30 Essential Coming-Of-Age Stories For Every Reader

Forbes

4 hours ago

Author Sandra Cisneros, who penned standout coming-of-age novel "The House on Mango Street," speaks ... More at the 2024 National Book Festival at The Walter E. Washington Convention Center on August 24, 2024.
Coming of age stories have a universal draw—everyone grows up, and everyone has experienced defining moments in life that help them build their character. Coming of age books crystallize a pivotal moment in someone's life and detail the before, during and after moments that determine where they go in the future. The greatest coming of age books show readers both the paths taken and not taken, illustrating how life can change with the smallest decision. Above all, coming of age fiction should be relatable, something that people from different backgrounds can understand. This list of best coming of age books includes selections going back more than two centuries, underscoring just how little changes in human nature.
Top Coming-Of-Age Novels
Coming of age in literature usually covers events in the lives of people from about age 10 to 30. They must be young enough to have limited life experience. This list includes fantasy, literary fiction, young adult (YA) novels, novels in verse and a number of classics.
The rankings are based on the books' critical acclaim, sales, literary prizes and their continued relevance years after publication.
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel follows a teenage boy who lives through an accident that kills his mother. Theo moves in with a wealthy friend's family after his dad abandons him, and he struggles to navigate his new life. The consequences of that stick with him as he ages.
This book is best for anyone who wants to read a prestige novel that's also a page-turner. Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch is available from publisher Little, Brown & Co.
Named to Time's list of Best YA Books of All Time, When Dimple Met Rishi is a classic romcom. Hopeless romantic Rishi readies to woo the more cynical Dimple after their families arrange for them to marry. What they realize along the way to falling in love helps them better understand the world.
This book is best for romcom fans. Sandhya Menon's When Dimple Met Rishi is available from publisher Simon & Schuster.
Trans boy Yadriel feels frustrated that his traditional Latinx family can't seem to acknowledge his gender identity in this National Book Award finalist. When he—oops!—conjures a ghost from a nearby cemetery, he begins to realize he's not the only one with problems. And he may also be in love with a specter.
This book is best for fans of magical realism. Aiden Thomas's Cemetery Boys is available from Macmillan.
This children's classic follows Mary Lennon, who is shipped from India to England after becoming orphaned. In her new house, Mary discovers a secret garden where she can escape her new dull life. But, with a dash of magic, she also learns responsibility and how to deal with her tragic loss.
This book is best for younger readers or fans of classics. Frances Hodgson Burnett's The Secret Garden is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie shows why she is considered one of Nigeria's best writers with this story of privileged siblings who are sent to live with their aunt following a military coup. Just as they've adjusted to this less-formal, more fun life, they must return home—and confront their tyrannical father.
This book is best for anyone who savors gorgeous writing. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus is available from publisher Hachette.
In this novel-in-verse, 11-year-old Kofi lives a carefree life in his African village. His world turns upside down after he is kidnapped by 'the beasts,' brutal enslavers who rip Kofi from a blissful existence where his biggest problem was impressing his crush. Suddenly, he's fighting to survive.
This book is best for history buffs or poetry fans. Kwame Alexander's The Door of No Return is available from publisher Hachette.
Author Kwame Alexander wrote The Door of No Return, one of the best coming of age novels, great for ... More historical fiction fans.
Qiu Miaojin sets this queer coming-of-age tale in late 1980s Taipei, just after martial law ends. A group of college friends navigate new relationships, including the lesbian narrator's attraction to an older woman. The story is told through diaries, notes and other primary sources.
This book is best for anyone who enjoys nontraditional storytelling or wants a queer take on coming of age. Qiu Miaojin's Notes of a Crocodile is available from publisher NYRB.
Beloved YA author John Green's semiautobiographical novel draws on his time in boarding school as young Miles loses a close friend and copes with the aftermath of his death. It earned the Michael L. Printz Award for best book for teens and has also been banned in many school districts for profanity.
