Books for teens to read before they leave school

The Ultimate Guide to Money by Emmanuel Asuquo

A £1 challenge opens the door to saving, spending, investing, tax, business ideas and the different ways people think about money. With clear and practical and easy to read advice, Emmanuel Asuquo’s guide gives pupils useful financial vocabulary without making personal finance feel remote or intimidating. It’s ideal for less confident readers who don’t enjoy reading.

Crossing the Line by Tia Fisher

Written in verse, this gritty and visceral narrative follows teenaged Erik who juggles a difficult home life, school work, and the conseqences of being groomed by and owing money to a dangerous county lines gang. Crossing the Line is a memorable story of manipulation that will be useful to read and discuss alongside anti-exploitation resources in PSHE and book clubs. Highly recommended.

How to Say No to Your Phone by Brad Marshall, Lindsay Hassock

Notifications, scrolling, group chats and pressure to stay connected are unpacked through practical explanations and small, usable steps. A helpful wellbeing choice for 10+ year olds, this immersive guide looks at how phones affect attention, sleep and mood while offering teenagers ways to take back some control.

Alastair Campbell Talks Politics by Alastair Campbell

Voting, parliament, protest, leadership and public argument are explained through questions, challenges, quizzes and real-world examples. For 12+ year olds, Alastair Campbell’s insightful introduction gives politics a practical shape, showing how decisions are made and why young people should understand who holds power.

Be Resilient by Nicola Morgan

Ideal for teens in KS3 and KS4, this book provides clear and practical advice on how to develop strategies, mental toughness and life-long skills to deal with what school and life throws at them. Situations such as deciding who and what to trust, and keeping mentally and physically healthy are explored, and practical activities such as breathing techniques, visualising success and rationalising worries are detailed. Highly recommended for secondary school libraries.

Dead Straight Line by Malcolm Duffy

It’s simple. Wherever you are, you have to get home in a Dead Straight Line. Never mind what’s in the way or which rules you have to break, the game 16-year-old Rory concocts is as enticing in the story as it is thought-provoking in real life. But what Rory cannot foresee it how it will change his world and wreck his friend Elliot’s life. After the accident, consequences hit hard at home and at school, and an angry Rory is sent to volunteer in a care home. There he meets Tanker, an outspoken war veteran who provides hope – slowly reshaping how Rory sees himself and his actions. Incredibly powerful, perfectly pitched and unerringly relevant, Dead Straight Line is an outstanding, sharp and pacey story for 12+ year olds that explores trust, responsibility and real lived experience. Every secondary-aged student should read it. Read our full review.

Needle by Patrice Lawrence

Charlene needs her knitting. It takes her mind off being in care. But when a heated argument leads to her stabbing her foster brother with a knitting needle, her whole life unravels in the criminal justice system. Should she apologize, even if she doesn’t mean it, to help secure her freedom? This emotional story takes a deep dive into the foster care system and how children struggle. Highlighting themes of racial bias and justice, ‘Needle’ is ideal for KS4 book club discussion.

The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

David and Leo meet at Eden Park School carrying secrets they cannot keep hidden for ever. A thoughtful choice for 13+ year olds, Lisa Williamson’s novel follows friendship, identity, bullying and trust through two voices, with a clear focus on what it costs to be honest.

One Day by Michael Rosen

Eugène Handschuh’s capture by the Nazis, deportation towards Auschwitz and escape with his father are retold in Michael Rosen’s carefully shaped account of a true Holocaust survival story. This illustrated book gives students a vivid window into resistance, persecution and one extraordinary moment of survival.

Mind Your Head by Juno Dawson and Olivia Hewitt

Mental health is handled through frank explanations, lived examples and professional guidance, with space for difficult feelings as well as practical help. For 13+ year old readers, Juno Dawson and Olivia Hewitt’s guide is a useful secondary school resource on recognising problems and finding support.

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Georgia arrives at university expecting romance to start making sense, then begins to understand herself through the words asexual and aromantic. For 13+ year olds, Alice Oseman’s novel gives friendship, theatre, identity and platonic love the emotional weight usually reserved for first romance.

