Are you looking for reading recommendations for teens? We can help! Visit us in person or online to get great ideas for your next great read. For one-on-one help call or ask a Library staff member at any of our locations. You can also call, text, or email ask-a- librarian! Here are some more ideas to help you find what to read next.
- Follow our staff’s most recently published book lists on the library catalog home page.
- Don’t miss our If You Like… suggestions that cover all the favorite genres like science fiction, graphic novels, romance, and more.
- Join us Sunday nights at 8:30 p.m. on Facebook for Currently Reading where book enthusiasts offer their suggestions.
- Catch book recommendations and IndyPL program highlights from your own local librarians once a month on the Indy Now Morning Show with Ryan and Jillian on Fox59. The show airs at 10 a.m. on Wednesdays. Browse our past appearances.
- You can also get reading recommendations online from NovelList or Book Connections. Read book reviews, see “read alike” lists, browse starred reviews, and more.
Make a selection from one of the book lists below created by our staff of avid readers whose reading experiences and tastes cover about any interest you can think of!
Unearth Imagination
May 31 – August 2
Prizes for all ages – including teens! Summer is the perfect time to explore new worlds, discover exciting stories, and build a love for reading! These fun, engaging activities, events, and book recommendations are tailored just for you! Join us for an adventure in learning to become a lifelong reader!
Get creative and learn the art of papermaking in this hands-on workshop for teens! See the schedule and register for Teen Art: Papermaking.
Let the Games Begin
Whether you’re gearing up for GenCon (July 31 – August 3 in Indianapolis) or just love a good magical showdown, these teen books put strategy, survival, and strength to the ultimate test. From deadly tournaments and royal trials to virtual games and magical gauntlets, each story features characters fighting for glory, love, freedom, or just to stay alive.
Disability Representation in Fantasy and Science Fiction
These stories feature characters in fantastical or futuristic settings whose disabilities are not “magically cured”; some of them do use familiar mobility aids or prosthetics, and/or they are fighting for a society that accommodates and supports their differences. Some of the stories, the disability is just an aspect of the character and doesn’t affect the plot really. I’ve tried my best to include stories that are either #OwnVoices (the author personally shares the disability or is intimately aware of the disability (a family member has it) or it has been confirmed that great care and research was taken when writing the story, and they’ve avoided certain harmful tropes.
Time Travel // Prehistoric Times Edition
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to come face to face with a dinosaur? Maybe your excitement would change depending on the dinosaur! These titles feature characters traveling to prehistoric eras — to a time before written historical records, anywhere from 2.5 million years ago to around 5,600 years ago. On the flip side, some of these titles feature creatures being transported from their distant time period to modern day, with many a shenanigan or two to be had.
Unearth Imagination May 31 – August 2, prizes for all ages – including teens! Summer is the perfect time to explore new worlds, discover exciting stories, and build a love for reading! These fun, engaging activities, events, and book recommendations are tailored just for you! Join us for an adventure in learning to become a lifelong reader!
Trans & Non-binary Characters in Manga
In recent years, we have seen a wonderful collection of LGBTQ+ manga translated and published in English. Here is a list of manga with trans and non-binary characters and themes. You can find both autobiographical accounts, as well as tales of fiction.
If You Like Brandon Sanderson
For fans of the Cosmere, the Cytoverse, and other works by Brandon Sanderson. If you enjoy god-level magic systems, dense world histories, complex political systems, superheroes, fairy tales, space operas, heists, and tales that focus on the actions of average people trying to change the system – these books are for you!
Morality & Ethics in YA Fantasy & Sci-Fi
Interesting, thought-provoking reads that bring up questions about morality, ethics, etc. within the context of YA science fiction and fantasy. Villains that make you think, heroes with tough choices, and subjects that challenge your opinion of right and wrong. Both teens and adults will find interesting and complicated moral dilemmas in these books.
Fiction Featuring Type 1 Diabetics
In the US alone there are an estimated 2 million people living with type 1 diabetes. This list goes out to all the fellow type 1 and otherwise insulin dependent diabetics out there looking for representation. These portrayals are honest and accurate, so you won’t find any wild misinformation in this list. No demoralizing apocalypse stories, either.
Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Editions
The hardcover Fullmetal Editions, include 5-7 chapters each instead of the 3-5 the original volumes did, causing there to be 18 volumes of the Fullmetal Editions compared to the original 27 volumes.
Blushes and Butterflies
Experience heart-wrenching crushes, first loves, the drama of adolescent friendships, and plenty of innocent fluff with these romance and friendship focused manga, set in high school, for teens.
Staff Picks 2024- Best of Teen
Enjoy this list of our favorite YA reads of 2024, which spans genres. Enjoy dark academia, fake dating, poetry, comic adventures, subverted fantasy tropes, heists, D&D, and more!
Don’t forget that this year, we’ve included our favorite selections from the back catalog, in the hopes you can get your hands on a book you’ll love right now.
100 Books Before Graduation
Read 100 books before graduating from high school and receive prizes as you work toward your goal. Prizes will be awarded after reading 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 books! Most importantly, students will expand their mind, vocabulary, critical thinking, and test scores! This program is for students in grades 7-12. Learn more about 100 Books Before Graduation and register.