The Best 23 Books to Read

Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned writer, these are the 23 books you shouldn't miss reading. Immerse yourself in the world of words.

Writer, editor and educator, Carola Martinez Arroyo, has been working in the world of books for children and young people since 1998. As well as being the author of several novels for adolescents, she is also an editor and has a specialized blog called Where Books Live. She also delivers workshops, courses and training to teachers, librarians and young people on reading, writing and literature topics.

During her course Writing a Young Adult Novel Carola shares a list of must-read books we wanted to share here to inspire your writing or creative process.

Whether you’re a professional writer, just starting out or just an avid fan of books and writing, this list is sure to inspire.

Literature of the Imagination

The Endless Story | Michel Ende (1979)

A classic among the classics. A story where the real and the fantastic go hand in hand. The journey of a boy who lives in reality and who becomes part of a fantastic story to save the enchanted place where a sick empress lives. A journey that the protagonist of the story must also make to his own heart.

The Lord of the Rings | JRR Tolkien (1954)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a masterpiece of fantastic literature, where the adventure of its protagonist towards the destruction of a ring with a dangerous power is told. A path full of challenges, confrontations with amazing malevolent creatures and betrayals.

Sandman | Neil Gaiman (1989-1996)

One of the most popular and critically acclaimed graphic novels of all time, Neil Gaiman's award-winning masterpiece The Sandman set the standard for mature, lyrical fantasy in the modern comics era. Illustrated by an exemplary selection of the medium's most gifted artists, the series is a rich blend of modern and ancient mythology in which contemporary fiction, historical drama, and legend are seamlessly interwoven.

The Left Hand in the Dark | Úrsula K. Le Guin (1969)

Winter is an Earth-like planet with two major differences: conditions are semi arctic even at the warmest time of the year, and the inhabitants are all of the same sex. Tucked away in a remote corner of the universe, they have no knowledge of space travel or of life beyond their own world. And when a strange envoy from space brings news of a vast coalition of planets which they are invited to join, he is met with fear, mistrust and disbelief.

His Dark Materials | Phillip Pullman (1995)

His Dark Materials is an epic trilogy of fantasy novels by Philip Pullman consisting of Northern Lights (published as The Golden Compass in North America), The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass. It follows the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they wander through a series of parallel universes.

A Series of Catastrophic Misfortunes | Lemony Snicket (Daniel Handler) (1999-2006)

A series of catastrophic misfortunes is a series of books created by Daniel Handler, who signs under the pseudonym Lemony Snicket. The original title in English, A Series of Unfortunate Events, also translates as A series of unfortunate events. Has been framed within the best children's and youth novels, despite the gloomy and mysterious atmosphere of its narration.

Saga of the Confines | Liliana Bodoc (2000)

A saga of three heroic fantasy novels set in an imaginary world inspired by mythology. The saga addresses themes such as good and evil, the fight for freedom and resistance against oppression.

Harry Potter | JK Rowling (1997-2007)

Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

The Hunger Games | Suzanne Collins (2008)

The first novel in the worldwide bestselling series by Suzanne Collins!
Winning 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.

Realist Literature

Everything on a Waffle | Polly Horvath (2001)

Polly Horvath's Everything on a Waffle tells the funny, bittersweet story of a young heroine who manages to hold onto hope despite the odds. Primrose Squarp simply knows her parents did not perish at sea during a terrible storm, but try convincing the other residents of Coal Harbour on that score. For all practical purposes, at least for the time being, Primrose is an orphan, and there's no great clamoring of prospective adopters.

My Friend the Painter | Ligia Bojunga (1986)

From an award-winning Brazilian author comes the beautifully told novel of a young boy, Claudio, and his friendship with a painter who teaches him to see the world through the eyes of an artist. But just as the boy is beginning to learn about art, as well as life and friendship, his friend commits suicide. Narrated from a child’s point of view, this difficult subject is handled with delicacy and sensitivity.

