Teen Fiction Authors: 3 Must Read Books For Your Teenager in 2020
With 2020 just around the corner, many teens will buy books to read. Check out these 3 must-read books by teen fiction authors in 2020.
Click on the image to watch Young Adult author Scott’s welcome video to his SG Fiction YouTube channel. Here you can find out more about the teenage thriller author from Belfast, NI.
Teen Fiction Authors For Your Teenager In 2020
In 2020, many books will hit the shelves of bookstores from many teen fiction authors around the world, the UK, and Ireland. I look at the bestsellers list from Amazon and can’t help but wonder just how many of the top 20 will end up in stockings and wrapped up under Christmas trees on 25th December.
As you would expect, many of the bestsellers will be from traditionally published authors. However, independent and self-published authors, like myself, will also be releasing new novels this year. Considering I was a teacher for over ten years, I know just how powerful the draw of big names like David Walliams and JK Rowling are. It can be incredibly challenging to prise the attention of young people away from ‘the usual suspects’.
On the other hand, when a child is introduced to a new author, it is wonderful to see the look on their face when they find a new novel or author they hadn’t read before. Children will then share the news of their new find with pride to their peers. If you were to introduce your child or teenager to a new novel, where would you start? Which authors are ‘hot right now’?
I hope to show those who read this blog several novels from the top 20 of notable book charts and share why I feel they could be an idea for a stocking-filler this Christmas. I have not read these books personally. However, I will buy all three novels. I will read them over the next few months and report back in a series of later blogs.
In September 2018, I published my debut novel, Inside Iris. I will look to publish the second instalment of the trilogy, Anna’s Awakening, in February 2020. I understand just how tricky it can be as an independent or self-published author. I know that my novel is aimed towards young adults, and there may be a number of other authors who have books aimed at the same audience out there.
Therefore, if you are an indie or self-published author with a book due out soon, pop it in the comments box to give yourself a shout out! Just make sure to like and share this blog around all of your social media channels if you pop your name in the comments box below.
As a parent, which novels or authors could you consider for gifts? I have trawled through multiple book charts online and have done my best to find 3 must-read books for teens in 2020.
Click on the image to see the fiction books I have released so far. Both Inside Iris and Anna’s Awakening are available for purchase on Kindle and paperback from Amazon.
Book One: The Tattooist Of Auschwitz (Amazon UK Charts)
Heather Morris’ novel, The Tattoo Of Auschwitz has been in bestseller lists all over the world in 2019. With over 5,700 reviews of this international bestseller, averaging to 4.5 stars, this novel was a clear pick from the Amazon chart. On many of the Instagram accounts of YA book reviewers, I have seen this book for teens appear multiple times.
Firstly, I am a serious fan of historical fiction like this. I have always had a keen interest in WW2 and what happened in places like Auschwitz and other concentration camps throughout Nazi-occupied territories.
Book Blurb:
I tattooed a number on her arm. She tattooed her name on my heart.
In 1942, Lale Sokolov arrived in Auschwitz-Birkenau. He was given the job of tattooing the prisoners marked for survival – scratching numbers into his fellow victims’ arms in indelible ink to create what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust.
Waiting in line to be tattooed, terrified and shaking, was a young girl. For Lale – a dandy, a jack-the-lad, a bit of a chancer – it was love at first sight. And he was determined not only to survive himself, but to ensure this woman, Gita, did, too.
So begins one of the most life-affirming, courageous, unforgettable and human stories of the Holocaust: the love story of the tattooist of Auschwitz.
Source: Waterstones.co.uk
The book blurb above, from Waterstones, shares why I feel this book is a must-read for teenagers over Christmas, and into 2020. The harrowing tale told in Heather Morris‘ novel is one that will continue to be told through the eyes of characters for many years to come.
For teenagers, young adults, and adults alike, with a taste for historical fiction, this book should be on a gift list. There is no doubt that this novel will be a hit for anyone who is a fan of this style of story. Have you read this novel? What did you think of Heather Morris’ book? Comment below with your thoughts.
Scott is a teen thriller author from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Click the image to read how he feels Belfast shaped him as an author.
Book Two: Crossfire: The Noughts & Crosses Series (The Guardian)
One of the most notable authors for teenagers and young adults is Malorie Blackman. As a teacher in charge of multiple libraries in schools, I can remember lifting this lady’s books multiple times to sticker and scan in for the older pupils in the school.
When it comes to books for teens, book five in the Noughts & Crosses series, Crossfire looks to add yet again to the teenage hit book series. Below is a blurb of the book from The Guardian.
Book Blurb
Years have passed since the love between Sephy – a Cross – and Callum – a Nought – destroyed their world and changed their families and society forever.
Society appears to be very different now. For the first time ever, a Nought Prime Minister – Tobey Durbridge – is in power. Race and class don’t divide people anymore. But things are never really that easy.
Because Tobey’s just been framed for murder, and the only way to free himself is to turn to his oldest friend – Callie-Rose.
Their families divisions run deep, and when two young people are kidnapped, their lives and everything they’ve fought for are put in the firing line.
And when you’re playing a game as dangerous as this one, it won’t be long before someone gets caught in the crossfire…
Source: The Guardian
The previous four books of the hit teen book series have over 1,000 reviews between them, all well over 4-stars. This series of novels have been loved and recommended by many. With the exciting storyline teased out in the blurb above, I feel it won’t be long until Blackman’s Crossfire is equally as loved by her adoring fans.
Are you a Malorie Blackman fan? Would you recommend Crossfire, or the Noughts & Crosses series? Comment below with your thoughts and recommendations.
As a teacher, Scott was passionate about getting young people into writing. A deal he made with a former pupil, to help boost her own writing, led to him writing his debut novel, Inside Iris.
Book Three: The Hate U Give (New York Times)
When scanning through the New York Times YA bestseller list, my attention was grabbed by one book in particular that has spent a staggering 143 weeks as a New York Times Bestseller.
The Hate U Give, by Angie Thomas was published in 2017. However, its hard-hitting subject matter and storyline is one that has given the book real staying power for a long time. With almost 450 reviews, averaging over 4.5 stars on Amazon, this book has been read and enjoyed by many people.
Here is a taste of what the novel is about from the blurb.
Book Blurb:
Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs.
The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed.
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl’s struggle for justice.
Source: Amazon.co.uk
In a world where many young people of colour feel alienated by society and those in positions of power around them, the story told in The Hate U Give is one that will resonate with many teenagers and young adults across the USA, UK, and Ireland. The Black Lives Matter inspiration for this novel will give it resonance with aspects of society on both sides of the Atlantic.
Have you read The Hate U Give? What were your thoughts? Did it resonate with you as a reader? Comment below with your thoughts.
If you or your child is a teenager who loves to write, click on the image to watch Scott’s Young Adult creative writing tips series, The Forge, on YouTube.
Teen Fiction Authors: The Takeaway
The world of teen fiction authors and young adult literature is one that has taken the world by storm in recent years. Rather than adults seeing books for teenagers as something to turn their nose up at, adults are now reading them too!
Above, I have included 3 must-read books for teens in 2020 that have bold, resonant messages and could entertain, inspire, and provoke thoughts in any young people who read them. If you are looking for books for teens in your family, you should consider the books listed, and others from the authors above.
As I said before, authors like David Walliams and JK Rowling are hard to divert your children and teenagers away from. Yes, Harry Potter is an extraordinary leviathan of children’s and teenage literature. Still, there are other options out there that could be considered to widen the reading of our loved ones at home.
If you purchase the books above, please comment below and share your thoughts. I love for us to open up thoughtful discussion in blogs and reply with those who take the time out of their day to post.