We’ve compiled a list of 21 of the best books for teenagers.
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In addition to the standard academic and extracurricular activities that teenagers are usually occupied with, audiobooks can provide interesting and engaging storytelling that will complement and enrich their education. If you’re looking for some great audiobook recommendations for your teen, look no further. We’ve compiled a list of 21 of the best books for ages 12 to 17. Whether your teenager is into adventure stories or romance novels, there’s something on this list for everyone. So grab a few extra batteries and get ready for some serious listening!
Here are the best 21 audiobooks for teenagers
The Outsiders
(Free with Audible Trial)
Ponyboy trusts his brothers. On his friends. But not on anything else except for trouble with the Socs (a vicious gang of rich kids who think of themselves as tough guys) and Ponyboy (a greaser). He at least knows what to expect, but if something goes wrong.
The Fault in Our Stars
(Free with Audible Trial)
From the best-selling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and Turtles All the Way Down, John Green, comes Fault in Our Stars. An insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw. It brilliantly explores the hilarious, exciting, and sometimes heartbreaking business of being alive and loving someone.
We Were Liars
(Free with Audible Trial)
This #1 New York Times bestseller is an exciting, modern, sophisticated suspense novel by National Book Award finalist and Printz Award winner E. Lockhart. Don’t miss the highly anticipated prequel, Family of Liars, coming out in May 2022!
Lord of the Flies
(Free with Audible Trial)
A thrilling and elegantly told story of a group of British boys stranded on a tropical island. Alone in a world full of possibilities, without adult supervision or rules, they begin to create their own society, their rules, and their rituals. Through the seemingly innocent acts of young children, Golding exposes our own duality: the dark, eternal division between order and chaos, intelligence and instinct, structure and violence.
Crooked Kingdom
(Free with Audible Trial)
Kaz Brekker has just pulled off a heister so daring, even he didn’t think he would survive. Instead of dividing up a large reward, they’re right there again, fighting for their lives. Low on resources, allies, hope, and strength, the crew is in trouble. Jurda Parem has been unleashed upon the city of Ketterdam. Old rivals and new enemies emerge, challenging Kaz’s cunning and testing the team’s fragile loyalties. A war will be fought on the city’s dark streets – a battle for vengeance and redemption that will decide whether the Grisha world survives.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
(Free with Audible Trial)
Five years ago, 14-year-old schoolgirl Andie Bell died after being stabbed by a man called Sal Singh. They know who did it. Everybody in town knows he did something. But having grown up surrounded by crime, Pippa doesn’t think she’d be able to handle it. As she chooses the case as her topic for her final project she starts to uncover secrets which someone in town desperately wants kept secret. If the real killer is still alive, how far will he go to stop Pip from finding the truth?
Firekeeper’s Daughter
(Free with Audible Trial)
Daunis Fontaine was born in a small town in Minnesota, but she didn’t really fit in there either. When Daunis’ family tragedy strikes, she puts her future on hold and looks after her fragile mother. The only bright spot in this story is meeting Jamie, the lovely new recruit on her brother’s hockey team.
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
(Free with Audible Trial)
Simon Spier, a 16-year-old boy who doesn’t want to be open about his sexuality, saves his drama for the school play. But when an email is sent to the wrong person, its secret could be exposed. Now Simon is actually blackmailed: If he refuses to be Martin’s wingman, his sexual identity will be made public. Worse, the privacy Blue, the pen name for the boy he’s been corresponding with online, will be compromised.
Inheritance Games
(Free with Audible Trial)
Avery Grambs has an ambitious plan for his future: survive high school, win a college scholarship, and graduate. But her fortunes change instantly when billionaire Tobias Hawthorne passes away and leaves Avery virtually his whole fortune. The catch? Avery doesn’t know why or who Tobias Hawthorne is, but he’s going to find out.
Starsight
(Free with Audible Trial)
Spensa always wanted to be a pilot. Like her father, she wants to prove herself a hero. She reached the top of the mountain, but the truths she discovered about her father were devastating. He was cowardly enough to desert his flight during battle against Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them. From the number-one New York Times best-selling author of the Stormlight Archive, comes an epic series about a girl with a secret in a dangerous world at war for humanity’s future.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
(Free with Audible Trial)
A poignant but often funny contemporary YA about loss and finding yourself amidst the pressures, expectations,and stereotypes of growing up in an Hispanic home.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
(Free with Audible Trial)
Maya and her brother, who was born deaf, were sent to live with their devout and self-sufficient grandmother in the small southern town where they grew up. At eight years old, she was back at her mother‘s side in St. Louis and was assaulted by a man many times older than she is – and must live with the consequences for the rest of her life.
