Selections of the best books for teenagers according to Time magazine, The Guardian newspaper, the Russian Ministry of Education and Science, and also, as a bonus, according to the editors of Lifehacker. Adolescents will be considered boys and girls aged 10 to 19 years, according to the terminology of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
Time's 10 Best Young Adult Books
In 2015, the weekly Time magazine published a selection of the hundred best books for young people. The list was compiled based on recommendations from reputable critics, publishers and reading clubs from around the world. You can see the full list, but here are the top ten.
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Half-Indian by Sherman Alexie. Original title: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. A partly autobiographical book about a boy growing up on an Indian reservation, for which the author received a National Book Award. The main character is a “nerd” who dreams of becoming an artist, challenging the system and prejudices of society.
- Harry Potter series, JK Rowling. The first of seven books about a young wizard and his friends studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was published in 1997. The story of Harry Potter has become incredibly popular all over the world. The books have been translated into 67 languages and filmed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The series, starting with the first novel, has won many awards.
- "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Original title: The Book Thief. The novel, written in 2006, tells about the events of World War II, Nazi Germany and the girl Liesel. The book is on The New York Times bestseller list and, as the literary magazine Bookmarks aptly notes, is capable of breaking the hearts of both teenagers and adults. After all, the story in it is told from the perspective of Death.
- "A Crack in Time" by Madeleine Lengle. Original title: A Wrinkle in Time. A science fiction novel about thirteen-year-old Meg, who is considered too wayward by her classmates and teachers. Perhaps the girl would have remained a thorn and would have continued to suffer due to the sudden disappearance of her father, if not for one nightly incident... The book was published in 1963 and received a number of awards.
- Charlotte's Web by Alvin Brooks White. Original title: Charlotte's Web. This beautiful story about the friendship of a girl named Fern and a pig named Wilburg was first published in 1952. The work was twice filmed in the form of animated films, and also formed the basis of a musical.
- "The Pits" by Louis Saker. Original title: Holes. This novel by a Danish writer has won several awards and is ranked 83rd on the BBC's 200 Best Books list. The main character's name is Stanley, and he has absolutely no luck in life. So much so that he ends up in a correctional camp, where he has to dig holes every day... Unfortunately, the book has not been translated into Russian, but has been filmed under the title “Treasure.”
- "Matilda", Roald Dahl. The original name is Matilda. This novel came from the pen of an English writer, whose children's books are famous for their lack of sentimentality and often dark humor. The heroine of this work is a girl named Matilda, who loves to read and has some supernatural abilities.
- "The Outcasts" by Susan Eloise Hinton. Original title: The Outsiders. The novel was first published in 1967 and is a classic of American teen literature. It tells about the conflict between two youth gangs and a fourteen-year-old boy, Ponyboy Curtis. It is noteworthy that the writer began working on the book when she was 15, and finished it at 18. In 1983, Francis Ford Coppola shot a feature film of the same name.
- "Cute and the Magic Booth" by Jaster Norton. Original title: The Phantom Tollbooth. A work published in 1961 about the exciting adventures of a boy named Milo. Readers can expect puns and naughty wordplay, and Jules Phifer's illustrations make the book feel like a cartoon.
- "The Giver", Loris Lowry. Original title: The Giver. This novel, written in the dystopian genre, rare for children's literature, received the Newbery Medal in 1994. The author paints an ideal world where there are no diseases, wars or conflicts and no one needs anything. However, it turns out that such a world is devoid of colors and there is no place in it not only for suffering, but also for love. In 2014, the film “The Dedicated” was made based on the novel.
The Guardian's 10 Best Books for Teens
In 2014, the British daily newspaper The Guardian published a list of 50 books that young men and women should read. The list was compiled based on the results of voting by 7 thousand people. The works were divided into categories: “books that help you understand yourself,” “books that change your worldview,” “books that teach you to love,” “books that will make you laugh,” “books that will make you cry,” and so on. Here is the list.
The top ten included books that help shape the personality of a young reader and inspire them to overcome difficulties.
- The Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins. Original title: The Hunger Games. The first book in this series was published in 2008 and within six months became a bestseller. The circulation of the first two novels exceeded two million copies. The story takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, and Collins said she was inspired by ancient Greek mythology and her father's military career. All parts of the trilogy have been filmed.
- “The Fault in Our Stars”, John Green. Original title: The Fault in Our Stars. The touching love story between sixteen-year-old Hazel, who has cancer, and seventeen-year-old Augustus, who has the same illness, was published in 2012. That same year, the novel entered The New York Times bestseller list.
- To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee. Original title: To Kill a Mockingbird. This work was first published in 1960, and a year later the author received the Pulitzer Prize for it. In the USA they study it as part of the school curriculum. This is not surprising, because through the prism of a child's view, Harper Lee looks at very adult problems such as racism and inequality.
- Harry Potter series, JK Rowling. Here The Guardian coincided with Time.
- "", George Orwell. A dystopian novel about totalitarianism, published in 1949. Along with Zamyatin's "We" is considered one of the best in its genre. Orwell's work is ranked eighth on the BBC's list of the 200 best books, and Newsweek magazine ranked the novel second in the hundred best books of all time. Until 1988, the novel was banned in the USSR.
