we are equal opportunity book lovers here at epic reads: fantasy, contemporary, long, short, verse, prose, we love them all. but we’ll also be the first to admit that we too can get a bit tired of reading!
You are reading: Short books for teens
Sometimes, you just don’t have the time (or energy!) for a 500-page fantasy epic, and that’s more than okay. for a quick read, check out some of our favorite short books that are under 300 pages.
Happy reading, book geeks.
short books for when you want a quick read
26 books less than 300 pages
1. love, creekwood by becky albertalli
📚: 128 pages
New York Times bestseller! Fall in love all over again with the characters from the bestselling Simonverse novels in this highly anticipated epilogue novella. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli, the movie Love, Simon, and the new Hulu series spin-off, Love, Victor!
It’s been over a year since Simon and Blue turned their anonymous online flirtation into a relationship, and only a few months since Abby and Leah’s unforgettable night at the prom.
Now, the creekwood high team is in their freshman year at different colleges, navigating friendship and romance the way their story began: in email.
- shop love creekwood now!
2. the gentleman’s guide to luck by mackenzie lee
📚: 128 pages
In this funny and frothy novella that picks up where the New York Times bestselling The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue leaves off, freshly minted couple Monty and Percy fumble through their first time together.
Monty’s epic grand tour may be over, but now that he and Percy are finally a couple, he realizes there’s something more stressful than being chased across Europe: reuniting with the one he loves.
Will Santorini’s romantic allure make her first time with Percy magical, or will all the anticipation and preparation completely spoil the mood?
- buy the gentleman’s guide for luck now!
3. and the ocean was our heaven by patrick ness
📚: 160 pages
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Monster Calls comes a richly illustrated and lyrical tale, one that asks harrowing questions about power, loyalty, obsession, and the monsters we make of others.
With harpoons strapped to their backs, the proud whales of Bathsheba’s pod live for the hunt, fighting the ongoing war against the world of men. when they attack a ship bobbing on the surface of the abyss, they hope to find easy prey. instead, they find the trace of a myth, a monster, perhaps the devil himself…
As their ruthless captain leads the chase, they embark on a final, vengeful hunt that will change the world of whales and man forever.
With the lush and atmospheric art of rovina cai woven throughout, this extraordinary work by patrick ness turns the well-known story of moby dick on its head and tells a story of its own with epic triumph and devastating fate.
- I bought and the ocean was our heaven now!
4. what goes up by christine heppermann
📚: 176 pages
How do you forgive yourself—and the people you love—when a shocking discovery leads to a huge mistake?
When Jorie wakes up in the loft bed of a college boy she doesn’t recognize, she immediately regrets it. what happened the night before? What brought her to this place? Was it her father’s infidelity? Her mother’s seemingly weak acceptance of her? her recent breakup with ian, the boy who loved her art and supported her in the most difficult moments of her life?
as jorie attempts to piece together the events that led to this point, the free verse poems take the reader through the current morning, as well as memories of her relationships with her parents, her friends, her boyfriend, and the night before .
- buy whatever comes up now!
5. black birds in the sky by brandy colbert
📚: 224 pages
6. light filters in: poems by caroline kaufman
📚: 224 pages
In Light Filters In, Caroline Kaufman—known as @poeticpoison—does what she does best: reflects our own experiences back at us and makes us feel less alone, one exquisite and insightful piece at a time. She writes about giving up too much of yourself to someone else, not fitting in, endlessly Googling “how to be happy,” and ultimately figuring out who you are.
This hardcover collection features all-new material, plus some fan favorites from Caroline’s account. Filled with haunting original pieces of art, the light filters will thrill existing fans and newcomers alike.
it’s ok if some things
They are always out of reach.
if you could wear all the stars
in the palm of your hand,
they wouldn’t be
half as impressive
- buy light filters now!
7. nobody knows except you by anica mrose rissi
📚: 224 pages
The nail-bitingly intense story of a summer at camp that ends in a disturbing death—and depicts a powerful friendship that won’t ever be forgotten.
kayla is still holding on to lainie’s secrets.
after all, lainie is kayla’s best friend. And despite Lainie’s painful obsession with her on-and-off boyfriend, and the ways he has tried to come between them, her friends don’t reveal each other’s secrets. they do not betray the other’s trust.
The murder at the end of the summer doesn’t change all that.
also, kayla knows that the truth is not the whole story.
- buy now nobody knows more than you!
8. maggie tokuda-hall squad, illustrated by lisa sterle
📚: 224 pages
Pretty Little Liars meets Teen Wolf in this sharply funny, and patriarchy-smashing graphic novel from author Maggie Tokuda-Hall and artist Lisa Sterle.
