The best YA books about finding your way through school

By Isabelle Laflèche

Who am I?

A wellness enthusiast and environmental activist, Isabelle began her career as a corporate attorney where she worked in Toronto and New York. She decided to follow her calling as a writer and chose happiness and fulfillment over stress and sleepless nights. She’s published eight books, including the international best-selling novel J’adore New York and the teen series Bonjour Girl. She also recently published two self-help books to help others navigate change and transformation. She’s a life coach, an avid speaker, and is the host and author of the Soulful Couture podcast and blog about eco-fashion.

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The books I picked & why

Piper Perish

By Kayla Cagan,

Why did I love this book?

Choosing this book was a no-brainer for me as I absolutely adored this novel. It reminded me of my younger self in high school, very artistic and yet still trying to “fit in” with the cool kids and trying to find my own way and destiny. The storyline revolves around a cool Piper Perish who “inhales air and exhales art.” She and her best friends Enzo and Kit, are dreaming of leaving Houston to get into art school in New York City. It’s been Piper’s dream her whole life, and now that senior year is halfway over, she’s ready for the Big Apple. Of course, a few challenges get in the way, including boys and family drama, which make the story very relatable and engaging.

Piper Perish

By Kayla Cagan,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

There may not be another book published ... that is more perfect for artistic [readers] who love stability yet crave adventure.' - Teen Vogue

Debut author Kayla Cagan breathes new life into fiction in this dynamic, authentic book. Warhol-obsessed Piper will have readers asking big questions along with her. What is love? What is friendship? What is family? What should I wear?

Piper Perish inhales air and exhales art. The sooner she and her best friends can get out of Houston and get to New York City, the better. Art school has been Piper's dream forever, and now that senior…

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Coming soon!

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins,

Why did I love this book?

This is another of my favorite reads. I read it twice and found it totally irresistible, due to the fact that I am drawn to all things French, having spent a considerable amount of time in Paris to do research for some of my novels. I found this book to have engaging characters, stunning scenery (The School of America in Paris), a terrific story, and a beautiful romance. The main character Anna is forced to go to SOAP by her parents, though she would rather stay in Atlanta and spend her senior year with her friends and possible boyfriend. We’re sure glad that she ended up changing her mind and crossing the Atlantic. The ending is absolutely amazing and memorable!

Anna and the French Kiss

By Stephanie Perkins,

Why should I read it?

6 authors picked Anna and the French Kiss as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Can Anna find love in the City of Light? Anna is happy in Atlanta. She has a loyal best friend and a crush on her co-worker at the movie theatre, who is just starting to return her affection. So she's less than thrilled when her father decides to send her to a boarding school in Paris for her senior year. But despite not speaking a word of French, Anna meets some cool new people, including the handsome Etieene St. Clair, who quickly becomes her best friend. Unfortunately, he's taken - and Anna might be, too. Will a year of romantic…

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Fangirl

By Rainbow Rowell,

Why did I love this book?

First of all, any author by the name of Rainbow is already fantastic in my book. The story is engaging and well-written. Cath is the author of a ridiculously popular fanfiction and, on top of that, she’s heading to college. This book is popular for a reason, as the author depicts a strong main character who not only struggles to navigate the choppy waters of college life, but family life too by worrying about her dad. I sure love a main character with a big heart.

Fangirl

By Rainbow Rowell,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

A love story by Rainbow Rowell, the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park.

Cath and Wren are identical twins, and until recently they did absolutely everything together. Now they're off to university and Wren's decided she doesn't want to be one half of a pair any more - she wants to dance, meet boys, go to parties and let loose. It's not so easy for Cath. She's horribly shy and has always buried herself in the fan fiction she writes, where she always knows exactly what to say and can write a romance far more intense than…

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To All the Boys I've Loved Before

By Jenny Han,

Why did I love this book?

There has been lots of hype around this book series and for a reason! Jenny Han is super talented and like so many readers out there I was charmed by Lara Jean’s story, especially since I had trouble openly admitting my own crushes in high school! I adored the storyline, the tight bond between the three sisters, and must admit to having watched the Netflix film a few too many times too.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

By Jenny Han,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked To All the Boys I've Loved Before as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Now a Netflix feature film!
Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.

One for every boy she's ever loved.

When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all
the things she would never say in real life, because her letters
are for her eyes only.

Until the day her secret letters are mailed,
and suddenly Lara Jean's love life goes from imaginary to out of control!

The first book in the bestselling series by Jenny Han, which
has been made into a NETFLIX feature film

PS I Still Love…

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Prep

By Curtis Sittenfeld,

Why did I love this book?

I chose this book as it depicts a coming-of-age story about attending a fictional prep school and all the challenges that await. Having gone through the angst and ups and downs of attending a girls’ private high school and all that goes with it: gossiping, class issues, bullying, and competitiveness, Prep really hit home in more ways than one.

