High School Reading List – 15 Best Books to Read (2023)
Are you a bibliophile? If yes, you might have come across some wonderful high school literature books. You don’t need to ponder over the list of books you should read before high school. This article will work as a guide to drive you through the high school reading list.
You already might be under a baggage of things, but these suggestions will prove to be the best stress reliever. To ace your college life, you can read through these classics.
Researchers have found that reading realistic narratives and fiction can help readers in developing a sense of honesty and empathy. It was also discovered that reading fiction can help students recover dead languages, which expands vocabulary.
Importance of Reading
Reading has great importance in everyone’s life, as it shapes our thinking. Writing is insufficient without reading, which is also highlighted by Annie Proulx. She says, “You should write because you love the shape of stories and sentences and the creation of different words on a page. Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”
This demands highlighting the benefits of reading for students:
- It improves working and long-term memory among children.
- Helps in improving communication skills. Tend to believe it increases vocabulary.
- It delays cognitive aging among people.
- Reading can be a stress buster.
- Researchers believe it makes the working of the brain effective. Thus giving rise to a healthy brain.
- Reading books empowers us to connect with others in a better way.
- Aids people who are suffering from sleeping disorders.
- Scientists have found that reading possesses a healing potential for people suffering from mental ailments.
You may have now become acquainted with the benefits of reading. If not, you might recall that in childhood your grandparents used to read short stories, scriptures, and newspapers to you. Oh, what could be the reason behind it, then?
It was done so that your brain could imbibe it and could produce that information when needed. So, we are raised in such a way that reading becomes a part of our routine. Remember those Fairy Tales and Barbie stories that were read on Sundays? Hence, why shy away from highschool reading books?
Why is it Necessary to Read a Variety of High School Level Books?
I have been into teaching for the past five years and have tutored students of different age groups. What I have noticed is:
- Students lack the knowledge and just crammed all the things. Even high school students admitted that they fake-read their chapters.
- People trying to make a career in academia without a basic understanding and comprehension of its content.
- The absence of comprehension necessitates the inclusion of fiction and classics in the curriculum. If not, teachers should mention popular high school books in the classroom or, at the very least, encourage pupils to read during reading periods once a week. Students facing reading issues can join reading programs like the Orton Gillingham Reading Program.
Although books are supposedly for anybody who has a desire to learn, parents, teachers, and members of the school board occasionally disagree on what children should and shouldn’t read. The outcome of the struggle between these organizations then influences millions of people’s reading lists across the nation and especially the highschool reading books.
15 List of Books to Read in High School
Do your friends call you by the name Bookworm? If yes, it is most likely that you might have come across these books or would have read a handful of them. Motivate your friends as well to include these books in their high school reading list, it can be a pathway to their success.
According to Maya Angelou, “Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his needs, is good for him”. Let’s guide the readers on their quest to find the most amazing books and instill a passion for reading in their brains and hearts. Readers should be aware of the text features for better understanding.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
If you never heard the name of this novel, you must be living in a Stone Age period. Because it is one of the most widely celebrated romantic English novels. Published in 1813, “Pride and Prejudice” was a novel of manners and Austen’s second novel. If you are a fan of Austen then you must include this novel among the high school reading books.
It is Austen’s satire on society and traditional stereotypical gender roles that portrayed women as objects of beauty with no rights. “Beauty with brains” was a derogatory phrase used to ridicule women. People often feel that beauty and intelligence can’t go together.
The novel, which is set in the Regency era, is about discovering a person’s true goodness beneath their preconceptions and outward characteristics. The genuine portrayal of its characters and their inner turmoil makes this great work comical and intriguing.
The story revolves around the two main characters Elizabeth and Darcy, will the love bloom between them or not because of their different social backgrounds? As the novel progresses, we witness a coming of age in both characters, and they fall in love with each other, setting aside all their pride and prejudices.
It is one of the most loved novels by scholars and the public. The most popular novel with over 20 million copies sold. This novel was adapted into many movie and play adaptations.
Some Insightful Information
- You can find a hard copy easily in any bookstore or library.
