Books for reluctant readers (12+)
There's a book out there for every teenager, even the most reluctant of readers.
Try a few of the books below to see if they click with your teenager and help them love reading. There's non-fiction, graphic novels, rhyme and verse! Let us know which one works for your teenager.
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Petunia Perry and the Curse of the Ugly Pigeon
Author: Pamela Butchart Illustrator: Gemma Correll
Interest level: 9-13
Reading age: 9+
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Petunia Perry and the Curse of the Ugly Pigeon
Author: Pamela Butchart Illustrator: Gemma Correll
Interest level: 9-13
Reading age: 9+
Petunia Perry is writing her memoir to fully explain why she's no longer friends with Cammy - and why, therefore, she and Cammy's …
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The Poet X
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
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The Poet X
Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 13+
Xiomara, a teenage girl of Dominican heritage, is starting to notice boys, but her strict Catholic parents have decided on no cont…
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A Different Dog
Author: Paul Jennings
Interest level: 9-12
Reading age: 10+
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A Different Dog
Author: Paul Jennings
Interest level: 9-12
Reading age: 10+
A boy taking part in a running competition stops to help a van which has crashed - but the only survivor is a dog. This emotional …
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Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
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Invisible Emmie
Author: Terri Libenson
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 10+
Thirteen-year-old Emmie is the quiet girl at school, the one nobody notices. She loves to draw – and is good at it too – and has a…
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Kerb-Stain Boys: The Crongton Broadway Robbery
Author: Alex Wheatle
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Kerb-Stain Boys: The Crongton Broadway Robbery
Author: Alex Wheatle
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Briggsy, his best friend Terror and the love of Terror’s life, Caldonia, are 14 year olds living on the wrong side of the tracks. …
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Blood Line
Author: Kevin Brooks
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 8+
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Blood Line
Author: Kevin Brooks
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 8+
A republication of a short novel which Kevin Brooks wrote more than 10 years ago for Barrington Stoke's excellent series for reluc…
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Shadow Girl
Author: Sally Nicholls
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
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Shadow Girl
Author: Sally Nicholls
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
The story examines relationships between teenager and adult, and coming to terms with past experience. Another Barrington Stoke wi…
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Omega the Unknown
Author: Jonathan Lethem & Karl Rusnack Illustrator: Farel Dalrymple & Paul Hornschemeier
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 9+
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Omega the Unknown
Author: Jonathan Lethem & Karl Rusnack Illustrator: Farel Dalrymple & Paul Hornschemeier
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 9+
The story of a mute, reluctant super hero from another planet, and the earthly teenager with whom he shares a strange destiny.
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Mind the Gap
Author: Phil Earle
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Mind the Gap
Author: Phil Earle
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
When Mikey's unreliable, mysterious and more than slightly dodgy dad Vinny dies, Mikey seems to lose himself and spirals into a se…
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Running from the Rainbow
Author: Karen McCombie
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
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Running from the Rainbow
Author: Karen McCombie
Interest level: 10+
Reading age: 8+
In this touching story, Rosie decides to reinvent herself when she moves to a new town and starts a new school.
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The Weight of Water
Author: Sarah Crossan
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 9+
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The Weight of Water
Author: Sarah Crossan
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 9+
This beautiful book is written in verse and captures 13-year-old Kasienka’s emotions and experiences perfectly
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Roller Girl
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9-14
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Roller Girl
Author: Victoria Jamieson
Interest level: 10-14
Reading age: 9-14
It’s really exciting to be starting at Roller Derby summer camp, but less so when Astrid finds herself doing it alone. A fantastic…
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Death Match
Author: Andy Croft Illustrator: Bob Moulder
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 8+
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Death Match
Author: Andy Croft Illustrator: Bob Moulder
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 8+
During the occupation of Ukraine in World War II, players from what had been the Dynamo Kiev football team set themselves up as St…
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Mysterium: The Black Dragon
Author: Julian Sedgwick
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 10+
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Mysterium: The Black Dragon
Author: Julian Sedgwick
Interest level: 13+
Reading age: 10+
Embarking on an action-packed quest through Hong Kong, Danny finds out about the Mysterium - the travelling circus of which his pa…
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Trollhunters
Author: Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
Interest level: 10-13
Reading age: 11+
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Trollhunters
Author: Guillermo del Toro and Daniel Kraus
Interest level: 10-13
Reading age: 11+
This black comedy has a highly visual, cinematic feel. It is wildly imaginative and rich in description, comedy gore and elaborate…
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Apple and Rain
Author: Sarah Crossan
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
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Apple and Rain
Author: Sarah Crossan
Interest level: 12+
Reading age: 12+
Engrossing and uplifting, challenging and charming, Apple and Rain brings fiction and poetry together in a well-crafted story abou…
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Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood
Author: Tony Lee Illustrator: Sam Hart and Artur Fujita
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 9+
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Outlaw: The Legend of Robin Hood
Author: Tony Lee Illustrator: Sam Hart and Artur Fujita
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 9+
This is a captivating retelling of the Robin Hood story with punchy dialogue and suitably dark and atmospheric images.
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Ghost Stadium
Author: Tom Palmer
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 8+
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Ghost Stadium
Author: Tom Palmer
Interest level: 11+
Reading age: 8+
Three boys go camping in the abandoned Northface football stadium. But all is not as it seems. Tom Palmer's Ghost Stadium&nbs…
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