Adult Fiction for Teens

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examines its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult

Every expectant parent will tell you that they don't want a perfect baby, just a healthy one. Charlotte and Sean O'Keefe would have asked for a healthy baby, too, if they'd been given the choice. Instead, their lives are made up of sleepless nights, mounting bills, the pitying stares of "luckier" parents, and maybe worst of all, the what-ifs. What if their child had been born healthy? But it's all worth it because Willow is, well, funny as it seems, perfect. She's smart as a whip, on her way to being as pretty as her mother, kind, brave, and for a five-year-old an unexpectedly deep source of wisdom. Willow is Willow, in sickness and in health.


Everything changes, though, after a series of events forces Charlotte and her husband to confront the most serious what-ifs of all. What if Charlotte should have known earlier of Willow's illness? What if things could have been different? What if their beloved Willow had never been born? To do Willow justice, Charlotte must ask herself these questions and one more. What constitutes a valuable life?


Handle with Care is a great fit for teens who read issue fiction or enjoyed the movie adaptation of Picoult’s other novel My Sister’s Keeper. Told in alternate narratives, this story is quick and easy to read. It tackles difficult and interesting topics such as family relationships, fitting in, bulimia and cutting. It also has the element of Willow’s illness, which might be appealing to teens wanting to branch out from typical issue fiction. Teens interested in adult legal fiction will also find this book compelling.

YA Connection: Willow by Julia Hoban

Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation website

Adult Fiction

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examines its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women—mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends—view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humour, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

The Help is a great fit for teens who enjoy reading historical fiction or stories that center around strong female characters. Despite being an adult novel, The Help is easy to read with quick pacing and simple language. Older teens will be able to relate to Skeeter as she struggles between her own expectations and those of her family. A captivating read with strong characters and interesting subject matter.

There is also a movie coming out later this summer starring teen movie sensation Emma Stone.

YA Connection: Sources of Light by Margaret McMullan and The Red Umbrella by Christina Diaz Gonzalez

Adult Fiction

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examines its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay
Julia writes for an American magazine in Paris and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél' d'Hiv' roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and her husband plan to move into was acquired by her husband’s family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about her husband’s family, about France and, finally, herself.

Sarah’s Key is a great fit for teens who enjoy reading historical fiction where the focus is on the story and the characters, rather than romance. Sarah’s Story is poignant, one that is not easily forgettable and which will draw readers who enjoy books such as The Boy in the Stripped Pyjamas, The Book Thief and Night. Told in alternating chapters between Julia and Sarah, readers will experience an element of suspense as their stories unfold and intertwine. Overall, it’s a heartbreaking yet beautiful story best suited for older teens wanting to read something with a little more depth.

YA Connection: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Adult Fiction for Teens

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature

House Rules by Jodi Picoult
Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject -- in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's -- not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect -- can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. (amazon)

House Rules is a great for teens who enjoy reading YA issue fiction where a character or family struggle to overcome something difficult. Those interested in quirky and sarcastic characters will also find something to love in the voice of Jacob. For teens wanting to explore topics not often found in YA fiction, House Rules provides interesting insight into both Asperger’s and forensic science. Finally, Picoult easy writing style also make a novel this size accessible for teens, even of a slightly younger age.

YA Connection: Silent to the Bone by E.L.Konigsburg

Adult Fiction

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examines its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature

84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

84, Charing Cross Road is a charming record of bibliophilia, cultural difference, and imaginative sympathy. For 20 years, an outspoken New York writer and a rather more restrained London bookseller carried on an increasingly touching correspondence. They shared information about books, the conditions in their countries, information about their family and over the years a deep friendship ensued.

84, Charing Cross Road is a very quick and charming read. YA readers who enjoy reading diaries or journals will enjoy reading the lovely letters between Helen and Frank. They are sarcastic and funny, but at the same time incredibly sweet. Readers will enjoy watching the relationship develop. Those who are really interested in reading books about books will enjoy 84 Charing Cross Road as well. There is a little something for everyone, and those wanting a fun cute book they can read in an hour or two will enjoy this book.

