With everything our teens have going on today – classes, extracurriculars, college applications, and more – we know how hard it is to sit down and read. Still, we constantly remind our community’s young writers that reading is the single best way to learn how to write well. Not just reading, but reading for pleasure, as widely, deeply, and often as possible.
So we asked some of our author-instructors – accomplished writers and voracious readers themselves – for a few un-put-downable books to add to your teen’s summer TBR pile.
This selection is for young adults–generally teens aged 14 and up, but YA is often also read by adults! (Think The Hunger Games, The Twilight Saga, and Divergent.) Our selection is full of different genres and formats, fiction and non-fiction, new releases and classic titles. There’s a little something for everyone. Check it out, or better yet, encourage your teens to do it themselves.
(In case you missed it: Here’s our middle grade book list, and we’ll have one for adults soon!)
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From Talia Tucker, TWC Instructor, YA Romance and Horror novelist who is teaching at this year’s teen Summer Intensives
Identity, Mental Health, and Belonging
The Golden Boy’s Guide to Bipolar by Sonido Reyes
This book was such an important read for me. It was like some of Cesar’s experiences were ripped straight from my diary. It has important queer and mental health rep written in a relatable, empathetic way.
Food, Friendship and Fun
Better Catch Up, Krishna Kumar by Anahita Karthik
This rom-com is just so fun and takes place on a road trip through India. It’s full of laughter, chaos, and, most importantly, food. It really made me want to go on a road trip with my friends.
A Fantastical Read
Prodigal Tiger by Samantha Chong
This fantasy novel has Southeast Asian rep! It also discusses legacy, family, and the idea of home.
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From Mike Allegra, TWC Instructor, dad to college-age kids, children’s book author extraordinaire
A Powerful Story of Trauma and Healing
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
This is possibly the best YA novel I’ve ever read. Melinda, a high school freshman suffering the effects of a recent trauma, refuses to speak. Her story (as she tells it) is powerful, cathartic, and often very funny.
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From Erin Madigan White, TWC Instructor who writes for children and young adults (and who has a few of her own)
Art, Identity, and Opportunity
Maybe an Artist, A Graphic Memoir by Liz Montague
This inspiring graphic novel is full of humor and heart. Montague got her start as a New Yorker cartoonist at age 22 after reaching out to ask the magazine why their cartoons were not more diverse. When they asked her to recommend an artist, she raised her hand.
Bonus graphic novel pick: Huda F. Are You? By Huda Fahmy. This one’s a great example of using humor to tell a story about serious topics.
Serving Up Interconnected Stories
Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories, edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith
This 2026 Printz-Award winning collection features short stories by best-selling and debut Indigenous authors alike. Each story includes a shared location, Sandy June’s Legendary Frybread Drive-In, but with each writer’s unique imagined take on it.
A Practical (and Empowering) Guide
How to Start by Jodi Kantor
This slim non-fiction book is written by a Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist about finding meaningful work. It’s based on a graduation speech she delivered at Columbia University. It’s a quick, empowering read that’ll help teens think about purpose, craft, and forging their own path.
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From Joanne Ruelos Diaz, TWC Instructor, yoga teacher, children’s book author, and mom
More than a Celebrity Memoir
Born a Crime (Adapted for Young Readers) by Trevor Noah
This is such a good introduction to the memoir genre. Trevor Noah is funny, charismatic, and his story is remarkable. I highly recommend that parents and kids read it. I read the original edition and my 8th grader read the adapted version. There’s a lot of opportunity for great conversation.
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From Judith Lindbergh, TWC Founder/Director who is still a teen at heart, which might be why she started teaching young people in the first place.
Historical Verse Novels: thick in pages, but a breeze to read
Call Me Athena by Colby Cedar Smith
If you’re looking for beautiful language, complex characters, and worlds that are rich with scents and sensations, you can’t go wrong with Colby Cedar Smith. Her two beautiful novels take you deep into historical settings with characters whose lives feel relevant and timely, no matter the era. Call Me Athena follows a young girl living in a tiny apartment with her immigrant family in 1930s Detroit as she wrestles with what it means to become an American.
The Siren and the Star by Colby Cedar Smith
This dual timeline verse novel toggles between modern day Lulu’s struggle to become a star singer she’s trained to be all her life and 17th-century female composer Barbara Strozzi’s fight to be recognized for her music. The two young women’s voices intertwine across time and space to a taut, gorgeous climax. If you love singing, dream of Venice, or just adore the music of language itself, it’s a thrilling read.
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From Sarah Casarez, TWC’s Communications Coordinator, who is an expert at storytelling on the stage
Classic Sci-Fi
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
This collection of short stories about robots and their interactions with humans explores themes of artificial intelligence, ethics, and the future which are surprisingly relevant today considering it was published in 1950. It is the first book in Asimov’s Robot Series that could end up occupying the whole summer, inspiring family conversations and watching the 2004 film.
Historical Fiction
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
In 117 A.D., the Ninth Legion of the Roman Army marched into the mists of Caledonia and were never seen again. This book tells a fictional tale of a son in search of his father who was among the disappeared. I adore the main character’s loyal friendships as the coming of age story and vivid history lesson all get rolled into one big adventure.
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These titles and so much more are available at your local library or independent bookstore. (Some of our local favorites include Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ, The Collective Bookstore in Verona, NJ, The Nature of Reading in Madison, NJ, Words in Maplewood, NJ, and Howling Bassett Books in Lambertville, NJ). Or check out TWC’s teen/young adult picks shelf on Bookshop.org.
Here’s to many long, happy summer days of reading and writing!
