30+ Best Books for 13 Year Olds (Fantasy, Action, Romance, etc.)

14-year-old David is a quintessential middle child. His sister Bridgette is in college and the family’s academic success story. Mal, his younger brother is on the autism spectrum, although his family prefers not to use the autism label. Mal is almost non-verbal and only says the word “okay.” David has always has a large appetite and an interest in competitive eating, but after he accidentally leaves a $2000 bill on his mother’s credit card, he’s forced to join a pizza eating contest to win the grand prize of $5000. In between finding his place in the family and trying not to ruin his internal organs by overeating, David also has to navigate the fact that his two oldest friends Cyn and HeyMan might be dating each other. Where does that leave him? As the third musketeer still, or an unwanted third wheel? Slider is an engaging, funny, true-to-life story about competitive eating, navigating friendship dilemmas, understanding an autistic sibling, and finding one’s place in their family.

Oscar Aberdeen is not your average 12-year-old. He’s lived with his grandfather in the Sunny Days retirement community all his life and attended over 40 funerals in that time. He plays a mean game of Bridge and Poker, too. But when the owner of the home dies and Oscar and his grandfather are at risk of being put out, he’s forced to take up bad-news resident Jimmy DeLuca on his offer to help him complete his bucketlist activities. Before he knows it, the new owner’s daughter Natasha is on the trip with them, plus Deluca’s hairless cat. Gangsters, stolen vehicles, rollercoasters, and a black eye — what more could go wrong? This is an entertaining, hijinks-filled romp that is also surprisingly heartwarming. Come prepared for a whirlwind road trip with a surprise at every turn. Hand to fans of humorous, adventurous, realistic fiction with heart. Ages 10+

On her 12th half birthday, her parents surprisingly gift her their approval to post on social networks. Thrilled, Harper starts posting TikTok videos like her idol, Blake Riley. When Harper tries a TikTok filter, that, combined with a wish to be 22, suddenly makes her 22! Unfortunately, her future is much different than she imagined. Her little sister is now a teen (aww!). She’s now working for Blake Riley (yay), and so is popular girl Celia, who she’s now friends with. But she and Ava have lost touch as have she and her childhood friend and crush. Is being 22 as great as she imagined? Or will she just want her old life back? And can she even get it back? Or is it too late? 12 to 22: POV You Wake Up in the Future is a charming, light, feel-good story about time travel, social media, and treasuring friendships.

This 5-star romance about two overachieving rivals is perfect for tweens and young teens. Grace feels like being smart is all she has. She doesn’t seem to good at social situations and can’t figure out fashion and styling like her friends. So she holds on to book smarts and finds worth in her grades — and in competing with her former best friend, Jonah. Their friendship exploded after his dad’s sudden illness and death. Now, it’s the end of 8th grade, and Jonah’s won the coveted top scholar spot, leaving Grace with no raison d’etre. She decides to compete in a half marathon that she finds out Jonah is training for, so she has one last chance to beat him, and she ends up learning a lot about what really matters in life. The romance is sweet and swoony, and Grace and Jonah’s dialogue is so authentic and left me an adult with heart eyes while feeling age-appropriate. 

It’s just an ordinary September 24th, and teens Sydney and Marcus have what is probably the cutest meet-cute at a Dunkin’s. They both skip school to spend the day together, and everything seems great until they part ways abruptly in the evening and wake up on September 24… again. Throughout the book, they repeatedly meet on the same day over 20 times, until they can figure out why it’s happening, how to break the cycle, and whether they even want to break it. This is a sweet, cleverly crafted Groundhog Day romance starring two teens trying to outrun life’s challenges. This moving time loop romance explores grief, destiny, family, and facing the trials of today to enjoy the hope of tomorrow. Ages 12+

Weatherby is a new kid to the Boston School on a sailing scholarship: Old school phone booths, friends with kids who go to the country club, a famed school secret society… and a boy, Jack, who seems to hate her guts. When Jack, Weatherby, and three of their friends are contacted via an anonymous message, they think they’re getting invited to the famed Liars Society, only to unravel a deep secret about the Hunt family that involves Weatherby. Plenty of of character setup and worldbuilding make for a slightly slower start, but Gerber’s writing is engaging as always, and the second half of the book is wonderfully fast-paced. Middle schoolers looking for a tightly plotted mystery with characters to root for will love this one.

Five private school teen boys go target shooting, and one of them ends up dead, shot by his own gun — with the fingerprints of all four friends on the gun. All the boys claim they don’t know what happened. The story is told from two perspectives: that of the unknown killer and that of a schoolmate in the new public school the boys attend. This Is Our Story is a gripping mystery for fans of McManus’s One of Us Is Lying, tackling pressing contemporary issues. Told from two riveting perspectives, this story features everything many tweens and teens want from a mystery-thriller, including fast-paced storytelling, a persistent sense of danger, and characters to root for all the way. Ages 12+

Rich kid Alice Ogilvie and her new tutor, Iris Adams, are forced to work together when one of Alice’s former besties (who stole her boyfriend) is found murdered with Alice’s ex-boyfriend as the prime suspect. As the two girls collaborate in this funny, cozy mystery, they end up finding a warm friendship with each other — and the shocking culprit. Ages 13+

