Top 10 books for teens

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4 by Sue Townsend

This hilarious and light-hearted book is a must have on every teenagers bookshelf. Originally published in 1982, it has remained impossibly popular thanks to it's ever popular hero Adrian Mole. The book is written in a diary style by Adrian Mole, a thirteen year old boy who, although writes confidently, often misinterprets and does not understand the events that go on around him. The book follows him through the year of 1981 and a bit of 1982, starting with his new year's resolutions including "stopping squeezing my spots" and "vowing to never drink alcohol... after hearing disgusting noises from downstairs last night."

Jane Eyre is a classic book that relates perfectly to the trials and tribulations of teenage life. Jane Eyre is orphaned as a young girl and left to live in her Aunt Reed's house. After being treated badly for ten years, she is sent to Lowood, a boarding school for girls. Here, she is abused physically and mentally and finally free leaves to be a governess at age eighteen at Thornton Hall. Jane falls in love with her master, the brooding Mr Rochester. However, he keeps a dark secret that threatens to tear them apart forever.

This wonderful book is set in Nazi Germany and is narrated by death personnified. The book follows a young girl Liesel Meminger and her relationship with her foster parents, Hans and Rosa, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a Jewish man who hides in their home during the second World War. This book has been the recipient of many awards and is perfect for a teen who loves history.

This is a much beloved classic and tells the story of a plane crash on a remote island. Only a group of schoolboys survive and as they wait to be rescued their sense of order becomes diminished and they begin the descent into chaos.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

The book waas originally published for teenagers, but quickly became a bestseller with all ages. Christopher suffers from autism and when he is suspicious of something feels the need to invesigate. When he discovers the corpse of his neighbor's dog in the garden he sets out on a mission to uncover the truth of the shocking crime. This story makes for a compelling, fascinating and moving read.

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

This classic story has since been made into a film but the book is still best. Arthur Dent is a very ordinary guy until he discovers his friend is actually an alien who knows about Earths impending destruction. He ends up being transported off Earth just before it is destroyed. If this isn't bad enough, he is wanted by the police, there's no tea and he has to put up with a very unhappy robot. This all makes for quite the adventure and your teen will love this book that's filled with hilarious adventures in space!

This has recently been seen on screen but you really must read the book. Sixteen year old Pi, is the only survivor of a ship-wreck on the Pacific and spends 221 days alone on a lifeboat with a hyena, a zebra, a female orang-utan and a very large, angry tiger as his only company. It's a groundbreaking and original story that teenagers and adults alike will cherish.

Every teenager should read this book. It's a classic coming-of-age story featuring a brave heroine as she grows up in the racially heated South. The back drop to the novel is when her father takes on the case of Atticus FInch, a young black man who is accused of raping a girl.

This book is the journal of Cassandra Mortmain, a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in delapidated castle with her eccentric family. Her father once wrote a book that was lauded as a work of genius but hasn't written anything since and as a result the family have fallen into genteel poverty.It's written in diary form and Cassandra truly is one of the most charismatic and engaging narrator's of all times who perfectly reflects the voice of the coming of age teenager.

This classic tale is a hauntingly beautiful one that stays with the reader for life. Wuthering Heights tells of the difficult relationship between the mysterious and brooding Heathcliff and his love, the beautiful yet stubborn Cathy while living at Wuthering Heights.