This book is best for anyone searching for books on grief. John Green's Looking for Alaska is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
One of several classics on this list, Anne of Green Gables introduces headstrong ginger-haired Anne, who turns Avonlea on Prince Edward Island upside down following her mistaken assignment to a pair of siblings hoping to adopt a boy. It has sold more than 50 million copies and inspired a book series.
This book is best for anyone looking for a younger protagonist (Anne is 11 at the start of the book). Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Standout author Nicola Yoon's devastating debut novel, a New York Times bestseller, chronicles a first love like none other. Eighteen-year-old Maddy is allergic to everything and never leaves her house. She falls in love with new neighbor Olly, who expands her world in exciting, necessary and ultimately tragic ways.
This book is best for those who enjoy romance novels. Nicola Yoon's Everything, Everything is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
The middle book in the Harry Potter series sees Harry truly come of age, as he experiences romance, friendship crises and a friend's death for the first time. This marks a transition from the adventure of the early books to the angst of the teen years, and it remains incredibly popular 25 years after publication.
This book is best for anyone who likes fantasy books. J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is available from publisher Scholastic.
Actors, Rupert Grint, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson on the set of the film "Harry Potter and The ... More Goblet of Fire," one of the best coming of age stories.
In her debut novel, Jean Kwok follows mother-daughter Chinese immigrants, the younger of whom feels caught between cultures. Kimberly Chang spends days as an overachieving student and nights working in a sweatshop, trying to help her family get a leg up. But whose goals should she prioritize?
This book is best for anyone looking for a nuanced take on immigration. Jean Kwok's Girl in Translation is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Julia Alvarez's beautiful tale of four sisters from the Dominican Republic starts from the end and goes back in time, a narrative device that cleverly captures the women's acculturation over 30 years. It shows how they became adults after fleeing a dictatorship, and parts are based on the author's own life.
This book is best for anyone who loves a family epic. Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents is available from publisher Hachette.
Meg has always felt like the oddball misfit, but she finds her unique gifts when she and her siblings embark on a quest to find their missing father. Under the care of a trio of women with supernatural powers, they become closer while exploring a new fantasy world. This classic won the Newbery Medal.
This book is best for those who like quest novels. Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time is available from publisher Macmillan.
After a plane carrying a group of British schoolboys crashes on an island, they establish their own society that degrades into chaos in a frighteningly short span. The novel examines the role of order in society as well as the loss of innocence. Another classic, it remains a staple in schools.
This book is best for anyone interested in group dynamics' influence on coming of age. William Golding's The Lord of the Flies is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Longlisted for the National Book Award and Carnegie Medal in Fiction, Ocean Vuong's autobiographical novel is told in letter form, a son writing to his mother. The author examines addiction, violence and trauma as the narrator leads up to a big revelation.
This book is best for anyone looking for a more mature narrator (late 20s). Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Ocean Vuong at the Valentino & CULTURED Magazine celebrate 'CULT100' held at The Morgan Library & ... More Museum on April 29, 2024 in New York City. He wrote one of the greatest coming of age novels.
One of the most-beloved coming of age tales still rings true more than seven decades after publication. Teen Holden Caulfield feels alienated from and angry with everyone in his life after getting booted from prep schools. He spends a few days trawling around New York City, outing the phonies and growing up.
This book is best for those looking for a critique of superficiality. J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Introverted, nerdy Gene and outgoing, charismatic Phineas are opposites, but their connection at boarding school during World War II changes their lives. The bestselling novel shows the impact of losing innocence and the danger that lurks in trying to outdo others rather than building your own self-worth.
This book is best for those who enjoy classics. John Knowles's A Separate Peace is available from publisher Simon & Schuster.
Set in World War II Germany, The Book Thief follows a young girl in foster care tortured by memories of her brother's death. She finds comfort in stealing and reading books, and she bonds with a Jewish man her foster parents hide from the Nazis. The book has been made into a film and a musical.
This book is best for those who enjoy historical fiction. Markus Zusak's The Book Thief is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
This gorgeous novel-in-verse won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Michael L. Printz Award. Xiomara and her family have very different ideas of what's right and wrong for a teenage girl in Harlem. She channels her passion and rebellion into a poetry slam club, where she excels.
