Update: In January 2009, I added a Part 2 to this list with an additional 20 books http://connectwithyourteens.blogspot.com/2009/01/top-20-classic-books-for-teenagers-part.html
With teenagers busy reading all the latest Young Adult book series, such as Gossip Girl and Twilight, they sometimes forget all the great classics that exist in libraries, bookstores and possibly their parent's bookshelves. Classics are not just for the schoolroom. Both of my sons loved Catcher in the Rye when they were assigned it in school, but when I've tried to convince them to read other classic books on their own, I haven't had much look.
I decided to make a list of the top 10 classic books for teenagers. However, I couldn't narrow it down to 10 so I decided to make it a top 20 list.
- A Separate Peace - John Knowles
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn / Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Trough the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
- Animal Farm - George Orwell
- Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
- Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
- David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
- Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
- Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
- Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
- Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
- The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
- Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
- Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
- Lord of the Flies - William Golding
- Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
- To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
- Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
I didn't include anything so new that it hasn't stood the test of time to be called a classic. That is why the Harry Potter series has not been included. Any other recommendations? Anything on here that shouldn't be? Don't forget, this is a top 20 list. If you think something else should be on here, then you have to recommend something coming off in its place.
Edited on 1/21/09 to add: See new post:
Top 20 Classic Books for Teenagers: Part 2
Edited to add:
See Books for teens - Great Websites for teens to find books
Edited on 12/12 to add: See new post: Free book Friday Teens and Free book Fridays
Edited on 11/5 to add: See new post on Young Adult Fantasy Series: Conor and the Crossworlds fantasy teen book series
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Great list - how about The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham?
Its a good list,.. I really love 'This Side of Paridise' by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Great story about growing up
I'd suggest "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton (much better than the movie) and the Twilight Saga books by Stephenie Meyer.
Thanks Mike. I'm very aware of both of them and would have definitely put them on, and toyed with putting on the Outsiders but my criteria was that the books had to be old enough to stand the test of time to be considered classics. The Outsiders already seems headed there. Twilight is way too new.
The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1909. I have wonderful memories of that book.
I would also add:
Marjorie Morningstar, a novel by Herman Wouk, published in 1955.
Night, by Elie Weisel,published in 1960.
Cat's Cradle is a 1963 science fiction novel by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. The Martian Chronicles is a 1950 science fiction story collection by Ray Bradbury.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume (1983)
Thanks, Linda, for all these great suggestions. I know of the Secret Garden from the movie, I forgot about the book. I thought of "Are you there God?" but thought it was too new, although it clearly will be a classic. Didn't even think of the others. Great choices.
I'd put on "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" or "The Hound of The Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I'd take off one of the two Austen books. She's a great writer, but if I'm making a top 20 list, I want plenty of variety.
Your probably right. I just love Jane Austen and I couldn't pick which of the 2 books to include. Pride and Prejudice is generally considered her best, but Sense and Sensibility is my personal favorite.
The Education of Little Tree, Frankenstein, and King Solomon's Mines.
Geeks!!
ok so in in the 7th grade at an academy so my reading level/maturity level is relativly high. We have to do book talk and the book we read cant have been turned into a movie. All the other kids are doin stupid books that are super girly or are about like, football. I really want to do a classic though. Do you have any ideas? thanks a bunch!!!
That is a really tough assignment Claire bear, if you want to read a classic since most have been made into movies. I love Jane Austen and one of her books, Northanger Abbey, has never been made into a movie, although there were TV adaptations in the 1980s on BBC. Hopefully you can get away with that. It is not my favorite of her books or the most popular, but any book by Jane Austen is still fantastic.
thanks so much! i REALLY wanted to read Jane Eyre but... its a movie Ill ask my english teacher if it is ok and thanks again. oh and by the way did you every consider putting up Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl? I read it last year and so far it is my favorite book. You might want to think about it.
PS sorry about the comment I just posted. I didnt see my first one so I sent another. Your booklist is great!!!
uh oh Northanger Abbey was just made into a movie. It comes out Jan. 20 But it is defiently on my books to read list... Do you have any more ideas maybe something by charlotte bronte
Charlotte Bronte wrote 3 other books that were published. Why don't you take a look at her Wikipedia page and see if any interest you. One was made into a silent movie in the 20s so should be okay, one had only tv adaptations and the other nothing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Bronte
i cant seem to find any movie versions of The Professor so I think i will read that one thankyou so much for everythin today and in my opion you should make more book lists, you really know a lot about books. Thanks again Jennifer, you have been a huge help
Your welcome and I will try. If you click on the word book in the labels section in the sidebar you will see other posts I've written about books. I haven't written any other book lists though.
Um i am in middle school at an academy too so as claire bear or who ever said my iq and maturity level are fairly high and i just wanted to say that although all of these books are great and i no i've read half of them, seriosly what teenage kid is going to sit down and actually read any of these books unless ordered to by a teacher, and if you think about it and on that one chance that maybe someone does sit down and read one i would be worried about theyre social life.
I didn't necessarily say that teens would want to read them on their own. I said these are books that they should read and if they did, they would enjoy them. Both of my sons loved Catcher in the Rye when assigned it in school, but would never have read it had it not been assigned.
