Books have played a very important role in maintaining our family’s wellbeing over the last school term, providing a way to escape from what has often felt like Groundhog Day here in Sydney. With Sunshine reaching 13, young adult fiction has opened up to her and she has begun to fill her shelves with an eclectic mix of books.
It is only fitting, given our compulsive obsession with books, that we begin dedicating a regular post to books for teens collated from the very books that Sunshine is reading and recommends as good books for teens.
This post does have Booktopia affiliate links. IF you purchase a book we recommend, we receive a small commission which we pour back into purchasing MORE books to read!
Spring Reads for Teens
Table of Contents
Furia
Sunshine polished Furia off in less than a week!
This book is set in Rosario, Argentina and centres around Camila Hassan, an absolute star on the soccer field. However, she is leading a double life – her parents are unaware that she plays soccer or that she dreams of obtaining a scholarship to play in a USA college. Add that Diego, the boy that she once loved before he became an international soccer star for Juventus, is back in town, and you have a story all about choices, love and following your passion.
RRP $26.99 (hardcopy) | Booktopia
We Are Wolves
“When the Russian Army marches into East Prussia at the end of the war, the Wolf family must flee. Liesl, Otto and their baby sister Mia find themselves lost and alone, in a blizzard, in the middle of a war zone. Liesl has promised Mama that she will keep her brother and sister safe.”
With Sunshine leaning towards books about survival, this choice was a no brainer. Written by an Australian and shortlisted for the 2021 CBCA Book of the Year Awards, it is a book that is about endurance and survival, whilst also showcasing how small acts of kindness can have positive, rippling effects.
RRP $19.99 | Booktopia
Tokyo Ever After
Sunshine, until now, has not been a huge fan of the romance genre, but she found herself devouring this novel in one night! This choice is a little like the Princess Diaries, with Izumi Tanaka, a Californian native, discovering that her father is none other than the Crown Prince of Japan. She heads off to Tokyo to discover her destiny. Will she live….Tokyo ever after?
I wonder if our nostalgia for Japan helped with Sunshine enjoying this book!
RRP $18.99 | Booktopia
You Have a Match
This is another romance styled novel that Sunshine has grown to enjoy.
“When the DNA service reveals Abby has a secret sister, shimmery-haired Instagram star Savannah Tully, it’s hard to believe they’re from the same planet, never mind the same parents―especially considering Savannah, queen of green smoothies, is only a year and a half older than Abby herself.”
Like Tokyo Every After, Sunshine read this quickly and found it difficult to put down right to the end.
RRP $19.99 | Booktopia
Henry Hamlet’s Heart
“Henry Hamlet doesn’t know what he wants after school ends. It’s his last semester of year twelve and all he’s sure of is his uncanny ability to make situations awkward. Luckily, he can always hide behind his enigmatic best friend, Len. They’ve been friends since forever, but where Len is mysterious, Henry is clumsy; where Len is a heart-throb, Henry is a neurotic mess. Somehow it’s always worked. That is, until Henry falls. Hard. For the last person he imagined.”
After reading a number of reviews about Henry Hamlet’s Heart I thought that Sunshine might enjoy this read. It is a queer YA romance set in Brisbane, so a little off centre when it comes to her regular reads, but diversity is key for developing a wise mind, right?
RRP $19.99 | Booktopia
Half My Luck
Half My Luck was the winner of the inaugural Matilda Prize so I added it my cart when purchasing a few reads for myself. With Sunshine growing up between two cultures, I thought she might find this text to be relevant.
“Layla Karimi has been cursed by the evil eye. Well, that’s what Layla’s superstitious grandmother tells her. And Layla reckons it makes sense as she’s sort of Australian and sort of Lebanese: a ‘halfie’ who doesn’t really fit into either world.
And when all hell breaks loose at the first beach party of the summer, Layla finds herself caught between her friends and the Lebanese kids who call themselves ‘the Cedar Army’ (of which her cousin Sufia is the Queen Bee). One group has been wrongfully accused and Layla knows the truth that would clear their name. But will she speak up?”
RRP $17.99 | Booktopia
(all book prices were true as of 18 September 2021)
What do you think of our first list of Book Recommendations?
More Book Finds
The Best Bookshops to visit in Sydney : a list of our favourite book stores in Sydney. We can’t wait to start visiting again!
The Best Travel Books : These books are timeless! 100 Australian Books to Read Before High School : I created this list when Striker and Sunshine were young so I could work our way through some of the best Australian picture books. We succeeded too!