Adult Fiction with Kids or Teens as the Main Character

Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

• Twelve year old Frankie is bored until her brother announces his wedding.

Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene

• Doria and her illiterate mother live just outside of Paris, France, which isn't nearly as glamorous as it sounds.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

• A child genius is put to the test in this science fiction novel.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

• Pi is shipwrecked and must survive on a raft with a tiger.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

• Reuben Land is eleven years old in the 1960’s when his sixteen year old brother is put on trial for killing two boys who broke into their house intent on “mischief.”

Rowing in Eden by Elizabeth Evans

• Franny is 13 years old in the summer of 1968.

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall

• Edgar is abandoned by his  family after he is run over by a mail truck to be raised in an institution and then in a Mormon family.

The Song Reader by Lisa Tucker

• Teenage Leeann tells  the story of her eccentric older sister, the song reader.

As Simple As Snow by Gregory Galloway

• Anna is a mystery even to those who know her best.  And then she disappears.

Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns

• Fourteen year old Will tells of the surprising events in his small Southern town in the early 1900's.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

• Oscar goes on a quest to understand his father's death.

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

• An autistic teenager tries to solve a mystery.

The Usual Rules by Joyce Maynard

• Wendy is thirteen when her mom is killed on 9/11.

Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris

• Three generations of young women tell their stories of life on a reservation.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

• A classic story from the perspective of Scout and Jem.

Book of Fred by Abby Bardi

• A teenage girl who has been raised in a religious cult is put into foster care.

Brave New Girl by Louisa Luna

• A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family.