- "The Diary of Anne Frank". Original title: The Diary of a Young Girl. The only non-fiction work on the list. These are the records kept by the Jewish girl Anne Frank from 1942 to 1944. Anna made her first entry on June 12, her birthday, when she turned 13. The last entry is dated August 1st. Three days later, the Gestapo arrested everyone hiding in the shelter, including Anna. Her diary is part of the UNESCO Memory of the World Register.
- "A Street Cat Named Bob" by James Bowen. Original title: A Streetcat Named Bob. James Bowen was a street musician and had problems with drugs until one day he picked up a stray cat. The meeting turned out to be fateful. “He came and asked me for help, and he asked for my help more than my body asked for self-destruction,” Bowen writes. The story of two tramps, a man and a cat, was heard by the literary agent Mary Paknos and suggested that James write an autobiography. The book, co-written with Gary Jenkins, was published in 2010.
- "The Lord of the Rings", John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Original title: The Lord of the Rings. This is one of the most popular books of the twentieth century in general and in the fantasy genre in particular. The novel was written as a single book, but due to its large volume, it was divided into three parts when published. The work has been translated into 38 languages and has had a huge impact on world culture. Films have been made based on it and computer games have been created.
- "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. Original title: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is a story about a guy named Charlie, who, like all teenagers, acutely feels loneliness and misunderstanding. He pours out his experiences in letters. The book was published in a million copies, critics dubbed it “The Catcher in the Rye for new times.” The novel was filmed by the author himself, with Logan Lerman playing the main role and his girlfriend Emma Watson.
- "Jane Eyre", Charlotte Brontë. Original title - Jane Eyre. The novel was first published in 1847 and immediately gained the love of readers and critics. The focus is on an early orphaned girl, Jane, with a strong character and a vivid imagination. The book has been filmed many times and is ranked tenth on the BBC's list of the 200 best books.
Patrick Marioné - thanks for > 2M/Flickr.com 10 best books for schoolchildren according to the Russian Ministry of Education and Science
In January 2013, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation published a list of one hundred books for secondary school students for extracurricular reading. The list includes works outside the school curriculum.
The creation of the list and its contents caused a lively discussion in the press and on the Internet. Much criticism was expressed against the Ministry of Education and Science, and some literary figures proposed alternative lists.
Nevertheless, here are the first ten of “100 books on the history, culture and literature of the peoples of the Russian Federation, recommended for schoolchildren to read independently.”
Please note: the list is compiled alphabetically, so our top ten consists of the first ten surnames. We will consider two works by the same author as one item. This is by no means a rating.
- “The Siege Book”, Daniil Granin and Alexey Adamovich. This is a documentary chronicle of the blockade, first published with banknotes in 1977. In Leningrad, the book was banned until 1984.
- “And the day lasts longer than a century” and “The White Steamship”, Chingiz Aitmatov. The title of the novel “And the day lasts longer than a century” contains a line from a poem by Boris Pasternak. This is Aitmatov's first major work, published in 1980. The story “The White Steamer” about a seven-year-old orphan boy living on the shores of Issyk-Kul was published ten years earlier.
- “Star Ticket” and “Island of Crimea”, Vasily Aksyonov. The story of the Denisov brothers, told on the pages of the novel “Star Ticket,” at one time “blew up” the public. The most harmless thing that Aksenov was accused of was the abuse of youth slang. The science fiction novel “Island of Crimea,” published in 1990, on the contrary, was received with a bang and became the main all-Union bestseller of the year.
- “My brother plays the clarinet”, Anatoly Aleksin. The story, written in 1968, is in the form of a diary of a girl, Zhenya, who dreams of devoting her life to her musician brother. But it turns out that each person is like a separate planet, and everyone has their own goals and dreams.
- “Dersu Uzala”, Vladimir Arsenyev. One of the best works of Russian adventure literature. The novel describes the life of the small peoples of the Far East and the hunter Dersu Uzal.
- “The Shepherd and the Shepherdess” and “The Tsar Fish”, Viktor Astafiev. Two stories on two main themes in Astafiev’s work - war and the village. The first was written in 1967, and the second in 1976.
- “Odessa Stories” and “Cavalry”, Isaac Babel. These are two collections of stories. The first tells about pre-revolutionary Odessa and the Benny Krik gang, and the second about the civil war.
- “Ural Tales”, Pavel Bazhov. This is a collection created on the basis of mining folklore of the Urals. “Malachite Box”, “Mistress of the Copper Mountain”, “Stone Flower” - these and other works by Bazhov have been known and loved by many since childhood.
- “Republic of SHKID”, Grigory Belykh and Alexey Panteleev. An adventure story about street children who lived in the Dostoevsky School of Social and Labor Education (ShkID). The authors themselves became the prototypes of the two characters. The work was filmed in 1966.
- “Moment of Truth”, Vladimir Bogomolov. The action of the novel takes place in August 1944 on the territory of Belarus (another title of the work is “In August of forty-four”). The book is based on real events.
The best books for teenagers according to Lifehacker
We decided to find out what the Lifehacker team read as teenagers. They called “Harry Potter”, and “The Lord of the Rings”, and other aforementioned works. But there were a few books not mentioned in the top ten of any of the lists.
