Books for 13 Year Olds - Boys and Girls

YOU ARE READING: Books for 13 Year Olds – Boys and Girls – Easy Peasy and Fun AT PhebinhvanhocEN

Looking for a good read for your teen? Or maybe you’re 13 and looking for some books to add to your reading list (we’d love to hear your book recommendations in the comments, too). This list of books for 13 year old boys and girls features a great selection across different genres and with male and female leads. enjoy!

You are reading: Best children’s books by age 13

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books for boys and girls aged 13

The books on this list are loosely grouped into genres, we say loosely because most titles would fit into many genres, so we encourage you to check out the full list.

best seller

These are the most popular titles right now, all great books for 13 year olds

the hobbit
harry potter series
courage to fly – simone biles
magnus chase and the gods of asgard
the hunger games
the queen poisoner

fantasy and fiction books

eden

1. Children of Eden: A Novel by Joey Graceffa. The book is set in the future, where the Earth is poisonous and dead and the only place that is habitable is Eden. This is a world where population measure control are in place and only the first born child is allowed to live. Rowan is a second child, thus marked for death. She is hidden… She can not attend school or make friends. And can’t get the eye implants that would mark her as a member of Eden… One night changes it all.

refreshing sleep

2. Beauty Sleep by Cameron Dokey. The King and Queen have almost lost hope of having a child, but luck has smiled upon them and Aurore was born. The whole kingdom celebrates the new arrival, but not everybody is so happy about it… This is a story about a Sleeping Beauty, but told in a unique way, a way you have never read it before.

history books

what all these books have in common is that they take place somewhere in history, some more real than others, some with a hint of romance…

the boy in the striped pajamas

1. the boy in the striped pajamas by john boyne The story takes place in 1942 where a young Bruno and his family have to move due to his father’s promotion. After the move, Bruno doesn’t have friends or much to do. he is an explorer by nature and soon becomes interested in the great fence that separates him and his family from other strange people. there he meets a friend, who lives behind this fence, and a great friendship begins with devastating consequences.

enough time for the battery

2. Time Enough for Drums Mass Market by Ann Rinaldi follow Jemina, a 16 yer old girl in a story placed before the American revolution in 1776.

the coffin quilt

3. The Coffin Quilt: The Feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys by Ann Rinaldi. Two families, the McCoys, and Hatfields have long been fighting and now live for revenge (the reason for the hat between families being the ownership of a few pigs). When Rosanna, the oldest daughter of the McCoys, falls in love and runs away with a handsome Johnse Hatfield, it just adds up to the hatred between the families. Her older sister Fanny, the protagonist of the story, who before only knew fear and anger towards the Hatfields, becomes the voice of reason as she learns to overcome fear to find her own way out of the hatred.

chicago port 50

4. Chicago Harbor 50: Disaster, Riot, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkin. It was the time of the second world war and also the time of prejudice against foreigners and people of color. On July 17, 1944, there is a massive explosion at the docks, killing over 300 sailors and injuring many more. weeks later, the men refuse to return to work due to unsafe conditions, and once the dust settles, 50 of them are charged with mutiny. this is a well-adapted story about the prejudice faced by black men and women, even though many of them gave their lives in the service of their country.

the boy with two lives

5. The Boy with Two Lives by Abbas Kazerooni When he was 10, Iranian boy named Abbas, arrived in England after waiting for three months in Istanbul to get a visa. He was all by himself and could not expect that his troubles are far from over. He is sent off to a boarding school, where he has to adapt to the language and culture foreign to him. With abusive guardian, no support and homelessness the struggles just don’t want to stop . Will he be capable of adapting and to survive all by his own?

charles and emma

6. Charles and Emma: The Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman This book follows Darwin’s personal life and how Emma influenced his work. One day he drew a line and wrote the pros and cons of getting married, he did like the idea of marriage but was concerned it will take him away from his revolutionary work. The book also tackles how people with two really different viewpoints, one deeply religious, while other a man of science, can see past these differences and make things work.

mystery and adventure books for 13 year olds

something strange is happening and our protagonist has to discover the secrets or embark on adventures. from howling adventures that will send chills down your spine to “everyday” adventures. a fairly popular genre of books for 13-year-olds.

