Olliebop Blog | Inspiration, Ideas and Information for Busy Families | Parenting Teens and Tweens

Did you catch our earlier post about the hot new read for Hunger Games and Harry Potter fans? That pick came from friend and Olliebop Guest Writer Bridget Mason — and as promised, she has more fantastic Young Adult Summer reads to recommend for tweens and teens. Bridget is a mother, former book buyer and a Young Adult lit enthusiast. With many thanks to Bridget for sharing her best bets with us. Can’t wait for summer! - BOP

Ultimate Summer Reading List for Tweens & Teens … By Bridget Mason

This summer reading list is not about “have to read” books, it’s about “want to read” books. It’s summer! There’s no better time to curl up in the hammock and fall into the reverie of a great story. The selection and writing for Young Adult novels have never been better, so there’s bound to be a book that hooks the curiosity of your tween or teen. In whittling down my recommendations, I had two unbreakable vows: to only recommend books that have 1) excellent writing and 2) fast moving, well-developed plots {no slow starters, here!}. Nearly all also feature strong character-driven narratives; I love a charming, but flawed protagonist, don’t you?

The list is eclectic, but reflects the current trends in teen lit. Dystopian novels {e.g. The Hunger Games} are the biggest sub-genre in YA fiction right now and, accordingly, make up the biggest portion of my recommendations. Fantasy is still very popular, but paranormal romance {e.g. Twilight} has faded, so you won’t find any vampires on the list. There’s always room for just flat-out amazing stories of adolescence and humanity {see Wonder below}, and my twelve-year-old son insisted I include a few sports-themed novels, as well.

For Hunger Games Fans:

Divergent by Veronica Roth {14 and up}

One of the best dystopians I’ve read since The Hunger Games. Protagonist Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian society neatly divided into five factions representing a particular virtue: Abnegation {selflessness}, Candor {honesty}, Amity {peace}, Erudite {intelligence} and Dauntless {bravery}. On Choosing Day, all sixteen year olds must decide to which faction they will enter and commit their lives. Beatrice struggles with defining herself and, as you can expect from a dystopian novel, tyrannical leaders threaten the whole of society. Divergent has it all: fast-paced plot, lots of surprises, romance, original premise and a feisty heroine. If you love Divergent, the follow-up novel, Insurgent, just came out, too.

Legend by Marie Lu {12 and up}

After I read this book I thought, “This is it. The next Hunger Games. I predict huge,” and, come to find out, Legend’s movie rights have been sold to CBS Films. This is a clever novel – furiously paced and intricately plotted – and it’s easy to imagine on the big screen. I love books that switch between narrators and was fascinated by the disparate views of the orphan/reputed criminal, Day, who is surviving in the slums with the Republic-educated prodigy, June, who is hoping to follow in her military family’s esteemed footsteps. The intersection between these characters, the twists and turns of the plot, and the political intrigue of this post-apocalyptic Los Angeles will astonish even the most prescient readers.

Also highly recommended: 

• Matched by Allie Condie {14 and up}
• Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey {13 and up}
• Incarceron by Catherine Fisher {12 and up}

 For Harry Potter Fans:

Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson {12 and up}:  Winner of the William C. Morris YA Debut Award

Girl of Fire and Thorns is the first in a trilogy that has garnered stellar reviews from some of the most esteemed YA fiction writers {e.g. Tamora Pierce, Megan Whalen Turner, Veronica Roth} and I am in full agreement. The novel is built around Elisa, the second daughter of the King who doesn’t see herself as a likely candidate for greatness, but as the bearer of a godstone, she is the Chosen One. Carson creates a fascinating character in Elisa. She is intelligent and insightful, but also overweight and full of uncertainties.  After being coddled throughout her childhood, she is thrust into adulthood when her father makes a political marriage for her to a neighboring king. Elisa must now fulfill her duty to her country and her destiny as the once-in-a-century godstone bearer. Take this book on your summer camping trip! This is high fantasy in top form, the world-building, maturation of the main character, magical elements, and collision course with destiny all come together in a adventure that will keep your flashlight on and the pages turning under the cover of your sleeping bag.

The False Prince by Jennifer Nielson {10 and up}

The False Prince is the first book in the Ascendance Trilogy. See the previous Olliebop post on The False Prince, here. Also, if you love this book, try The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner {Newbery Honor Book}; both have charming, but irascible, main characters that pull you into the intrigue and political landscape of their worlds.

Also highly recommended: 

• The Naming and The Books of Pellinor by Alison Croggon {YA fantasy quartet also includes The Riddle, The Crow, and The Singing}
• Graceling by Kristen Cashore

 For Contemporary Teen Lit fans {Adolescence/Empathy/Humanity}:

Wonder by R.J. Palacio {11 and up}

This is, unequivocally, the “must read” book on this entire list. I carried my Kindle everywhere for two days, snatching minutes whenever and wherever I could to read this book. I recommended Wonder to my son, Ben, {age 12} and despite baseball games and homework, he finished it in two days, too. The novel follows the story of Auggie, born with cranio-facial abnormalities. As Auggie says of his face, “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably worse.” He is home schooled until fifth grade when his parents decide he needs to learn to navigate the outside world and they send him off to private school, Beecher Prep. Auggie’s journey through fifth grade is an emotional tilt-a-whirl, populated by authentic, funny, flawed characters, and an exploration of what it means to be “normal.” Wonder is the rare book that I want to press into everyone’s hands and then stand over them until they finish the last page.

The Absolutely True Diary of Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie {13 and up}
Note: Book has been banned in some communities due to strong language and sexual references

National Book Award winner in 2007, this book is a marvel. It follows Junior, a teen on the Spokane Indian Reservation, who transfers from the reservation school to the all-white high school. Junior is in that most untenable position of not fitting in at his new school and being a “traitor” back on the rez. Alexie, a poet, novelist, screenplay writer and stand-up comedian, pulls all his talents together, here, to create a deceptively stripped-down narrative that perfectly evokes the life Junior is attempting to put together while trying not to completely abandon the one he is leaving behind. Masterful writing and riveting storytelling.

Also highly recommended: 

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead: Winner of the 2010 Newbery Medal

For Sports Fans; Especially Baseball … by Ben Mason, Age 12

• Two Hot Dogs with Everything by Paul Haven {10 and up} A Kirkus review calls it “Charles Dickens meets Harry Potter at the old ballgame.  Huge, magical and delightful.”
• The Big Field by Mike Lupica {10 and up}
• Heat by Mike Lupica {10 and up}
• Change Up by John Feinstein {10 and up}

About the author: Bridget Mason and her family live in Wilton, NY. In her former life, she was a fiction buyer for Borders Corporation, where she had her finger on the pulse of the nation’s literary tastes and helped create some best sellers along the way. She is now a freelance writer and continues to enjoy a literary life.