I read the Great Soviet Encyclopedia. There are thousands of thousands of unfamiliar interesting words, and I, being small, sat down in the toilet, simply opened it to any page and read, read, read, learning new terms and definitions. Informative.
One of the books that most influenced me as a teenager was the novel “A Hero of Our Time” by Lermontov. Love, passion, nature, philosophy of nihilism - what else does a teenager need? :) Here it is, fertile ground for youthful maximalism. The work made me think about my place in this world, about the essence of existence and all that, eternal.
Sergey Varlamov
SMM specialist at Lifehacker
At the age of 12–13 I read the book “The Mysterious Island”. At this time I was generally interested in the books of Jules Verne, full of adventures and surprises. Mentally, together with the heroes, he overcame difficulties and traveled. “The Mysterious Island” taught that even in the most hopeless situation you should not give up. You need to dream, believe, and most importantly - do.
What did you read when you were 10–19 years old? What book will you definitely buy for your children when they are this age? And what do you think is a must-read for Generation Z?
Producing
deep impression on the young
mind, constitutes an era in life
person.
Smiles S.,
English philosopher
The problem of choosing books at this age is related to two things. Firstly, with the internal state and reading needs of an individual child. Secondly, for parents of a fourteen to fifteen year old child, the task is still urgent not to scare them away from reading, but, on the contrary, to make them want to do this activity in every possible way. The recommended list includes books that are truly beloved by children. S. Averintsev noted that if a person knows only his time, his narrowly modern range of concepts, he is a chronic provincial. In order not to be a chronic provincial, by the age of seventeen you need to read a lot of all sorts of books - just about life, about the way of life and customs of different peoples and eras.
The books in this list are grouped rather conventionally, and the groups are arranged in order of increasing “maturity”. As we present the texts, we offer comments on some of them.
Still “children’s” books
A. Lindgren. Super detective Kalle Blomkvist. Roni is the daughter of a robber. Brothers Lionheart. We are on the island of Saltkroka.
The last book - the most “adult” on the list, but, strictly speaking, all this should have been read by the age of 12-13. As, indeed, other books in this section. They are specifically for teenagers.
V. Krapivin. Knee-deep in the grass. The shadow of the caravel. Squire Kashka. Sailor Wilson's white ball. Captain Rumbaud's briefcase.
Perhaps someone will prefer V. Krapivin’s “mystic-fantasy” cycles. These books contain memories of childhood. The story about Captain Rumba is funny and cheerful.
R. Bradbury. Dandelion wine.
A story about how difficult it is to leave childhood.
A. Marshall. I can jump over puddles.
R. Kipling. Pack from the hills. Awards and fairies.
Lloyd Alexander. A series of novels about Taren (The Book of Three. The Black Cauldron. Taren the Wanderer).
History, geography, zoology and more
D. London. Northern stories. Smoke Belew. Smoke and baby.
D. Curwood. Vagabonds of the North.
Jules Verne. Everything that hasn't been read yet.
A. Conan Doyle. Lost World. Brigadier Girard.
W. Scott. Ivanhoe. Quenin Dorward.
G. Haggard. Daughter of Montezuma. King Solomon's Mines.
R. Stevenson. Kidnapped. Catriona.
R. Kipling. Kim.
A. Dumas. Count of Monte Cristo.
WITH. Forester. The Saga of Captain Hornblower.
The book was written in the 20th century: the story of an English sailor from midshipman to admiral during the Napoleonic wars. The story is adventurous, authentic, charming. The hero evokes great sympathy, remaining an ordinary, but very worthy person.
I. Efremov. The Journey of Baurjed. On the edge of the Ecumene. Andromeda's nebula. Stories.
These books are a great help in the history of the ancient world (Egypt, Greece), and geography (Africa, Mediterranean). Efremov is good as a popularizer of science. He has a documentary story about paleontological excavations in Mongolia "Wind Road"- very curious.
M. Zagoskin. Yuri Miloslavsky.
A.K. Tolstoy. Prince Silver.
What girls love
S. Bronte. Jane Eyre.
E. Porter. Pollyanna.
D. Webbster. Long-legged uncle. Dear enemy.
A. Egorushkina. A real princess and a traveling bridge.
M. Stewart. Nine carriages. Moon spinners.
This reading is for girls 14-16 years old. English life after the war, Europe (Greece, France), marvelous landscapes, love...
Something from Soviet literature
I. Ilf, E. Petrov. The twelve Chairs. Golden calf.
L. Solovyov. The Tale of Khoja Nasreddin.
The text is charming and mischievous. Perhaps the most suitable for getting used to adult conversations “about life”.
V. Astafiev. Theft. Last bow.
“Theft” is a very scary story about an orphanage in the Arctic Circle, where children of exiled and already dead parents survive.
V. Bykov. The dead don't hurt. Obelisk. His battalion.
E. Kazakevich. Star.
N. Dumbadze.Me, grandma, Iliko and Illarion. White flags.
Ch. Aitmatov.White ship.
Memories of upbringing
A. Herzen. Past and thoughts.
TO. Paustovsky.A story about life.