Prep

By Curtis Sittenfeld,

Why should I read it?

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

What is this book about?

An insightful, achingly funny coming-of-age story as well as a brilliant dissection of class, race, and gender in a hothouse of adolescent angst and ambition.

Lee Fiora is an intelligent, observant fourteen-year-old when her father drops her off in front of her dorm at the prestigious Ault School in Massachusetts. She leaves her animated, affectionate family in South Bend, Indiana, at least in part because of the boarding school’s glossy brochure, in which boys in sweaters chat in front of old brick buildings, girls in kilts hold lacrosse sticks on pristinely mown athletic fields, and everyone sings hymns in chapel.…

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Literary fiction

5 book lists we think you will like!

The best campus novels for the 21st century

The best YA sibling rivalry books that will inspire you to reconnect

The best books to read if you need a dose of serotonin

The best books featuring super-sweet kisses and swoon-worthy book-boyfriends

The best books for inspiring 80s/90s mixtapes

Interested in best friends, love letters, and romantic love?

9,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about best friends, love letters, and romantic love.

Best Friends Explore 71 books about best friends

Love Letters Explore 10 books about love letters

Romantic Love Explore 663 books about romantic love

And, 3 books we think you will enjoy!

We think you will like Eleanor & Park, Never Let Me Go, and A Psalm for the Wild-Built if you like this list.

Eleanor & Park

By Rainbow Rowell,

From the list on romantic teen reads for those who are single.

By Bhavik Sarkhedi Author

Why did Bhavik love this book?

This book struck a chord with me. It's a tale of two misfits finding each other, and I've always considered myself a bit of an outsider.

It’s brutally honest, and that rawness caught me off guard—in a good way. It made me feel seen and heard, and I know it’ll resonate with anyone who’s felt a bit 'different.'

Eleanor & Park

By Rainbow Rowell,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked Eleanor & Park as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love, but what it's like to be young and in love with a book' John Green, author of The Fault in our Stars

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and she's never felt more alone. All mismatched clothes, mad red hair and chaotic home life, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

Then she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. Quiet, careful and - in Eleanor's eyes - impossibly cool, Park's worked out that flying under the radar is the best way to…

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Never Let Me Go

By Kazuo Ishiguro,

From the list on reads for a glimpse at humanity.

By Ai Jiang Author

Why did Ai love this book?

I have read many stories and books about clones and the treatment of these beings whose genetic makeup and minds are much like our own.

Kazuo Ishiguro explores more than just the ethics of using clones as though they are not humans through a philosophical lens that brings us to question what exactly makes us human and what our true values are if our sole purpose from the moment of birth is to sacrifice ourselves, cut our lives short, for the sake of others.

Never Let Me Go

By Kazuo Ishiguro,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked Never Let Me Go as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of the most acclaimed novels of the 21st Century, from the Nobel Prize-winning author

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize

Kazuo Ishiguro imagines the lives of a group of students growing up in a darkly skewed version of contemporary England. Narrated by Kathy, now thirty-one, Never Let Me Go dramatises her attempts to come to terms with her childhood at the seemingly idyllic Hailsham School and with the fate that has always awaited her and her closest friends in the wider world. A story of love, friendship and memory, Never Let Me Go is charged throughout with a sense…

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A Psalm for the Wild-Built

By Becky Chambers,

From the list on ward away your global warming anxiety.

By Nick Fuller Googins Author

Why did Nick love this book?

This is a really fun, slim novel set on a moon, Panga, where technology long ago achieved sentience and decided to leave humanity for the wilderness.

The novel opens with a tea monk, Dex, who lives in a gentle utopia and becomes the first human to meet a robot in distant memory. The robot, named Mosscap, asks Dex, “What do humans need?” and what proceeds is a marvelous rolling conversation between robot and monk that spans philosophy, theology, and ecology, providing so much food for thought regarding a happy, nurturing post-transition world.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

By Becky Chambers,

Why should I read it?

7 authors picked A Psalm for the Wild-Built as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.

One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honour the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of 'what do people need?' is answered.

But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it a lot.

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The best YA books about finding your way through school

Who am I?

I wrote...

Bonjour Girl

What is my book about?

The books I picked & why

Why did I love this book?

Why did I love this book?

Why did I love this book?

Why did I love this book?

Why did I love this book?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in best friends, love letters, and romantic love?

And, 3 books we think you will enjoy!

Who am I?

Bhavik's book list on romantic teen reads for those who are single

Why did Bhavik love this book?

Who am I?

Ai's book list on reads for a glimpse at humanity

Why did Ai love this book?

Who am I?

Nick's book list on ward away your global warming anxiety

Why did Nick love this book?