With the many draws of teenage life, enticing your daughter to read can be a challenge. Sometimes the trick is to find a book that either allows her to escape her reality OR relates to the challenges of navigating the adolescent years. This list of 50+ titles has a little something for everyone, depending interests and stage of life. With a little nudging, perhaps one or more of these titles will once again spur a love of reading within your child.
50+ Books to Inspire your Teenage Girl to Read
Coming of Age Books
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
- Dumplin’ Series by Julie Murphy also includes Puddin’, and Pumpkin.
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
- Out of My Mind Series by Sharon Draper also includes Out of My Heart, and Out of My Dreams.
- The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares also includes The Second Summer of the Sisterhood, Girls in Pants, and Forever in Blue.
Dystopian Books
- The Caraval Series by Stephanie Garber also includes Legendary, and Finale.
- Divergent Series by Veronica Roth also includes Insurgent, and Allegiant as well as Four, a novella.
- The Giver by Lois Lowery and follow up books Gathering Blue, Son, and Messenger.
- The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins also includes Catching Fire, Mockingjay, and prequels The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and Sunrise on the Reaping.
- The Selection Series by Kiera Cass also includes The Elite, The One, The Heir, and The Crown.
Fantasy and Science Fiction Books
- Heartless by Marissa Meyer.
- Keeper of the Lost Cities by Shannon Messenger includes 11 books and counting!
- Legacy of Orisha Series by Tomi Adeyemi includes Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, and Children of Anguish and Anarchy.
- The Lunar Chronicles Series by Marissa Meyer includes Cinder, Scarlett, Cress, Winter, and various novellas.
- The Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare includes City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls, and City of Heavenly Fire.
- Shadow and Bone Series by Leigh Bardugo also includes Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising.
- Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas includes 8 books.
Mystery/Thriller Books
- Enola Holmes Series by Nancy Springer has nine books so far.
- A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder Series by Holly Jackson also includes Good Girl, Bad Blood, and As Good As Dead.
- The Naturals Series and The Inheritance Games Trilogy by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.
- One of Us is Lying Series by Karen McManus also includes One of Us is Next, and One of Us is Back.
- Truly Devious Series by Maureen Johnson also includes The Vanishing Stair, The Hand on the Wall, The Box in the Woods, and Nine Liars.
Romance Books
- Dimple and Rishi Series by Sandhya Menon also includes There’s Something About Sweetie, and 10 Things I Hate About Pinky.
- Dungeons and Drama and Dating and Dragons by Kristy Boyce.
- Highly Suspicious and Unfairly Cute by Talia Hibbert.
- Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu.
- Simon Vs. the Homo Sapians Agenda Series and other queer romance stories by Becky Albertalli.
- The Summer I Turned Pretty Series and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before Series by Jenny Han.
- Twelfth Night by Alexene Follmuth.
- While You Were Dreaming by Alisha Rai.
Mom Pro Tips
- Read these books too! It may help to relate to the things she’s going through during these sometimes turbulent years.
- If you have questions about the content of a book check out Common Sense Media reviews. They break down things like violence, sex, language, and also highlight positive themes.
- Use the Libby app to get e-books and audio books sent straight to a device! Perfect when they want the next book in a series RIGHT NOW!
For more recommendations, ask a librarian at the Denver County Library for their expert guidance!