A. Kuprin.Junker. Cadets.
A. Makarenko. Pedagogical poem.
F. Vigdorova.The road to life. This is my home. Chernigovka.
The trilogy is written about an orphanage created by Makarenko’s student back in the 30s. Lots of interesting details about life, schools and problems of that time.
D. Darell. My family and other animals.
Fantastic
A. Belyaev. Amphibian Man. Professor Dowell's Head.
A. Tolstoy. Hyperboloid of engineer Garin. Aelita.
G. Wells. War of the Worlds. Green door.
WITH. Lem.Stories about the pilot Pirx. (Magellan Cloud. Return from the Stars. Star Diaries of Jon the Quiet.)
Smart stories with good humor .
R. Bradbury. 451 ° Fahrenheit. The Martian Chronicles and Other Stories.
A. B. Strugatsky. The road to Almaty. NoonXXIIcentury It's hard to be a god. Attempt to escape. Inhabited island. Monday starts on Saturday.
G. Harrison.Indomitable planet.
An ecological novel, wise in its main idea and charming thanks to its rogue hero.
Fantasy
A. Green. Gold chain. Running on the waves. Brilliant world. Road to nowhere.
D.R.R. Tolkien. Lord of the Rings. The Silmarillion.
TO. Simak. Goblin Sanctuary.
Ursula Le Guin. A Wizard of Earthsea.
Diana W. Jones. Haul's walking castle. Castle in the air. Worlds of Chrestomanci. Merlin's conspiracy.
M. And S. Dyachenko. Road magician. Oberon's word. Evil has no power.
S. Lukyanenko. Knights of the Forty Islands.
A book about growing up and moral problems that have to be solved in artificially constructed conditions.
M. Semyonova. Wolfhound.
D. Rowling. Harry Potter.
Detectives
A. Conan Doyle. Stories about Sherlock Holmes.
E. Po. Stories.
W. Collins. Moon rock.
A. Christie. Death on the Orient Express.
G.K. Chesterston. Stories about Father Brown.
M. Cheval and P. Valeux. Death of the 31st department.
Dick Francis. Favorite. Driving force.
Francis's novels are an encyclopedia of reality. The author is amazing for shaping your horizons and life attitudes.
A. Haley. Airport. Wheels. Hotel. Final diagnosis.
Great novels and serious stories
V. Hugo. Les Misérables. Notre Dame Cathedral.
Charles Dickens. Oliver Twist. David Copperfield. Cold house. Martin Chuzzlewit. Our mutual friend. Dombey and son.
D. Austin. Pride and Prejudice.
G. Senkevich. Flood. Fire and sword. Crusaders.
D. Galsworthy. The Forsyte Saga.
T. Mann. Buddenbrooks.
R. Pilcher. Shell finders. Homecoming. September. Christmas Eve.
Everyday, charming books about England from the Second World War to the 1980s.
E. Remarque. Three comrades. No change on the Western Front.
E. Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms! Stories.
G. Böll. A house without an owner. Billiards at half past eight.
M. Mitchell. Gone With the Wind.
T. Wilder. Theophilus North. Day eight. Ides of March.
I. Vo. Return to Brideshead.
Student life is described in detail and nostalgically. Where does hypocrisy and rebellion against it lead is the question that the author is trying to answer.
M. Stewart. Crystal Grotto. Hollow Hills. The Last Magic.
G.L. Oldie. Odysseus, son of Laertes. The author is not English. These are two Russian-speaking writers from Kharkov. They write fantasy and novels like this - reconstruction of myths. They write very well and very unusually, unexpectedly.
R. Zelazny. Chronicles of Amber.
IN. Kamsha. Red on red. This is the most sober and adequate understanding of our current troubled life. The book is smart and tough.
Here is a large and rather incomplete list of literature for children 14-15 years old that we offer. We really hope that many of these books will be read by your children. These books will open up to them the wonderful world of fiction, teach them how to correctly solve the problem of choice and help your children gain social experience.
Material provided by N.S. Venglinskaya, methodologist of MOUDO "IMC".
Don’t know what book you can give to a teenager – a friend, girlfriend, son? Or maybe you are looking for light literature for yourself? We present to you a selection of excellent reading for young children!
Hello, dear Bookley readers!
Today I want to tell you about wonderful books that our teenage children definitely need to read. I have nephews who will very soon enter the most wonderful time of their lives, when you want to see the world through the eyes of an adult, and they absorb knowledge like a sponge.
In adolescence, it is necessary to instill not only high moral qualities and principles, but also to develop imagination, and most importantly, not to forget that they are still children and can believe in fairy tales.
That's why I decided to make a small selection of books that will influence every teenager. There will be neither Dostoevsky nor Tolstoy here, as well as other great writers from the school curriculum.
A fantasy that can win the heart of any teenager
"Harry Potter" - JK Rowling
The first thing worth reading and watching is the amazing story of “the boy who lived.” Harry Potter can truly become a true friend and guide to the world of magic. All books are full of kindness, love, loyalty, friendship and justice. You can talk for hours about the immense meaning that all seven parts carry. If you doubt whether your child should read Potter, then just read our readers’ reviews of this landmark work:
- Harry Potter - a whole era!