Night
(Free with Audible Trial)
Night is an autobiography written by Anne Frank, who was imprisoned in Nazi Germany’s concentration camps during World War II. Through the eyes of 14- year old Eliezer, the tragedy of the Jews from the small town of Sighet unfolds inexorably. Even as they are crammed into cattle cars bound for the gas chambers at Auschwitz, the townspeoples refuse to believe rumors of Nazi atrocities. Not until they are taken away from their families and forced into the camps do the terrible truths about the Holocaust become clear.
You Have a Match
(Free with Audible Trial)
You Have a Match is a funny and heartwarming story about finding true love, having a sister you never knew existed, and making memories you’ll never forget. A heartfelt and engaging book, You Have a Match is a masterclass on love.
Felix Ever After
(Free with Audible Trial)
Felix Love has never loved anyone — and, yes, is painfully aware of the irony of his situation. He desperately wants to understand what it’s really like and why it seems that no one else has ever been able to find anyone. Even though he is proud of who he is, Felix also secretly fears being marginalized as Black, queer, and transgendered.
The Upside of Falling
(Free with Audible Trial)
A fun, flirting teen debut from Wattpad star Alex Light about a fake romance and true love. For years, 17-year-old Rebecca Hart believed in true love, but she hasn’t found it yet. When her former best friend teaches her not to have had any boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends that she has been secretly dating someone.
The Off Limits Rule: It Happened in Nashville
(Free with Audible Trial)
Rock bottom has been reached: living with my older brother because of the financial situation. It doesn’t matter, because we’re always going to be close, and I think it’ll be fun living together again. That is, until I meet Cooper. Turns out, my brother has very strong opinions on my dating her best friend – she’s dead set opposed to it. He says Cooper is everything I shouldn’t be interested in: flirty, adventurous, noncommittal, and freaking hot.
The Cheat Sheet
(Free with Audible Trial)
Meet Bree Camden, she’s hopeless for her best friend and star football player Nathan Donelson. So is half of America. The first step is acknowledging it. But, she can never tell him because he clearly doesn’t see her that way, so the last thing she wants to do is to make things awkward between them. They’re just friends. Everything is just as she expected it to be!
Fix Her Up
(Free with Audible Trial)
Georgette’s family has run the best home renovation business for years, but they’ve been ignoring their customers’ requests for blueprints ever since. Honestly, she’s done with it. Georgie loves planning kids’ birthday parties and making people happy, but she doesn’t want to be the one who has to pay for them. She’s going to get her act together so she can be a woman of the world. Whatever that means.
The Friend Zone
(Free with Audible Trial)
Kristen Petersen doesn’t care if people think she’s crazy, will fight to the end for her friends, and doesn’t want any guy who doesn’t understand her. She’s also keeping another big secret: she’s going through a medically necessary procedure that could prevent her from having children.
Wonder
(Free with Audible Trial)
August Pullman was diagnosed with a facial difference that prevents him from attending a mainstream school. As a child, Auggie wanted nothing more than to be seen as an ordinary kid. But his new classmates couldn’t get past his extraordinary face. From Auggie’s perspective, the perspectives of his classmates, his sister and her boyfriend, and others converge to form a portrait that shows how an entire community struggles with empathy, compassion, acceptance, and understanding. Bullying has become a major problem for young people today. This book offers a fresh take on the issue.
The Great Alone
(Free with Audible Trial)
Kristin Hannah’s “The Great Alone” is a captivating blend of wilderness survival and family drama. It follows the Allbrights, a yearning-for-escape family, as they trade civilization for the harsh beauty of Alaska. While the Alaskan landscape offers a sense of adventure, it also presents brutal challenges. The story unfolds through the eyes of Leni, a teenage daughter caught between her parents’ increasingly strained relationship and the fight for survival in the unforgiving environment. “The Great Alone” explores themes of resilience, the complexities of love, and the enduring power of hope in the face of hardship.
