Last updated on September 9, 2025
Well, I had to list six. I couldn’t limit it to five. Some of the books I have listed here are not Christian books, but I wasn’t aware of all the great Christian authors when I was a young adult, as I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. Thus, I didn’t say “Christian books,” I just said books.
For instance, I was unfamiliar with C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, George MacDonald, and many other Christian authors. I discovered A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine I’Engle in the library when I was about 12, which is the only “Christian” worldview book I read as a teenager, and I loved. I lament that I didn’t discover other Christian authors until I was in my 30’s, when my birthfather (whom I didn’t meet until I was 30) introduced me to C.S. Lewis.
When I homeschooled my daughters, I was introduced to other excellent authors and books, and as a result, I now have a new set of books I love in this genre.
My first all-time favorite would be The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I have read this book at least three times, and it embodies much of what I aspire to write in my own books: memorable characters, a Christian theme without being preachy, original creativity, a well-constructed plot, meaningful symbolism, and redemption. When I think of a story that is among the best, this book always comes to mind.
The second would be The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I have read this book twice, once with each of my daughters. It is hard to believe that this story isn’t real. Ms. Lowry writes such a believable story that I wonder if I could ever come anywhere close to emulating her. Because my YA Seventh Dimension Series is a fantasy of sorts (part of it), I have reflected on how she made the story seem so real.
The third book is Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan. Again, I loved the Christian message, the symbolism, the struggle, and the redemption. I can relate to the protagonist and all that he went through.
My fourth and fifth all-time favorite books are Gone With the Wind and The Exodus. I remember reading them as a teenager and the sorrow that washed over me when I finished them. I didn’t want the books to end. I still remember the young girl in The Exodus who died; my heart was broken. Interestingly, I don’t recall the plot. I remember the characters. I fell in love with the protagonist in The Exodus. I didn’t know falling in love with a fictional character in a book was possible. The same holds for Gone With the Wind (Yes, I thought Rhett Butler was handsome and charming).
I recently read The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank and couldn’t avoid listing it here. I don’t have the benefit of time to see where it will eventually fit into the collection of books that I have read as my all-time favorites, but because of the way she wrote it, the book touched my heart. I was drawn into her world of suffering, and the way she described the people in the attic and all the things that happened, it was hard for me to believe she lived and died before I was born.
Even when I was young, I enjoyed books with significant undertones and struggles, and these books have also made important contributions to the literary world. I believe teenagers can handle complex and heavy topics. My dream is to write books that can touch the hearts of YA readers and influence their worldview with Christ’s love, enabling them to grow and become the person God created them to be.
I’d love to hear from you: What are your favorite YA books?
Note: I didn’t include The Lord of the Rings Trilogy as I consider it more suitable for adults. The pace is relatively slow to engage YA readers, though maybe I should have listed The Hobbit. Sigh. It’s so difficult to narrow it down.
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