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Are you participating in the 2026 Reading Challenge? We have 12 challenges to complete throughout the year. Listed below are just a few books that fit the prompt “A Book Set or Published When You Were a Teenager”, but there are plenty of other books you can pick up!

Join the Reading Challenge on Beanstack! 

1950

Set: The Briar Club/  Once upon a wardrobe /  Miss Benson’s beetle

Published: The lion, the witch, and the wardrobe /  The Martian chronicles  /  I, robot

1951

Set: Last bus to wisdom /  The caretaker /  The summer wives

Published: The catcher in the rye /  Foundation / Waiting for Godot

1952

Set: Coronation year /  Christmas with the queen /  The apothecary

Published: Charlotte’s Web/  Invisible man / The old man and the sea

1953

Set: The night watchman /  Penny from heaven /  The rising star of Rusty Nail

Published: Fahrenheit 451 /  The crucible / Go tell it on the mountain

1954

Set: The Paris gown /  The Lincoln highway / Last night at the Telegraph Club

Published: The fellowship of the ring/  Lord of the flies /  I am legend

 

1955

Set: Loving vs. Virginia /  Meet me in Monaco /   Every time we say goodbye

Published: Lolita /  The talented Mr. Ripley /  Beezus and Ramona

1956

Set: The spectacular  /  Let’s call her Barbie /  The solace of water

Published:  Night /  Old Yeller / My family and other animals

1957

Set: The fountains of silence /  Burn /  Blockade Billy

Published:  On the road /  The cat in the hat / Atlas shrugged

1958

Set: The last dance of the debutante  /  The starlets /  The lions of Little Rock

Published: Breakfast at Tiffany’s : a short novel and three stories  /  The once and future king /  The witch of Blackbird Pond

1959

Set: The poisonwood Bible /  In cold blood /  My name is not easy

Published: A separate peace /  The haunting of Hill House /  My side of the mountain

 

1960

Set: You should be so lucky /  The lost boy of Santa Chionia /  The grove

Published: To kill a mockingbird /  Island of the Blue Dolphins /  The cricket in Times Square

1961

Set: Ordinary grace /  The beautiful people /  Tomorrow’s bread

Published: Catch-22  /  Where the red fern grows /  James and the giant peach

1962

Set: The help /  The third hill north of town /  Glimmer as you can

Published:A wrinkle in time /  A clockwork orange /  One flew over the cuckoo’s nest

1963

Set: 11/22/63 /  Whistling past the graveyard /  The Watsons go to Birmingham–1963

Published: The bell jar /  Where the wild things are /  Cat’s cradle

1964

Set: Anywhere you run /  The secret life of bees  /  Confessions in B-flat

Published:Charlie and the chocolate factory /  The giving tree/  A moveable feast

1965

Set: The women /  Park Avenue summer /  A night divided

Published: Dune /  The autobiography of Malcolm X /  The mouse and the motorcycle

1966

Set: Along the infinite sea /  The road to the country /  Lady in the lake

Published: Flowers for Algernon /  Wide Sargasso Sea /  Valley of the dolls

1967

Set: Utopia Avenue /  The Wednesday wars /  The lucky ones

Published: One hundred years of solitude /  The outsiders /  From the mixed-up files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

1968

Set: In the face of the sun /  One crazy summer /  Jelly Bean summer

Published: A wizard of Earthsea /The electric kool-aid acid test /  Dragonflight

1969

Set: Summer of ’69  /   Freedom lessons /  Mr. & Mrs. American Pie

Published: Slaughterhouse-five / I know why the caged bird sings /  The godfather

1970

Set: The silver star /  The smell of other people’s houses/  Kent State

Published: The bluest eye /  Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret /  Bury my heart at Wounded Knee

1971

Set: Feathers /  Velvet was the night /  Crossroads

Published: The hiding place /  Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH /  The exorcist

1972

Set: When They Burned the Butterfly /  Nest /  The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store

Published: Watership Down/  All creatures great and small /  Tales of a fourth grade nothing