When the new girl is invited to join her high school’s most popular group, she can’t believe her luck, and she can’t believe her secret, either.
When Becca transfers to a high school in an elite San Francisco suburb, she worries that she won’t fit in. to her surprise, the most popular girls in school immediately adopt her. At first glance, Marley, Arianna and Mandy are perfect. But at a party under the full moon, Becca discovers that they, too, have a big secret.
becca’s new friends are werewolves. his prey? slimy boys preying on unsuspecting girls. Eager to be accepted, Becca allows her friends to turn her into a werewolf and finally, for the first time in her life, she feels like she truly belongs.
but then things get complicated. As her pack begins to buckle under the pressure, her moral ground becomes more and more unclear, and Becca realizes that she might have feelings for one of her new best friends.
“squad is a story equipped with the sharpest teeth that bites into the patriarchy, and I adored it with all my vicious heart.” —chloe gong, new york times bestselling author of these violent delights
- buy equipment now!
9. don’t walk away from me by mindy mcginnis
📚: 240 pages
See Also: Top 10 Parenting Books for Raising Boys – Modern Parents Messy Kids
The world is not tame. Ashley knows this truth deep in her bones, more at home with trees overhead than a roof.
so when she hikes into the smoky mountains with her friends for a night out, the falling darkness and creaking trees are second nature to her. but the people are not meek either. And when Ashley catches her boyfriend with another girl, her drunken rage sends her running into the night, stopped only by a nasty fall into a ravine.
morning brings the realization that she is alone and far from the road. Lost in a quiet forest with nothing but the clothes on her back, Ashley must figure out how to survive with the red streak of infection running up her leg.
- buy don’t be far from me now!
10. always forever maybe by anica mrose rissi
📚: 256 Pages 
When Betts meets Aiden at the candy store where he works, their connection is like a sugar rush to the heart. Betts already knows that the two are infinite. inevitable. destined to become an us.
Betts just kept a secret from her best friend, Jo, but suddenly there’s a long list of things she won’t tell her, things Jo wouldn’t understand. because she jo doesn’t see how good aiden is at gambling. she finds him needy. possessive.
controlling.
she’s wrong. With a love like this, nothing else matters.
- buy forever forever maybe now!
11. blackout by dhonielle clayton, tiffany d. jackson, nic stone, angie thomas, ashley woodfolk and nicola yoon
📚: 256 pages
Six critically acclaimed, best-selling and award-winning authors bring the warmth and electricity of black teens in love to this charming, hilarious and heartwarming novel that shines a bright light in the dark.
a summer heat wave blankets new york city in darkness. But as the city is thrown into turmoil, a different kind of electricity is turned on…
a first meeting.
long time friends.
ex bitter.
and maybe the start of something new.
When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. love blossoms, friendship transforms, and new possibilities arise.
- buy blackout now!
12. breaking the bell by geoff herbach
📚: 256 pages
Friday Night Lights meets Concussion in this powerful and important novel.
isaiah loves soccer. in fact, soccer saved isaiah’s life, giving him structure and discipline after the death of his sister tore his family apart. But when Isaiah is knocked unconscious on the field, he discovers that there is much more to lose than football.
While recovering from a concussion, isaiah wonders what his life would be like without gaming. all of his friends are on the team and isaiah knows they can’t win without him. Cornell’s scholarship offer is only on the table if he keeps playing.
And without soccer, what would keep your family together? What would prevent you from falling back into the habits that almost destroyed you?
isaiah must decide how much he’s willing to sacrifice for the sport that gave him everything, even if playing soccer threatens to take away his future.
- shop by ringing the bell now!
13. a thrill of great delight by tahereh mafi
📚: 256 pages
From bestselling author and National Book Award nominee Tahereh Mafi comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness, navigating the script of dual identity, and reclaiming your right to joy. , even when you’re trapped in the amber of sadness.
It is 2003, several months since the United States officially declared war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents infiltrate local mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and attacked more than ever. Shadi, who wears a hijab, keeps her head down.
She’s too busy drowning in her own problems to find time to deal with the fans.
shadi bears the name of joy, but anguish haunts her. her brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart and her best friend has mysteriously disappeared from her life. And then, of course, there’s the little matter of hearing her —
it’s broken.
shadi struggles to navigate his ruined world, saying nothing. she devours her own pain, each day withdrawing deeper and deeper into herself until finally, one day, everything changes.
she explodes.
a thrill of great delight is a searing look at the world of a single Muslim family after 9/11. It is about a son of immigrants who forges a blurred identity, falls in love and finds hope, in the middle of a modern war.
