Top Ten Tuesday is an original blog meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and is currently being hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s topic is “Freebie.” Today I am sharing a list of books I would gift my teen self. I really wish YA had been more of a thing when I was younger. I think I would have found some true treasures that would have helped me feel seen and grow as a person. Covers linked to Goodreads.
1. The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
2. To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
3. When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
4. Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali
5. Pride by Ibi Zoboi
6. Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
7. Don’t Date Rosa Santos by Nina Moreno
8. Burn Baby Burn by Meg Medina
9. How Moon Fuentez Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Which books would you gift your teen self? Let me know in the comments and be sure to leave me a link to your own TTT post, so I can visit!
A Kernel of Nonsense 
I would have loved to have had today’s YA choices! Fangirl comes to mind for me… and even some of the adventurous middle grade stuff I see out there.
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Yes to middle grade as well! So many books I would have devoured in middle school!
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I loved BURN BABY BURN too. In fact I went back and found the old disco song and sang it for weeks after I read the book. My TTT Freebie
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I don’t see too many fans of Burn Baby Burn out here, so yay!
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Ah such awesome picks. Especially Poet X
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Thank you so much. The Poet X was the first book I thought of for this topic.
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If only! Great picks, Alicia.
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Thank you!
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I really should read The Poet X sometime.
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-bookish-wintry-gifs-and-photos/
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Yes, you must!
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I feel like I was actually fairly lucky as a teen that it coincided with the time YA was having a big boom (late 00’s/early 10s) and so there was quite a lot of choice out there, though of course I do wish there had been more diversity in the choices of authors we had!
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/07/top-ten-tuesday-345/
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Yes, teens these days have a lot more options that I wish were available earlier.
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Same!
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Nice list! I would like to gift some of those early indie NA romances to myself when I was around 18/19 years old.
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Yes, all those titles that were popular when publishing was much more open to the idea of NA!
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Of these, I think that To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is most likely to make fangirl 14-year-old me squee. I can hear it now.
My freebie is here: https://fiftytwo.blog/2021/12/07/ttt-ten-books-i-feel-like-everyone-has-read-but-me/
Happy TTT!
Lori
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Fourteen-year-old me would fall head over heels in love with To All the Boys.
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Oh, I love this topic! Today’s YA keeps evolving in such interesting ways. I’m drawing a blank on specific titles right now, but I know I’ve read a bunch with a main character who’s a misfit in different ways, and those would have hit the spot!
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Yes, feeling out of place is such a common feeling to have as a teen.
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Funny, I recently attended my high school reunion, and it was eye-opening to hear so many people discuss feeling this way, even though I/we always viewed as super popular.
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I would gift my teen self a few of these. Great topic! Here is my post-https://paigesofbook.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-ten-tuesday-favorite-books-of-year.html.
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Thank you so much!
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I don’t know what I’d have gifted myself, but I would have given anything to have had this kind of selection!
Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!
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It would have changed my life, I’m sure of it.
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An interesting topic, I’ve read a few a these as an adult. I wonder what I’d gift myself from this perspective. Happy reading! My TTT https://readwithstefani.com/10-middle-grade-fantasy-books-set-in-winter-and-christmas-book-recommendations/
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Thank you!
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Fabulous choices. I still need to read The Hate You Give. I’m not sure which books I would give, because those teen years are so far away now. Thanks for sharing today.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2021/12/top-ten-tuesday-top-ten-bookish.html
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The Hate U Give is an essential read.
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Love this topic! I agree that I wish YA had been more of a thing when I was young.
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Yes, I would have had so much fun!
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Great topic! YA books weren’t really a thing when I was a teen either. I definitely wish there had been more and better YA book available back then.
Happy TTT!
Susan
http://www.blogginboutbooks.com
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Yes, I would have loved it so much.
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I wish there had been books like Fat Chance, Charlie Vega when I was growing up. More body positivity would have been great, instead of constantly being told you’d be pretty if you only lost some weight.
Pam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/holiday-books-that-dont-mention-the-holidays-in-their-title/
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Charlie Vega almost made this list1 Yes, it would have been so much more healthy to see positive fat representation.
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I would gift myself a TATBILB too ❤ Also the rest of Jenny Han's books.
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My teen self would have had a blast with Jenny Han.
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This is a great list of books that would have been perfect for your teenage self. I really loved The Poet X. I’ve been wanting to read Burn Baby Burn for so long now. I need to finally get around to it!
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Thanks so much! Burn Baby Burn is very underrated.
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Totally agree about YA, and the ‘New Adult’ category could be counted into that too I think. It used to be just kids books and then vaguely teen, but I like the split! This is a great list – probably should gift my current self and read them, too 😅
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Yes, I don’t really remember YA books at all. We went to reading kids books to classics in high school. Yes, all of these are great reads that you can enjoy as an adult too!
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It is strange how we move immediately to classics in high school; it’s understandable lots of people don’t like to read books like that from choice, after.
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Such amazing choices! I wish YA was a thing when I was a teen too. I’d love to have gifted myself Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer.
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I haven’t read that one, but I’ve heard good things about the author’s works!
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