- The Boy Who Lived
A couple of days ago, I was shocked when I heard the news that JK Rowling is one of the few who names the main villain correctly - Voldemor. My life will not be the same... But I will still call him Voldemort!
Just bring one book to your child and let him believe in magic and magic. He himself will discover an amazing universe where a miracle is possible. He will know true feelings and believe in himself, in the fact that he is also special.
The Chronicles of Narnia - Clive Staples Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia is full of amazing images and characters, some of which are familiar to us from childhood. The work contains many images from mythology and a child from this age can easily become captivated by ancient legends. In this story, reality is mixed with fantasy, and as you turn page after page, the thin line between these concepts is erased and a new world emerges.
Unfortunately, I became acquainted with this series when I was already quite an adult, but I plunged into a fairy tale full of magic, talking animals, family values, friendship, love, and exploits. I found myself in Narnia!
"Percy Jackson" -Rick Riordan
And of course, I can’t help but mention the series of books about Percy Jackson. The mythology of Ancient Greece is currently being studied at school. Myths captivate many, especially amazing feats. So why not introduce the teenager to Percy, the son of Poseidon and a mortal woman?
Seven books, one of which is additional stories about the main characters, will be a discovery for your child. Conspiracies, battles, and exploits go on a par with love, friendship, faith and justice.
I met Percy two years ago after I watched the film. And this series did not disappoint me. And I hope it doesn't disappoint teenagers.
Novels for teenagers
Well, everything will be fine with a teenager’s imagination if he reads three science fiction series. Now let’s talk about real life, about philosophical thoughts and truisms that children 11-16 years old don’t even think about, but it’s time.
Novels by Paulo Coelho
Many may disagree with me, but I believe that from the age of 13 you should start reading Paulo Coelho. Ten years ago, not much was known about him. Now everyone who is not too lazy thinks that his books are nonsense and are not worth reading. But that's not true. At the age of 13, I was greatly influenced by the novels of this author. I started my acquaintance with the works:
- "Alchemist";
- "Zaire";
- “On the banks of the Rio Piedra I sat down and cried”;
- "Veronica Decides to Die" (review);
- "11 minutes";
- "Book of the Warrior of Light";
- "Brida."
The author's easy language and amazing style are what make reading easy. And the things that Paulo Coelho writes about are simple and understandable. We have discussed and thought about some things more than once and thought for ourselves, but with the writer everything is harmonious and clear.
The books show life as it exists. Sometimes mysticism is mixed in, which gradually loses its fantastic nature and becomes real. You understand that everything in this life depends only on ourselves.
In Coelho's works there is a beautiful love that is not invented. This love is real. The author himself writes about his feelings for his wife. All the books mentioned above made me think about life and reconsider my maximalist views.
Mysticism for young readers? No problem!
Many teenagers at some point begin to get involved in mysticism and horror. In this case, the best things you can read without losing your sanity are Stephen King's books. Let's start with the novel Carrie. The story is about a schoolgirl who discovered her ability to telekinesis as soon as she began to transform from a girl to a girl. Mysticism goes hand in hand with the cruelty of schoolchildren who know no boundaries when they begin to bully a peer.
This novel will also be useful for parents to read, because some, even in our time, forget to educate their children about the intimate and physiological aspects of life. It is clear that teenagers themselves find all the most important things on the Internet, but nothing can replace a conversation with their parents.
Stephen King has written 50 novels and nearly 200 short stories, so you can find books that will leave an indelible mark on your heart.
Immerse your child in a world of adventure
And this whole cocktail of fantasy, reality and horror must be diluted with something historical and adventure. The books of Alexandre Dumas, and especially “D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers,” will perform well in this role.
The historical component will take you to France from the time of the brave musketeers. A story full of adventures, court conspiracies, palace coups, male friendship and tragic love.
Bukli has a review of the book “The Three Musketeers” by Elena Filchenko.
You can also read "The Iron Mask". The strange prisoner in the Bastille wears an iron mask. Nobody knows who is hiding behind the steel. Some members of the aristocracy become interested and find out what the king's twin brother is hiding under the mask. A great deception awaits in the pages of this novel.
In addition, Alexandre Dumas wrote many works that will send everyone into the past, revealing the secrets of kings and mere mortals.
Other bestsellers for teens
Of course, all teenagers should be familiar with Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit or There and Back Again trilogy, as well as Christopher Paolini's Eragon.
And so the list can be endless. Most importantly, just give your child the opportunity to get acquainted with these authors, and let the teenager choose what he likes.
At the present time there is no shortage of printed publications. Their choice is huge, and modern children have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the best classic books for young people, as well as modern literature. But parents should not make the mistake of calling a teenager a book very interesting, although in fact it is either not suitable for his age or does not affect his interests.
Books that are popular among young readers, without a doubt, include those that address school problems:
- “The First Teacher” by Ch. Aitmatov;
- “Seventeen-year-olds” by G. Matveev;
- “Book of Tips for Survival at School” by E. Verkin;
- “The Diary of Kolya Sinitsyn” by N. Nosov;
- “The Tale of Youth” by G. Medynsky;
- “French Lessons” by V. Rasputin;
- “It's Good to Be a Wallflower” by S. Chbosky.
Should literature be forced on teenagers?
