26 Contemporary Books That Should be Taught in High School

1.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) 4.47 avg rating — 11,064,227 ratings
2.
City of Vikings (The Viking Assassin #2)
City of Vikings (The Viking Assassin #2) 4.28 avg rating — 264 ratings
3.
City of Skies (The Viking Assassin #1)
City of Skies (The Viking Assassin #1) 3.88 avg rating — 798 ratings
4.
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)
The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) 4.15 avg rating — 2,323,115 ratings
5.
The Book Thief
The Book Thief 4.39 avg rating — 2,802,167 ratings
6.
The Glass Castle
The Glass Castle 4.32 avg rating — 1,325,627 ratings
7.
Speak
Speak 4.05 avg rating — 622,688 ratings
8.
Half of a Yellow Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun 4.34 avg rating — 176,454 ratings
9.
Water for Elephants
Water for Elephants 4.11 avg rating — 1,680,822 ratings
10.
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1) 4.35 avg rating — 9,594,546 ratings
11.
Buck: A Memoir
Buck: A Memoir 4.05 avg rating — 3,060 ratings
12.
The Kite Runner
The Kite Runner 4.35 avg rating — 3,402,045 ratings
13.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 3.89 avg rating — 1,568,803 ratings
14.
The Poisonwood Bible
The Poisonwood Bible 4.11 avg rating — 779,770 ratings
15.
The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees 4.10 avg rating — 1,337,508 ratings
16.
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close 3.97 avg rating — 431,592 ratings
17.
Looking for Alaska
Looking for Alaska 3.96 avg rating — 1,716,010 ratings
17.
Does My Head Look Big In This?
Does My Head Look Big In This? 3.65 avg rating — 12,168 ratings
19.
Thirteen Reasons Why
Thirteen Reasons Why
by: Jay Asher
3.84 avg rating — 1,013,873 ratings
20.
A Prayer for Owen Meany
A Prayer for Owen Meany 4.24 avg rating — 332,389 ratings
20.
Jasper Jones
Jasper Jones 4.09 avg rating — 42,325 ratings
22.
Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1)
Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 281,939 ratings
23.
Eleanor & Park
Eleanor & Park 3.93 avg rating — 1,240,218 ratings
24.
She’s Come Undone
She’s Come Undone 3.91 avg rating — 357,244 ratings
25.
The House with a Thousand Stories
The House with a Thousand Stories 3.67 avg rating — 166 ratings
26.
Promising Azra
Promising Azra 4.14 avg rating — 198 ratings
26.
All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism
All the Weight of Our Dreams: On Living Racialized Autism 4.55 avg rating — 127 ratings
28.
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban 4.16 avg rating — 612,699 ratings
28.
Mahtab's Story
Mahtab's Story 3.58 avg rating — 423 ratings
28.
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America 4.53 avg rating — 37,882 ratings
31.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
The Perks of Being a Wallflower 4.24 avg rating — 1,948,220 ratings
31.
The Bone Sparrow
The Bone Sparrow really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 5,531 ratings
31.
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa
King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa 4.19 avg rating — 66,212 ratings
34.
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?
Why Are All The Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? 4.34 avg rating — 26,842 ratings
35.
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism and the Persistence of Racial Inequality in America 4.26 avg rating — 3,612 ratings
36.
Uglies (Uglies, #1)
Uglies (Uglies, #1) 3.84 avg rating — 701,278 ratings
37.
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao 3.89 avg rating — 274,957 ratings
38.
Bossypants
Bossypants
by: Tina Fey
3.96 avg rating — 1,041,951 ratings