions about faith.
Related guides
Books for Teens: A Short Guide to Young Adult Reading
How young adult books differ from middle grade, how to support a teen reader's independence, and a small shelf of teen titles with content notes.