29 Mar, 2024 | Blog Articles, English Language Articles, Get the Edge, Humanities Articles, Writing Articles
By reading widely and often, we’re able to glimpse perspectives across time and place that we might otherwise never have access to. There’s possibly no greater way to learn about the world around us than by nestling amongst the pages of a great novel!
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of 100 of the best books for high school students to read. We’ve included some of the most influential and timeless books ever written, while going beyond conventional recommendations to provide a list that reflects the diversity of the human experience.
These books have the capacity to change lives. They introduce readers to new worlds, ideas, feelings and perspectives that they may never have considered before, staying with them long after the final page.
Table of Contents
100 Best Books of All Time for Teens
Coming across a long list of book recommendations can often feel a little overwhelming. So much of our reading is dictated by our current interests or experiences, so it can be hard to know where to begin.
To help make this list more manageable, we’ve divided it into ten categories – from contemporary masterpieces to historical narratives – so you can dip in and out depending on what takes your fancy.
Many of the books we’ve selected can be found on any keen reader’s shelf, but many are woefully undervalued, so although you might be familiar with many books on our list, we hope that plenty will be brand new to you!
Classic literature
Classic literature refers to any book whose place in the Canon is firmly cemented. These are books that have been handed down from one generation to the next – sometimes across hundreds of years.
These books have been studied at universities and schools for as long as any of us can remember, and scholars are still finding new and exciting angles for text analysis to this day.
1. Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871)
Considered to be one of the greatest novels of the Victorian era, Mary Ann Evans wrote Middlemarch under her pen name, George Eliot, to escape the stereotypes associated with female authorship during her lifetime.
Set in the fictional town of Middlemarch, the novel delves into issues as diverse as marriage, religion, politics and education, and is as essential today as it was in the 19th century.
2. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856)
Madame Bovary is the most celebrated work by Gustave Flaubert, the French master of literary realism. In 1914, the book was dubbed a perfect work of fiction by author, Henry James:
‘Madame Bovary has a perfection that not only stamps it, but that makes it stand almost alone: it holds itself with such a supreme unapproachable assurance as both excites and defies judgement.’
Its tale of a loveless marriage is as poignant today as it was when it was published.
3. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949)
George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four has become so influential since its release, that even if you haven’t read it yourself, you’ll likely recognise much of the parlance he coined in the novel, like ‘big brother’, ‘doublethink’ and ‘thought police’.
A chilling tale of the consequences of totalitarianism and mass surveillance, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a must-read for anyone interested in political history.
4. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (1855)
One of the great realist writers of the Victorian period, Elizabeth Gaskell’s novels focus on the trials and tribulations of working-class life in the newly industrialised England.
Her best known work, North and South, follows protagonist, Margaret Hale, as she moves from the south of England to the north, and witnesses the ruthless world of industrial northern England and its effects on cotton-mill workers.
5. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)
Ralph Ellison’s vivid, ground-breaking novel, which explores the issues faced by Black Americans in the early 20th century, has been called ‘a masterpiece’ by writer, Anthony Burgess.
The book follows its narrator, invisible ‘simply because people refuse to see me’, from the American South to Harlem, New York. It’s as important in depicting the psychological and social effects of racism today as it was upon its release.
6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice explores love, class and family in a rich, warm satire that’s funny, charming and lucidly portrays the period in which it was written.
As a historical document, it’s fascinating, but Austen’s writing has ensured that it remains timeless – evidenced by the dozens of adaptations that have been made in the past two centuries!
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)
Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a sinister exploration of morality and desire. The novel follows Dorian, a hedonistic young man who no longer ages. Meanwhile, a portrait – painted by his friend, Basil Hallward, and hidden away in an attic – ages in Dorian’s place.
Short and dramatic, Dorian Gray is the perfect novel to spend a quiet weekend engrossed in.
8. The Trial by Franz Kafka (1925)
Even if you’ve never read Kafka, you’ve likely heard something referred to as ‘Kafkaesque’. Kafka’s writing frequently explores bureaucracy, anxiety and alienation, and The Trial is no different.
It tells the story of Josef K., a man arrested by an authority who won’t reveal to him (nor the reader) the nature of his crime. Maddening and existential, Kafka is a master of placing the reader into the minds of his characters, with all the anxiety and uncertainty that that entails.
9. Moby-Dick, or The Whale by Herman Melville (1851)
Considered by many the great American novel, Moby-Dick tells the tale of the sailor, Captain Ahab, and his quest for vengeance against a giant whale who tore off his leg during a past voyage.
A commercial failure upon its publication, it enjoyed a much-deserved reappraisal in the 20th-century, with writer, D.H. Lawrence, calling it:
‘One of the strangest and most wonderful books in the world.’
10. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)
The debut novel by Nigerian author, Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart explores pre-colonial Nigeria and the life of Okonkwo, a proud warrior.
As Okonkwo’s world begins to unravel, readers are left to consider the broader impact of colonialism and cultural imperialism. Poignant and powerful, Things Fall Apart is essential reading for anyone passionate about literature and world history.