- Hard copies and Soft copies are accessible on Amazon and Flipkart.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on Netflix and IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
― Jane Austen, Pride, and Prejudice
Add it to your reading list from here.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre is a gothic novel written by Charlotte Bronte. It was published under the name “Currer Bell” on 19 October 1847. And is quite popular because it is a bildungsroman novel that embarks on the emotional and physical growth of its protagonist Jane. Bildungsroman novels are quite intriguing so they must be included in high school reading books.
In the Victorian age, it was rare to find such a rare woman character. Bronte constructs her character with bold strokes, and it is considered one of the significant feminist works.
The novel traces the journey of Jane in which she fights male chauvinism, ill-treatment from her aunt, resists all the temptations, struggles for money and love, and independence. Still, she kept trust in her own capabilities and did not give up on the tricks of love laid by Rochester.
In the end, we are showcased with the ultimate woman character in the form of our protagonist. Jane becomes a rich, independent woman and on her own terms enters into wedlock with Rochester. This novel motivates women to be independent and strong. That is why it needs to be included in your highschool reading books. There are many concepts introduced in the novel “Individuality and Self Worth”, “Concept of Self” are the two most significant ones.
Some Insightful Information
- You can conveniently get hold of a hard copy from public libraries or bookshops.
- Hard copies and Soft copies are accessible on Amazon, Goodreads, and Flipkart.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on Netflix, Youtube, and IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“I would always rather be happy than dignified.”
— Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Add it to your reading list from here.
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
One of Chinua Achebe’s most well-known works, Things Fall Apart, was his first book and was released in 1958. It shows the life of Nigerians both before and after colonialism and after the arrival of the Europeans. The struggle between adhering to tradition and accepting change is clearly displayed. If you are intrigued by the tussle between the cultures then you should definitely try to include this novel in your highschool reading books.
It criticizes the inaccurate portrayal of Africans as uncivilized and undeveloped. Achebe attempts to portray the two causes that ruined the main character through Okonkwo. First, he was hollowed out by external influences, specifically the Westernization invasion. Second, negative inner forces like toxic masculinity, fear, and wrath.
Why read this book then? You can view the effects of Westernisation from a distinctive angle thanks to Achebe’s book. It gives you a chance to consider how cultural interaction and technological development have affected our modern world. In 1971, it was adapted into a movie.
The main question it raises is where we really belong. In order to embrace modernization, are we losing our identity? This book should not be restricted to highschool reading books, but everyone should give it a read.
Some Insightful Information
- You can easily get hold of a hard copy from public libraries or bookshops.
- Hard copies and Soft copies are accessible on Amazon, Goodreads, and Flipkart.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on YouTube and IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“The white man is very clever. He came quietly and peaceably with his religion. We were amused at his foolishness and allowed him to stay. Now he has won over our brothers, and our clan can no longer act like one. He has put a knife on the things that held us together, and we have fallen apart”. ― Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart
Add it to your reading list from here.
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Are you an admirer of Shakespeare and his work? If you have been, then you must have or must read this play of his. Even if you aren’t his fan, you will become one after going through this play. In the past, you must have come across this popular soliloquy “To be or to be not”.
Oh! Now you learn it is from this very book.
Collaborative strategic reading can make reading of this play interesting, try that out. The Tragedy of Hamlet was written between 1599 and 1601 and regarded as the longest play of his. This play was considered a masterpiece by many scholars because it had a simple and crisp plot of murder and revenge.
Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, turns spiteful after his father’s murder. He runs in a rage to find out the murderer of his father. Later, he discovers that his uncle Claudius had murdered his father and married his mother to take over the throne. Hamlet was filled with rage because he was the rightful heir to the throne. As the play progresses, he murders his Uncle to seek revenge.
Some Insightful Information
- You can easily get hold of a hard copy from public libraries or bookshops. And from various Shakespeare societies ran online.
- Hardcopies and Soft Copies are accessible on Amazon, Goodreads, and Flipkart.
- Its latest iconic stage play was done by Boy Jones University which is available on their official YouTube Channel.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet
Add it to your reading list from here.
Beloved by Toni Morison
Beloved is a heart wrenching story of a slave who in order to save her children from slavery gets caught by slave catchers. Sethe considers slavery even worse than death, which is why she was forced by circumstances to kill her own newborn child.
This novel was published in 1987 and set just after the American Civil War. The books you read in high school must include this in order to understand the struggles and exploitation of African Americans at the hands of whites.