The Eyes of the Siberian Dog | Antonio Santa Ana (1998)

This youth novel shows the struggle of a small boy whos older brother suffers from AIDS. The young boy, the books narrator, does in the beginning not know his older brother Ezequiel, too well due to the age difference. When he learns about his brothers illness he is confused and struck with despair. The young boy begins to build a strong relationship with his brother and at the same time the family pushes Ezequiel away since they are ashamed of him. This heart-warming book shows how a great sorrow affects a child when it is not dealt with. The book is also about a brothers love and the importance of seeing the person and not just an illness.

A Bridge to Terabithia | Katherine Paterson

This beloved Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss. Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

The Same Stuff as Stars | Katherine Paterson

When Angel's self-absorbed mother leaves her and her younger brother with their poor great-grandmother, the eleven-year-old girl worries not only about her mother, her brother, her imprisoned father, and the friar old woman, but also about a mysterious man who begins sharing with her the wonder of the stars.

The Great Gilly Hopkins | Katherine Paterson

Eleven-year-old Gilly has been stuck in more foster families than she can remember, and she's hated them all. She has a reputation for being brash, brilliant, and completely unmanageable, and that's the way she likes it. So when she's sent to live with the Trotters—by far the strangest family yet—she knows it's only a temporary problem.

My Friend Luki-Live | Christine Nöstlinger

With real characters and a simple narrative, the author tells the story of a teenager who has lost his way and a lonely painter. The painter, with his life experience, will help the young man by showing him a new way of seeing colors through his art.

Eleonor & Park | Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park is the first young adult novel written by Rainbow Rowell. Published in 2012, the story follows dual narratives by Eleanor and Park, two misfits living in Omaha, Nebraska from 1986 to 1987. Eleanor, a chubby[1] 16-year-old girl with curly red hair, and Park, a 16-year-old boy of mixed Korean and Irish descent, meet on a school bus on Eleanor's first day at the school and gradually connect through comic books and mix tapes of '80s music, sparking a love story.

Heartbeat | Sharon Creech

A touching story about a young girl finding her identity and learning how it fits with the many rhythms of life. Annie loves running, drawing, and her family from her. She has a best friend called Max who also loves running, but things are not so great in Max's life. As the two come to terms with growing up and getting on and dealing with the many events and pressures around them a new and wonderful rhythm is established. A classic novel by a Carnegie Medal-winning author.

Walking Two Moons | Sharon Creech

In her own singularly beautiful style, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.

Love that Dog | Sharon Creech

Love That Dog shows how one boy named Jack finds his voice with the help of a teacher, a pencil, some yellow paper, and of course, a dog. Written as a series of free-verse poems from Jack's point of view, and with classic poetry included in the back matter, this novel is perfect for kids and teachers, too.

Under the Same Star | John Green

Here is a very moving, moving and humane work. Under the same star recounts the experiences of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old adolescent who has suffered from thyroid cancer for 3 years. At the time of the narration of the events, the disease is in phase IV, so it has already spread to the protagonist's lungs. To counteract the effects of the metastasis, the doctors have decided to test an experimental drug on her.

Paper Towns | John Green

When Margo Roth Spiegelman beckons Quentin Jacobsen in the middle of the night—dressed like a ninja and plotting an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows her. Margo’s always planned extravagantly, and, until now, she’s always planned solo. After a lifetime of loving Margo from afar, things are finally looking up for Q . . . until day breaks and she has vanished. Always an enigma, Margo has now become a mystery. But there are clues. And they’re for Q.

Will Grayson | John Green and David Levithan (2010)

One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, Will Grayson crosses paths with . . . Will Grayson. Two guys with the same name, running in two very different circles, suddenly find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, and culminating in epic turns-of-heart and the most fabulous musical ever to grace the high-school stage. Told in alternating voices from two award-winning authors - John Green (author of The Fault in Our Stars ) and David Levithan (author of Boy Meets Boy) - This unique collaborative novel features a double helping of the heart and humor that has won both authors legions of fans.

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