25 best books for teens

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Another 25 works that everyone should read in their youth.

Lifehacker has already compiled a selection of the best books for teenagers, which includes lists from Time magazine, The Guardian newspaper, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and our editorial staff.

We invited you to supplement the selection with your favorite works from childhood and adolescence, and you are actively involved. We present to your attention a list of the best books for teenagers according to Lifehacker readers.

1. "The Kid and Carlson Who Lives on the Roof," Astrid Lindgren

The first part of the trilogy, which is known to Soviet children primarily from cartoons. It's funny how Boris Stepantsev adapted the literary material. According to the book, the Kid is a spoiled selfish child. He has not only parents, but also friends (Christer and Gunilla). In the cartoon, the Kid is a lonely boy under the supervision of the "housewife" Freken Bok, who made a friend for himself. And Carlson's favorite food from the book is not jam with sweets at all, but meatballs.

2. "The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint-Exupery

A children's tale for adults by the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, published in 1943. The story of the golden-haired boy is a treasure trove of wisdom. "The Little Prince" has been translated into more than 180 languages, films have been made based on its motives, and music has been written. The book became part of modern culture and was scattered into quotations.

3. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", Mark Twain

What did the twelve-year-old tomboy Tom not manage to do on the pages of this story! He witnessed a murder, got lost in a cave, found a treasure, ran away from home to become a pirate, and, of course, fell in love. The work of Mark Twain presents the entire palette of teenage experiences. Perhaps that is why it is so close to them.

4. "The Adventures of Alice", Kir Bulychev

Alisa Selezneva is a schoolgirl, “a guest from the future”. She is childishly spontaneous and fearless. Alice travels through galaxies and gets to know their inhabitants, while on Earth human civilization has been flourishing for a long time. In addition to the exciting adventures of the protagonist, children of the 21st century will certainly be interested to know how Kir Bulychev imagined life at the end of their century.

5. "The Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne

This novel remains popular for almost 150 years (the first publication dates back to 1874). The adventures of five brave northerners who found themselves on an uninhabited island during the American Civil War captured the hearts of readers no less than Verne's previous works: "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" and "Children of Captain Grant".

6. "Treasure Island" by Robert Stevenson

Captain Flint's treasure hunt has excited the imagination of generations of boys and girls. Perhaps, in our time, pirate adventures are not so relevant, but the philosophical motives raised in the book are interesting even now.

7. "Island of the lost ships", Alexander Belyaev

Science fiction writer Alexander Belyaev is better known for his novels "The Amphibian Man" and "The Head of Professor Dowell". "Island of the Lost Ships" remains unread by many, and in vain. The adventures of a detective, a "criminal" and a millionaire's daughter, who miraculously survived a shipwreck and ended up on the "island of lost ships", capture (albeit not from the first pages) and do not let go to the end.

8. "Two Captains", Veniamin Kaverin

The centennials will surely give their interpretation to the immortal motto of this work: "Fight and seek, find and not give up." Yes, and they are unlikely to be imbued with the romance of the profession of a pilot and polar explorer, but the true love and friendship described in this novel should find a response in them.

9. "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle

The first book in a series of works about Professor Challenger. An expedition of British scientists, journalists and aristocrats discovers a "window" to the ancient world. Among dinosaurs and ape-men it is very dangerous, but insanely interesting.

10. "Mines of King Solomon", Henry Haggard

Several readers of Lifehacker said at once that every boy and girl should get acquainted with the works of the classic of world adventure literature Sir Haggard. We recommend starting your acquaintance with the first book about Allan Quartermain - "The Mines of King Solomon".

11. Empire Ruined by Mark Lawrence

The Empire Shattered Trilogy was written in 2011–2013 by the Anglo-American writer Mark Lawrence in the best fantasy traditions. It includes the novels The Prince of Thorns, The King of Thorns and The Emperor of Thorns. Teenagers will be especially interested in the first book, where the formation of the main character takes place.

