• The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling                                                           Starting with the book The Sorcerer's Stone and ending with The Deathly  Hallows, this series tells the tale of a young orphan who finds out he is a wizard. His life flips upside-down as he learns about his past and works to fulfill a prophecy for which his family was murdered. 

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• The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton                                                                                       A coming-of-age novel about a teenager who tries to make it in the world without privilege or adult guidance, with the help of his street-smart brothers and "greaser" friends.

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• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas​​                                                                              A teenage girl grapples with racism, police brutality, and activism after witnessing her black friend murdered by the police.

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• The Giver by Lois Lowry                                                                                                A 12-year-old boy prepares to take his government-appointed position as "Receiver of Memories," only to discover the sinister reason behind state-sanctioned "release dates" for the elderly and developmentally challenged children.

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• The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon                                                                 Daniel is a Korean boy who wants more than the life-plan his parents set out for him. Natasha is a Jamaican girl who fears her family will be deported. Over the course of a single day in New York City, the two randomly meet and fall in love.

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• The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros                                       Esperanza Cordero is a young Latina girl who is trying to figure herself out while growing up in Chicago. 

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• Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. by Judy Blume                                     Faced with the difficulties of growing up and choosing a religion, 11-year-old Margaret talks over her problems with her own private God.

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• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon                       Christopher knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and every prime number up to 7,057. He relates well to animals but has no understanding of human emotions. He hates the color yellow and being touched. This story follows Christopher as he investigates the suspicious death of a neighborhood dog, and is one of the most captivating, unusual, and widely heralded novels in recent years.  

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• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee                                                                              This classic story tells the tale of conscience in a small southern town and gets right to the heart of human behavior: who is innocent, what it means to be guilty, and the limits of love and hate.

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• The Bell Jar by Silvia Plath                                                                                        Falling over the edge can seem so normal, especially when you appear fine to the outside world. This story about a bright, successful girl's struggle with mental illness has much in common with Plath's own experience, and makes a great introduction to the author.