As we hit the ages of 13 and 14, we start creating what many call their 'found family' – a family that you may not be born with, but that very much feels like it's always been there to support you, love you and cheer you on.
The book series below are all about just this: the people we meet in life that are bound to us for ever, who love and understand us like no one else. And the best part about a series is that we'll always have a cast of characters to come back to time and time again, as though they are our bookish family. Take a look at the list of our carefully selected picks below to meet your perfect match.
Georgina Atwell
Toppsta
2025-06-28
2024-08-12
Best Family and School Life Books for Teens
Girls Series
If you're not sure which books to start with when it comes to Jacqueline Wilson, let us recommend the iconic Girls series for all YA readers. The series follows the lives of three girls: the slightly awkward and creative Ellie; the alternative and hot-headed Nadine; and fashionista flirt Magda. We join them as they navigate teenage life, which involves going through heartbreak, friendship fallouts and a whole lot of self-confidence wobbles. The books are an honest portrayal of all the messiness of being a teenager and getting through the first big experiences in life.
Classroom of the Elite is the cut-throat school drama, written by Shōgo Kinugasa and illustrated by Shunsaku Tomose, that inspired a popular anime TV series. The books are set at the prestigious Tokyo Metropolitan Advanced Nurturing High School - an establishment set up by the Japanese government with the aim of instructing and fostering future leaders. Students at the school are given remarkable freedom, they can win, barter or save enough points to work their way up the ranks! Ayanokoji Kiyotaka has landed at the bottom in the scorned Class D, where he meets Horikita Suzune, who's determined to rise up the ladder to Class A. Can they beat the system in a school where cutthroat competition is the name of the game? They cannot afford to fail, but each book presents a new set of gruelling challenges and secret tests for the students. There are some mature themes in the books so we recommend them to readers 14+. You need to read the series in order and you may also enjoy the Classroom of the Elite manga spin off. There are eight volumes of Classroom of the elite light novels in the series so far, with more to come...
The Heartstopper books are a series of graphic novels that tell a wonderful boy-meets-boy queer love story. Written by award-winning YA author Alice Oseman, the Heartstopper graphic novels have now been made into a major live-action TV show. Heartstopper came to Netflix in 2022, starring Kit Connor (the voice of Pan in His Dark Materials) and newcomer Joe Locke as Nick and Charlie. It is a gorgeous coming of age story about love, friendship, loyalty and mental illness. We follow the blossoming romance between Charlie and Nick as they meet, become friends and start to fall in love. The sensitive content in some of the later books, means we recommend them for readers 13/14+.
This is one of our favourite heart-warming YA series about found family and true friendship, following a group of best friends that encourage each other to be unapologetically themselves. Amber, Maali, Sky and Rose all have one thing in common: they are Moonlight Dreamers. While each character has her own set of struggles, from figuring out her own identity to dealing with family illnesses and struggling to fit in at school, they all know they can count on each other to find the strength to dream big. As the series progresses, the girls welcome new members into their support group, and the Moonlight Dreamers gets bigger and bigger.
This is a feisty, funny and magical YA series about discovering your place and your power, starting off with teenager Jessie Jones discovering that she is a witch by way of magical abilities appearing whilst she battles crippling period pains. This discovery comes at the worst time, as she's just moved to a small island and is trying her best to go unnoticed and keep away from the douchebags like Callum Henderson. When she realises she can just use her powers to put him in his place, everything changes. All she needs to do is learn how to fine-tune her new witchy (and erratic) skills, which is easier than done when you're going through the trials and tribulations of being a teen and making new friends.
We're big fans of Holly Bourne's brilliant writing and truthful, insightful take on teenage years. This series perfectly showcases all her wonderful talents through a trio of best friends that chisels its way into your heart forever. Evie, Amber and Lottie are the leading ladies of The Spinster Club. In each book, we get a glimpse into one of their lives, with the first book exploring Evie changing school and exploring her OCD, the second book looking at Amber's search for love, and the third book all about Lottie's political views and how she takes action. Through thick and thin these girls stick together, support each other and have a LOT of fun.
Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this powerful classic-in-the-making by Angie Thomas encourages urgent conversation regarding police brutality, systemic racism, and the importance of community activism.
The books that follow in the series have different protagonists, but each encourage readers to interrogate themselves about justice, stereotypes and expectations, and explore the reality of life in the neighbourhood of Garden Heights.
A TikTok sensation filled with romance, loss, adventure and the beauty of life, Adam Silvera brings us a reimagining of the dystopian genre that is sure to break your heart and also make you smile. This is a great choice for ages 14+. In this fantasy world, an organisation known as Death Cast has the power to predict deaths 24 hours prior to the event. Individuals expecting this unfortunate fate, referred to as Deckers, receive a phone call from Death Cast informing them that it is their 'end day'. An app called the Last Day allows fellow Deckers to connect with one another and share their last hours on earth together, which plays a crucial role across these three books. Each book in the series follows a new set of characters as they navigate a world where they know the exact day they will be dying.
For readers that prefer stories rooted in everyday life and realistic characters, this award-winning YA series by Alex Wheatle is a brilliant option and does not need to be read in any particular order. Each book in the series focuses on a different character living in South Crongton Estate, where gang war games must be carefully navigated and life is a constant hustle. Each book is an empathetic look into the lives and struggles of the young people living on the estate, the lengths they must go to to make ends meet and the power of friendship, family and holding on to dreams.
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