And to know that slavery is like bacteria to the American community. You will feel a chill in your bones when you read through the passages. And feel the grief and suffering of the characters.
Some Insightful Information
- You can easily get a copy of the novel from public libraries or bookshops.
- Hardcopies and Soft Copies are accessible on Amazon, Goodreads, and Flipkart.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“Definitions belong to the definers, not the defined.”
― Toni Morrison, Beloved
Add it to your reading list from here.
Color Purple by Alice Walker
There are books that provide you comfort, and there are some books that rip your heart out. This novel functions as ripping out your heart and will leave you vulnerable. The Color Purple is an epistolary masterpiece published in 1982 based on themes of suffering, love, and redemption.
Walker’s words are like a sweet melody to the ears, and often a cacophony of grief and mellowing down sorrows and emotions. You will be amazed at the magnificent depths of the novel, it is beautifully knitted by Walker.
The book pedals through the sufferings, empowerment, and emancipation of black women, mainly the protagonist Celie. All the black women face brutality and mental and physical torture at the hands of the males of their houses. It is important to be aware of the culture of your land, so this book could help you with that. Kindly give it a read!
Some Insightful Information
- The Color Purple (1985) is one of the most popular African American movies based on the same name. Anyone can access it from IMDb.
- If you are looking for a hard copy, you can find it in any public library or a bookstore.
- You can purchase a hard and soft copy from Goodreads and Amazon.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“I’m pore, I’m black, I may be ugly and can’t cook, a voice say to everything listening. But I’m here.”
― Alice Walker, The Color Purple
Add it to your reading list from here.
Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Published in 2003 by Riverhead Books, it is one of the first novels written by Afghan American Writer Khaled Hosseini, who migrated to America when Russia invaded Afghanistan. This book is exquisite in expressing the friendship between the protagonist Amir and Hassan, who is his servant’s son.
The themes of betrayal, love, friendship, family, alienation, and redemption echo throughout the book. It portrays the exodus of people and refugees running to parts of Pakistan and America.
Then why should you include it in the high school reading list? Let me give you a handful of reasons for giving it a read. Here, the author depicts through his characters that we are imperfectly perfect. Everyone should learn to take disappointments. And nonetheless, the incidents in the books will crumble your soul and will captivate your heart.
Some Insightful Information
- If you are looking for a hard copy, you can find it in any public library or a bookstore.
- You can purchase a hard and soft copy from Goodreads and Amazon.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“For you, a thousand times over”
― Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner
Add it to your reading list from here.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
If your highschool reading books do not include this classic, you need to ponder over it once again. It is a significant part of literature you will have to read now or later on so, why not now! And ace in your literature class.
To Kill a Mockingbird was published in 1960 and instantly gained popularity among scholars. It dealt with the themes of racism, prejudice, courage, morality, coming of age and social justice. Which is quite significant to understand by today’s students. This will help students to understand every issue critically.
In the novel, the protagonist ‘Scout’ showcases the societal expectations that a woman is burdened with from the inception of childhood. She does not stick to gender roles and defies them. Scout faces challenges like overcoming adversity and standing up for what is right. Harper beautifully narrated a strong woman character who has her own terms for living a life.
Some Insightful Information
- If you are looking for a hard copy, you can find it in any public library or a bookstore.
- You can purchase a hard and soft copy from Goodreads and Amazon.
- Its latest movie adaptation is available on IMDb.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
Add it to your reading list from here.
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
This book was published in 2011 in Hebrew in Israel and in 2014 in English. It was grounded on a series of lectures the author taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The book might seem boring at first, but as you delve deeper and uncover the layers of the book, you will find it fascinating and logical. It contains a brief history of the roots and growth of humans. The narration of the origin of mankind is quite reflective. Isn’t it enough reasons why high school level books should inculcate it?
It offers a humorous and satirical perspective on some urban myths that we take for granted in the 21st century. And this book is both an eye-opener and a thought-provoker for everyone who is conceited about the myths they hold dear. This will help you to fill your intellectual cauldron with precise information.
Some Insightful Information
- If you are looking for a hard copy, you can find it in any public library or a bookstore.
- You can purchase a hard and soft copy from Goodreads and Amazon.
