I love to read. And I love to read children’s and young-adult novels. In fact, I’m in three (yes, three) book groups where we read only “kidlit.”
And I love to re-read. I’m sure I’ve read some of my favorite books at least twenty times.
In case you’re interested in reading some YA novels, here is a list of some of my favorites. I’ve read all of them at least twice, and some of them many more times than that.
Now, I must add, this is a very haphazard list of my favorites. There are so many books that I’ve read and re-read. I wanted this list to include some very well-known books, and also some that are less well-known, for people who are looking for something they may not have known about.
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Buy from IndieBound; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
2. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell
Buy from IndieBound; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
3. Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
4. Jane-Emily by Patricia Clapp
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
5. Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You by Peter Cameron
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
6. Graceling by Kristin Cashore
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon.
7. The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden
Buy from Barnes & Noble; Amazon
8. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt
(Wow, I really dislike the new cover; ignore that.)
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
9. The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Buy from WORD; Barnes & Noble; Amazon
What’s the difference, you may ask, among a work of children’s literature, a work of adult literature, and a work of young-adult literature? In my three children’s literature reading groups, this question often comes up. And there’s no clear answer.
And the sorting of books changes over time. Catcher in the Rye and Jane Eyre are now often shelved with young-adult literature, though they started out as novels for adults.
What books have you read over and over?
Gretchen Rubin is the author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller The Happiness Project—an account of the year she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific studies, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier—and the recently released Happier at Home and Better Than Before. On her popular blog, The Happiness Project, she reports on her daily adventures in the pursuit of happiness. For more doses of happiness and other happenings, follow Gretchen on Facebook and Twitter.
Image courtesy of Thought Catalog.
