Good Books for a Teen?

Question

I'm reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyers right now, and it's amazing, and I'll go search for the other 2 in the series when I'm done, but I need some more good books to read.
I'm 16, and can handle big challenging books. I've read the Harry Potter series. I like fantasy books, and eccentric books. I love a Wrinkle in Time, and have been searching for the others in the series. List any good books you've read recently, and say what genre they're in, and why you like them. Thanks a bunch!

Answer 1

Naughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman

Seven Deadly Sins series by Robin Wasserman

The Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz

Ghost Boy by Ian Lawrence

Children of the River by Linda Crew

Avon True Romance series (historical romance for teens)

Answer 2

If you like fantasy, have you read anything by Gregory Macguire? He wrote Wicked (the book the musical is based on). I will tell you, it's really good, but you will never again watch The Wizard of Oz in the same way. I'm reading his follow up novel, Son of a Witch right now--also good. He's written a few others that take a popular fairy tale or story and twist it around.

Another good author that I would like to read more of is Octavia Butler. I read Kindred and it was great--it's a time travel novel that flips between the slave era in the US and more modern times.

I've never read anything by Stephanie Meyers, but maybe I'll try her books next.

BJohns, MLIS
Saginaw Valley State University
Zahnow Library

Answer 3

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'd say its for around that age level, but it isn't really a challenge. Its good though.

It's about a girl, called Clary. Anyway, the book starts off with Clary going to a club with her friend Simon one night. While at the club, Clary sees a murder. Strangely enough, the body disappears before her eyes, and no one can see the murderers, though they're in plain site.
The next day, Clary gets into an argument with her mother, after her mom sprang to Clary that they would be going out of town for the rest of the summer, and that they were leaving the next day. Clary, frustrated, leaves the house with Simon to go to a poetry hangout. While there, she see's one of the "murderers". He notices her too, and leaves the building, and she follows him outside. While outside, Clary learns that his name is Jace, and that he's special. A call on her cell interrupts their conversation, and Clary answers it. It's her mom, telling her not to come home. When Clary asks why, the line goes dead. So she ditches Jace, even though he tells her not to go, and rushes home.

That's where the story begins.
It's a supernatural/fantasy/action, with a tiny bit of romance. But it has a shocking ending, which I absolutely love. And it's the first book of a series.
I hope you enjoy it. I know I did!!

You should also read Tithe, Ironside, and Valient by Holly Black. Lol, what's funny is that I think Cassandra Clare had a cameo of some of Holly Black's characters in City of Bones. I thought it was neat.

Answer 4

I've read Twilight too, such an amazing book!

I would recommend, in no particular order:
Everlost by Neal Shusterman
The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
Tithe by Holly Black
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Maximum Ride by James Patterson
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

none of these are much like Twilight, I haven't found anything quite as spectacular as it. But they are good, I would look them up on Amazon and pick which ones you might like to read.

Answer 5

The Day of the Storm by Pilcher
The Blue Bottle Club by Stokes
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Smith
A Girl of the Limberlost by Porter
Rebecca by DuMaurier
Christy by Marshall
Dreaming Water by Tsukiyama
Consider Lily by Dayton
To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee
Treasure Island by Stevenson
A Christmas Carol by Dickens
Emily Ever After by Dayton

Answer 6

I know its classified as a children's book, but to this day I still love the seven Chronicals of Narnia (I know that's spelled wrong). They never seemed really childish to me and I finished book seven my senior year of high school. When you read them in chronological order (not the order that Lewis wrote them in. That would mean that The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe would be first. Chronologically The Magicians Nephew is first) and you get the themes by the time you get to the end of The Last Battle I swear you'll feel a couple of years older.

Answer 7

You should look into any of the books by Francesca Lia Block. My favorite is her Weetzie Bat series which is sort of urban fantasy set in Los Angeles. It is the story of Weetzie Bat, her family and friends and their lives and loves, full of wonderful characters like Witch Baby and My Secret Agent Lover Man. The first 5 books are all collected into one volume called Dangerous Angels, and the 6th book is called Necklace of Kisses. I Was a Teenage Fairy and Wasteland are excellent as well. She also has two books, Ecstasia and Primavera, which have a lot of mythological elements and fantastic.

If vampires interest you, you might enjoy Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice. The Vampire Louis, in an interview with a young man, tells the story of his life, how he became a vampire, his time with Lestat, his struggle with what he has become. I'm not quite finished with it yet, but it's really good. Much better than the movie they made of it with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise.

As for other fantasy books, I love all the books in the various Tortall series by Tamora Pierce. Start with the very first series, The Song of the Lioness quartet, the first book of which is Alanna: The First Adventure. Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones is a fun one as well with a great heroine. Stardust by Neil Gaiman is a good one too, although I actually liked the movie better. For something a little more adult, Marion Zimmer Bradley's The Mists of Avalon is excellent. It is the legend of King Arthur from the female perspective. Tithe by Holly Black is great as well, and there are two more related books, Valiant and Ironside, but I haven't gotten the chance to read them yet.

I'm not sure if it is really categorized as fantasy because it is normally in the fiction section of the bookstore, but The Eyre Affair and the other books in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde are great fun to read. They are about a woman in an alternate version of te 1980's who discovers she can travel into fiction, ad must use her new-found talent to save Jane Eyre from the evil Acheron Hades. The books are full of humor and are tons of fun to read. His Nursery Crimes series is great as well, beginning with The Big Over Easy. In this first book, detective Jack Spratt must solve the murder of Humpty Dumpty, as well as break in his new partner, Mary Mary, and keep his department from being disbanded. It's hillarious.

Answer 8

read anything by Scott Westerfeld
Midnighters series for fantasy
peeps for a vampire story
uglies for fantasy/scifi
Read A Great and Terrible Beauty
Read Blue Bloods (the series) vampires
Read the golden compass series

Answer 9

If yiou liked Harry Potter and Wrinkle in Time, you'll love King Fortis the Brave!

Answer 10

Tamora Pierce writes excellent fantasy books for teens. I'd start with her Lioness Quartet.

Also, you're old enough to really enjoy the classics. I loved Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.