- Ridley Scott and Asif Kapadia are teaming up to adapt this into a movie.
One of the most famous lines from the book is as follows:
“There are no gods, no nations, no money and no human rights, except in our collective imagination.”
― Yuval Noah Harari, Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Add it to your reading list from here.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Published in 1945, Animal Farm is a beast fable, in the form of a satirical allegorical novella. It vocalizes the impacts of the Russian Revolution of 1917. The author puts forward a strong critique of Soviet communism and Stalinism in Russia. If you want to familiarize yourself with the movements of that time then you should definitely try to add this to your high school reading list.
The novel revolves around the oppression of animals on the farm. They try to revolt against Mr. Jones, their master because of the mistreatment and not being paid enough for their hard labor. The animals are brutally shunned for their stand of revolting against their master.
If you are someone who loves symbolism and indirect criticism as a high school student, you should definitely give a read to this novella. The main themes this novel revolves around are oppression, power can induce corruptibility, rebellion, betrayal, and history replicating itself.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This novel was published in 1925, it is a tragic love story of Gatsby and Daisy. It encircles around the main themes of wealth, class, idealism, the jazz age, human follies, man’s struggle with time and fate, and the extravagant American dream. These themes are still relevant in the 21st century, and that’s the reason it should be added to the high school reading list.
This book is a wonderful literary masterpiece that is addictive to the extent a painter is addicted to paint. It is intricate but masterfully crafted together. The author has given a ray of hope in the form of Gatsby, who is flawlessly flawed and a never-ending dreamer. If you are also a dreamer you should try to give it a read by inculcating this in your high school reading list.
Your high school reading list is imperfect without Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. Published in 1859, it is a historical novel with magical layers you will unravel as you progress into the book. Many scholars say that this novel is hard to read. Oh, don’t worry, you don’t need explicit instructions for reading it. Just keep on reading at your personal pace.
It depicts the French Revolution and its impact. The primary themes of the novel are love, brutality, reign of terror, suppression, moral discourse, self-sacrifice, and idealism. The novel makes use of Victorian language which will wrap the readers in its magic and captivates their soul.
The Scarlet Letter is a romance novel of historical fiction and was published in 1850. The primary themes which the story revolves around are repentance, dignity, sin, guilt, legalism, hypocrisy, and cruelty of patriarchal society.
The book is filled with wit and heartfelt analyses of what it means to live alone and on the periphery. The main protagonist Hester Prynne is depicted as being in dire straits. The novel dramatizes her struggle to provide for her child in the face of a heartless community when she gives birth outside wedlock. In order to acquaint yourself from the past conditions of women you should include this novel in a high school reading list.
Crime and Punishment is one of the most famous thrilling and psychological novels by author Fyodor published in 1867. The significant themes that the novel deals with are fear, utilitarianism, free will, morality, anxiety, battles of will, the agony of the human mind, alienation from society, and controlling ideas.
Then why give it a spot in popular high school books? There could be many reasons for it but most importantly it is an engaging blend of philosophy, politics, and religious commentary which makes it a masterpiece and essential to read.
Crime and Punishment revolve around the murder committed by Raskolnikov, the protagonist. The author beautifully depicts his mental agony, highlighting human follies, horror, and guilt of his action, redemption, and salvation. No other cobweb of words can perfectly define the mastery work the author produced.
“Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.”
To conclude our list, let’s just end it with one of the classic high school literature books. The Bell Jar is the only novel written by Sylvia Plath, published under the name of “Victoria Lucus” in 1963. She was quite ahead of her time in addressing the issue of mental illness in her novel. This is the main reason why everyone should inculcate this in high school reading list.
The storyline encircles around the themes of depression, coming of age, the divide between mind and body, sanity, insanity, and suicide. It is a semi-autobiographical novel that displays the struggle of the protagonist Esther with identity, against society and mental illness.
Did you begin reading? Or, still, searching for your reading glass? Whether you begin reading or not, after going through this article, you will definitely give them a read. There is no fixed age or time to begin reading, you can begin any day and anytime.
These high school level books could be a great contributor to your learning, try them out and suggest your friend too. Try to incorporate the suggested readings into your high school reading list. I have found that many of my readers are persons with special needs as well. To ease their learning, their guardian can learn sign language or use the audio of these online books.
