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Special Edition: School Library Journal's Most Influential Titles for ages 12-18 These books, all published from 2000-2025, were voted to be the most influential books for teens from a poll of hundreds of librarians. The titles are listed in order: |
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The Hunger Games
by Suzanne Collins
The first novel in the worldwide bestselling series by Suzanne Collins, now an acclaimed film series starring Jennifer LawrenceWinning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun ...In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before--and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.
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The Hate U Give
by Angie Thomas
Fiction. Sixteen-year-old Starr walks an uneasy line, with one foot in her poor, mostly-black neighborhood and the other in her rich, mostly-white school. After Starr sees her friend Khalil gunned down by a white cop, however, that line is obliterated. Amid the uproar, Starr knows she should speak out, but the pressure she's under from all sides makes it difficult -- and dangerous -- to raise her voice. With a movie already in the works, this "powerful, in-your-face novel" (Horn Book Magazine) is one of the year's most talked-about books.
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Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
In the aftermath of his brother's murder, grieving 15-year-old Will boards the elevator in his building with a gun in his waistband. He knows The Rules: don't cry, don't snitch, just get your revenge. But can Will's resolve outlast the surprises of his ride to the ground floor? Popular author Jason Reynolds' spare, page-turning poetry delivers an emotional punch that you won't soon forget.
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The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
15-year-old Xiomara isn't afraid to speak with her fists when she's harassed on the street, but discovers that poetry offers an outlet for her family frustrations, her doubts about her Catholic faith, and her feelings about her secret boyfriend. Slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo makes her debut with this bittersweet, hard-hitting novel in verse.
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The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.
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Scythe
by Neal Shusterman
Most job training isn't life-threatening, but being a Scythe isn't a typical job. It's 2042, and Earth is enjoying a post-mortal period, free of natural or accidental death. To keep the population in check, the Scythes -- an organization of professional killers -- are tasked with randomly "gleaning" lives. Sixteen-year-olds Citra and Rowan are horrified at the idea of murder, yet both are chosen as apprentice Scythes and forced into a winner-gleans-loser competition. As their violent training progresses, the apprentices take turns describing their moral misgivings and increasingly complicated relationship. If you're into provocative, philosophical science fiction, don't miss this series opener from award-winning author Neal Shusterman.
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Firekeeper's Daughter
by Angeline Boulley
Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi's hockey team. Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug. Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims. Now, as the deceptions--and deaths--keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she'll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she's ever known.
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The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.
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Heartstopper: Volume 1
by Alice Oseman
What it is: the beginning chapters of a story (based on an ongoing webcomic) about the deepening relationship between shy, anxious Charlie and outgoing rugby player Nick.
Why you might like it: Delicate illustrations and on-point dialogue capture the excitement and uncertainty of first love; also, fans of Alice Oseman’s earlier books may recognize some familiar characters.
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The Crossover
by Kwame Alexander
With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander.
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
In the summer of 1987, Aristotle meets Dante. Both are 15 years old and Mexican-American, but otherwise they're nothing alike: artistic Dante is an only child of intellectual parents who don't believe in secrets, while brooding Ari's family never talks about his brother in prison or his father's traumatic experiences in the Vietnam War. Nevertheless, the boys become close friends, and Dante's open attitudes start to crack Ari's carefully constructed shell. Award-winning author Benjamin Alire Sáenz's "lyric prose and pitch-perfect dialog" (Library Journal) honestly portrays the inner life of a frustrated teen guy figuring out who he is and who he wants to be.
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Speak: The Graphic Novel
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak up for yourself--we want to know what you have to say. From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, an outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, Melinda becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back--and refuses to be silent. The groundbreaking National Book Award Finalist and Michael L. Printz Honor Book about consent, healing, and finding your voice comes alive for new audiences and fans of the original novel in Speak: The Graphic Novel.
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The Sun Is Also a Star
by Nicola Yoon
Can a single day change the direction of your life? Both Natasha and Daniel believe it might, though for different reasons: practical, scientific Natasha is making a final attempt to stop her family's deportation to Jamaica, while dreamy Korean-American Daniel is headed to a prestigious but unwanted college interview. Neither of them expects to meet the other, or to feel an undeniable bond that kicks off a confusing yet unforgettable 12 hours. With lyrical writing, multiple perspectives, and authentic characters, this tale of a whirlwind relationship will "appeal to cynics and romantics alike".
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Last Night at the Telegraph Club
by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
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Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
Eleanor and Park didn't plan to fall in love. Eleanor is the new girl at school, big and red-haired, with a weird clothes and a horrible stepfather. Park's love for comic books and New Wave music sets him apart from his friends and his half-Korean family. For weeks, the two social misfits sit silently next to each other on the school bus -- until Park discovers Eleanor reading his comic books over his shoulder and their love story begins. Similar to Hazel and Gus in The Fault in Our Stars, Eleanor and Park will draw readers into the exhilaration and vulnerability of first love.
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Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer
Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.
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The Inheritance Games
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When a Connecticut teenager inherits vast wealth and an eccentric estate from the richest man in Texas, she must also live with his surviving family and solve a series of puzzles to discover how she earned her inheritance.
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One of Us Is Lying
by Karen M. McManus
When the creator of a high school gossip app mysteriously dies in front of four high-profile students all four become suspects. It's up to them to solve the case
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Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
Justyce McAllister is 17, Ivy League-bound, and one of the few black students at his prep school. Following a disturbing incident of police profiling, Justyce doesn't know how to cope with his anger and frustration -- so he pours them into letters to civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. If this powerful debut novel about a black teen facing violent racism resonates with you, be sure to also check out Angie Thomas' The Hate U Give.
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Between Shades of Gray
by Ruta Sepetys
A knock comes at the door in the dead of night, and Lina's life changes in an instant. With her young brother and mother, she is hauled away by the Soviet secret police from her home in Lithuania and thrown into a cattle car en route to Siberia. Separated from her father, Lina secretly passes along clues in the form of drawings, hoping they will reach his prison camp. But will her letters, or her courage, be enough to reunite her family? Will they be enough to keep her alive? A moving and haunting novel about loss, fear, and ultimately, survival, Between Shades of Gray is a tour de force of historical and emotional storytelling.
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Six of Crows
by Leigh Bardugo
Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price--and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone. . . . A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz's crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction--if they don't kill each other first. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo returns to the breathtaking world of the Grishaverse in this unforgettable tale about the opportunity--and the adventure--of a lifetime.
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Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with handsome Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.
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We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
Cadence "Cady" Sinclair is one of the Sinclairs, a powerful, privileged New England family. Every year, Cady looks forward to summer, when she reunites with her cousins Mirren and Johnny and their friend, Gat, on the family's private island. But during their 15th summer, something happens -- something so shattering that Cady can't remember it, and her family won't talk about it. A richly atmospheric setting combines with Cady's captivating narration to create a steadily increasing suspense that will keep you turning pages right up to the ending, which -- well, we won't spoil it, but it will definitely get people talking.
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American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
Alternates three interrelated stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to participate in the popular culture. Presented in comic book format.
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The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade. Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive. Everything is going to change. Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying. Remember. Survive. Run.
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