Recommended Reads
After being disgusted by a review yesterday that celebrated a YA book synopsis “teas[ing] a dark eroticism so often lacking in YA,” I decided to put together a list of books (and authors) that need more attention for their cleanliness and/or positive values. So here we are. (A handful of these are actually found in the adult section, but I’d be comfortable handing them to a teenager and I read them as a teenager myself. Others are technically middle-grade but are of a quality that they can be enjoyed by people of all ages.)
Clean Books
The Door Within trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson
The Dreamtreaders trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson
The Isle Chronicles by Wayne Thomas Batson
The Berinfell Prophecies by Wayne Thomas Batson and Christopher Hopper
The Truth series by Dawn Cook
Atlantis Rising by T.A. Barron
The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede
The Terebinth Tree Chronicles by Hannah Heath
The Stealthmaster’s Shadow by Hope Ann
The Beaumont and Beasley series by Kyle Robert Shultz
The Mirror-Hunter Chronicles by R.M. Archer
Short Story Collection vol. 1 by R.M. Archer
Child of the Kaites by Beth Wangler
Steward Stories by Beth Wangler
The 100 Cupboards trilogy by N.D. Wilson
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson
The Secret of the Rose series by Michael Philips
Chasing Jupiter by Rachel Coker
The Traveler by E.B. Dawson
The Fire Rain Chronicles by Miranda Marie
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Fallen Leaves by Tessa Emily Hall
The Girl Who Could See by Kara Swanson
The Whispers of White duology by Miranda Marie
Strange Waters by The Phoenix Fiction Writers
Positive Books
The Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan (mild language, drug use painted in a negative light in a later book)
Women of Kern by Maris McKay (the first story gets a little graphic on the romance toward the end, but that’s the only uncomfortable content I recall and the book promotes many different types of strength)
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer (includes a handful of sexual references, if I recall correctly)
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (mild language throughout)
A Time to Die by Nadine Brandes (semi-graphic violence at times)
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (language throughout and a brief sexual scene, but a good look at the issues it addresses)
A Thousand Perfect Notes by C.G. Drews (addresses abuse)
100 Days of Sunlight by Abbie Emmons (mild language)
Antiheroes by The Phoenix Fiction Writers (heavy violence in places and maybe light language)
Of Myth and Monster by The Phoenix Fiction Writers (mild language)
Authors to Follow
Andrew Peterson
Hannah Heath
Nadine Brandes
Kyle Robert Shultz
E.B. Dawson
Beth Wangler
Miranda Marie
Kara Swanson
Abbie Emmons
I want to say thank you to all the authors writing clean, high-quality books, or books that portray real issues through a conservative/Christian lens. Keep doing what you’re doing. Your work is important.
And to all of you readers, promote clean and positive books. Spread the word. Recommend them to people. Buy them as gifts. Support the authors. Let’s create a community of readers and authors that produces and spreads quality work that’s truly intended for teen readers, both clean options and options that aren’t afraid to tackle issues that teens are worried about but from a Christian perspective. (And I’ll talk in a few weeks about the importance of both flavors of Christian fiction.)
Do you have any recommendations that didn’t make it onto my list? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!