Books intended for adolescence are aimed at improving literacy and increasing the reader’s vocabulary, teaching him to communicate in a full-fledged native language. Books for young people at this age are a transition from children's fairy tales and laconic comics to more serious literature that carries real knowledge, instills aesthetic discernment and develops emotions. With the help of teen books, young people better understand complex human characters that simultaneously connect people and show the differences between cultures. Modern consciousness forms a long list of writers who were raised in their time on previous standards.
Contemporary lists of English-language teen classics include names such as Anthony Burgess, Emily Brontë, Alice Walker and Scott Fitzgerald. For Russian-speaking teenagers, the classic works of Leo Tolstoy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Mikhail Bulgakov, Boris Pasternak, Veniamin Kaverin, Vladimir Nabokov, the Strugatsky brothers, Ilf and Petrov are much more understandable. Each work finds its reader.
You can create a long list of books that are interesting for youth and then demand that the child strictly follow it when choosing literature. But you can hardly expect anything worthwhile from this if adults who recommend interesting (in their opinion) works do not take into account the interests, temperament and character of the reader himself. On the contrary, after reading several books recommended and advertised by elders, a teenager may become completely disillusioned with the literature and forget about it for a long time, even about what is available on the Internet. It’s so easy to discourage the desire - it’s much more difficult than instilling a love of reading.
It is a common thing that what adults find interesting does not cause much delight in their children. The opposite is also true, when the most interesting books for teenagers seem to their parents to be primitive in plot and lacking in depth of moral feelings. In this case, parents should be reminded that it is useless at the age of 13-14 to demand from a child an understanding of the depth of the legacy of Tolstoy, Saltykov-Shchedrin, Leskov, Dostoevsky, Gogol and other greatest artists of the Russian word. He will perceive Bulgakov’s “The Master and Margarita” rather superficially, and will evaluate the situations in Solzhenitsyn’s stories “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” or “Matryonin’s Court.”
There is a time for everything: at first, it is only important for a child to fall in love with reading, read more books for young people, learning in the process to empathize with their heroes and analyze the actions of the characters. And only later, when interest manifests itself or the teenager learns to at least partially understand the problems of moral choice, philosophical issues, problems of gender relations, he should move on to literature that makes him think about what he read seriously. Only then is the teenager able to compare his priorities with the level of spiritual height set by the author.
Pedagogical approach to choosing literature
Sometimes parents ask to recommend a teenage book for their child that would impress him. But to do this, you need to know what the child is interested in, and only based on his interests can you recommend books that will at least indirectly affect them. Only in this case can we hope that the teenager will actually like the book. If, for example, a teenager is noticeably interested in technology, then he will probably be interested in the work of science fiction writers. Exciting worlds await him in the books:
- "Mio, my Mio!" A. Lindgren;
- “The Hour of the Bull” by I. Efremov;
- “The Adventures of Alice” by K. Bulychev;
- “The Head of Professor Dowell” by A. Belyaev;
- "The Lost World" by A. Conan Doyle.
When choosing books for a teenager to read, taking into account his age interests, you can choose works with a powerful emotional background and a strong influence on the development of worldview:
- “Faust” by I. Goethe;
- “Martin Eden”, “White Fang” by D. London;
- “Romeo and Juliet”, “Othello” by W. Shakespeare;
- “The Little Prince” by A. de Saint-Exupéry.
Choosing a book according to the child’s worldview
If parents see that their child is not indifferent to the problems of others and prefers stories with a happy ending, then it is better to introduce them to the works of such authors who wrote more about mercy and humanity, endowing their heroes with these qualities, preaching the idea of selfless kindness and the inevitability of punishment for evil . Their decency helps the heroes of such books get out of difficult situations. Here are similar books:
Children often find it difficult to choose a book to read and turn to their parents, but sometimes it is difficult for adults to advise them on anything. But there are such books for...
- “The Count of Monte Cristo” by A. Dumas;
- “Uncle Tom's Cabin” by H. Beecher Stowe;
- “Notre Dame de Paris”, “Les Miserables”, “The Man Who Laughs” by V. Hugo.
Parents, no doubt, know the character of their children very well. If the offspring strives to achieve a goal and shows the makings of a leader, then he needs to strengthen his self-confidence, for which books from the category of adventure literature can be useful:
- “Sea Stories” by B. Zhitkov;
- "Little Lord Fauntleroy" F. Burnett;
- “The Fifteen-Year-Old Captain”, “The Children of Captain Grant”, “Captain Nemo” by J. Verne;
- “Frigate Drivers” by N. Chukovsky;
- “Shadow of the Caravel” by V. Krapivin.
For teenagers, works that tell about first feelings and friendship are of particular interest. For them, you can choose works on this topic that would contain examples of building better relationships with peers, which would teach them how to delicately hint to a girl that she likes her and how to preserve the feelings that arise.
- “Wild Dog Dingo” by R. Fraerman;
- “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” by J. Smith;
- “Scarlet Sails” by A. Green;
- “Burning Islands”, “Love on a Bet” by V. Ivanov;
- “The Fault in Our Stars” by J. Green;
- “Just be next to me” by O. Dzyuba.
