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This list has its origins in the NPR list of books for teens. Our teens were unimpressed with some of the books voted most popular on the list. Their answer is the list below. It’s a list of books chosen by teens for teens in response to the NPR list on 100 Best Teen Novels Ever. So, join us for 100 Books You Should Read by the Time You Turn 20.
Criteria Used to Choose the 100 Books
As we made the list, I talked with my teens about how they were measuring up the books. What was going to give the books what it takes to be on the list? Here is the list they came up with:
Novels Only- no plays, poems, short stories, etc
Newbury Honors & Awards- many books on the list earned a Newbury recognition. If you don’t pay attention to those, now is the time!
Lasting Titles- maybe we could say “classics” here. If it’s been in print a long time, chances are it’s worth the read.
Provokes Discussion- do you have a teen at your house? They love a good discussion and if it’s over a book…all the better!
Personal Favorites- they had to include books they love the most. Though, this mom exercised a veto right on a few Star Wars books. So, be aware there may be titles that don’t seem to fit and they are probably a personal choice by someone!
The other thing about this list is that it’s not a list entirely aimed at teens. It’s a list of books to be read by the time you are no longer a teen. You’ll find books for younger kids on here as well as for teens and young adults. It should be noted that any of the books on the list are well worth reading long beyond the age of 20.
“No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” ― CS Lewis
Top 10 of 100 Books You Should Read by the Time You Turn 20
These are the books our children chose for their top 10 out of 100 books. Keep in mind that some of these are actually books in a series and they count the whole series! Have you read these?
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Swallows & Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Redwall by Brian Jacques
The Trumpet of the Swan by EB White
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Historical Fiction Books to Read before You Turn 20
This category includes books set in historical time periods which are about the life of that time. You’ll also find autobiographical fiction here, such at Little House on the Prairie.
Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite De Angeli
My Brother Sam is Dead by James Collier
The Second Mrs. Giaconda by EL Konigsburg
Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
The Shining Company by Rosemary Sutcliff
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch by Jean Lee Latham
Little House on Rocky Ridge by Roger Lea MacBride
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
Hitty: The First Hundred Years by Dorothy Lathrop
White Fang by Jack London
Fantasy Books to Read before You Turn 20
As you can see by the length of this category, fantasy is a favorite of ours. Both of my teens and our younger two boys adore fantasy. Fantasy includes elements of magic such as talking animals and have “other world” settings or plot items.
The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin
The Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien
The Inheritance Cycle by Christoper Paolini
Till We Have Faces by CS Lewis
The Secret Series by Pseudonymous Bosch
The Kane Chronicles by Rick Riordan
The Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan
The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynn Reid Banks
The Doll People by Ann M. Martin
The Prisoner of Zenda by Anthony Hope
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain
The Wizard of Oz by Frank Baum
Dracula by Brahm Stoker
Harry Potter by JK Rowling
Ella Enchanted by Gail Levine
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Half Magic by Edward Eager
Runt the Brave by Daniel Schwabauer
Brotherband Chronicles by John Flanagan
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Charlotte’s Web by EB White
My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Gannet Stiles
Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C O’Brien
The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Wildwood by Colin Meloy
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
The Story of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofting
Science Fiction Books to Read by the Time You Turn 20
Science Fiction is sort of a sub-genre of fantasy and dystopian novels are included in this category. The “other world” element has to do with a scientific breakthrough or invention that “changes everything” we know about the world.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Time Machine by HG Wells
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Adventure Books to Enjoy before You Are 20
This category refers to the other general stories of adventure. You might disagree with some of the category references for the books, but this is how our teens chose to divide them up.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Hercule Poirot Mysteries by Agatha Christie
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodges Burnett
Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Silas Marner by George Eliot
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
From the Mixed-Up Files of Professor Basil E. Frankweiler by EL Konigsburg
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
Robin Hood by Roger Green
Brighty of the rand Canyon by Marguerite Henry
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Hatchet by Gary Paulson
Nim’s Island by Wendy Orr
Red Sails to Capri by Ann Weil
My Antonia by Willa Cather
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
How to Grow Readers
So, how do you get to the point of enjoying all these books with your students? Here are a few posts to help making reading a priority in your home.
The Ultimate Guide to Establishing a Reading Culture in Your Home- This is a collection of resources and ideas to help you build a reading culture in your home for toddlers and preschoolers through high school.
Organizing Your Homeschool Library- How do you organize all those books you want on hand as a homeschooler? Click through for some practical tips on how to organize and store the books.
Summer Reading Challenge without the Carrot & the Stick- It’s never too early to think about how to challenge your kids this summer. Or perhaps you are looking for ways to challenge your kids’ reading habits right now. Here are some tried and true ideas for engaging students with books- without the reward systems common to reading challenges.
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