10 Best Young Adult Books to Enjoy the Charm of Countryside Living
Are you tired of the hustle and bustle of city life and craving a breath of fresh air? Ready to slow down and stroll alongside characters through golden fields of wheat, lush green pastures, and amble down charmingly rustic country lanes? Well then folks, you're in for a treat! I've rustled up a list of 10 incredibly enchanting young adult novels unbeatable in dangling the charm of rural life before your eyes. These charming potions of literature pull their magic from serenity, community, and that ineffable coziness of the countryside. They will have you conversing with quirky townsfolk, exploring age-old family secrets hidden in creaky old farmhouses and maybe even rolling up your sleeves for some farm chores! These stories, bred out of off-beat adventures, juvenile romances, and spirited self-discoveries, are a ticket to memories and experiences made under the boundless country sky. So, bid farewell to those skyscrapers and grab your gingham picnic blanket, we’re headed to the countryside. Each book in this list is a refreshing gush of crisp rural air ribbed with incredible storytelling, poignant plots, and unforgettable characters. Buckle up and enjoy the charm of countryside living!
『The Key to You and Me』
A sweet and funny LGBTQ+ romance perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Julie Murphy, from the critically acclaimed author of Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit! Piper Kitts is spending the summer living with her grandmother, training at the barn of a former Olympic horseback rider, and trying to get over her ex-girlfriend. Much to Piper’s dismay, her grandmother is making her face her fear of driving by taking lessons from a girl in town. Kat Pearson has always suspected that she likes girls but fears her North Carolina town is too small to color outside the lines. But when Piper’s grandmother hires Kat to give her driving lessons, everything changes. Piper’s not sure if she’s ready to let go of her ex. Kat’s navigating uncharted territory with her new crush. With the summer running out, will they be able to unlock a future together? "Piper and Kat are imperfect, but always trying their best—aren't we all?—and Brown had me rooting for them all the way through this sweet, slow burn romance. Their triumphs, their blunders, and the way they swing between confidence and self-doubt are utterly relatable."—Misa Sigura, award-winning author of It's Not Like It's a Secret
Author | Jaye Robin Brown |
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Price | $5.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Apr 20, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『Small Town Hearts』
Fresh out of high school, Babe Vogel should be thrilled to have the whole summer at her fingertips. She loves living in her lighthouse home in the sleepy Maine beach town of Oar’s Rest and being a barista at the Busy Bean, but she’s totally freaking out about how her life will change when her two best friends go to college in the fall. And when a reckless kiss causes all three of them to break up, she may lose them a lot sooner. On top of that, her ex-girlfriend is back in town, bringing with her a slew of memories, both good and bad. And then there’s Levi Keller, the cute artist who’s spending all his free time at the coffee shop where she works. Levi’s from out of town, and even though Babe knows better than to fall for a tourist who will leave when summer ends, she can’t stop herself from wanting to know him. Can Babe keep her distance, or will she break the one rule she’s always had - to never fall for a summer boy?
Author | Lillie Vale |
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Price | $11.99 |
Publisher | Swoon Reads |
Release Date | Mar 19, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Rest of the Story』
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen comes a big-hearted, sweeping novel about a girl who reconnects with a part of her family she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl—and falls in love, all over the course of a magical summer. Emma Saylor doesn’t remember a lot about her mother, who died when Emma was twelve. But she does remember the stories her mom told her about the big lake that went on forever, with cold, clear water and mossy trees at the edges. Now it’s just Emma and her dad, and life is good, if a little predictable…until Emma is unexpectedly sent to spend the summer with her mother’s family that she hasn’t seen since she was a little girl. When Emma arrives at North Lake, she realizes there are actually two very different communities there. Her mother grew up in working class North Lake, while her dad spent summers in the wealthier Lake North resort. The more time Emma spends there, the more it starts to feel like she is also divided into two people. To her father, she is Emma. But to her new family, she is Saylor, the name her mother always called her. Then there’s Roo, the boy who was her very best friend when she was little. Roo holds the key to her family’s history, and slowly, he helps her put the pieces together about her past. It’s hard not to get caught up in the magic of North Lake—and Saylor finds herself falling under Roo’s spell as well. For Saylor, it’s like a whole new world is opening up to her. But when it’s time to go back home, which side of her—Emma or Saylor—will win out?
Author | Sarah Dessen |
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Price | $12.49 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Jun 04, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『Because of Winn-Dixie』
Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni describes her first summer in the town of Naomi, Florida, and all the good things that happen to her because of her big ugly dog Winn-Dixie.
Author | Kate DiCamillo |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Candlewick Press |
Release Date | Jan 01, 2000 |
Source | Google Books |
『Walk Two Moons』
In her own singularly beautiful style, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion. Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, proud of her country roots and the "Indian-ness in her blood," travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. Along the way, she tells them of the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a "potential lunatic," and whose mother disappeared. As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.
Author | Sharon Creech |
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Price | $9.49 |
Publisher | Harper Collins |
Release Date | Oct 06, 2009 |
Source | Google Books |
『My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)』
Terribly unhappy in his family's crowded New York City apartment, Sam Gribley runs away to the solitude-and danger-of the mountains, where he finds a side of himself he never knew.
