Good YA Books: A Recommendation Roundup
So many students. So many books. Only one you. If you’re like us, you want to encourage your students to read, and believe if you can just match each student with their “I love this book. No. Really. I love this book.” soulmate, you will unlock the inner book lover in all your students.
Accomplishing this task? It’s almost Sisyphean. Not to worry. We are here to help. We’re rounding up a treasure trove of good YA books sure to capture the interests and imaginations of your secondary students. Let the matchmaking begin!
A One-Stop Shop for Good YA Books
01
Dramatic Books for Young Adults Your Students Will Love
What teenager doesn’t love a little drama? These books run the gamut from day-to-day high school drama that looks a lot like what you see on your campus, to the drama of the rich, famous, and royal, to ripped straight from the headlines you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me fare.
02
6 Fantastic Books About Different Cultures
We think it’s important to make sure our classroom libraries reflect the diversity of students within our schools, but we also want to encourage students to reach beyond their own experiences. One of the things we love most about secondary students is how open and eager they are to learning new things and broadening their horizons. These titles highlight not just differences, but what joins us together as well.
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03
Mystery Books for Young Adults
Ten years ago, you would have found the shelves of our classroom libraries stocked with Mary Higgens Clark and John Grisham. Not because these authors write for teens, but because there were so few good YA books centered on mysteries that captured the attention of secondary students. This is not the case anymore! We’re sharing seven YA mysteries sure to intrigue your junior detectives.
04
War Books for Teens Our Students Love
If the number of Hollywood blockbuster films, Netflix series, and New York Times Bestsellers can tell us anything, it is that people are fascinated by war. Our YA readers are no exception. Whether it’s a just-the-facts-please account of historical events, wartime love story, or coming-of-age drama that coincides with a world war, our students are easily hooked. We have a feeling yours will be too.
05
Engaging Books for Mature Young Adults
Whether you’re looking to make recommendations for your second semester, almost adult, high school seniors or you’ve got an old soul who says “No thanks” to your YA recommendations, there are times you need to stretch to find something that is developmentally appropriate, but engaging for your students. We’ve got five titles we’d comfortably recommend to our students.
06
Nonfiction Books for Teens Adapted from Adult Bestsellers
There have been many occasions where we’ve read a book and thought, “Our students would love this. If only it didn’t have this word/that scene/those details.” Sometimes the publishing gods hear us and turn I’m just a little nervous to recommend it adult bestseller into a YA adaptation we can easily get behind. Thank you publishing gods.
We could keep going all day with these recommendations, but instead, we’re going to direct you to the YA Books section of our website for even more engaging reads. We’ve got titles for your sci-fi-minded STEM students, fairy tales for those romantic-at-heart readers, and so much more. A matchmaker’s work is never done.
An Easy Way to Recommend Good YA Books
One of the best ways we’ve found to introduce our students to over 30 YA books (we’d like to think good YA books) every year is by making First Chapter Fridays a part of our weekly routine. To make your job just a little easier, we send out FIVE free First Chapter Friday activities each month that we think you and your students will love. If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our monthly First Chapter Friday Nearpods.