Literature for self-development
Of course, the best teenage books include those that are devoted to the topic of personal growth. Their ideas can be treated differently, because each person, in the end, chooses his own path and is guided by his own guidelines. But it will be useful for the younger generation to read about the methods used by successful people and practical advice that they can convey to a young audience.
- “My Life, My Achievements” by G. Ford;
- “27 surefire ways to get what you want” A. Kurpatov;
- “Think and Grow Rich” by N. Hill;
- “The subconscious can do anything” by D. Kehoe.
The famous “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by D. Carnegie especially stands out among such books. It is written in a completely accessible language; it not only covers ways to achieve goals, but also issues of culture, basic rules of behavior, and relationships in society.
Besides the classics
Teenagers are also interested in the work of modern writers, because their books are in tune with the current time, and the spirit of the characters is clear to the reader. Among the most popular modern books among teenagers are:
- “Birthday Gift” by G. Gordienko;
- “Cosmonauts” by A. Givargizov;
- “Masters of the Galaxy”, “Revenge of the Dead Emperor”, “Planet of the Black Emperor” by D. Yemets;
- “Ghost Knight”, “Reckless”, “King of Thieves” by K. Funke;
- "The Princess Forever" M. Cabot;
- “Trap for the Hero”, “Proud Girl” by T. Kryukov.
Classic and modern books for young people make readers empathize with the characters, rejoice with them and comprehend different situations. Literature for young people should have a certain psychological impact. Therefore, if you want to change your thinking with the help of a book, a teenager can read:
Many parents regret that they rarely manage to catch their child reading books. A useful activity for modern children...
- "A Street Cat Named Bob" by D. Bowen;
- “The Book Thief” by M. Zuzaku;
- “The Catcher in the Rye” by D. Salinger;
- “The Fault in Our Stars” by D. Green;
- “Tic Tac Toe” by M. Blackman;
- “Heart of a Dog”, “Fatal Eggs” by M. Bulgakov;
- To Kill a Mockingbird by H. Lee;
- “The Player” by F. Dostoevsky;
- “The Mysterious Murder of a Dog in the Nighttime” by M. Haddon;
- “Open Book” by V. Kaverin;
- “Kamo Gryadeshi” by G. Senkevich;
- "1984" by D. Orwell.
If you need to focus on developing compassion or someone really wants to cry, then you can do this with the following books:
- “The Time Traveler's Wife” by O. Niffenegger;
- "War Horse" by M. Morpurgo;
- “The Kite Runner” by H. Hosseini;
- “Of Mice and Men” by D. Steinbeck;
- “The Color Purple” by E. Walker;
- “Before I Die” by D. Downham;
- “My Sister is a Guardian” by D. Picoult;
- “White Bim Black Ear” G. Troepolsky;
- “Three Comrades” E.-M. Remark.
Those who want to enjoy multi-faceted humor should take on:
- “The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole” by S. Townsend;
- “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” by D. Kinney;
- “Weirdo” by H. Smale;
- “Monday begins on Saturday” by A. and B. Strugatsky;
- "Catch 22" by D. Heller;
- "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by D. Adams.
The following books will help tickle the nerves of young people:
- "Rats" by D. Herbert;
- “Salim’s Lot”, “The Shining” by S. King;
- “The Call of Cthulhu”, “The Shadow over Innsmouth”, “Dagon”, other stories by H. Lovecraft
- “The Wasp Factory” by I. Banks;
- “It’s hard to be a god” by A. and B. Strugatsky.
You can get closer to understanding great love with the help of these books for the younger generation:
- “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District” by N. Leskov;
- “Anna's Diary” by E. Frank;
- “Dark Alleys” by I. Bunin;
- “Wuthering Heights” by E. Bronte:
- "Jane Eyre" by S. Bronte;
- “Pride and Prejudice” by D. Austin;
- “Forever” D. Blum;
- “How I Live Now” M. Rosoff.
Teenagers can immerse themselves in a fantastic fairy-tale world by reading the following works:
- “Life of Pi” by Ya. Martel;
- “Northern Lights” by F. Pullman;
- The Harry Potter series of novels by D. Rowling;
- "The Great Gatsby" by F. Fitzgerald;
- The series of novels “Percy Jackson” by R. Riordan;
- "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C. Lewis.
A separate line should be mentioned the work of D. Tolkien, who created a whole world with a long history, the eternal struggle of good and evil, stories of incredible love, friendship, self-denial and betrayal. His trilogy “The Lord of the Rings”, “The Hobbit” and “The Silmarillion” is admired not only by teenagers, but also by many adults.
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List of books for children of different ages. Not only books are presented here, but also recommendations on how to read, and general recommendations on what to read to a child. ABOUT...
Paper or e-book?
Interested parents may find the following advice helpful: True readers do not look at the design, but value solely the content of the book. However, teenagers usually are not like that, so appearance is more important to them. They may simply not touch an old, tattered book without illustrations; it cannot attract their attention. Therefore, you can use a trick - buy an e-book for a teenager, which can be equipped with those works that are needed to broaden his horizons. Even if he does not read all of them, but only part of them, then this will be a victory! A teenager will be tempted by the possession of a prestigious device that can always be at hand. With him throughout the day, he can always find an hour or two, for example, in transport, in order to make good use of his free time.