- buy a thrill of great delight now!
14. claire needell’s first true thing
📚: 256 pages
Marcelle is clean and sober, attends a harsh version of rehab after school, and barely hangs out with her user friends. But one night she gets a text message from her best friend, Hannah, asking Marcelle to cover for her.
the next morning, hannah is gone. Marcelle was the last to hear from her… and now she’s lying to everyone, about the text and more.
How long can Marcelle go before she admits to herself what she has to do? If she comes clean, will she be able to save Hannah?
- buy the first real thing now!
15. group of losers by chris muleter
📚: 256 Pages
When a family argument turns into an urgent search for a missing child, seventeen-year-old Annie Boots must do whatever she can to get her nephew home safely.
when it comes to family, annie is in the loser bracket. while her adoptive parents are great (mostly), her birth family wouldn’t have been her first choice. And no matter how many times Annie tries to erase them from her life, she always gets sucked back into her drama. love is like that.
But when a family argument breaks out at Annie’s swim meet and her nephew goes missing, Annie might be the only one who can get him back. With the help of her friends, her foster brother, and her social worker, Annie puts the pieces of the puzzle together, determined to find her nephew and finally get him to a safe home.
- buy loser set now!
16. when you ask me where i go by jasmin kaur
📚: 256 pages
Perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur and Elizabeth Acevedo, Jasmin Kaur’s stunning debut novel is a collection of poetry, illustrations, and prose.
scream so that one day in a hundred years another sister doesn’t have to dry her tears wondering where in history she lost her voice
The book’s six sections explore what it means to be a young woman living in a world that doesn’t always listen to her and tells the story of Kiran as she flees a history of trauma and raises her daughter, Sahaara, while living undocumented. in north america.
Deepening into current cultural conversations including sexual assault, mental health, feminism, and immigration, this narrative of resilience, healing, empowerment, and love will empower readers to fight for what is right in their world.
- buy when you ask me where I’m going next!
17. the end and other beginnings of veronica roth
📚: 272 pages
No world is like the other. Within this masterful collection, each setting is more strange and wonderful than the last, brimming with new technologies and beings. And yet, for all the advances in these futuristic lands, the people still must confront deeply human problems.
See Also: Gordon Korman – Book Series In Order
In these six stories, Veronica Roth steps into the unknown and unearths something startlingly familiar and profoundly beautiful.
With stories of friendship and revenge, plus two new stories from the Carve the Mark universe, this collection has something for new and old fans alike. every story begins with the hope of a better ending, but always ends with a better understanding of the beginning.
With beautiful, intricate black and white interior artwork and uniquely designed packaging, this is the perfect gift for book lovers.
- buy the ending and other beginnings now!
18. the opposite of innocent by sonya sones
📚: 272 pages
Luke has been away for two endless years, but he’s finally returning today. Lily was only twelve when he left. But now, at fourteen, she feels transformed. She can’t wait to see how Luke will react when he sees the new her. And when her mother tells her that Luke will be staying with them for a while, in the bedroom right next to hers, her heart nearly stops.
Having Luke back is better than Lily could have ever dreamed of. Her lingering stares set Lily on fire. are you imagining them? but later, when they are alone, he kisses her. then he kisses her again. lily’s friends think that anyone her age who wants to be with a fourteen-year-old boy must be very wrong. maybe even dangerous. but luke would never do anything to hurt her… would he?
In this powerful story of a terrifying leap into young adulthood, readers will join Lily on her harrowing journey from hopelessness to hope.
- buy the opposite of innocent now!
19. pan’s labyrinth: pan’s labyrinth by guillermo del toro and cornelia funke
📚: 272 pages
Oscar winning writer-director Guillermo del Toro and New York Times bestselling author Cornelia Funke have come together to transform del Toro’s hit movie Pan’s Labyrinth into an epic and dark fantasy novel for readers of all ages, complete with haunting illustrations and enchanting short stories that flesh out the folklore of this fascinating world.
This riveting story takes readers into a sinister, magical, war-torn world filled with richly drawn characters such as tricky fauns, murderous soldiers, child-eating monsters, brave rebels, and a long-lost princess who awaits. reunite with his family.
a brilliant collaboration between masterful storytellers that can’t be missed.
- Buy Pan’s Labyrinth now!
20. summer of salt by katrina leno
📚: 272 pages
Magic passed down through generations. An island where strange things happen. One summer that will become legend.
Practical magic meets Nova Ren Summa’s imaginary girls and Laura Ruby’s bone gap in this lush and atmospheric novel from acclaimed author Katrina Leno.
georgina fernweh eagerly awaits the tingling of magic in her fingers, magic that has touched every woman in her family. But with her eighteenth birthday just around the corner later this summer, Georgina fears her gift will never arrive.
