I started venturing into my local library’s young-adult section around the 6th grade and I haven’t looked back since! My younger sister has started to look through my bookshelves for some new reads, and she’s made me think about what books I read around her age. I decided to take a trip down memory lane and talk about some of the first young-adult books that I ever picked up!
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares– Whenever I think about my first YA reads, my mind automatically goes to The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I remembering seeing the first book on the ‘books for sale’ table at the library, and my mom and I later found two of the other books at another library sale (the second book ruined our trend by having to be purchased at Barnes and Noble). This classic young-adult series about one pair of jeans and four girls will always hold a special place in my heart.
The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot– I actually never finished this series, as my mom wasn’t a fan of some of the more mature content in the books while I was in middle school. I consider The Princess Diaries film adaptions as my two of my all-time favorite movies.
13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson– Maureen Johnson’s 13 Little Blue Envelopes is one of my most reread books, as I love how it transports me back in time to when I was just a 7th grader picking this up at my local B&N (gift card in tow of course!). 13 Little Envelopes has helped inspired my wanderlust, as our main character backpacks through Europe, only using letters from her aunt for guidance along the way.
The DUFF by Kody Keplinger– I remember reading The DUFF in middle school, butunfortunately didn’t enjoy it as much when I reread it in 2015 for the film adaptation—one of the rare instances where I liked the movie more than the book!
What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen– What Happened To Goodbye started my Sarah Dessen obsession. I’m almost one hundred percent sure that I’ve read all of Sarah’s books except for How to Deal. Her books are just such great go-to summer contemporaries and my favorite is Saint Anything.
Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard– One of my guilty pleasures, I am here to admit that I have read every novel in the series. I never really got into the TV series, but I was absolutely addicted to the books. I began reading the series in middle school and stuck through until the last installment came out in 2014.
Do you remember some of your first young-adult reads? Let me know in the comments!
Fangirl Fury 