The best books for 18 year old boys include Meditations, Man’s Search for Meaning, Extreme Ownership, Deep Work, I Will Teach You to Be Rich, East of Eden, The Great Gatsby and The Martian: books on purpose, discipline and money, plus great novels.
The best books for 17 year old girls include The Bell Jar, Pachinko, Americanah, The Secret History, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Crying in H Mart and Piranesi: thought-provoking novels and memoirs for readers on the edge of adulthood.
The best books for 17 year old boys include The Count of Monte Cristo, The Name of the Wind, World War Z, Slaughterhouse-Five, Born a Crime, Atomic Habits, The Psychology of Money and Shoe Dog: gripping fiction plus books that prepare them for adult life.
The best books for 16 year old girls include The Song of Achilles, The Raven Boys, Educated, Station Eleven, Little Fires Everywhere, The Midnight Library and Rebecca: beautifully written crossover novels, memoirs and classics for older teens.
The best books for 16 year old boys include Project Hail Mary, Red Rising, Mistborn, Ready Player One, Dune, Into the Wild, Dear Martin and 1984: high-stakes sci-fi, fantasy, true adventure and classics that respect teen readers.
The best books for 15 year old girls include An Ember in the Ashes, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Legendborn, Truly Devious, I’ll Give You the Sun, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Jane Eyre: richer YA fantasy, mysteries and coming-of-age classics.
The best books for 14 year old girls include Six of Crows, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, The Hate U Give, Red Queen, One of Us Is Lying, Scythe and Clap When You Land: bingeable YA fantasy, thrillers and contemporary novels for high school freshmen.
The best books for 13 year old girls include The Inheritance Games, Cinder, Legend, Divergent, The Book Thief, Heartstopper and The Summer I Turned Pretty: gripping young adult reads that are a good fit for new teens.
The best books for 12 year old girls include Wolf Hollow, Starfish, Other Words for Home, Echo, Guts, Inkheart, Hello, Universe and When Stars Are Scattered: moving, adventurous upper middle grade novels and graphic novels for growing readers.
The best books for 12 year old boys include The Hobbit, Refugee, The Red Pyramid, Ranger’s Apprentice, Artemis Fowl, Lockwood & Co., The Westing Game and The Giver: gripping adventures and thought-provoking classics for middle schoolers.