Over the course of her last summer on the island, a summer of storms, crushes, and the mystery behind a rare three-hundred-year-old bird, Georgina will learn the truth about magic, in all its many forms.
- buy salt summer now!
21. amazing doomby matthew bogart and jesse holden
📚: 288 pages
welcome to a new era… the age of the internet.
Allison is drowning under the weight of her manipulative stage magician father. When he brings home the family’s first computer, she escapes into an exciting new world where she meets Samir, a like-minded new online friend who has just agreed to run away from home with her.
after moving to a new city and leaving all his friends behind, richard receives a mysterious note in his locker with instructions on how to connect to “evol bbs”, a telephone bulletin board system, and meets a punk fierce call tina, who comes into his life and shakes his entire worldview.
Unlikely alliances, first love, and misdemeanor sprees abound in this teen graphic novel debut about making connections while your world falls apart.
- buy incredible doom now!
22. the shadow mission by shamim sarif
📚: 288 Pages
Jessie Archer faced death to prove her dedication to Athena, the elite organization of female spies she works for. She is now back on the team, in time to head to Pakistan to take down the man whose actions prompted the founders of Athena to create the secret squad.
But their connections stretched further than anyone knew, and when a Mumbai girls’ school is bombed, a shadowy far-right organization reveals itself and its evil plans to continue the attacks.
When someone close to the investigation turns against Athena, Jessie knows her time to save everyone is almost up. Once again, she will have to risk everything to protect the vulnerable and prove her worth.
- buy shadow quest now!
23. this is not an andrea portes ghost story
📚: 288 pages
I am not welcome. Somehow I know that. Something doesn’t want me here.
daffodil franklin has plans for a quiet summer before her freshman year of college, and luckily she found the job that can give her exactly that: tending a mansion for a wealthy couple.
But as summer progresses and the shadows lengthen, Narciso realizes that the house is more than meets the eye. the spacious house seems to close in on her, and as he takes the long drive into town, he feels eyes on her all the way and something pulling her back.
daffodil does not yet realize that his work has a high price. the house has a long-standing grudge that it needs to resolve. . . and the daffodil is the key to solving it.
- buy this is not a ghost story now!
24. the good thing about falling by alex light
📚: 288 pages
It’s been years since seventeen-year-old Becca Hart believed in true love. But when her ex-best friend teases her for not having a boyfriend, Becca impulsively pretends that she’s been secretly seeing someone.
brett wells has it all. As the captain of the football team and one of the most popular guys in his school, he shouldn’t have a problem finding someone to date, but he’s always been more focused on his future than who to take to prom.
When he overhears becca’s lie, brett decides to step in and be the mystery guy. is the perfect solution: he gets rid of people for not having a meaningful relationship and she can continue with the ruse that she has a boyfriend. however, acting like the perfect match isn’t easy, especially when you barely know the other person.
But with Becca still picking up the pieces from when her world fell apart years ago and Brett barely holding on to his now, they begin to realize they have more in common than they ever could have imagined.
- buy drop advantage now!
25. we are totally normal by naomi kanakia
📚: 288 pages
In this ya queer contemporary, perfect for fans of becky albertalli and this is kind of an epic love story, nandan’s perfect plan for third year goes awry after she hooks up with a guy for first time.
Nandan has a plan to make his junior year perfect, but hooking up with his friend Dave isn’t part of it, especially since Nandan has never really liked boys.
still, nandan is willing to try a relationship with him. But the more his anxiety grows about what his sexuality means to him, his friends, and his social life, the more he wonders if he can take it back.
is it worth it to feel “normal” again by breaking up with dave, the only person who’s ever really made it?
- well, now we are totally normal
26. 9 days & 9 nights by katie cotugno
📚: 288 pages
Molly Barlow isn’t that girl anymore. A business major at her college in Boston, she’s reinvented herself after everything that went down a year ago… After all the people she hurt and the family she tore apart.
little by little, life returns to normal. Molly just said I love you to her new boyfriend, Ian, and together they go on a romantic vacation to Europe, starting with picturesque London. But there, on a subway platform, the past catches up with her in the form of Gabe, her ex, traveling on her own side vacation with her new girlfriend Sadie. Naturally, Ian ends up extending an invitation for Gabe and Sadie to join them on the next leg of their journey.
now molly has to spend 9 days and 9 nights with the boy she once loved, the boy whose heart she broke, without ian knowing.
- buy 9 days & 9 nights now!
Which short book are you going to choose for your next speed read? tell us in the comments!