Music & Musicians in Teen Fiction

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going

• A young man meets a local punk legend who introduces him to the punk scene.

Beige by Cecil Castelucci

• Pub Date: 2009
• High school interest 
• See also: Long Lost Parents 
• Katy goes to LA to stay with her punk rocker father and learns a bit about herself and what matters.

Born to Rock by Gordon Korman

• Pub Date: 2006
• Middle and high school interest
• See also in Teen Fic: Long Lost Parent 
• Leo goes on tour with a punk band for the summer.

Diva by Alex Flinn

• Pub Date: 2007 
• Middle and high school interest 
• See also: Mother-Daughter Relationship 
• Caitlin is dedicated to opera and attends a performing arts high school.

Blind Faith by Ellen Wittlinger

• Pub Date: 2006
• Middle and high school interest
• See also in Teen Fic: Religion 
• A young pianist deals with issues of faith.

Adios to My Old Life by Caridad Ferrer

• Pub Date: 2006
• High school interest
• Diversity: Latino characters 
• A talented singer/songwriter competes on a Latino version of American Idol.

Things Hoped For by Andrew Clements

• Pub Date: 2006
• Middle and high school interest 
• Two talented young musicians strive to get into music school.

Cherokee Bat and the Goat Guys by Francesca Lia Block

• Pub Date: 1992
• High school interest 
• A group of unusual teens start a band.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen

• Pub Date: 2002
• High school interest 
• Remy doesn't date musicians, but then she meets Dexter.

Born Blue by Han Nolan

• Pub Date: 2003
• High school interest 
• Janie's dream is to be a blues singer.

Wild Roses by Deb Caletti

• Pub Date: 2005
• High school interest
• See also: Stepparents 
• Cassie's stepfather is master violinist Dino Cavalli.  He's also mentally unstable and increasingly difficult to live with.

Four Seasons by Jane Breskin Zalben

• Pub Date: Feb 2011
• Middle School Interest
• Allegra has been a serious pianist since she was three, and she is starting to feel the pressure.

Ten Miles Past Normal by Frances O'Rourk Dowell

• Pub Date March 2011
• Middle and high school interest 
• See also: Blogs 
• Janie and her friend join their school's jam band to meet a boy, but Janie finds music instead. 

Five Flavors of Dumb by Antony John 

• Pub Date: 2010 
• See also: Disabilities 
• Piper, who is moderately severely deaf, manages a rock band. 

Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

• Pub Date August 2012 
• Middle or High School Interest
• Two teens re-connect with music as they become friends via notes left in a practice room. 

Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

• Pub date: 2017
• High School Interest
• Diversity: Bisexual, Chinese-American main character 
• See also: Disguised 
• A teen disguises herself as a boy to join an all-male a capella group. 

The Disenchantments by Nina Lacour

• Pub Date: 2012
• High School Interest
• See also: Post High School 
• Colby goes on tour with his best friend's band after graduation. 

Bad Decisions Playlist by Michael Rubens

• Pub Date: 2016
• High school interest
• See also: Long Lost Parent 
• When Austin finds out his dad his a famous musician, he gets sucked into the rock & roll life style. 

Grrrls on the Side by Carrie Pack

• Pub Date: 2017
• High school interest
• Diversity: LGBT & African-American characters
• See also: Historical, Mother-Daughter Relationship
• Tabitha discovers Riot Grrrl music and zines, and has her first romances & breakups. 

Girl Defective by Simmone Howell

• Pub Date: 2014
• High school interest
• See also: International, Long Lost Parent 
• Sky lives with her dad and brother above a St. Kilda record shop.