Last Lesson by James Goodhand

After a life-changing incident, Ollie Morcombe’s life spirals from being a star pupil to a prime target for the school bullies. He’s had enough and wants revenge. So when it comes to the end of the school year, Ollie decides to go out with a bang. This unforgettable novel explores teenage mental health, toxic masculinity and bullying. It’s a gripping portrait of a vulnerable young man on the brink. ‘Last Lesson’ is ideal to discuss in book clubs and read as part of a school ‘Prevent’ strategy.

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíd

Anonymous messages from Aces begin exposing Devon and Chiamaka’s private lives at an elite school where reputation is everything. A gripping option for 14+ year old readers, Faridah Àbíké-Íyímíd’s thriller uses secrets, privilege and institutional racism to build pressure with every reveal.

Wild East by Ashley Hickson-Lovence

14-year-old Ronny struggles as one of the few Black teens in a nearly all-white Norwich secondary. Facing new challenges after a tragedy prompts a move from East London to East Anglia, Ronny grapples with identity and ambition, finding solace and inspiration in poetry and rap. A highly accessible YA verse novel, it explores themes of city gangs, knife crime, the dangers of drugs, self-expression, and resilience, offering a relatable narrative with contemporary flair. Highly recommended for KS4.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Two boys meet at a swimming pool and begin a friendship that changes how each of them sees family, loneliness and love. For 14+ year olds, Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s outstanding novel is a quiet, generous coming-of-age story about identity, masculinity and emotional honesty.

I Am Thunder by Muhammad Khan

Muzna wants to write, but family pressure, school expectations and her relationship with Arif draw her towards dangerous choices. For 13+ year olds, Muhammad Khan’s powerful novel explores faith, identity, grooming and extremism through a British teenage voice that feels immediate and conflicted.

The Upper World by Femi Fadugba

A single bullet links two teenagers a generation apart, pulling physics, time and street-level danger into the same story. For 13+ year olds, Femi Fadugba’s relentlessly pacey science-fiction thriller offers a fresh route into questions about choice, consequence and possible futures.

What’s the T? by Juno Dawson

Labels, coming out, family, sex, relationships and everyday questions are covered in a direct guide for trans and non-binary teenagers. For 15+ year olds, Juno Dawson’s handbook gives clear information while leaving room for humour, questions and different life experiences.

Girl Up by Laura Bates

Body image, advertising, social media and everyday sexism are tackled with direct, funny candour in this illustrated feminist handbook. For 13+ year olds, Laura Bates’s guide gives teenagers a brisk, plain-speaking way to question the stories girls are sold about their bodies, relationships and confidence.

No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg

Speeches from school strikes, climate rallies and international summits give Greta Thunberg’s argument its own urgent rhythm. A compact choice for 13+ year olds, this engaging collection shows how one teenager’s plain words helped turn climate anxiety into public action.

The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba, Bryan Mealer

A Malawian teenager turns scrap metal, bicycle parts and library learning into a windmill that can bring power to his family. For 13+ year old readers, William Kamkwamba’s outstanding memoir offers an accessible account of poverty, drought, engineering, persistence and practical problem-solving.

You Are Awesome by Matthew Syed

Confidence, practice and the fear of getting things wrong are explained through sport, learning and real-life examples. A positive pick for less confident teen readers, Matthew Syed’s guide helps children understand growth mindset, resilience and how ability can be built in practical steps.

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

Life in hiding is recorded through Anne Frank’s own daily observations, hopes, frustrations and fears during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. For teen readers, this definitive edition remains an essential personal account of the Holocaust, adolescence and a voice preserved through history.

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

Lyra Belacqua’s search for a missing friend takes her from Oxford to the frozen North, where armoured bears, witches and dangerous secrets await. For imaginative teens, Philip Pullman’s opening His Dark Materials novel combines adventure, mystery and big questions about power and truth.

