5 Must Read Fiction Books for High School Students
“Nonfiction speaks to the head. Fiction speaks to the heart.”
Reading fiction cultivates your empathy, imagination, perspective, and creativity. Enjoying a fiction story can ease up school and college application stress. Best of all, you’ll learn something new while reading!
Here are five must-read fiction books to get you started on your reading journey!
Best Books to Read for High School Students
1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Written by Yann Martel, Life of Pi was named the winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize for Fiction. The book follows an adventure story that is intimate and epic in its sweep, and singular in its voice. It is a survival story, set across the vast reaches of the Pacific during World War II, and is one of those rare books that truly takes your breath away.
Life of Pi is a story of persistence and determination. Just like Pi, who didn’t give up under the brutal circumstances, you’ll learn to keep a sense of faith and hope even when life isn’t going how you’d expect it to.
2. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Alchemist is a suspenseful tale of self-discovery and fulfillment that has touched the hearts of millions around the world. Paulo Coelho's charming fable has become a contemporary classic with sales of more than 65 million copies worldwide. Follow the journey of Santiago, a shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure. His quest will lead him to riches far different—and far more satisfying—than he ever imagined.
From the book, you’ll learn that the heart wants what it wants, and “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
This book was originally published as a serial story and is one of Alcott's best-known stories. The story follows the lives of four young sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March –as they grow from childhood to womanhood during the Civil War and Reconstruction era. It has also been made into several movies.
Little Women discusses love, family, and compassion. Beyond these, you’ll learn more about the struggle women faced in the early 1860s balancing family values and personal growth.
4. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter has been a part of the American literature canon for over two centuries. The novel, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850, tells the tragic tale of Hester Prynne. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, the novel focuses on Prynne, who conceives a daughter out of wedlock with her lover.
Numerous themes are introduced throughout the novel, including legalism, personal choice vs. destiny, social isolation, and female independence.
5. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
As the #1 bestselling novel of Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children chronicles the adventure of a teenager, Jake, to a remote island, where he finds Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jake begins to explore, something unexpected happens.
This book is captivating and contains vivid pictures between chapters. Combining the graphics and Rigg’s unique writing style, you’ll have a thrilling experience reading this award-winning novel.
Final Thoughts
For free homework help for high school students, make sure to connect with UPchieve’s virtual tutors. They are available online 24/7, like a “homework help hotline” for low-income students. Learn more about how you can get free tutoring by heading to our student page.