1973

Set: The English masterpiece /  Take my hand /  The Watergate girl

Published: The princess bride  /  Breakfast of champions /  Sula

1974

Set:The god of the woods  /  The Great Alone /  The Interestings

Published: Where the sidewalk ends /  Carrie /  Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance

 

1975

Set: Mary Jane /  Never fall down  /  Inside out and back again

Published: Salem’s Lot /  Tuck everlasting/  Strega Nona

1976

Set: Songs of Irie/  Sunny side up/  A brief history of seven killings

Published: Interview with the vampire /  Roots : the saga of an American family /  Roll of thunder, hear my cry

1977

Set: Damnation spring /  Such a pretty girl /  Cantoras

Published: Bridge to Terabithia /  The shining /  The Silmarillion

1978

Set: The stolen queen /  On the hippie trail /  Aya : life in Yop City

Published: The Westing game /  The stand /  Sideways stories from Wayside School

1979

Set: Lady Sunshine /  Jasmine Zumideh needs a win /  When you reach me

Published: The hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy /  Kindred /  Flowers in the attic

1980

Set: Atmosphere /  The Saturday Night Ghost Club /  No country for old men

Published: Robert Ludlum’s the Bourne identity /  The name of the rose /  The clan of the cave bear

1981

Set: Foster / The shards/  Laura & Emma

Published: A light in the attic /  Red dragon /  Cujo

1982

Set: The marriage plot /  Trust exercise /  The Sun Down Motel

Published: The color purple /  The BFG /  The house of the spirits

1983

Set: The only one left /  Malibu rising/  Boy swallows universe

Published: Color of magic /  Alanna : the first adventure /  Pet sematary

1984

Set: Pudge & Prejudice /  1984  /  1Q84

Published: The house on Mango Street /  Neuromancer/  The hunt for Red October

 

1985

Set: Our little world /  Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe / Small things like these

Published: The handmaid’s tale  /  Ender’s game /  Love in the time of cholera

1986

Set: The prettiest star / Eleanor & Park  /  We dream of space

Published: Howl’s moving castle /  It /  Maus : a survivor’s tale: my father bleeds history

1987

Set: Tell the wolves I’m home  /  The impossible fortress / Sophomores

Published: Norwegian wood /  Beloved /  Hatchet

1988

Set: My best friend’s exorcism /  Paper girls /  The meaning of Maggie

Published: The alchemist /  Matilda  /  A brief history of time

1989

Set: I must betray you /  Song of freedom, song of dreams/  Like a love story

Published: The 7 habits of highly effective people /  The pillars of the earth /  A time to kill

1990

Set: The seven moons of Maali Almeida /  Rainbow black /  A sudden light

Published: Good omens : the nice and accurate prophecies of Agness Nutter, witch /  Jurassic Park/  The eye of the world

1991

Set: The perks of being a wallflower /  Survive the night /  Kate & Frida

Published: Outlander /  The firm /  Redeeming love

1992

Set: The black kids /  Troublemaker /  We Loved To Run

Published: The secret history /  She’s come undone /  Snow crash

1993

Set: Helen of Troy, 1993  /  We burn daylight/  The carnival at Bray

Published: The giver /  Along came a spider /  Girl, interrupted

1994

Set: The people we keep /  Carrie Soto is back  /  Beautiful country

Published: One for the money /  Midnight in the garden of good and evil  /  The alienist

1995

Set: Nothing to see here /  Throwback/  The bones beneath my skin

Published: The golden compass /  Wicked/  A child called “it” : one child’s courage to survive

1996

Set: This time tomorrow  /  Girls girls girls /  Limelight

Published: A game of thrones /  The notebook /  Into the wild

 

1997

Set: Writers & lovers /  If we were villains /  The spectacular

Published; Harry Potter and the sorcerer’s stone /  Memoirs of a geisha /  Tuesdays with Morrie

1998

Set: Little fires everywhere /  Let me hear a rhyme /  The curious incident of the dog in the night-time

Published; Holes /  Digital fortress /  Who moved my cheese?

