The 10 Best Young Adult Book Sets
This wiki has been updated 15 times since it was first published in September of 2020. With stories that focus on everything from small-town living to epic revolutions, young adult novels are written so teens can see themselves within the narrative. As the genre's popularity has reached incredible heights, seemingly endless new series have arisen, making it difficult to know which are worthwhile. We're here to help with this collection of some of the best YA book sets out there. When users buy our independently chosen editorial picks, we may earn commissions to help fund the Wiki.
1. Harry Potter
2. The Hunger Games Trilogy
3. Phillip Pullman's "His Dark Materials"
Editor's Notes
September 30, 2020:
With this list, we did not just want to focus on one aspect of or subsection within the young adult genre, but instead to provide options that greatly differ from each other while still exemplifying the very best the literary category has to offer. The series found here are powerful ones, stories of great hardship, and incredible triumph. Whether this is within the context of some epic, world-changing event or just being a young girl growing up in a small town in the early 1900s, these are books meant to light fires within young hearts, to teach them that magic and wonder exist in their world as well, even if it might just be harder to see.
To this end, Harry Potter was given the top spot. The series is one of the most spellbinding reading experiences a person can have, no matter that person's age, as well as one of the most communal. The series has wrapped so many in its world, has been a salve for so many, and has influenced so many other works in kind that its position as first was not a difficult decision.
The same cannot be said about the rest of the list. Given the sheer amount of YA series out there now, it took some time to sift through and choose the most exemplary the genre has to offer. Certain series such as Vampire Academy and The Selection were excluded as they each pertain to a rather specific audience. We wanted to go with more universally appealing selections. Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials was chosen because of its heady and mind-expanding nature that still retains its humanity. We selected A Series of Unfortunate Events and Anne of Green Gables because they are much more grounded in reality than some of the more fantastical options on the list while remaining powerful and utterly enthralling, yet whimsical tales of hope and resilience in the face of adversity. The Maze Runner Series, Veronica Roth's Divergent, and, most of all, The Hunger Games Trilogy show that young people can affect the world even when change seems impossible. All the books found on our list are meant to inspire and show that everyone has something powerful and fantastic within them, regardless of age.
Though the series found on our list deal with timeless, ageless themes, they are meant for a certain demographic. If you are looking for similar, but more adult options, our list of the best dystopian books is definitely worth a look.
Special Honors
Magical Reads Crate This monthly book club is great for teenaged readers or readers of any age that enjoy Young Adult fiction. Each month includes a new YA book, all different kinds of fandom-related merch, and various self-care products. cratejoy.com
4. The Mortal Instruments
5. The Inheritance Cycle
6. A Series of Unfortunate Events
7. "The 100" by Kass Morgan
8. The Maze Runner Series
9. Anne of Green Gables
10. Veronica Roth's "Divergent"
Building PCs, remodeling, and cooking since he was young, quasi-renowned trumpeter Christopher Thomas traveled the USA performing at and organizing shows from an early age. His work experiences led him to open a catering company, eventually becoming a sous chef in several fine LA restaurants. He enjoys all sorts of barely necessary gadgets, specialty computing, cutting-edge video games, and modern social policy. He has given talks on debunking pseudoscience, the Dunning-Kruger effect, culinary technique, and traveling. After two decades of product and market research, Chris has a keen sense of what people want to know and how to explain it clearly. He delights in parsing complex subjects for anyone who will listen -- because teaching is the best way to ensure that you understand things yourself.