The Crossing by Manjeet Mann

This stunning collection of narrative poems gives voice to two very different teenage refugees as they prepare to cross the sea for a new and better life. Exploring many motivations for migration: fleeing persecution, overcoming danger and devastating loss, and balancing disappointment with hope and dreams, ‘The Crossing’ is an accessible and powerful text that will appeal to children aged 13+.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

A plane crash reveals that Camino in the Dominican Republic and Yahaira in New York shared the same father. For 14+ year olds, Elizabeth Acevedo’s visceral verse novel moves between two sisters as grief, anger and family secrets reshape what they thought they knew.

Steady For This by Nathanael Lessore

Shaun, better known as MC Growls, wants to win Raptology, impress Tanisha and keep his home life from becoming everyone’s business. For early teens, Nathanael Lessore’s funny, sharp novel balances rap dreams, friendship, embarrassment and family pressure.

Glasgow Boys by Margaret McDonald

Finlay and Banjo have spent most of their lives in the care system. Now, they’re trying to make it on their own. Finlay, a nursing student in Glasgow, is barely keeping up with work, studies, and survival. Banjo, still in high school, wrestles with anger and a past he can’t escape. As their stories unfold in dual timelines, their fractured bond – and the event that shattered it – comes into focus. It’s a powerful, deeply human novel for 14+ year olds about trauma, resilience, and finding where you belong.

Blame My Brain by Nicola Morgan

Risk-taking, sleep, mood, pressure, emotions and decision-making are explained through the science of the developing teenage brain. For teen readers, Nicola Morgan’s guide is especially useful in schools because it treats adolescence as understandable, not simply awkward or difficult.

A Million Tiny Missiles All at Once by Lucas Maxwell

Elias’s family is coming undone. His brother’s caught up with the wrong crowd, and the pressure at home keeps building. Determined to put things right, Elias takes a risky leap – but his plan quickly unravels. Set against the bleak, wintry backdrop of Nova Scotia, this gripping debut from Lucas Maxwell explores addiction, family and neurodiversity with honesty and heart. Winner of the Times/Chicken House Competition 2024, it’s a powerful read for 14+ year olds.

Engineers Making a Difference by Dr. Shini Somara

World, and How You Can Join Them by Dr. Shini Somara

Celebrating engineering, this cracking hardback introduces 13+-year-old readers to 46 fascinating engineers at different points in their careers. As part of a collaboration with the publisher, What On Earth Books and the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, Imperial College, London will be sending two free copies to every UK state secondary school. With bold graphics, bright engaging colours and an accessible style with text broken into bite-sized chunks. Packed with information, fact files and QR codes leading to further learning. this books is a magnificent achievement. Highly recommended.

A Cure Ever After by Angharad Walker

In this thrilling journey through an alternate London where emotions can make people ill, Kitt and Os race to save the city after a catastrophic incident. Ideal for KS3 readers, the narrative skillfully weaves money-soaked politics with mysterious supernatural elements. In the same universe as Once Upon a Fever, this novel forces readers to consider the consequences of feelings as well as actions in a convincing fantasy world. Highly recommended.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt grows up in a town where men can hear one another’s thoughts, then discovers a silence that should not exist. For teens, Patrick Ness’s first Chaos Walking novel is tense, strange and demanding, with survival tied to truth, fear and flight.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X Kendi

Racist ideas, antiracist resistance and the stories America tells about itself are reshaped for young readers in a fast, direct style. For teen readers, Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi’s remix gives classrooms a clear, powerful and challenging route into history and the present.

Cicada by Shaun Tan

Cicada works in a grey office where effort earns no warmth, thanks or dignity. While the simple text and sombre pictures create an unusual fable for younger readers, older students can also discuss work, apathy, exclusion and what happens when someone is overlooked and undervalued.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

After a plane crash, a group of schoolboys are left stranded on an island and tries to build a society of their own. What begins as an attempt at order soon gives way to fear, division and violence. For teen readers, William Golding’s novel remains a challenging read and useful for discussing leadership, social order and what civilisation means.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

Justyce McAllister is top of his class, yet one police encounter forces him to question what achievement can protect him from. For 14+ year olds, Nic Stone’s novel uses letters to Martin Luther King Jr to examine racism, justice and identity in modern America and beyond.

