Must-Read Coming-of-Age Stories for Teens
by Liz Lesnick
Even in our seemingly more open, accepting, wired world, teens continue to ask the eternal questions: Who am I? Who do I want to be? How do I fit in?
And while they may be seeking answers, teens usually don’t want to hear them from their parents or anyone over eighteen for that matter. This is where books continue to play a vital role. These selections address issues of sexual identity, drug use, race, appearance, and, of course, love. I hope they help the teens you love navigate this exciting, tumultuous time in their lives.
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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
Buy from:Death is a driving force in this acclaimed YA novel, a finalist for the National Book Award. In I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, Julia Reyes’s older sister, Olga, is killed by a semi at age 22, which drags her family into grief. The title says it all: Julia rails against cultural expectations in her first-generation, working-class Mexican American family. And eventually, a truer picture of the “perfect” daughter, Olga, emerges.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter embraces the idea that even flawed, difficult characters deserve to tell their story. As Sánchez told the L.A. Review of Books, “I decided to write about a budding writer because young girls of color don’t often see themselves portrayed as storytellers. I want them to know that they can have a voice, that it’s okay to dream big. Also, the world needs to know that brown girls can be intellectual, that they can have complex inner lives.”
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Paper Towns
Buy from:It’s hard to pick just one John Green book, but for this list, consider Paper Towns, which was published in 2009 before being adapted into a movie starring Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne in 2015.
Winner of the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery, the story follows two quintessentially John Green characters, the anxious Quentin Jacobsen and the unattainable Margo Roth Spiegelman, childhood friends and neighbors, who drift apart until one night in high school when Margo shows up at Quentin’s window and beckons him out for a middle-of-the-night adventure. But after Margo vanishes the next day, the real mystery begins.
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This Thing of Ours
Buy from:When an injury permanently benches a promising basketball star named Ossie, he finds hope and a new future through a writing program. As Ossie explores his new identity as a writer, he discovers gorgeous works of literature, makes new friends, and finds the strength to stand up for his beliefs. This timely and heartfelt novel is about growing up and becoming the person you were meant to be.
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The House on Mango Street
Buy from:When I asked my daughter about The House on Mango Street, she admitted that she really liked it even though she had to read it for school — high praise from an opinionated teen! Sandra Cisneros tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, through a series of vignettes — sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes joyous. Readers will laugh, cry, and cheer as they accompany Esperanza on her journey to adulthood.
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The Glass Girl
Buy from:This New York Times bestselling novel from the author of Girl in Pieces tackles teen substance abuse and addiction. It’s about a teenager named Bella who uses alcohol to dull the daily pressures she faces at home and school. She doesn’t think her drinking is a big deal until she passes out at a party and ends up in the hospital. Both heartfelt and heart-wrenching, this novel is about picking yourself up after hitting rock bottom.
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Going Bovine
Buy from:Shortly after Cameron receives a terminal medical diagnosis, he hits the open road with a few unlikely companions that may or may not be figments of his imagination. As he explores the winding roads of the United States, Cameron examines the purpose of life and death, and what really matters in the time we have. The combination of tear-jerking moments and laugh-out-loud humor makes this story especially relatable to teens.
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Two Boys Kissing
Buy from:Based on true events — Two Boys Kissing follows Harry and Craig, two 17-year-olds who are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. While the two increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived boys are locking lips, they become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with universal questions of love, identity, and belonging.
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Honor
Buy from:Readers who enjoy true stories will resonate with this narrative nonfiction book about a Ukrainian teenager who discovers a box of letters from World War II, left behind by a Jewish boy. As Natalia reads his letters, she draws parallels to modern-day Ukraine and the trials her family faces. Eye-opening and heartfelt, this book is a powerful example of courage and survival.
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I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This
Buy from:Growing up sometimes means making difficult choices. Marie meets a white girl named Lena, and they become instant best friends, bonding over their similar pasts. But when Lena tells Marie a terrible secret and asks her to keep it quiet, Marie must make an impossible choice. Should she keep her friend’s confidence, or should she speak up? This poignant novel is about knowing the difference between good secrets and bad ones.
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I’ll Give You the Sun
Buy from:I wasn’t surprised to see this novel on the top of my daughter’s holiday gift list. After all, her BFF texted her that this book was, “sooooooooo good [followed by many exclamation points and emoji], u have to get it!” John Green fans will devour this beautifully constructed story of first love, family, loss, and betrayal told from different points in time, and in separate voices, by Jude and her twin brother Noah.
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When You Were Everything
Buy from:Coming of age tales aren’t just about falling in love. Often, they’re about loss — and in the case of When You Were Everything, the devastating loss of a childhood friend. In the story, Cleo and Layla were best friends, until they weren’t. The story of how they come apart jumps back and forth between past and present, as the 16-year-olds navigate new friendships and new ways of being. “It’s a satisfying coming-of-age friendship story, with Cleo learning to stop seeing people as all good (her father, past Layla) or all bad (her mother, current Layla), and that change can be exhilarating rather than disastrous,” writes Publishers Weekly.
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Girling Up
Buy from:And when fiction fails, there’s Mayim Bialik, PhD! In Girling Up, Bialik speaks directly to girls, using science and stories to help them navigate the tumultuous teen years. This guide is part puberty book, part self-help guide, all brought to you by a down-to-earth Hollywood star with a degree in neuroscience.
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Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2015 and updated in 2026.