You are only in middle school. In a few years when you are in your late teens, you may change your mind and decide you love classics.
dude, just because someone's still in school doesn't mean they can't enjoy reading. I'm in high school and I love to read, especially half these classics. My social life is fine, but I can still find time in between classes and homework and stuff to read.
uh How about Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger? I really enjoyed it.
Catcher in the Rye is on the list.
I would suggest The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and "1984" by George Orwell
I REALLY like a lot of the books on here but Great Expectations? Dude, that book is a snoozefest.
I suggest The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (it may be a little disturbing for some people though)
also Slaughter House-5 by Kurt Vonnegut was a great read.
By far though my favorite book I have read recently is Sunshine by Norma Klien.
It's such a wonderful yet sad book. I would recommend this book for anybody.
A Tale of Two Cities (instead of another Dickens), Roots (instead of Gulliver's Travels), Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl (instead of Carroll's Alice), The Scarlet Letter (instead of Little Women? Jane Eyre?), Johnny Tremain (instead of the other Dickens) , Captains Courageous (instead of Treasure Island), something by Jack London?
The Call of the Wild by Jack London. (I could not remember the title.)
Thanks for your wonderful suggestions Paul. It would have been much easier if I had just made it a longer list.
Thanks for the kind words (and for your list). Other books in this category that have stayed with me include When the Legends Die by Hal Borland, One on One by Tabitha King, and Old and and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway.
Looks a cool list, though of course it is hard to be undisputable on this.
WebLiterature - http://www.webliterature.net - hosts most of the books you have listed here for free reading.
hi jennifer... what about Anne Frank:Diary of a Young Girl? (loved it!!) i dont know what to take off though...
That's the problem. Its easy to make an unlimited list. Anne Frank is a great book, but when I decided to make the list 20, I had to narrow it down.
I have to agree, Anne Frank is a brilliant book and a testament that will hopefully be passed down the ages, but it's not what I would consider a literary classic. Perhaps this is just my narrow interpretation, but I think of classics as being fictional novels.
The diary of Anne Frank is an autobiography (albeit not actually edited by her of course) so doesn't fit into the classic category for me. That being said, I think it is definitely something that every teenager should be encouraged to read and think about...it's just a shame that the only source that really gives teengaers literature is school which tends to ruin books by having to study them. I narrowly missed having to study To Kill a Mockingbird which I count as a great blessing because I think it would have ruined one of my favourites.
Hello, i would like to say that the books on your list are fantastic! i havent read all of them yet but im planning on finishing the list before the end of this year!
Also, I mite suggest "Catch-22" its a great book! A really good read. Of course it's a satire, and can be used as a great example.
Interesting list!
i love all of the Darren Shan books, even though they arnt classics. Im in high school and we had to read 'Animal Farm'. I LOVED it. we also had to read 'Meryll of the Stones', if we didnt have to annalyse it so much i would have really enjoyed it
Also Piers Anthony's Xanth series are REALLY good. My dad recommended them to me. They are full of funny puns.
Caity, I read Animal Farm in high school and also loved it. It is also the best way to begin a lesson on the Bolshevik Revolution and Stalin.
I had to read Animal Farm, Flowers for Algernon (so sad), and Great Expectations in school, and I liked all of them. I haven't read any classics outside of school yet, but maybe I'll try a couple over the summer. I have a friend that reads a classic every other book she reads and she likes a lot of them. She told me of some she likes that I see you don't have on your list. She really liked Catch 22 and The Good Earth.
How about The Great Gatsby?
hi... im fifteen and love reading
i have read 12 of the 20 you put up
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn / Adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Trough the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
Treasure Island - Robert Louis
Stevenson
I think that seven little australians by Ethel Turner & Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren & 1984 by George Orwell should be on the list to but it is a good list im going to start reading all the books on the list that i have not read yet!!!
Savannah, That's great. If you haven't already you should look at my second list. The link is at the very beginning of this article.
You should put Watership Down by Richard Adams on there as well.
of mice and men by John Steinbeck
:)
good good story
Good collection, good list.
Thanks...
http://iphone.mobilechamps.com/mydad.html
ummmmm...
i would say that the percy jackson series are a very good series and should be added.
Animal farm is an awffuuulll book.
i'm 16, we had to read it in english class, it's boring and bland in my opinion. it is well written, tho
lord of the flies is not good. i wouldn't recommend it
very uninteresting and canibalistic
"My Brother Sam is dead"
is a great book i had to read it in 7th grade and loved it but never admitted it
books aren't the thing in my school
How about Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. It's such a great story and beautifully written. I think a lot of teens and young women would enjoy and relate.
Thank you so much for this list (and part 2).
My son has just turned thirteen and, although a very intelligent boy, he has reached the age when he is no longer reading. I'm hoping to try to engage him again with a few of these as many of them are already on my bookshelf.
I've also been recommended the Ian Fleming James Bond books, which are supposed to be considerably better than the films.
What a great list... My only recommendation would be to add something by Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes). I know it was suggested by someone already, but I think it would really be enjoyed by people my age. Also, if this is a list for young adults, perhaps LOTR would be more suitable than The Hobbit? I still love the book, but it WAS written for children. :)
Thanks, the make great points.