1999

Set: Summer Fridays  /  Attachments /  The first state of being

Published: A walk to remember /  Girl with a pearl earring /  Speak

2000

Set: My Year of Rest and Relaxation /  Deep cuts /  The overnight guest

Published: Angels & demons /  The Duke and I /  Me talk pretty one day

2001

Set: The only plane in the sky : an oral history of 9/11/  Doxology /  2001, a space odyssey

Published: Life of Pi  / Atonement /  The sisterhood of the traveling pants

2002

Set: All mixed up /  The girl I was /  The lathe of heaven

Published: The lovely bones /  Eragon /  Coraline

2003

Set: The Mars room / Juliet takes a breath/  Endpapers

Published: The kite runner /  The time traveler’s wife /  The devil in the white city

2004

Set: Daisy Darker/  Tall water /  A girl like us

Published: My sister’s keeper /  Something borrowed /  Cloud atlas

2005

Set: Home front/  Zeitoun/  Five days at memorial

Published:  Twilight  /  The book thief /  The girl with the dragon tattoo

2006

Set: Bitter honey  / Gold Diggers / London’s number one dog-walking agency

Published: Eat, pray, love /  Water for elephants /  Sharp objects

2007

Set: Axiom’s end  /  The mighty red / The confession

Published: City of bones /  A thousand splendid suns /  The name of the wind

2008

Set: The Rachel incident/  How not to drown in a glass of water/  What happened to Ruthy Ramirez

Published: The Hunger Games /  Paper towns /  Outliers : the story of success

2009

Set: The shamshine blind  /  Karthik delivers /  A good country

Published: The maze runner /  The Summer I Turned Pretty / If I stay

2010

Set: Crash landing    / Pearce oysters / The militia house

Published: The Lost Hero  / The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks / Unbroken : a World War II story of survival, resilience, and redemption

2011

Set: The prophet and the idiot / I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 / A tale for the time being

Published: Divergent  / The Song of Achilles / Sapiens : a brief history of humankind

2012

Set: Lady midnight / The Love We Left Behind / 2012

Published: The fault in our stars / Gone girl  / Throne of Glass

2013

Set: Eddy, Eddy / Hope / Happy hour

Published: The goldfinch / Fangirl  / The ocean at the end of the lane

2014

Set: Life is everywhere / What we can know / Blessings

Published: All the light we cannot see / Ugly love / We were liars

2015

Set: The Real Mrs. Tobias / The mutual friend / The caretakers

Published: A Court of Thorns and Roses / The girl on the train  / The nightingale

2016

Set: Weather / Little Monsters/ What happened

Published: It ends with us / The subtle art of not giving a f*** / Dark matter

2017

Set: Libertad  / Olga dies dreaming / The Puttermans are in the house 

Published: The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo/ The hate u give / Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

2018

Set: Calling Ukraine / I survived the California wildfires, 2018 / Parkland : birth of a movement

Published: Where the crawdads sing  / The cruel prince/ Educated

2019

Set:  Worry / One to watch / Horse

Published: The silent patient  / Daisy Jones & the Six / Red, white & royal blue

2020

Set: Blue ruin / Our long marvelous dying / The war in 2020

Published: A good girl’s guide to murder  / The midnight library /  The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

2021

Set: The children of men  / Reunion/ Blade runner (do androids dream of electric sheep?)

Published: People we meet on vacation / The love hypothesis / Project Hail Mary

2022

Set: The silence / Heartwood  / Endling

Published:The housemaid / Lessons in chemistry / Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow

2023

Set:  Afterland /  The women on platform two

Published: Fourth wing  /  Happy place  / Powerless

2024

Set: The forever war / Parable of the sower

Published: The wedding people / First lie wins / Just for the summer

2025

Set: The running man / Pope Leo XIV : the first American Pope

Published: Great big beautiful life / My friends / Broken country

2026

Set: The Stories of Ray Bradbury (There Will Come Soft Rains) / Gwendy’s final task