Romance is in the air in all aspects of publishing and all over BookTok, and it seems that tween readers can’t get enough of it – giving the adults in their lives the tough job of finding age-appropriate reads.
The number of requests for recommendations in the Your Kid’s Next Read community in this area continues to grow and we are very lucky to have author members with expertise to help.
Author Danielle Binks (latest novel ‘Six Summers Of Tash And Leopold‘) jumped into the breach last year with some lists of recommended reads, and then summarised them here in this thread. It’s definitely worth a look.
Also worth a look is Danielle’s terrific post on Substack here about YA romance novels, including history, context and a huge list of book recommendations and swap-outs for those BookTok sensations that are more ‘adult’ than ‘young adult’. Note, some are suitable for readers aged 13-14, some are more the 14+ ballpark, but you know your young reader best.
And have a listen to episode 144 of the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and read the show notes here. Megan and I discuss books for kids about love in all it’s various forms, and there are links to other book lists as well.
But to get you started, here’s a list of novels recommended by the Your Kid’s Next Read community and/or Team YKNR with suggested reading ages. Click the links* to find out more about each book.
For more inspiration or for something specific, jump into the Your Kid’s Next Read group and ask for recommendations that might suit your young reader.
Romance novels for tweens
11+
‘Sonny & Tess’ by Nova Weetman
‘The Girl and The Ghost’ by Jacqueline Harvey
Anne of Green Gables (series) by L. M. Montgomery
‘The First Summer Of Callie McGee’ by A. L. Tait
‘Well, That Was Awkward’ by Rachel Vail
‘Girl, Crushed’ by Maggie Horne
12+
The Summer I Turned Pretty (series) by Jenny Han
‘Along For The Ride’ by Sarah Dessen
‘Batter Royale’ by Leisl Adams
The Lunar Chronicles (series) by Marissa Meyer
‘A Far Wilder Magic’ by Allison Saft
‘This Time It’s Real’ by Ann Liang
13+
Heartstopper (series) by Alice Oseman
‘You Should See Me In A Crown’ by Leah Johnson
The Prison Healer (series) by Lynette Noni
‘Eleanor and Park’ by Rainbow Rowell
‘A Season For Scandal’ by Laura Wood
14+
‘Rival Darling’ by Alexandra Moody
‘Grumpy Darling’ by Alexandra Moody
‘Stuck Up and Stupid’ by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice
‘Wandering Wild’ by Lynette Noni
‘The Ballad of Darcy and Russell’ by Morgan Matson
‘It Sounded Better In My Head’ by Nina Kenwood
‘The Unexpected Mess Of It All’ by Gabrielle Tozer
Are you new here? Welcome to my blog!
I’m Allison Tait, aka A.L. Tait, and I’m the author of 11 middle-grade novels, including adventure fantasy series such as The Mapmaker Chronicles, The Ateban Cipher, and the Maven & Reeve Mysteries, and contemporary stories including THE FIRST SUMMER OF CALLIE McGEE, WILLOW BRIGHT’S SECRET PLOT and DANGER ROAD.
You can find out more about me here, and more about my books here.
If you’re looking for book recommendations for young readers, join the Your Kid’s Next Read Facebook community, tune in to the Your Kid’s Next Read podcast and sign up for the Your Kid’s Next Read newsletter
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