If you’re struggling to find your next book, here are some of our favourites for young adult readers
Our Young Adult section on the upper level is a trove of wonderful Contemporary, Fantasy and Sci Fi for readers looking for something a little more advanced than Middle Fiction, or a stepping stone to adult reading. Or even for those of us who simply enjoy the Young Adult genre.
fantasy
Sabriel by Garth Nix is book one in the core Old Kingdom Trilogy. We love it for its strong female protagonist and high Fantasy elements that we’ve never seen the likes of before. Well written and darkly witty across the full series (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen).
Ages: 14-18
AUSTRALIAN AUTHOR
This is Katie’s all time favourite YA trilogy.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is a great bit of classic Fantasy set in a period alternate reality. We love it for its strong female protagonist, intricate military scenes, and gripping story telling surrounding one’s fate. This is book one of a quartet; we recommend it for older readers due to the violent content.
Age: 15+
The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White is a wonderful retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein. Written in the first person from the perspective of Elizabeth Lavenza, the adopted sister of Victor Frankenstein we see a tale of escape from brutality.
Age: 15+
contemporary
Diviners by Libba Bray is an immensely ‘un-put-down-able’ first novel of a trilogy set in 1920s New York. We love it for its dark twist on a Phryne Fisher-type trope; protagonists with pluck going up against the Occult.
Ages: 14-18*
*it gave us chills
Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is the first book in a trilogy that is a perfect merging of Fantasy and Contemporary. We love it for its unclassifiable nature, as a The Passage meets Philip Pullman and Twilight meets Pan’s Labyrinth.
Age: 14+
This is Yvonne’s all time favourite YA series.
Lenny’s Book of Everything by Karen Foxlee is a beautiful standalone novel.
We particularly love it for its underlying message of the importance of enjoying each and every day. It is a great novel for readers moving to older fiction.
Age: 10-14