Of course, it is impossible to compile a complete list of books popular with teenagers. To understand how popular a book is, you should use special resources on the Internet, and pay attention not only to the rating itself, but also to reader reviews on thematic forums.
2 0 From the “must read” list. It included mostly books from the 2000s. Of course, readers have a question - where are Salinger and Remarque? In this review, Russian language and literature teacher Tatyana Kokuseva reminds us of classical foreign literature. Not all of these works are written about teenagers and for them, but it so happens that these are the books you read at the age of 16-17.
For those preparing for the main school exam
1. Jerome Salinger "The Catcher in the Rye"
What are we talking about?: Holden Caulfield, a troubled teenager, tells his story while reflecting on life.
Why do teenagers need this?: Honest, raw and frank about life in this complex, confusing and not particularly pleasant world. Caulfield's worldview is still not favored by decent parents of decent children, believing that poor Holden is a bad influence on fragile minds, calling for rebellion and escapism. The more interesting the book is among teenagers themselves.
2. William Golding "Lord of the Flies"
What are we talking about?: A group of children find themselves on an island and quickly reach a primitive state, choosing to obey the authority of the force.
Why do teenagers need this?: A tough and even cruel novel-reflection on human nature. The age of innocence is over, the teenager turns into an independent person. It's time to think about what you will become when you grow up, who will win in you - the beast or the man.
3. Harper Lee "To Kill a Mockingbird"»
What are we talking about?: Three years in the life of the Finch family during the Great Depression in a small town in Alabama.
Why do teenagers need this?: The Great Depression, Lynch law, simple cruel people, racism and injustice - against such a pretty background, the hero of the book Atticus, the father of the family, shows courage unexpected for an ordinary person. For the heroes of the novel, the moral law stands above fear. One of the best books about choosing the right action in a difficult situation.
4. Ray Bradbury "Fahrenheit 451"
What are we talking about?: Literature is subject to immediate destruction by fire, and book owners are subject to arrest and treatment.
Why do teenagers need this?: A scary dystopia about totalitarianism. People remain silent, opening their mouths only to discuss nonsense. Books are burning, the past is in the past, in the present there is only interactive television and endless happiness. In this prosperous world, of course, there are dissatisfied owners of inquisitive minds and doubts.
The novel poses unpleasant questions of the next choice: is your brain enough for chewing gum, are books needed by society, or will any thinking person soon be outlawed.
5. Hermann Hesse “Steppenwolf”
What are we talking about?: Notes of Harry Haller, a very lonely man.
Why do teenagers need this?: Actually, Hesse wrote a book for adults, but the misunderstood soul of the main character immediately attracted misunderstood and suffering teenagers. Loneliness in a well-fed philistine world, contradictions with oneself, where to go if you are a sensitive, thinking person, and there are crowds of ordinary people around you.
6. Aldous Huxley “Brave New World”
What are we talking about?: A dystopian novel about a happy brave new world in which something is wrong.
Why do teenagers need this?: What does a world without suffering look like? Something like this - people are artificially grown in test tubes, then they are divided into castes, all questions have ready-made answers. “History is complete nonsense” in the new state, love and emotions interfere with life. If someone is depressed, there is an excellent antidepressant - soma. “Somy grams and no dramas.” It would seem that everything is perfect, all that remains is to answer the question - do we want to live in such a world, enjoying standardized happiness.
7. Evelyn Waugh “Vile Flesh”
What are we talking about?: Life is fun, there’s a carnival all around and money puts pressure on your pockets. A satire on British high society.
Why do teenagers need this?: The dream of a well-fed, carefree life, belonging to the elite of society, a sports car and clothes from famous Parisian fashion designers excites young hearts. It is all the more interesting to plunge into the toxic world of Evelyn Waugh, who ridicules the British aristocracy. It turns out that the cream of society may not be very smart, and their stupidity sometimes comes at a cost.
8. Julio Cortazar “Hopscotch”
What are we talking about?: In spiritual and intellectual quests, you may not notice what you are losing.
Why do teenagers need this?: The main character of the novel, Horacio Oliveira, is no longer a teenager in age, he is forty. However, his actions, doubts and searches look very infantile. Not appreciating what he had, he betrayed his beloved girl, losing her, got confused and either committed or did not commit suicide. The reader must decide for him.
9. Ken Kesey "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"
What are we talking about?: Even in a psychiatric clinic you can remain yourself.
Why do teenagers need this?: Patrick McMurphy is a symbol of rebellion and freedom. We all live in a big madhouse where they are trying to turn us into rabbits. What to do - adapt to a quiet life or fight, not caring about all the rules? And if you choose the path of struggle, then what to do with responsibility for those who follow you but are not so confident in themselves?
10. Irvine Welsh "Trainspotting"
What are we talking about?: Oh God! About addicts and drugs!
Why do teenagers need this?: The characters in the book, in their early twenties, are heavily addicted to heroin. The topic is covered a little more than completely. Drugs mean zero work, zero disgust, half-living relationships, interest in life has gone into the minus. The more problems, the more regrets. Written in honest and tough language, far from the didactic, meaningless horror stories about drugs that are popular in every school.
