Books in English for Teens: A Selection of 5 Books

23 January 2025

Parents-friendly

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

No matter how your child feels about literature, everyone, even reserved book lovers, can benefit from immersing themselves in a good work. Teens who read a lot learn complex ideas faster, do better on standardised exams and become more open to the world because they understand it better.

For many teens who claim to hate reading, the right book can turn a must-read list into a real treat and make them devour the pages with interest.

We're not going to tell you here about the well-known works from Harper Lee, J.D. Salinger and J.K. Rowling - both you and your child are well aware of them. If these works fail to impress, we have more original books that will be able to capture their imagination.

No matter how keen your child is on reading, we'll tell you about books that will make them forget about ‘reluctance’ and look at reading with more interest.

Where to start.

For teens, it's important that books are engaging and relevant to their reading level and general knowledge. If they see that they can read something in English, it will be a great motivation and they will continue to progress.

However, it can be difficult to find books that are both interesting and suitable in difficulty. For students at A1-B1 level, we recommend starting with graded readers - adapted books with simple language and grammar.

Most major publishers specialising in learning materials produce such reading series, such as:

Cambridge Readers. Penguin Readers. Oxford Readers. Macmillan Readers. Cengage Readers. British Council Readers.

That said, it's important to choose books carefully so that your teenager doesn't find it difficult to understand, which can lead to demotivation.

5 original world bestsellers for teens

Adapted books are a great way to get teens involved in reading in English, but at higher levels it's worth adding original literature that isn't directly intended for language learning. Below are 5 books, at least one of which is sure to get your child interested.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author Jeff Kinney never intended to become a writer for children - since childhood he dreamed of becoming a cartoonist. In 1998, he came up with the idea for Diary of a Wimpy Kid, a story about a teenager named Greg Geffley who is in high school.

Kinney worked on the book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher in New York City. Jeff first published his story online at Funbrain.com.

Today, the e-book version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has more than 80 million hits and is read by more than 70,000 children every day.

Over time, the book has received sequels - as many as thirteen volumes - and has also been adapted into a film, in which the author himself played a cameo role.

Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made

Stephan Pastis' book is about an 11-year-old boy named Timmy Failure who believes he is the best detective in town. Timmy runs his detective agency, Epic Fail, and solves mysteries with his friend, a giant polar bear.

He has to overcome many obstacles along the way, including his mum, school, a silly friend and a polar bear. Timmy is also naive and doesn't realise that his skills aren't so perfect.

Although it may sound grim, the book is actually a great mix of absurdist humour and serious themes. It's full of unexpected twists and turns and funny moments, making the Timmy Fail stories a great choice for those who don't like to read.

Today, the series includes three books, and in early 2020, Disney Studios released a family film about Timmy Feil, a high school student who investigates crimes and keeps a diary.

Hey Grandude!

Grandad is a unique adventurer, a modern day Mary Poppins in male form! With the help of her magic compass, she takes her four grandchildren on exciting adventures, travelling around the world... Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches!

The illustrations by talented artist Catherine Durst are bright and vibrant, perfect for little explorers and make this book a great bedtime story.

The edition includes a CD with the story, instrumental music and sound effects performed by the author herself.

Frostheart

In a remote corner of the world stands a small fortress. It is completely isolated from the rest of the world and monsters from the depths of the Snow Sea hide it from casual visitors.

Here lives a boy named Ash. He eagerly awaits his parents' return and often hums a forbidden lullaby that reminds him of them. Ash tries to avoid his guardian Tobu, a yeti with whom he has a complicated relationship.

Ash's life is quite unusual and full of adventures. In one of his daring attempts to escape, he discovers he has magical powers. He is taken aboard the Ice Heart, a sled full of brave explorers who need his help. However, can they help him find his family?

This heartwarming book, full of kindness and light, would make a great gift for children, especially those with a passion for adventure and detective stories.

Awful Auntie

A heartwarming but fun-filled adventure from the world's number one bestselling author, David Walliams. Stella Saxby is the last heiress of Saxby Hall. However, her wicked Aunt Alberta and her giant owl are willing to do anything to take over the estate. Luckily, Stella has her own secret and slightly frightening weapon hidden up her sleeve.....

We're sure your teen will find a book to their liking on this list . We wish you an enjoyable reading experience and effective language development!