Coming of Age

This list contains books that I think could be classified as falling into this category, either as a main or sub-genre.  "Coming of Age" refers to the transition from teen to adult, and in literature it usually involves the protagonist of the story facing some sort of challenging experience that helps them to achieve maturity, along with wisdom and a sense of who they want to be as a person moving forward in life.  Many of these books can be found on other genre lists as well, because those challenging experiences can involve romance, adventure, or any number of other genre-specific circumstances.  The tags for each book will give you more of an idea what exactly it is about.

Clicking on the book title will take you to the review/mini-review if I have one.  Also, see my note about reading and age appropriate levels at the bottom of the list.

A Brief History of Montmaray by Michelle Cooper (series)

(6.5) (UG) (WWII, family, royalty)

After the Snow by S.D. Crockett *

(3.8) (MG+) (post-apocalyptic, family, mystery, survival, coming of age)

Behold the Bones by Natalie C. Parker

(/) (UG) (friendship, mystery, family secrets, magic, ghosts)

Bog Child by Shioban Dowd

(3.7) (UG) (Ireland, coming of age, mystery)

Brooklyn Rose by Ann Rinaldi

(4.7) (MG+) (early 1900’s, coming of age)

Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank

(4.7) (MG) (family, death, justice, coming of age, secrets)

Crossing the Tracks by Barbara Stuber

(4.3) (MG+) (early 1900’s, fathers & daughters, death, coming of age)

Devils Unto Dust by Emma Berquist *

(/) (MG+) (Wild West, zombies, sibling relationships, coming of age)

Half Bad by Sally Green (series) *

(4.5/4.5) (UG) (witches, friendship, fathers & sons, persecution, coming of age, *)

How I Found the Strong by Margaret McMullen

(4.9) (MG+) (Civil War, slavery, family, coming of age)

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey *

(3.9) (UG) (family, murder, mystery, family secrets, stereotypes, coming of age)

King of Ithaka by Tracy Barrett 

(5.5) (MG+) (ancient Greece, son of Odysseus, adventure, coming of age)

Me, the Missing, and the Dead by Jenny Valentine

(5.7) (UG) (ghosts, fathers & sons, missing persons)

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George

(5.2) (MG-) (nature survival, coming of age)

Phantoms in the Snow by Kathleen Benner Duble

(4.7) (MG) (WWII, family, army, coming of age)

Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman *

(4.4) (MG+) (Greek mythology, mothers & daughters, love, coming of age)

Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies by Lindsay Ribar

(/) (UG) (magic, family secrets, friendship, coming of age)

Runner by Robert Newton

(4.5) (UG) (family, poverty, coming of age, early 1900’s Australia)

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper (series) *

(6.2) (MG+) (1800's, magic, family, secrets, whaling industry, coming of age)

Scream All Night by Derk Milman(/)

(UG) (dysfunctional families, horror movies, humor)

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker

(5.8) (MG+) (seafaring, girls, revenge, action/adventure, coming of age)

Strange Grace by Tessa Gratton *
(/) (UG) (magic, bargains, witches, family, friendship, sacrifice, love triangles, secrets, *)

Ten Cents a Dance by Christine Fletcher

(4.2) (UG) (1940’s, poverty, mothers & daughters, race relations, coming of age)

The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
(5.3) (UG) (pirates, curses, reincarnation)

The Fighting Ground by Avi

(4.2) (MG) (Revolutionary War, coming of age)

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig

(5.2) (UG) (fathers & daughters, time travel, seafaring, Hawaii, 1800’s)

The Goodbye Season by Marian Hale

(5.3) (MG) (family, Spanish Flu, death, coming of age)

The Keening by A. LaFaye

(4.4) (MG+) (family relationships, death, mental illness, coming of age)

The Kid Table by Andrea Seigel

(6.3) (UG) (family relationships, coming of age)

The Last Voyage of Poe Blythe by Ally Condie

(4.3) (MG+) (coming of age, loss, revenge, gold mining)

The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis *

(/) (UG) (orphans, serial killers, post-apocalyptic, coming of age)

Tomorrow the River by Diane Gray

(6.0) (MG) (1800’s, family, coming of age)

When I Crossed No-Bob by Margaret McMullan

(4.9) (MG) (Reconstruction, coming of age, family relationships)

You Look Different in Real Life by Jennifer Castle

(MG+) (friendship, coming of age, reality shows)

Note:  Lists are arranged with Title, Author, Reading Level, Age Appropriate Level, and Descriptive Tags.
(Age appropriate level denotes the youngest readers that the book is appropriate for.  That doesn't mean that older readers will not enjoy the book!)

* =  books that I thought were GREAT

UG = upper grades  (contain sex, drugs, and/or very graphic violence; deal with mature subject matter such as rape, prostitution, child abuse, etc. )
MG+ = junior high  (may contain some profanity or sexual references; may deal with subject matter too mature for younger audiences)
MG = 4th through 6th grades (nothing inappropriate for children, but may not keep the interest of younger readers)
MG- = all ages (perfect for bedtime stories or read-alouds, or for precocious readers in the lower grades)

* = LGBTQ themes - characters, situations, or references to same-sex couples

Books included in this list are all ones that I have read myself and given a rating of at least 3 out of 5 Stars (why would I recommend anything less?)  When a book is part of a series, only the first title is listed, but the reading level for all books in the series is shown.  Lists will be updated periodically as I read new books.