Author | Jean Craighead George |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Apr 12, 2004 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Penderwicks』
With over one million copies sold, this series of modern classics about the charming Penderwick family from National Book Award winner and New York Times bestseller Jeanne Birdsall is perfect for fans of Noel Streatfeild and Edward Eager. This summer the Penderwick sisters have a wonderful surprise: a holiday on the grounds of a beautiful estate called Arundel. Soon they are busy discovering the summertime magic of Arundel’s sprawling gardens, treasure-filled attic, tame rabbits, and the cook who makes the best gingerbread in Massachusetts. But the best discovery of all is Jeffrey Tifton, son of Arundel’s owner, who quickly proves to be the perfect companion for their adventures. The icy-hearted Mrs. Tifton is not as pleased with the Penderwicks as Jeffrey is, though, and warns the new friends to stay out of trouble. Which, of course, they will—won’t they? One thing’s for sure: it will be a summer the Penderwicks will never forget. Deliciously nostalgic and quaintly witty, this is a story as breezy and carefree as a summer day.
Author | Jeanne Birdsall |
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Price | $4.99 |
Publisher | Knopf Books for Young Readers |
Release Date | Jan 16, 2009 |
Source | Google Books |
『Esperanza Rising (Scholastic Gold)』
A modern classic for our time and for all time-this beloved, award-winning bestseller resonates with fresh meaning for each new generation. Perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo, Christopher Paul Curtis, and Rita Williams-Garcia. Pura Belpre Award Winner * "Readers will be swept up." -Publishers Weekly, starred review Esperanza thought she'd always live a privileged life on her family's ranch in Mexico. She'd always have fancy dresses, a beautiful home filled with servants, and Mama, Papa, and Abuelita to care for her. But a sudden tragedy forces Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp. Esperanza isn't ready for the hard work, financial struggles brought on by the Great Depression, or lack of acceptance she now faces. When Mama gets sick and a strike for better working conditions threatens to uproot their new life, Esperanza must find a way to rise above her difficult circumstances--because Mama's life, and her own, depend on it.
Author | Pam Muñoz Ryan |
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Price | $3.99 |
Publisher | Scholastic Inc. |
Release Date | Oct 01, 2012 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Birchbark House』
A fresh new look for this National Book Award finalist by Pulitzer Prize–winning novelist Louise Erdrich! This is the first installment in an essential nine-book series chronicling one hundred years in the life of one Ojibwe family and includes charming interior black-and-white artwork done by the author. She was named Omakakiins, or Little Frog, because her first step was a hop. Omakakiins and her family live on an island in Lake Superior. Though there are growing numbers of white people encroaching on their land, life continues much as it always has. But the satisfying rhythms of their life are shattered when a visitor comes to their lodge one winter night, bringing with him an invisible enemy that will change things forever—but that will eventually lead Omakakiins to discover her calling. By turns moving and humorous, this novel is a breathtaking tour de force by a gifted writer. The beloved and celebrated Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich includes The Birchbark House, The Game of Silence, The Porcupine Year, Chickadee, and Makoons, with more titles to come.
Author | Louise Erdrich |
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Price | $9.49 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Nov 16, 2021 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Miseducation of Cameron Post』
The acclaimed book behind the 2018 Sundance Grand Jury Prize-winning movie "LGBTQ cinema is out in force at Sundance Film Festival," proclaimed USA Today. "The acerbic coming-of-age movie is adapted from Emily M. Danforth's novel, and stars Chloë Grace Moretz as a lesbian teen who is sent to a gay conversion therapy center after she gets caught having sex with her friend on prom night." The Miseducation of Cameron Post is a stunning and provocative literary debut that was named to numerous best of the year lists. When Cameron Post’s parents die suddenly in a car crash, her shocking first thought is relief. Relief they’ll never know that, hours earlier, she had been kissing a girl. But that relief doesn’t last, and Cam is forced to move in with her conservative aunt Ruth and her well-intentioned but hopelessly old-fashioned grandmother. She knows that from this point on, her life will forever be different. Survival in Miles City, Montana, means blending in and leaving well enough alone, and Cam becomes an expert at both. Then Coley Talor moves to town. Beautiful, pickup-driving Coley is a perfect cowgirl with the perfect boyfriend to match. She and Cam forge an unexpected and intense friendship, one that seems to leave room for something more to emerge. But just as that starts to seem like a real possibility, Aunt Ruth takes drastic action to “fix” her niece, bringing Cam face-to-face with the cost of denying her true self—even if she’s not quite sure who that is. Don't miss this raw and powerful own voices debut, the basis for the award-winning film starring Chloë Grace Moretz.
Author | Emily M. Danforth |
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Price | $10.99 |
Publisher | Harper Collins |
Release Date | Feb 07, 2012 |
Source | Google Books |
Without a doubt, every story mentioned above takes you on a beautiful adventure filled with the ceaseless charm of countryside living. These books have done a phenomenal job of painting a vivid picture of rural life, allowing readers to experience that unique tranquil feeling without even leaving their homes. But the true beauty of these books lies not just in their picturesque descriptions of pastoral landscapes but in their ability to present the simplicity and honest character of country folk. They depict the strength that comes from toiling in the fields, the unity that is inherent in small communities, and the nuanced lessons that operate in tandem with the rhythms of Mother Nature. Each book emphasizes the importance of connections - not just between people, but also between us and the land we occupy. These works inspire a nostalgia for a life that some may not have experienced but will undoubtedly appreciate. Maybe they'll even provoke our longing for a touch of this simple lifestyle in our hurried urban existences. So, whether you're a city dweller searching for a different paced narrative or a country native seeking solace in the familiar themes, these books are more than worth your while. Go ahead, get comfy in your favorite reading nook, and let these beautiful tales of countryside living whisk you away.
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