These Great YA Reads Always Leave Me Thinking (and One is Just My Favorite!)

I gravitated toward books by YA authors because of how relatable they were. These great YA novels to read always leave me thinking.

I mentioned in a previous post that I wasn’t an avid reader of fiction books until high school. Once I started reading books on my own time, I made it through a handful of Young Adult (YA) novels.

I guess I gravitated toward books by YA authors because of how relatable they were. Since I was once the target demographic, I found many of their topics and themes relatable. I enjoyed most of them, but a few certainly stand out for a variety of reasons.

Here are my favorite YA novels to read:

Themes That Resonate

Most of the books I’ve read in school were YA because they were required reading as part of the curriculum — whether you’re in school or have long since graduated, you know what I’m talking about.

But the first YA book that impacted me was David Klass’ You Don’t Know Me. His book persuaded me to write my own story while encouraging me to start reading other novels with teenage protagonists.

I’m particularly drawn to male protagonists who deal with bullying, lack social skills, or struggle to make friends because I can empathize with these experiences since I’ve dealt with these issues myself. I would recommend adding this to your YA novels to read!

Growing Appreciation

One book that deals with friendlessness is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, which I read as a freshman in high school.

I found the lead character, Melinda, relatable in that I could empathize with them being friendless in school. But since having to read it for school, I’ve developed an appreciation for the novel over the years, especially after seeing the film.

I named one of my chapters in Getting By after the book’s title because I thought it was quite fitting and a nice homage. It deals with some difficult if triggering, subject matter, but it makes you reflect.

Inspiration

Another story that impacted me was a book called The Bully. It’s a novel by Paul Langan from the Bluford series of books I read in middle school. As you can gather from the title, the aspect of bullying in the story resonated with me.

When writing my novel, Getting By, I wanted to incorporate my issues with bullying. Re-reading this novel, combined with my own experiences in school, helped me write realistic scenes where my protagonist is bullied.

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Stepping Into the Pages

One of the reasons why I decided to read Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower was because of the title. I have always seen myself as a wallflower and thought I’d likely resonate with the protagonist, Charlie. It’s always nice to see yourself in characters in a story, and it’s one of the main reasons the YA audience turns to these books.

Similarly, Bella Swan from the Twilight series is a notable example. When I read the first book, I remember thinking how Bella and I are the same personality-wise with her introverted nature and experiences with social anxiety. At times, I felt I was Bella in the book.

My Absolute Favorite

Another series I enjoyed reading is His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman. I read the first book, The Golden Compass, in high school at the suggestion of my English teacher (to whom I am forever grateful!).

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, motivating me to continue reading the other novels in the series, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

I love the series so much that I bought merchandise from the film (interestingly, a handful of YA books I’ve read have been turned into movies and TV series); to this day, it remains my favorite book series.

While the books didn’t impact my writing, I enjoyed reading them all for their sense of adventure, the unique world, and the dynamic protagonists. You may find something different beyond the joy of reading them, but I highly recommend this series to anyone.

Growing and Changing

Upon graduating high school, I focused more on completing the first draft of my debut novel rather than reading more YA books. After releasing Getting By, I was almost certain I would not write another fiction story because of how long it took me to publish my first book, and I didn’t think I had another story in me to write.

But a few months after launching Getting By, I began writing my first draft for my next book, a continuation of my first. However, this story is an adult romance rather than a coming-of-age YA book. So these days, I find I write more than I read books of any kind.

Still, I hope some of the novels I’ve shared inspire you to give them a look! I’m not sure if I will continue to read or write YA fiction, as it doesn’t resonate in the same way as I grow, but that’s fine, as I’m happy to write what I know and share my knowledge with aspiring authors of the format in the meantime.

Meanwhile, I’ve finished revising this new novel, and I’m now asking for feedback from beta readers before publishing it. It’s uncertain which direction I will take afterward, but I feel most comfortable writing realistic fiction, whether for YA or Adult audiences.

Either way, I look forward to sharing my new novel when it’s ready! If you’re looking to write a book of any kind and want to reach out about my process or various resources, you know how to reach me.