The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta

Michael grows up between cultures, questions and expectations before finding a fuller version of himself through drag. Written in verse for teens, Dean Atta’s unforgettable novel explores race, sexuality, family and performance with clarity, tenderness and a strong sense of voice.

Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi, Yusef Salaam

A boy wrongfully incarcerated tells his story in verse, turning anger, art and memory into a fight to be seen clearly. For readers aged 13+, Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam’s novel gives students and schools a powerful text on racism, justice, creativity and hope.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Katniss Everdeen volunteers for a televised fight to the death in place of her younger sister, entering a spectacle built on fear and control. For 13+ readers, Suzanne Collins’s dystopian thriller is accessible, gripping and useful for discussing inequality, media and resistance.

Everything All at Once by Steven Camden

One week in secondary school becomes a chorus of lessons, friendship, falling out, worry, jokes and private moments. A lively poetry choice for early teens, Steven Camden’s collection gives everyday school life rhythm, variety and a wide cast of recognisable voices.

Everything Amplified by Sarah Lippett and Ziggy Hanaor

Fifteen-year-old Nel is used to fading into the background, especially with her twin brother Ludo soaking up the spotlight. But when she ends up stepping into his place in a local band, music gives her a way to push back, speak up, and figure out who she really is. With writing by Ziggy Hanaor and illustrations by Sarah Lippett, this highly relatable coming-of-age story from Cicada Books blends sibling drama, identity and angst with genuine heart. Exploring contemporary social media, ambitions, dreams, and the importance of music as a soundtrack to life, Everything Amplified is a powerful graphic novel that teens will seek out. Every KS4 school library should stock it. Highly recommended.

If My Words Had Wings by Danielle Jawando

Tyrell Forrester is released from a young offender institution after being drawn into an armed robbery, then has to rebuild a life already judged by others. For 14+ year olds, Danielle Jawando’s powerful novel uses spoken word, rehabilitation and hope to examine second chances.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Will steps into a lift with a gun after his brother is shot, bound by rules about crying, snitching and revenge. For early teens, Jason Reynolds’s spectacular verse novel compresses grief, violence and choice into a brief, devastating journey between floors.

Away with Words by Sophie Cameron

Exploring the power of language and the beauty of friendship this heartwarming story of self-discovery follows Gala and Natalie’s bond that transcends language barriers. Blending a compelling mystery with a deft and sensitive study of selective mutism, ‘Away With Words’ is an important book that will challenge perceptions and open young minds. Highly recommended.

I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb

A schoolgirl from Pakistan’s Swat Valley becomes a public voice for girls’ education and survives being shot by the Taliban for speaking out. For 13+ year olds, Malala Yousafzai’s pageturning memoir gives pupils a direct account of family, courage and the right to learn.

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

Xiomara Batista writes what she cannot easily say aloud, using poetry to push back against pressure at home, school and church. For 13+ readers, Elizabeth Acevedo’s verse novel is a powerful choice for finding voice, exploring faith, discussing body image, and discovering self-expression.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a carefully ordered community until he is chosen to receive memories that reveal what has been removed. For teens, Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel gives readers an accessible yet dark window into a world of control, conformity, pain and freedom.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Winston Smith lives under Big Brother’s constant gaze, outwardly obedient while inwardly longing for truth, privacy and freedom. George Orwell’s classic dystopia remains a sharp choice for more confident teen readers to spark discussion about propaganda, surveillance, language and political control.

How To Change Everything by Naomi Klein and Rebecca Stefoff

Climate change is explained through disasters, protest, policy, young activists and practical questions about what happens next. For teens Naomi Klein and Rebecca Stefoff’s adaptation gives pupils a broad, readable introduction to climate justice and the systems shaping the crisis.