Along with keeping up with the drama filled life of Lindsay Lohan and discussing the plot of the latest Disney Channel original movies, so much of our entertainment as pre-teens came from reading the hit young adult novels of the moment. Whether they were describing the glamorous lives of rich teenage socialites or the dangerous missions of private schoolgirl secret agents, these books added some much needed excitement to our average 13-year-old angst and had us wishing they were a part of our required summer reading lists. Here are the top seven YA novels of our pre-teen lives.
7. The A-List Series by Zoey Dean
Although less well known than the Gossip Girl novels, The A-List was an even more scandalous portrayal of teen life set in the star-obsessed world of LA rather than New York City. These were the kind of books that made you blush and feel a little rebellious when you went to check them out from the library.
6. TTYL (The Internet Girls) series by Lauren Myracle
Is there anything more 2000s than a story told entirely in AIM convos? Lauren Myracle’s Internet Girls series chronicled the lives of three very different best friends through their shared chartrooms and text messages as they dealt with the stress of breakups, back-stabbing classmates, and applying to separate colleges. Along with accurately portraying the struggles of high school, the books also gave us a ton of new abbreviations to try out!
5. The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot
Meg Cabot is the epitome of a young adult idol. She just seems to get the mindset of a teenage girl. Her characters were always hilarious and relatable, and none more so than Mia Thermopolis.
4. The Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
An all-girls boarding school for spies. With such a cool concept, there was no way that these books would be anything but thrilling. Cammie Morgan’s adventures at The Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women made us all want to practice our martial arts skills and maybe snag a cute secret boyfriend…
3. The Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard
Even before the TV show became a hit, we were all obsessed with the twisted secrets of these four girls and the mysterious figure of ‘A’ that threatens to expose them. From student-teacher relationships, murderous lacrosse coaches, and secret twins, this series had us all on the edge of our seats waiting for each new book release and swapping conspiracy theories.
2. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld
How Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies never got a movie deal like the tons of other young adult dystopian novels will forever be a mystery. In a future where everyone receives a surgery on their 16th birthday to make them supermodel gorgeous, Tally Youngblood
Tally is one of the most memorable and strong-willed YA characters of all time. As the series progresses and stakes get higher her morals are tested Westerfeld is never afraid to let his protagonist get dark.
1. The Clique series by Lisi Harrison