5 Fantastic Books for Teen Book Clubs

5 Fantastic Books for Teen Book Clubs

If you’ve followed my tips on how to start and run your own Teen Book Club you’ll know that choosing the right books for your group is often difficult and time consuming.  I’ve had lots of trial and error on book selection when running my Teen Book Clubs. The last thing you want is a dull meeting where the only person talking is you, the leader. This only happened to me when I chose a book they thought was ok, or a book they thought was well written but uninteresting. While I advise in my guide to not be afraid of choosing books they might end up hating, as that will lead to lively and hilarious discussions, it’s even better if you can pick books they love and want to talk about. Here are 5 book suggestions that have been tried and tested as successes in my Teen Book Clubs.

 Etiquette and Espionage: Book 1 in the Finishing School Series (Gail Carriger)

At Mademoiselle Geraldine’s, young ladies learn to finish…everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage–in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year’s education.

Suggested for: The book is excellent for teens of all ages. It’s unique and quirky which will give them loads to talk about. It contains action, adventure,  humor, the supernatural, and a bit of mystery. If you have a teen book club that’s on the younger side of things and you’re desperately looking for a book without overt sexual and violent content, this one is perfect for you. This is a fun selection for older teens as well.

 Feed (M.T. Anderson)

For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon – a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.

Suggested for:  One of my personal favorite YA books, this standalone novel is particularly suited to a teen book club that wants to have a thought provoking discussion about technology, government intrusion and distraction, and the dumbing down of the population in a satirical manner. Even though this story was written in the early 2000’s, it’s very reminiscent of current issues. Fans of sci-fi and dystopia will love it, but if your book club only wants a quick, frothy read perhaps skip this one. Perhaps better suited to older aged teens.

 BZRK: Book 1 in the BZRK Series (Michael Grant)

Charles and Benjamin Armstrong, conjoined twins and owners of the Armstrong Fancy Gifts Corporation, have a goal: to turn the world into their vision of utopia. No wars, no conflict, no hunger. And no free will. Opposing them is a guerrilla group of teens, code name BZRK, who are fighting to protect the right to be messed up, to be human.

This is no ordinary war, though. Weapons are deployed on the nano-level. The battleground is the human brain.  And there are no stalemates here: It’s victory . . . or madness.

Suggested for: This is another not-so-distant-future book with an edgy subject matter that sparks a lot of fun and deep discussions.  If you’ve got a group that loves debate, sci-fi, ethical questions, and technology, don’t pass this one up as a selection. I don’t like to suggest censorship but this book is most appropriate for teen book clubs made up of high schoolers. I think younger teens can handle the content fine, but if you’re a librarian or teacher tread carefully in case of over sensitive parents. The teens in my book clubs ranged from 13-19 in age and I never had an issue with parental discomfort about book selection, but I know it existed at other branches in my library district.

 Seraphina: Book 1 in the Seraphina Series (Rachel Hartman)

Four decades of peace have done little to ease the mistrust between humans and dragons in the kingdom of Goredd. Folding themselves into human shape, dragons attend court as ambassadors, and lend their rational, mathematical minds to universities as scholars and teachers. As the treaty’s anniversary draws near, however, tensions are high.

Seraphina Dombegh has reason to fear both sides. An unusually gifted musician, she joins the court just as a member of the royal family is murdered—in suspiciously draconian fashion. Seraphina is drawn into the investigation, partnering with the captain of the Queen’s Guard, the dangerously perceptive Prince Lucian Kiggs. While they begin to uncover hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace, Seraphina struggles to protect her own secret, the secret behind her musical gift, one so terrible that its discovery could mean her very life.

Suggested for:  A really interesting take on dragons, this fantasy is appealing for those who’ve felt different and didn’t want to, even when their differences make them extraordinary. This is another fabulous choice for book clubs of all ages if you need a book without graphic violence or sex.

 Unwind: Book 1 in the Unwind Dystology (Neal Shusterman)

The Second Civil War was fought over reproductive rights. The chilling resolution: Life is inviolable from the moment of conception until age thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, parents can have their child “unwound,” whereby all of the child’s organs are transplanted into different donors, so life doesn’t technically end. Connor is too difficult for his parents to control. Risa, a ward of the state, is not enough to be kept alive. And Lev is a tithe, a child conceived and raised to be unwound. Together, they may have a chance to escape and to survive. 

Suggested for: One of my hands down favorite YA book series of all times, I suggest this book series to anyone who hasn’t yet read YA to convert them.  Clever and thoughtful, it’s hard to put down this eerie dystopia where children can be “unwound” if they don’t behave…or aren’t wanted. While I think this book works for all ages, it does contain a few scenes that are highly disturbing and perhaps should be avoided if your club is all very early teens.

What books have you used for your teen book clubs? Let me know down below, and don’t forget to subscribe for more content!