YA Connection: The Secret Year of Assignments by Jaclyn Moriaty

Adult Fiction for Teens

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature

Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult
Jack St. Bride comes to Salem Falls, N.H., after his release from prison. The former teacher and soccer coach wants to start a new life following a wrongful conviction for statutory rape. Unfortunately, Salem Falls turns out to be the wrong place to do it. He has no trouble landing a job at the local diner and winning the trust of the diner's eccentric owner, Addie, but the rest of the town is suspicious. Things get dangerous when manipulative 17-year-old Gillian Duncan, whose father owns half the town, gets interested in Jack and tries to seduce him with Wiccan love spells. Then Gillian is assaulted in the woods, and Jack is accused of the crime. As the courtroom battle unfolds, many secrets are revealed, and Picoult's characters are forced to confront the difference between who people are and who they say they are. (Amazon)

Salem Falls is a good fit for those who like read YA suspense novels. Picoult weaves a fascinating story of truth and lies, making it so that even the reader cannot decipher the truth. For those who like suspense and mystery, than this is a good fit. The characters are very dynamic, and I think that teens will find something to relate to in the teenage girls and possibly even the adults. The story is also told in multiple narratives and in the present day and the past, like in Another Faust.

YA Connection: Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz and The Uninvited by Tim Wynne Jones

Adult Fiction for Teens

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature looks at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart’s answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words “Tiburon, South Carolina” scrawled on the back. When Lily’s beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of–Tiburon, South Carolina–determined to find out more about her dead mother

This is a good fit for those who like to read YA realistic fiction that has a focus on character and storytelling. The Secret Life of Bees has a very rich and sometimes lyrical narrative, making this a good fit for people who prefer books by Deb Caletti. The main characters are fun and dynamic, and a lot of the novel is spent on Lily’s reflection of herself and the other characters. There are also elements of historical fiction and a romance that might appeal to young readers. Overall, those who want to be taking away by a descriptive setting and read about a feisty 14 year old girl will enjoy this novel.

YA Connection: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart by Deb Caletti

Adult Fiction

While I primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature will look at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away. In turns heartbreaking, inspiring and terrifying, Still Alice captures in remarkable detail what’s it’s like to literally lose your mind…

This is a good fit for those who like Real Life YA fiction that has a focus on character. Those who enjoy reading stories with a strong and compelling main character but don’t necessarily need to identify with him or her might really enjoy Still Alice. Genova does an amazing job of bringing the shattering reality of Alzheimer’s to the forefront in a way that is tender and compassionate. Readers will enjoy the emotional evocativeness of the story and the journey of a woman who struggles to find herself in the middle of such a devastating disease.

YA Connection: How it Ends by Laura Wiess

Adult Fiction

While I do primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature will look at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.



The Pact by Jodi Picoult


Popular high-school swimming star Chris Harte and talented artist Em Gold bonded as infants; their parents have been next-door neighbours and best friends for 18 years. When they fall in love, everyone is ecstatic. Everyone, it turns out, except for Em, who finds that sex with Chris feels almost incestuous. Her emotional turmoil, compounded by pregnancy, which she keeps secret, leads to depression, despair and a desire for suicide, and she insists that Chris prove his love by pulling the trigger. The gun is fired in the first paragraph, and so the book opens with a jolt of adrenaline.



This is a good fit for those who enjoy YA novels that deal with heavy topics. The split narrative between Chris, Emily and their parents gives a well rounded look at how people are affected by suicide. The plot is compelling and engaging, but readers will most likely be drawn into the characters and the relationship between Chris and Emily, as it is ultimately a love story. The Pact shares many common elements with YA fiction (including YA protagonists), and while told in third person, readers should still be able to engage with the story.



YA Connection: Hate List by Jennifer Brown and Thirteen Reason’s Why by Jay Asher

Adult Fiction

While I do primarily read YA fiction these days I do enjoy some adult fiction every once in a while. This feature will look at some of the adult fiction I am reading and examine its appeal for those who prefer Young Adult literature.

Nights of Rain and Starsby Maeve Binchy

Four strangers on holiday in Greece band together after witnessing a tragic boating accident to become friends, and lovers, in an enchanting story that explores the mercurial nature of friendships and the elusive meaning of family.

Residents of different countries, the four vacationers discover a commonality: a desire to escape contentious family situations back home. A newly divorced father, Thomas has taken a year’s sabbatical to give his young son time to acclimate to his new stepfather. David, a timid Englishman, knows he’s disappointing his successful father by not taking over the family business. Elsa, a glamorous German TV reporter, has walked out on a tumultuous love affair, while Fiona is defying family and friends in Ireland by running off with her rebellious boyfriend. Serendipitously, two locals, Andreas and Vonni, befriend the travelers and help them gain perspectives that will put their unsettled lives in order.

This is a good fit for those who enjoy Real Life YA fiction, where the focus is on relationships and family instead of a fast paced plot. Binchy also does an amazing job at describing setting, so those who enjoy historical fiction because of the lush landscapes might enjoy Nights of Rain and Stars. There is a warm heartedness to the storytelling and readers will enjoy watching the characters overcome difficult situations and relate to one another.

YA Connection: Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series and anything by Deb Caletti