The Best in Young Adult Fiction
Discover the best in young adult fiction with our curated list featuring enchanting classics like Inkheart, Ella Enchanted, and The Thief Lord. Explore top-rated adult books & fiction picks for teens from acclaimed authors Cornelia Funke and Gail Carson Levine—perfect for fantasy lovers and bookworms.
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Inkheart
by Cornelia Caroline Funke
Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father Mo, a bookbinder, can "read" fictional characters to life when an evil ruler named Capricorn, freed from the novel "Inkheart" years earlier, tries to force Mo to release an immortal monster from the story.
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The Thief Lord
by Cornelia Funke
Two orphaned children are on the run, hiding among the crumbling canals and misty alleyways of Venice. They are soon befriended by a gang of street children and their mysterious leader, the Thief Lord. The greatest threat to their freedom is a beautiful magical treasure with the power to spin time itself.
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The Inkheart Trilogy
by Cornelia Caroline Funke
Since Meggie's bookbinder father can "read" fictional characters to life one abducts them; Meggie "reads" herself into Inkworld as the original creator of the world tries to redirect the story; and the Book of Immortality starts to unravel.
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Igraine the Brave
by Cornelia Funke
Princess Igraine dreams of becoming a famous knight, but life at the family castle is actually kind of boring--until the nefarious nephew of the baroness next door shows up. He's got a dastardly plan to capture the castle and claim the singing spell books that belong to Igraine's mom and dad--both magicians. To make matters worse, on the eve of the siege, her parents misspeak a spell and turn themselves into pigs! Aided by a Gentle Giant, a Sorrowful Knight, her talking cat Sisyphus, and her bumbling brother Albert, can Igraine find the courage to save the day--and the books?
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Fairest
by Gail Carson Levine
Once upon a time, there was a girl who wanted to be pretty . . . Aza's singing is the fairest in all the land, and the most unusual. She can "throw" her voice so it seems to come from anywhere. But singing is only one of the two qualities prized in the Kingdom of Ayortha. Aza doesn't possess the other: beauty. Not even close. She's hidden in the shadows in her parents' inn, but when she becomes lady-in-waiting to the new queen, she has to step into the light—especially when the queen demands a dangerous favor. A magic mirror, a charming prince, a jealous queen, palace intrigue, and an injured king twine into a maze that Aza must penetrate to save herself and her beloved kingdom.
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Ella Enchanted
by Gail Carson Levine
In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her. At birth, Ella of Frell was given the gift of obedience by a fairy. Ella soon realizes that this gift is little better than a curse, for how can she truly be herself if at any time anyone can order her to hop on one foot, or cut off her hand, or betray her kingdom--and she'll have to obey? Ella's quest to break the curse and discover who she really is, is both funny and poignant.