100 Best Teen Novels Ever - per NPR

Ugh, and His Dark Materials is on there too.

 

Guess I didn't agree with the whole ideology behind it.

 

Farenheight 51 and LOTR are "Teen" novels? Eragon is worthy of note? This list is bogus.

 

Ahhhh The Last Unicorn and Weetzie Bat are on it! <3

Looking for Alaska is marvelous, as is The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Crank, and The Outsiders. I have heard great things about The Book Thief, Miss Peregrine's, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and 13 Reasons Why too. An Abundance of Katherines is good, admittedly. Speak is great for younger readers, but I didn't find it depressing enough.

I don't know if Harry Potter should be on there; it's for all ages. I agree with what Steerpike said about LoTR and HDM.

Oh good God, Hush Hush should not be on there, nor should Fallen or The House of Night... *cringes*

One book that should be on there but isn't is Shine by Lauren Myracle. It's beautiful.

 

Not a fan of over half the list. Many books on here do not seem suitable for teenagers. While I agree with the Hobbit, LOTR is no where near a "teen-novel". And Twilight? How is it so high on this list, it isn't even well written.

I'm glad The Outsiders and the Giver series is on here, but just because a book falls into a series does not mean the entire series needs to make the list (notably the Hitch-hiker's guide).

I do agree HP should be on the top of the list, along with Hunger Games. While these are not simply "teen" books, I think that age range would benefit most from reading them, especially in the sense of reading novels that may spark the interest to read MORE novels.

The Vampire Academy series was definitely a captivating read, but I would also include the House of Night higher on the list if the VA is that high. House of Night is by far better.

Overall:
Polls are not really reliable just because over 70 thousand people voted. Many people who read Twilight have stated, "I don't normally read, but I'm obsessed with this book." Why? Because the book is written for people who don't normally read. Look at the sentence structures in it. Reading a single series, plus the five odd books you're required to from school does not make you informed enough to vote the top teen novels. Which is why novels like To Kill a Mockingbird are there, due to the large amount of people required to read it in class. Top trending books are those turned into movies. I want a poll done of books where people read every one, much like Silver Birch when you are a kid. Then we'll see which books are actually the top "teen" novels.

 

I don't mean to say it's ONLY for people who don't read. I mean it's written in a manor that it will engage even those who do not read. I myself bought and read it. I did not enjoy the story at all, and I'm an avid Vampire Story reader (Been an obsession of mine since I saw the Lost Boys when I was 10). I feel like many people read it because of all the publicity its gotten, but there is a huge debate at all times whether or not it's good.

I feel like this debate exists because many readers who are seasoned, gave it a shot, but feel it's not exactly well written. The debate on whether or not it is good is completely different. You might think its poorly written, but a good story. But many people don't know focus on that difference and assume if its poorly written, it's bad. That is where the people who think it's bad come from. Those who think it is a good book are those who don't normally read, and who are looking only at the story.

Now this is a VAST generalization, and I'm not saying it's always true. But think about it, how many people have you asked who give you a two part answer, "I like the story but hate the way it's written." At least in my life, I hardly see people saying that. Instead I hear pleas from both sides, "Twilight is soo good." "Twilight is trash", etc. This leads me to believe most people see what they want to see and aren't really breaking it down. Which is why I feel like it drew in so many people who simply do not read on a regular basis.

I know I'm generalizing here a lot, it's just how I can possibly make sense of why this debate is so huge. I mean look at a book like The Hunger Games. There really isn't a debate. It's just good, and then some people have their opinions that they did not enjoy the book. No one questions the writing. It's a well written book. Most people don't even question the story, as it's unique and compelling. But there are those that do not enjoy it, everyone has their own tastes, but it has never been this giant debate as to whether or not The Hunger Games is a good book.

 

Yea I agree with that. It's really interesting. I suppose they were just cashing in on the Vampire craze, and lucked out.