The best young adult books about changelings and their friends

Why am I passionate about this?

As a writer I like to explore many genres, and one of my favorites is young adult supernatural.  I think I was destined to write in this world because the first book I took out of the library was Where the Wild Things Are. My favorite books as a teenager all dealt with supernatural themes – Summer of Fear, Carrie, and Audrey Rose. Writing about changelings allows me to explore the tenuous connection between what lies inside of us – our psyche, our minds, our souls – and what might exist on the other side of our known world.  It’s the search for that missing link that keeps me writing.  


I wrote...

Moonglow

By Michael Griffo,

Book cover of Moonglow

What is my book about?

“I am about to become a very bad person.” With those nine words, Dominy Robineau’s life changes forever and she becomes something she didn’t think was humanly possible. It’s all thanks to her father who did something he shouldn’t have done when he was a teenager. As a result, Dominy falls victim to an unspoken family curse on her sixteenth birthday – a family curse that quickly turns deadly.

Dominy – with the help of her boyfriend Caleb and her friends Jess, Arla, and Archie – fights for her life against fierce, vengeful enemies. But the number one enemy to all their safety turns out to be Dominy herself. Will they be able to put an end to the curse that her father started so many years ago? 

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Linger

Michael Griffo Why did I love this book?

I love when fantasy meets reality and that’s just what happens in Linger. A virus turns people into werewolves and the transformations are controlled by the temperature. A worldwide virus and an unpredictable climate? Talk about a dose of reality. Grace Brisbane is an anomaly – she was bitten by werewolves when she was young, but somehow has never shifted and as a result she’s dying. The book follows Grace as she and her friends try to save her life. It’s a fantastical story, but grounded in real human emotions. The perfect blend of truth and fiction.

By Maggie Stiefvater,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Linger as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The LongingOnce Grace and Sam
have found each other they know they must fight to stay together. For
Sam this means a reckoning with his werewolf past. For Grace it means
facing a future that is less and less certain.The LossInto
their world comes a new wolf named Cole, whose past is full of hurt and
danger. He is wrestling with his own demons, embracing the life of a
wolf while denying the ties of being human. The LingerFor
Grace, Sam and Cole life is a constant struggle between two forces -
wolf and human - with love baring its…


Book cover of The Frenzy

Michael Griffo Why did I love this book?

You might not be able to judge a book by its cover, but you can judge it by its opening sentences. I loved the opening of The Frenzy. The protagonist doesn’t ask “Who am I?” but “What am I?” One word makes all the difference, and it hooked me immediately. 

The story is engrossing and there’s a lot going on, but the best part is that Block does a great job of bringing the 17-year-old protagonist, Liv, to life. Her relationship with her mother is totally real and the love she and her boyfriend, Corey, share, is inspirational. 

By Francesca Lia Block,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Frenzy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Love is a werewolf, influenced by the moon and terror, and always about to change.

Liv has a secret.

Something happened to her when she was thirteen. Something that changed everything. Liv knows she doesn’t belong anymore—not in her own skin, not in her family . . . not anywhere. The only time she truly feels like herself is when she’s with her boyfriend, Corey, and in the woods that surround her town.

But in the woods, a mysterious woman watches Liv. In the woods, a pack of wild boys lurks. In the woods, Liv learns about the curse that…


Book cover of Not Your Villain

Michael Griffo Why did I love this book?

I really enjoy C.B. Lee’s books. She writes stories with diverse characters, LGBTQ themes, and possesses a really fun voice. In this book, which is part of the Sidekick Squad series, Bells Broussard is having a hard time because he’s now a wanted villain. Lee flips the whole hero/villain archetypes and makes us question what’s good and what’s bad. Her books are for the middle grade set, but if you like superheroes and a comic book mythology like me, you’ll enjoy them.

By C.B. Lee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Not Your Villain as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Bells Broussard thought he had it made when his superpowers manifested early. Being a shapeshifter is awesome. He can change his hair whenever he wants and, if putting on a binder for the day is too much, hes got it covered. But that was before he became the countrys most wanted villain.After discovering a massive cover-up by the Heroes League of Heroes, Bells and his friends Jess, Emma, and Abby set off on a secret mission to find the Resistance. Meanwhile, power-hungry former hero Captain Orion is on the loose with a dangerous serum that renders meta-humans powerless, and a…


Book cover of Behind Her Eyes

Michael Griffo Why did I love this book?

This is simply the best book I’ve read in years. At first you’ll think it’s just a regular psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator like Gone Girl and The Woman in the Window, but trust me this is a true changeling book. And one of the best. It has an ending that will absolutely shock you and if you’re like me, you will completely freak out – but in a totally good way. We see Adele as a young woman and learn about her mysterious past, but nothing that is on the page prepares you for that whopper of an ending. 

By Sarah Pinborough,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Behind Her Eyes as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Don't Trust This Book Don't Trust These People Don't Trust Yourself And whatever you do, DON'T give away that ending...

Louise

Since her husband walked out, Louise has made her son her world, supporting them both with her part-time job. But all that changes when she meets...

David

Young, successful and charming - Louise cannot believe a man like him would look at her twice let alone be attracted to her. But that all comes to a grinding halt when she meets his wife...

Adele

Beautiful, elegant and sweet - Louise's new friend seems perfect in every way. As she…


Book cover of Frankenstein

Michael Griffo Why did I love this book?

This novel, written in 1816, is the granddaddy of all changeling books. I read it when I was in high school, and I’ve read it many times since because it is riveting. Filled with horror, high emotions, and changelings who despite their deeds haven’t lost their humanity. Shelley’s world building is specific and real, which makes the danger feel even closer. There’s a reason thus books have stood the test of time. 

By Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley,

Why should I read it?

39 authors picked Frankenstein as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the BBC's '100 Novels That Shaped Our World'

'That rare story to pass from literature into myth' The New York Times

Mary Shelley's chilling Gothic tale was conceived when she was only eighteen, living with her lover Percy Shelley on Lake Geneva. The story of Victor Frankenstein who, obsessed with creating life itself, plunders graveyards for the material to fashion a new being, but whose botched creature sets out to destroy his maker, would become the world's most famous work of horror fiction, and remains a devastating exploration of the limits of human creativity. Based on the third…


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Alpha Max

By Mark A. Rayner,

Book cover of Alpha Max

Mark A. Rayner Author Of Alpha Max

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Human shaped Pirate hearted Storytelling addict Creatively inclined

Mark's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

Maximilian Tundra is about to have an existential crisis of cosmic proportions.

When a physical duplicate of him appears in his living room, wearing a tight-fitting silver lamé unitard and speaking with an English accent, Max knows something bad is about to happen. Bad doesn’t cover it. Max discovers he’s the only human being who can prevent the end of the world, and not just on his planet! In the multiverse, infinite Earths will be destroyed.

Alpha Max

By Mark A. Rayner,

What is this book about?

★★★★★ "Funny, yet deep, this is definitely worth venturing into the multiverse for."

Amazing Stories says: "Snarky as Pratchet, insightful as Stephenson, as full of scathing social commentary as Swift or Voltaire, and weirdly reminiscent of LeGuin, Alpha Max is the only multiverse novel you need this month, or maybe ever."

Maximilian Tundra is about to have an existential crisis of cosmic proportions.

When a physical duplicate of him appears in his living room, wearing a tight-fitting silver lamé unitard and speaking with an English accent, Max knows something bad is about to happen. Bad doesn’t cover it. Max discovers…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in shapeshifters, family secrets, and teenagers?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about shapeshifters, family secrets, and teenagers.

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