I was hooked on this propulsive speculative fiction about a girl who can hear the needs of others. Sarriyah is thrown for a loop when her friend, Deja, goes missing just a few years after her best friend, Tess, went missing. This was a wild ride with lots of ups and downs and twists as Sarriyah, her best friend Malcolm, and her new love interest, Jude, try to get to the bottom of the mystery. I really enjoyed the journey of the story, even though I didn’t 100% LOVE the ending. The audiobook narrator is excellent, and this is a great pick for fans of realistic fiction with a touch of the speculative. It also tackles the epidemic of missing Black girls and the relatively less enthusiastic response they receive from the authorities. (Some language) Ages 13+

I inhaled this pitch perfect tween/young teen romance about a high school freshman Jane who uses her popular, pseudonymous blog to sabotage her best friend’s relationship with the new girl who seems intent on ruining her life, in one sitting. I loved the way Jane realizes that she’s sort of an unreliable narrator who’s selfish and perhaps not the best friend. I adored Leo and the way he loved Jane, flaws and all. I also loved Cami and Jane’s friendship. This felt really authentic to teen life and without any sexual content or language, felt like a win for me. Ages 10+

Gary Vo is a Vietnamese-American soon-to-be junior high schooler. Gary and his friend Preston have been at the bottom of the social totem pole forever, and Preston is determined that this is the summer they rise up the ranks. So when they’re approached by two popular classmates with an offer to join their group, the boys are all ears! The task is to steal a bracelet from Gloria Buenrostro (a popular, but mysterious A+ student) so the boys can add it to their collections of tokens from “the hottest girls” in school. Easy enough, no? That is until Gary Vo befriends Gloria and realizes that there’s more to her than meets the eye. Gloria Buenrostro Is Not My Girlfriend is a richly layered, relatable teen novel about what it means to be a man and how to be a good friend.

When Rory moves to Cincinnati, Ohio, with her dad after her parents’ separation, she meets Abby, a tall fellow basketball lover, and the two become fast friends. Imagine their shock when they find out that their dads can’t stand each other — and not because they coach the city’s rival basketball teams but because of something that happened years ago when THEY were middle schoolers. Bishop takes us through the girls’ lives as they dig into what happened between their dads, telling the story from multiple perspectives: the girls’, their dads’, and a ball-playing nun in their lives. Free Throws, Friendship, and Other Things We Fouled Up is a fast-paced and compelling book about true friendships, family secrets, forgiveness, and basketball. 

Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper follows 7th grader Gemma Hopper whose mother has left their family. Gemma lives with her dad, older brother Teddy, and their twin younger brothers. While their dad works overtime to fend for the family materially, Gemma is saddled with caring for the home and her twin siblings while also serving as a ball machine/practice partner for her brother, who’s a baseball prodigy of sorts. Understandably, she’s tired and frustrated sometimes. Her schoolwork is also proving a bit challenging. This school year, her teacher has asked their class to create a family tree project, which Gemma is not thrilled about because of her mother. One day, while practicing with Teddy, she strikes him out with two impressive pitches, capturing the attention of some scouts from a competitive baseball team. All of sudden, Gemma now also has star potential. Can both siblings find a way to work together? And can Gemma get through the family tree project? Fox Point’s Own Gemma Hopper is an engaging graphic novel about family (absent mothers), baseball, and sibling relationships.

Author Gene Luen Yang doesn’t particularly like sports, but at the high school where he teaches–sports are a BIG deal. Especially basketball, where the boys’ varsity team is getting closer and closer to the California State Championships. What Gene loves is stories, and he realizes that the stories behind the athletes on the basketball team are just as engaging as anything he could read in a comic book. This memoir is packed with history, stats, thrilling stories, and the hunt for glory, making it a perfect choice for 8th graders who love sports or graphic novels.

It’s 2020, and Matthew is sick of being inside with the pandemic raging outside. While reluctantly helping his great-grandmother sort through her belongings, he finds a picture of two girls. As she shares her experience during the Ukrainian famine, the story alternates between three narrators: Matthew, Helena, and Mila. A powerful, unforgettable account of historical events.

Set in the 1940s, this debut historical verse novel delves into the lesser-known history of (prisoner-of-war) German soldiers brought to work in the United States during WWII. Claire’s brother Danny is off fighting the war while she’s working in their family’s Midwestern apple orchard, where her father has hired a bunch of POW soldiers, including one named Karl. Over time, Claire and Karl begin a tentative friendship, even as the presence of enemies in their orchard causes tensions in their community. Told from Karl and Claire’s perspective, this story, the history behind it, and the important themes it highlights will appeal to older middle schoolers ages 11 and up.

Leo, Elsa, and Max are three friends in 1930s Vienna, Austria, when Hitler’s reign begins to spread through Europe. Elsa’s family flees to Prague, Leo’s family remains in Austria, and Max and his Nazi-supporting father move to Munich. Told from all three perspectives, we follow the three teens in this heartwrenching story as they navigate these turbulent times and attempt to find a way back to each other. Ages 12+