12. "Hyperboloid of engineer Garin", Alexey Tolstoy

The plot where an employee of the Soviet Criminal Investigation Department and a general uprising of workers defeat the capitalist Pierre Harry, who imagines himself the ruler of the world, looks funny in modern realities. But be that as it may, this book is still about the victory of good over evil. Alexei Tolstoy should be applauded for the fact that, in fact, he foresaw the invention of the laser.

13. "The Count of Monte Cristo", Alexandre Dumas

Classics of French literature. An adventure novel about love, betrayal and revenge. A simple Marseilles sailor Edmond Dantes turns into a mysterious and eccentric Count of Monte Cristo, but does a person have the right to think of himself as an instrument of justice?

14. Les Miserables, Victor Hugo

One of the greatest novels of the 19th century and the apotheosis of Hugo's work. Using the example of the difficult life path of Jean Valjean, the author raises eternal philosophical problems. Which is stronger - law or love? Can rich and poor understand each other's suffering? Does the striving for good always win in a person? The book is more suitable for older teens.

15. "The Tale of the Late Ivan Petrovich Belkin", Alexander Pushkin

"Shot", "Blizzard", "Undertaker", "Station Keeper", "The Young Peasant Woman" - everyone knows the names of these stories from school. And this is the rare case when works from the school curriculum are truly captivating and enjoyable at a young age.

16. The Catcher in the Rye by Jerome Salinger

A novel about youth and thirst for freedom. Seventeen-year-old Holden, with his youthful maximalism, expresses his rejection of deceitful public morality. Publishing House Modern Library included it in the list of the 100 best English-language novels of the last century. The work was immensely popular in the twentieth century and is still gaining recognition from young rebels.

17. "Portrait of Dorian Gray", Oscar Wilde

Dorian Gray is young and beautiful, but in pursuit of pleasure she is drowning in selfishness and vices. Excellent cautionary tale of Oscar Wilde and his only published novel.

18. "Martin Eden", Jack London

In many ways an autobiographical novel about a man who made himself. To achieve the love of a girl outside his circle, Martin Eden actively engaged in self-education and succeeded a lot. Only feelings have not passed the test of social disunity. If you want to introduce a teenager to the philosophy of Nietzsche and Spencer in a fun way, throw this book on him.

19. "The Collector", John Fowles

John Fowles is an English writer, one of the most prominent representatives of postmodernism. Fowles wrote a novel about a lonely clerk and butterfly collector Frederick Clegg, who kidnaps and keeps a girl he loves at home. The book is read in one breath, but for a long time it makes you think about cruelty, loneliness and indifference.

20. "Body" by Stephen King

Another name is "Corpse". “Not a very suitable book for children,” say those who have not read the story published in The Method of Breathing. In fact, the story of the boy's death takes less than a quarter of the book. Everything else is memories of the recklessness of youth and a story about the difficult process of growing up. Many teenagers recognize themselves in the main characters.

21. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

A science fiction story, later added to the novel, about a weak-minded man who, as a result of a scientific experiment, became the smartest on the planet. The age-old problem of grief from the mind and subtle ethical paradoxes make you read this book without stopping. The story was published in 1959, but in the 21st century, in the light of bioengineering developments and artificial intelligence, it acquires special relevance.

22. Animal Farm by George Orwell

This book is great brain training for the younger generation. A satirical story-parable depicting the transition from unlimited freedom and universal equality to dictatorship: “All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others."

23. "Monday starts on Saturday", Strugatsky brothers

Many of Lifehacker's readers love the works of Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. We, too. It is best for teenagers to start their acquaintance with these wonderful authors with a satirical story about the programmer Privalov. In the future, we also recommend reading "The Doomed City", "Roadside Picnic" and "It's Difficult to Be a God."

24. "Young Guard", Alexander Fadeev

The novel is dedicated to the activities of the underground youth organization of the same name that existed during the Great Patriotic War. Most of the main characters of the novel are real people, but the events described by the author did not always happen in reality. Nevertheless, "Young Guard" is considered one of the best patriotic works.

25. “Not on the lists”, Boris Vasiliev

The action of this story takes place at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The story of the heroism and love of Lieutenant Nikolai Pluzhnikov is a must-read for fostering patriotism and true love for the Motherland.