This is just a list of the very best that Junior Fic­tion, Young Adult and New Adult, in my opin­ion, has to offer. It’s a great start­ing place if you’re look­ing for some­thing new to try and is by no means an exhaus­tive list — I have many, many more that I would also highly rec­om­mend — so check out my reviews or Goodreads page for more ideas.

 

FANTASY

 

Amulet or Samarkand, The (Bar­ti­maeus Series Book 1) by Johnathan Stroud

Plain Kate by Erin Bow *

Poi­son Study by Maria V. Synder

The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner

Sabriel by Garth Nix

His Dark Mate­ri­als (North­ern Lights, Sub­tle Night, Amber Spy­glass) by Philip Pullman

Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta

The Scor­pio Races by Mag­gie Stiefvater

The Percy Jack­son Series by Rick Riordan *

Old Magic by Mar­i­anne Curley

 

HISTORICAL

 

Code Name Ver­ity by Eliz­a­beth Wein

Lost Art of Keep­ing Secrets, The by Eva Rice

Vic­to­ria and the Rogue by Meg Cabot

Nicola and the Vis­count by Meg Cabot

I Cap­ture the Cas­tle by Dodie Smith

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery *

The Book Thief by Mar­cus Zusak

The Sally Lock­hart Quar­tet by Philip Pullman

Flam­bards Series by K.M Peyton

Good­night Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian

A Spoon­ful of Jam by Michelle Magorian

The Rag­ing Quiet by Sherry Jordan

VIII by Har­riot Caster *

Scar­let by A.C Gaughen

 

CONTEMPORARY

 

The 10pm Ques­tion by Kate De Goldi *

Boys Don’t Cry by Mal­o­rie Blackman

Jel­li­coe Road by Melina Marchetta

Sav­ing Francesca by Melina Marchetta

The Piper’s Son by Melina Marchetta **

A Mon­ster Calls by Patrick Ness *

Easy by Tam­mara Webber **

Per­fect Chem­istry (Per­fect Chem­istry Series Book 1) by Simone Elkeles

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy *

DYSTOPIAN

 

Chaos Walk­ing Tril­ogy (The Knife of Never Let­ting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Mon­sters of Men) by Patrick Ness

Blood Red Road (Dust­lands Series Book 1) by Moira Young

Noughts and Crosses by Mal­o­rie Blackman

 

PARANORMAL

 

Name of the Star, The by Mau­reen Johnson

Before I Fall by Lau­ren Oliver

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Nev­er­more by Kelly Creagh

The Ghost and the Goth Tril­ogy by Stacey Kade

The Medi­a­tor Series by Meg Cabot

 

CLASSICS

 

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Pride and Prej­u­dice (and any of her other works) by Jane Austen

 

FAIRYTALE

 

A Curse Dark As Gold by Eliz­a­beth C. Bunce

Princess Acad­emy by Shan­non Hale *

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson