10 Best Life-themed Young Adult Books for Every Stage of Life
Life, with its many colors and flavors, is an ever-unfolding journey with a spectrum of experiences. It has ups, downs, twists, turns, shocks, surprises, lessons, and memories. To help you navigate through this journey, one of the best companions is a good book that captures the essence of different stages of life. Our list of 10 best life-themed young adult novels offers a range of tales that portray love, loss, friendship, dreams, and dilemmas. These books aren’t about teaching life-lessons, rather they gently guide readers through the many complexities and joys of life. They help one understand what it truly feels like to step out of the cocoon of childhood, face the formidable teens, and prepare for the journey ahead. These are the stories that remind us that, just like their characters, we are not alone in our adventure. Uniquely, even though our stories are our own, they sometimes intersect with those of others. We hope that these novels mirror some pieces of your life and help you to feel seen, heard, and understood. Take your pick from our list, dig in, and take a journey into the lives of these memorable characters. They might just inspire your own story.
『The Perks of Being a Wallflower』
Charlie struggles to cope with complex world of high school as he deals with the confusions of sex and love, the temptations of drugs, and the pain of losing a close friend and a favorite aunt.
Author | Stephen Chbosky |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Aug 14, 2012 |
Source | Google Books |
『Speak 20th Anniversary Edition』
"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. A timeless novel about consent and finding the courage to speak up for yourself, the twentieth anniversary edition of the classic novel that has spoken to so many young adults now includes a new introduction by acclaimed writer, host, speaker, and cultural commentator Ashley C. Ford as well as an afterword by New York Times-bestselling author of All American Boys and Long Way Down, Jason Reynolds. This edition will also feature an updated Q&A, resource list, and essay and poem from Laurie Halse Anderson. Praise for Speak: “In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. . . . Will leave readers touched and inspired.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “An uncannily funny book even as it plumbs the darkness, Speak will hold readers from first word to last.” —The Horn Book, starred review Praise for Speak: The Graphic Novel: “[Emily Carroll] should be recognized as one of the best graphic storytellers out there.” —Kate Beaton, author of Hark! A Vagrant “What a talent. What a voice.” —Mark Siegel, author of Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson “Carroll knows how to capture uncomfortable emotions—guilt, regret, possessiveness, envy—and transform them into hair-raising narratives.” —New York Times Book Review Accolades for Speak: New York Times Bestseller Publishers Weekly Bestseller Michael L. Printz Honor Book National Book Award Finalist Edgar Allan Poe Award Finalist Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist ALA Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults ALA Quick Pick Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Booklist Top Ten First Novel BCCB Blue Ribbon Book School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Author | Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Price | $9.99 |
Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) |
Release Date | Jan 15, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Fault in Our Stars』
From John Green, the #1 bestselling author of Turtles All the Way Down "The greatest romance story of this decade." --Entertainment Weekly -Millions of copies sold- #1 New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller #1 USA Today Bestseller #1 International Bestseller TIME Magazine's #1 Fiction Book of 2012 TODAY Book Club pick Now a Major Motion Picture Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
Author | John Green |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin Books |
Release Date | Apr 08, 2014 |
Source | Google Books |
『Eleanor & Park』
A stunning debut young adult novel about two misfits falling in love for the first time
Author | Rainbow Rowell |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Macmillan |
Release Date | Feb 26, 2013 |
Source | Google Books |
『Everything, Everything』
New York Times Bestseller My disease is as rare as it is famous. It's a form of Severe Combined Immunodeficiency, but basically, I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in fifteen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla. But then one day, a moving truck arrives. New next door neighbors. I look out the window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black--black t-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly. I want to learn everything about him, and I do. I learn that he is funny and fierce. I learn that his eyes are Atlantic Ocean-blue and that his vice is stealing silverware. I learn that when I talk to him, my whole world opens up, and I feel myself starting to change--starting to want things. To want out of my bubble. To want everything, everything the world has to offer. Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.
Author | Nicola Yoon |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Sep 01, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe』
Fifteen-year-old Ari Mendoza is an angry loner with a brother in prison, but when he meets Dante and they become friends, Ari starts to ask questions about himself, his parents, and his family that he has never asked before.
Author | Benjamin Alire Sáenz |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Release Date | Feb 21, 2012 |
Source | Google Books |
『To All the Boys I've Loved Before』
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is now a major motion picture on Netflix and the inspiration for the spin-off series XO, Kitty—now streaming on Netflix! A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Lara Jean’s love life gets complicated in this New York Times bestselling “lovely, lighthearted romance” (School Library Journal) from the bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series. What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once? Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
Author | Jenny Han |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers |
Release Date | Jul 10, 2018 |
Source | Google Books |
『The Hate U Give』
8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best · William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller! "Absolutely riveting!" —Jason Reynolds "Stunning." —John Green "This story is necessary. This story is important." —Kirkus (starred review) "Heartbreakingly topical." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A marvel of verisimilitude." —Booklist (starred review) "A powerful, in-your-face novel." —Horn Book (starred review) Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed. Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil’s name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr. But what Starr does—or does not—say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life. Want more of Garden Heights? Catch Maverick and Seven’s story in Concrete Rose, Angie Thomas's powerful prequel to The Hate U Give.
Author | Angie Thomas |
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Price | $14.99 |
Publisher | HarperCollins |
Release Date | Feb 28, 2017 |
Source | Google Books |
『I'll Give You the Sun』
A New York Times bestseller • One of Time Magazine’s 100 Best YA Books of All Time • Winner of the Michael L. Printz Award • A Stonewall Honor Book The radiant, award-winning story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal for fans of John Green, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera "Dazzling."—The New York Times Book Review "A blazing prismatic explosion of color."—Entertainment Weekly "Powerful and well-crafted . . . Stunning." —Time Magazine “We were all heading for each other on a collision course, no matter what. Maybe some people are just meant to be in the same story.” At first, Jude and her twin brother are NoahandJude; inseparable. Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude wears red-red lipstick, cliff-dives, and does all the talking for both of them. Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways . . . but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah’s to tell; the later years are Jude’s. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they’ll have a chance to remake their world. From the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere, this exhilarating novel will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.
Author | Jandy Nelson |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Oct 27, 2015 |
Source | Google Books |
『Turtles All the Way Down』
The critically acclaimed, instant #1 bestseller by John Green, author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our Stars A NEW FILM, COMING SOON TO MAX “A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control.” —People “A sometimes heartbreaking, always illuminating, glimpse into how it feels to live with mental illness.” – NPR John Green, the award-winning, international bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed, returns with a story of shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship. Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
Author | John Green |
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Price | unknown |
Publisher | Penguin |
Release Date | Jun 11, 2019 |
Source | Google Books |
In conclusion, navigating the murky waters of adolescence is no easy feat. It's a tumultuous period filled with changes, discoveries, and most importantly, growth. That's why having a good book by your side that speaks to your experiences and provides some form of solace can be incredibly reassuring. These life-themed young adult novels each tackle different stages of life, hearteningly reflecting our joys, struggles, and unique journeys. They're powerful, poignant, and beautifully penned - serving as both mirrors showing us our own realities and windows into others' lives. With these books, you're not alone in your journey. They capture the essence of growing up, evoking a sense of understanding, and perhaps, catharsis. Every page turned and every story unfolded will surely resonate within, leaving valuable lessons and insights to guide you. So, pick one up - or why not all? - and delve into a realm where you can see life through different lenses. You're in for quite a ride.
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