This book is best for those who want to read about parent-teen conflicts. Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X is available from publisher HarperCollins.
Set in 1983 Italy, the novel follows the burgeoning relationship between 17-year-old Elio and his father's graduate assistant, Oliver. Their initial frostiness heats up quickly, but taboos of the time and their reticence to defy them ultimately doom their relationship. The book, the third in a series, was made into an Oscar-nominated movie.
This book is best for those looking for gay coming of age books. André Aciman's Call Me by Your Name is available from publisher Macmillan.
Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer, stars of the movie "Call Me By Your Name," based on the great ... More coming of age novel.
Richard Wright's acclaimed novel, which lays bare the racism of the United States, shows how a deadly accident changes the life of Bigger Thomas in 1930s Chicago. Wright's unflinching account of being a young Black man has become a modern must-read, though it's often been banned.
This book is best for anyone looking for sharp, still-relevant insights on race. Richard Wright's Black Boy is available from publisher HarperCollins.
Often counted among the great American novels, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn follows Huck after he fakes his own death to get away from his dad and sets off on a raft trip down the Mississippi River with formerly enslaved man Jim. The book is frequently banned for language, including racial epithets.
This book is best for those who recently read Percival Everett's Finn retelling, James. Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Augie Pullman, who has a genetic condition causing facial deformities, enters traditional school for the first time, and it's a rough transition. As he faces bullying and tween two-facedness, his family navigates challenges of supporting him in this multi-viewpoint novel. Wonder also joined a roster of standout coming of age films.
This book is best for those searching for novels about kids with disabilities. R.J. Palacio's Wonder is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Margaret is confronting some big life changes, including her family's move to the suburbs, the onset of puberty and her uncertainties about religion. As the daughter of a Christian mother and Jewish father, she wants to bridge the faith gaps while also fitting in socially at her new school.
This book is best for girls entering puberty. Judy Blume's Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret is available from publisher Simon & Schuster.
Author Judy Blume attends an "Are You There God It's Me, Margaret" conversation and screening at The ... More 92NY on April 24, 2023 in New York City. Her book is one of the great coming of age stories.
Twelve-year-old Jody is isolated in post-Civil War Florida, and so he makes friends with a fawn who visits his farm. While he and the animal have some great adventures, in the end, the friendship is doomed, teaching Jody lessons about family, loyalty and duty.
This book is best for readers interested in family conflict. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings's The Yearling is available from Simon & Schuster.
A selection for the New York Times list of best books of the 21st century, The Kite Runner is set in Afghanistan and examines issues of class and privilege. Amir is a privileged boy who fails to intervene when a friend is sexually and physically assaulted, a decision that haunts him into his successful adulthood.
This book is best for anyone looking for coming of age tales echoing into adulthood. Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Sixteen-year-old Steve is accused of being the lookout when a Harlem storeowner is murdered. Now on trial, Steve disassociates throughout his trial by using his skills as an amateur filmmaker to frame his own story. But even he begins to find the truth about the murder obscured.
This book is best for those wanting a modern classic. Walter Dean Williams's Monster is available from HarperCollins.
Before the term 'YA books' had even been coined, Jane Austen's Emma was setting the standard for coming of age novels. The titular character is clever, stubborn and wealthy, a born matchmaker whose couplings aren't always successful. She needs to grow up to see why. Popular teen film Clueless is based on Emma.
This book is best for fans of classic romance novels. Jane Austen's Emma is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
A novel told in vignettes, The House on Mango Street narrates the story of Esperanza, a 12-year-old Latina girl in Chicago who harbors great dreams but also faces great obstacles. The novel, praised for its outstanding character building, earned the 2025 Ivan Sandrof Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Book.
This book is best for those looking for an accessible coming of age tale. Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street is available from publisher Penguin Random House.
Bottom Line
Whether you prefer books for teens or for adults, this list of best coming of age tales has something you will connect to. Enjoy stepping into someone else's shoes and seeing how their stories compare to your own.