Top 5 YA Books of the 20th Century

Growing up during the 1950s and 1960s I was an avid reader, especially of YA books. During the early 1970s, while studying education to become a teacher, I read many more YA books for my children’s literature courses. Professionally, as a reading specialist I tried to keep up with the most intriguing books published that would inspire my students.

Here are 5 of my favorite YA novels with authors, suggested audience, blurbs, and links to where they can be purchased. 

The Chosen by Chaim Potok Age 12 – Adult: First published in 1967, the story follows the lives of Reuven Malter and his best friend Daniel Saunders growing up in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, NY during the 1940s. Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with a Zionist dad. Danny is a genius and rightful heir to a Hasidic rabbi. Together the boys work out family conflicts, crisis in faith, and the overwhelming news of the Holocaust. LINK

The Giver by Lowis Lowry Age 12- Adult: Published in 1993, The Giver tells Jonas’s story. The twelve-year old boy lives in a world with no war, fear, or pain. However, there are no choices, either. Every individual is assigned a role in the community. Every December the annual Ceremony assigns pre-teen children a life assignment determined by the Elders. Fiona is named Caretaker of the Old and Asher will become an Assistant Director of Recreation. Jonas has been chosen for a special job only to be explained by the mysterious Giver. Soon Jonas begins to understand that his perfect world holds dark secrets and fragile rifts. LINK

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Age 9-12: Published in 1962, A Wrinkle in Time tells the story of the disappearance of an atomic physicist and the search for him by his son, daughter, and their friend. It’s an interplanetary journey through time and space and a fun read for anyone. LINK

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Age 11-Adult: First published in 1960, To Kill A Mockingbird is set in a sleepy southern town during the mid 20^th Century. It is told through the eyes of a young girl, Scout, as she tells the story of her lawyer father, Atticus Finch. Racial prejudice and the defense of a black man accused of rape are some of the plot components. In 1961 To Kill a Mockingbird won the Pulitzer Prize in literature. LINK

A Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank Age 11-Adult: Discovered in an Amsterdam attic, Anne Frank’s diary tells the amazing story of a young girl living out the last years of her life in cramped quarters as she hid from the Nazis. “The Secret Annex” held Anne’s family as well as another family as the people within dealt with hunger, boredom, and the threat of being discovered by the Nazis. LINK

These five books, The Chosen through A Diary of a Young Girl, have proven not only to be my favorite YA books, but favorite reads of all genres. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.