the curse of the sun girl

Dodger 1. The Haunting of Sunshine Girl: Book One by Paige McKenzie A seventeen-year-old Sunshine Griffith just moved from Austin to live in the new house in Ridgemont. She and her mother Kate have always been connected and Sunshine was always loved and carried about. But the situation soon turns to be scarier than anyone could have ever expected. Sunshine feels the darkens and some really strange things start to happen in the new house… Creepy…

dodge

2. Dodger by Terry Pratchett (you really should read at least on of his books if you love a good laugh and magic). The story of this book is placed in early Victorian London. A seventeen-year-old boy Dodger is a sewer scavenger and quite a content one. On one stormy night, he hears a scream and finds a young woman being beaten by some thugs. After the rescue, his life totally changes as Dodger falls in love with the mysterious woman, which motivates him to rise – and on his rise meet many intriguing historical figures.

pi life

3. the life of pi – black and amp; yann martel white. A teenage Pi Patel is passionate about animals and so is his father, who works as a zookeeper. When his family immigrates to North America, they board a Japanese freighter and take some animals from the zoo with them as well. The ship sinks and suddenly Pi is in a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, an orangutan, and a 450-pound Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

the maze runner

4. The Maze Runner (Book 1) by James Dashner. Tomas suddenly woke up surrounded by strangers and all he could remember was his name. There were boys besides him who also remembered nothing but their names. Surrounded by a limitless, ever-changing maze, they themselves in a life and death situation, which no one before survived. This book is intense,and once you start reading it it will be hard to put down.

the curious incident of the dog in the night

5. The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight by Mark Haddon. christopher john francis boone is a special boy. he is very good at math, he knows all the countries of the world and their capitals and much more, but he doesn’t have any social skills. One day a neighbor’s wellington dog died and now Christopher is on a mission to solve his mysterious death.

jellicoe highway

6. Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta. When Taylor Markham was eleven years old, she was abandoned by her mother. Later on, she attended a boarding school and ran away. But she didn’t come far as they tracked her down. Now Taylor is seventeen and is living with Hannah, who took her under her wing. One day Hannah secretly disappears and now it’s on Taylor to solve the mystery.

realistic fiction books for 13 year olds

Interesting life situations, some funny, some tragic.

the sun is also a star

Speak

1. the sun is also a star by nicola yoon Natasha is a girl who doesn’t believe in fate or destiny. she is a young practice whose parents are being deported to jamaica. Daniel is a boy on his way to Yale, where he is supposed to study to become a doctor. Natasha soon meets Daniel, who upon meeting her begins to believe in destiny, the complete opposite of Natasha. that she would spend with Natasha’s family and get along with Daniel? what will daniel do? the characters tell their story in alternate chapters that are exciting to read.

talk

1. speaking for laurie halse anderson. an outcast melinda has no friends, because she called the police when she was having an end-of-summer school party. she is withdrawing more and more and even stops talking. but there are things that need to be pronounced. there are reasons for the silence, that must be broken.

romance

2. the romantics of leah konen. Gael Brennan seems to be out of luck. His parents broke up and his girlfriend broke up with him. Gael is a romantic soul and yearns for love. but things just don’t go his way. love can be a complicated thing.

the first part is the last

3. The First Part Last by Angela Johnson An urban teenage boy named Bobby is now sixteen and just got news – he’s going to be a father. He and his girlfriend Nia are expecting a baby. But they are both still in school. Now the social worker wants them to give a baby up for adoption and Bobby and Nia find themselves in a devastating situation.

fat boy rules the world

Monster

4. fat boy rules the world by k. me going at seventeen troy pesos 296 pounds. he is literally one step away from killing himself and committing suicide in front of the oncoming train. But Troy’s plans soon go awry when he meets a guy named Curt who distracts him and saves his life. Now he has started his great friendship and with that a change in Troy’s life.

monster

5. walter dean myers monster Steve is a sixteen year old who is accused of murder in a harlem pharmacy robbery. he now he is awaiting trial. Was he in the wrong place at the wrong time?

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Books for 13 Year Olds – Boys and Girls – Easy Peasy and Fun