Younger generations continue to pass on spending quality time with a book and spending their time scrolling through social media instead. With a national decline in literary rates, teens must be encouraged to find and read books that they enjoy.
For many teens, reading books is seen as being tedious. After reading classic texts in schools, the idea of reading hundreds of pages sounds especially boring; the overstimulation that teens face after using social media platforms like TikTok only appears to be increasing teens’ hesitation to pick up a book.
Teens need to remember that there are books of all kinds– not just books picked by their teachers. Books come in a variety of lengths, and genres; this includes comedy, romance, fantasy, drama, and more. Learning about the wide variety of books out there can help encourage reading, and studies show that teens should make reading a habit.
For the reluctant reader, here are five highly-rated books that will leave them wanting to keep turning the page.
1. “Midnight Library” by Matt Haig
This book is perfect for anyone who has wished they could change a moment from their past. Nora Seed, the main character in this book, is presented with this opportunity after she attempts to take her own life.
Seed is forced to see how life would be changed with every different choice she makes in life by choosing a book, emphasizing the butterfly effect trope, and she is ultimately left to decide which life is the one that she wants.
Google approval rating: 93%.
Goodreads: 4 out of 5 stars.
2. “Loveless” by Alice Oseman
People sell an idea about what love and sexuality should be and what it should look like, but “Loveless”, the graphic novel by Alice Oseman, teaches that it can be different and that’s okay.
The story is about Georgia, a teenage girl ready to go to college that has never been in love. When she proposes to herself to find love with her friend’s help, she concludes that love is not the same for her as for everyone else. But declaring herself aromantic and asexual is a confusing process for her, and now she is struggling to find herself.
Google approval rating: 97%.
Goodreads: 4.2 out of 5 stars.
3. “She Gets the Girl” by Rachel Lippincott and Alyson Derrick
This enemies-to-lovers story starts when two completely different girls collide with each other.
Alex is a risk taker, player, and rockstar, while Molly is a quiet and reserved girl. After their first encounter at a party went bad, they re-group again to help each other prove something to someone else, Molly’s crush, and Alex’s toxic ex-girlfriend. They show each other a different way to live their lives and how love actually should feel.
Google approval rating: 97%.
Goodreads: 4.1 out of 5 stars.
4. “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Jenkins Reid tells the story of Evelyn Hugo, a fictional historical story loosely based on Hollywood’s Elizabeth Taylor. The story illustrates Hugo’s life as a celebrity and all of the struggles she faced. Hugo was the center of gossip due to her looks, her abundance of husbands, and her controversial life.
Google approval rating: 96%.
Goodreads: 4.4 out of 5 stars.
5. “Scars Like Wings” by Erin Stewart
Ava Lee has the typical teenage dream life; however, her world completely changes after she suffers a terrible accident. After the accident, she refuses to continue with her normal life, and she instead stagnates and lives the life of a depressed hermit. Until she has the opportunity to change her life with an experimental surgery, but in exchange she has to go and try to go back to her normal old life.
Google approval rating: N/A
Goodreads: 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Each of the books listed is available in the Bakersfield High School library. Further questions on book availability can be directed to Amanda Garza, the BHS teacher librarian, at [email protected].
Read these books suggested already? Check out Penguin Random House’s Book Finder or Bookfinity’s quiz to receive suggestions that are tailored to each reader’s interests.
