30 Teen Books That Changed Our Lives

Being a teenager seems like a distant memory to us now, which is a good thing — we happily prefer to keep those mortifying and gawky episodes in the past. But, when it comes to important books from that era, we remember them all. It's hard to deny that the novels we read during those pivotal adolescent years — many of which introduced us to the powerful themes of sex, democracy, guilt, innocence, ethics, drugs, philosophy, and other topics — have stayed with us into adulthood.

In honor of Teen Literature Day (which is on April 16), we rounded up 30 YA and teen books that continue to be positively life-changing. Read on and reminisce with us. It may be time to revisit these classic haunts.