Trying to get a book into a modern teenager is usually a mission doomed to failure. They live in a world where content changes every second, and we, adults, with our nostalgic stories about how we read non-stop under a blanket with a flashlight, look like dinosaurs. They don't need our flashlight, they have a screen backlight. And they don't need our boring lectures, informs Ukr.Media.
The truth of the industry is that teenagers read, and how. Simply for this, the story has to be more captivating than a new series on streaming. I looked at what is currently being discussed in the youth segment of BookTalk, and collected ten hits that can be found in our bookstores.
For fans of detective stories and mysteries
“One of Us Is Lying” – Karen McManus
A classic plot that has been around since our youth: five high school students stay after school to serve their punishment. Only four of them leave the office alive. The thing is, the murdered guy was the creator of the school gossip app and knew the dirty secrets of everyone present. Now everyone is under suspicion. It's a mix of the TV series “Elite” and a classic hermetic mystery.
For those who love magic and adventure
“Six of Crows” – Leigh Bardugo
Imagine Ocean's Eleven, but in a fantasy world where the characters are in their early twenties. Criminal prodigy Kaz Brecker assembles a team of outcasts—from a spy to a sharpshooter—to pull off an impossible heist. If they survive, they'll become obscenely rich. There's so much action and sarcasm that your brain just refuses to switch to anything else.
“Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief” – Rick Riordan
A good old story about how an ordinary schoolboy with a lot of problems suddenly finds out that his father is the Greek god of the seas, Poseidon. It seems like the dream of any teenager who is fed up with school. You will have to look for the stolen lightning bolts of Zeus, fight monsters somewhere in the middle of modern New York and save the world. Ironic, dynamic, ideal for those who are not used to holding anything thicker than a smartphone in their hands.
Our native, which takes your breath away
“Guardian in the Game” – Natalia Matolinets
It is very pleasing that Ukrainian authors have long stopped writing exclusively about suffering in the countryside and have switched to high-quality urban fantasy. The dark sorceress Varta lives in Lviv and simply wants everyone to get rid of her. But instead of calmly drinking coffee, she finds herself in the center of a cruel magical Power Game. Our streets, our realities and the plot.
“Flock” – Anastasia Nikulina
Parkour, freedom on the roofs of high-rise buildings and a purely male company of tracers, whose ideal rebellious world is turned upside down when a girl named Tasya appears there. This is an honest text about modern Ukrainian teenagers. About how difficult it is to find a common language with parents and how sometimes you just want to escape into the void to prove your independence.
For those who want to cry and think
“In the end, both will die” – Adam Silvera
A book that literally makes the whole TikTok cry. A world where you just get a call and are told: sorry, but today is your last day on earth. Two complete strangers get such a call and decide to live these 24 hours together. An existential crisis, first love and the realization that life is really short. Very sobering and makes you get out of the room and into the real world.
Intrigue, power and a little love
“The Cruel Prince” – Holly Black
Mortal girl Jude is forced to survive in a world of beautiful but completely crazy fairies (immortal magical creatures similar to very dangerous elves). No good fairy godmothers – only palace intrigues, cruelty and the toxic prince Cardan, whom she challenges. A dark story about ambition and that from hatred to love is one step. Read in one breath, because watching other people's complicated relationships is always more interesting than dealing with your own.
“The Hunger Games” – Suzanne Collins
A classic of the survival genre, which is now on a wave of popularity again. 16-year-old Katniss goes to a cruel television show instead of her younger sister. There is one rule – only the winner will survive. The fight against the system, the injustice of the adult world – all these themes resonate with teenagers as strongly as they did ten years ago.
Lightness, romance and comfort
“I became beautiful this summer” – Jenny Gan
Pure escapism for mental relief. A beach house, the sun and a girlfriend named Belle, who has fun there every summer with her two brothers. But this time the boys suddenly realize that she has grown up. A little drama, a lot of warm wind and first love. Just what you need when you just want to get away from the news and tests.
“When the Heart Stops” – Alice Oseman
A graphic novel about two schoolchildren who sit at the same desk, become friends, and gradually realize that they feel something more for each other. And let's face it: comics are also literature. Especially such supportive, warm stories about self-acceptance that are devoured in one evening under the covers and leave behind a normal mood.
Instead of the finale, I'll say one thing. You don't need to put a book on the table with the words “sit down and read something.” That won't work. It's better to drop a link to this selection in their messenger. Write something like: “Listen, they write about some popular books here, maybe you'll like something. If you choose, I'll order it, or let's go to the bookstore on the weekend and have coffee together.”
Giving them the right to choose and the opportunity to simply spend time together works much better than any persuasion.
Do you remember which book you couldn't put down when you were fifteen? Tell us in the comments, it's interesting to compare eras.
Share
Subscribe to UkrMedia on Telegram.
⚡ Readers' Pulse
What's better: insisting on “proven” classics or letting your child read only what's currently trending on TikTok?
0 people have already voted. Join the discussion.
📱 Only modern hype 🏛️ Only proven classics 📖 The main thing is the process
📊 Mind map
📱 Only modern hype 0% 🏛️ Only proven classics 0% 📖 The main thing is the process 0% 💡
The discussion is just beginning. Be the first to comment!
Comments
New ones first ↕
There are no comments yet. Be the first!