Looking for a beautiful young adult book

The Goblin Emperor. Much the kindest, most sensible YA book I've read for a while, if not ever!

Macmillan Collectors Library are beautiful little books and you can get a lot of classics and children's classics in them.

I started my collection a few years ago and I love them, they are also so small that they are good to pop in a bag. Does she have a classic book from childhood you cousin get her?

Have a look on Comixology see if you can spot some

This may not be beautiful enough but it's an incredibly good young adult book
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DODIE-SMITH-I-Capture-the-Castle-1997-Folio-Society-in-Slip-Case/143817915977?hash=item217c373e49:g:j-wAAOSwpqJfnytK
There's also a 'deluxe' edition available new but I can't tell if it's nice.
Or, The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger is rather amazing
www.amazon.co.uk/Night-Bookmobile-Audrey-Niffenegger/dp/0224089528?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

If your daughter likes fantasy Fairyloot www.fairyloot.com/fairy-trove/ does some special editions - currently closed for subscriptions but a couple of boxes / books available

My same age DD is into The Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J Maas-she has some lovely editions. Also now into classics and there are lovely copies of those-Daphne du Maurier, EM Forster etc are hitting the spot!

Quite a lot of independent bookshops are staying open for delivery and may be able to recommend something if you call?

How about the DK Big Ideas Simply Explained books according to her interests? Psychology, Law, Medicine, Politics, Crime, Shakespeare, Literature, Physics are just some of the titles in the series.

Also, we are slowly building the Penguin Clothebound Classics collection - lots of wonderful books to choose from.

Or maybe some beautifully illustrated art, fashion, photography books?

I don't know if this is still in print, but I have a lovely Jostein Gaardner book (the author of Sophie's World, another wonderful book) called The Christmas Mystery, which is a nice hardback book with some colour pictures - it's sort of an advent calendar with a chapter of the story each day, and a time travelling mystery story.

I don’t know about beautiful editions, but how about the Gornenghast trilogy? There’s bound to be some lovely hardbacks around zomdwhere.

The Night Circus
The Foundling & also The Familiars by Stacey Halls

How about a beautiful edition of Rebecca? Not YA, but an easy read and current due to the new (pretty, but disappointing) film.

I loved Stardust. This edition looks even more special than mine, though I'd like to see more photos of the inside.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stardust-Gift-Neil-Gaiman/dp/0062200399/ref=sr1121?dchild=1&keywords=Neil+gaiman&qid=1603781945&refinements=pnnbinding_browse-bin%3A492563011&rnid=492562011&s=books&sr=1-21

PS if you do decide to go for a classic the "penguin clothbound classics" are lovely. They have some offers on on their website I think.

I guess my thoughts were probably not that she would be getting a new book at 16 with Harry potter but that if they were well loved books she night enjoy a different copy, and lots of the beautiful covers are of books that are classics.

It's a funny age at that point I think. I think I was mainly reading adult books then, certainly for "good reading". I still enjoy children's books now. Would she enjoy something like a nice copy of pride and prejudice or the great Gatsby?

It doesn't meet your amazing cover requirements but if you were prepared to compromise on that I really enjoyed the night circus by Erin morganstern (I think) and that feels like the right genre.

Slightly different but I love the MinaLima editions of books, they have Peter Pan, Pinocchio, the secret garden etc. They are beautiful editions that are interactive with pullouts and illustrations.

Just also wanted to say the Disney twisted tales are young adult books, they are not the proper Disney stories they are reimaginings for example, the book about Ursula from the Little mermaid is a story about what would of happened had Ursula won.

That's what I'd assumed but in the reviews there were loads of adults saying how they'd loved them and read them all. Back story to Cruella De Vile and that sort of thing. guess it's like adults and Harry Potter maybe.

I just did some browsing in Asda. Because, you know, better than nothing (slightly). Anyway there were some Disney spin off books that looked interesting, Villan tales and Twisted tales. Have googled and I can't see age rating but look maybe young adult.

Miss Periguine books look to be a series with the next one called Holliw City.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children is a lovely and unusual book. Might be a bit young though.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi is a graphic novel but not a far fetched one. Older subect matter - growing up in Iran - but maybe not as colourful as you'd want. Think she's done other books but don't know if all black and white. Obviously no use if DD dislikes all graphic novels.

Would she like Tom Burton? There's Melconcoly Death Of Oyster boy and a fancy book of art works.

Folio Society do lovely but expensive books but probably most are classics.

I sympathise OP, not being able to browse the bookshops is rubbish. I quite fancy some Brian Froud books after reading the Lady Cottington pressed fairy ones. They are really lovely but daft.

What about the hardback Philip Pullman ‘His Dark Materials’ books? You can get a hardback gift edition of all 3 novels or a set of paperbacks in a slip cover. My DD saw it yesterday and wants it!

Thanks for those suggestions @kulaexchange* @SorrelBlackbeak - I'd seen the Jackie Morris book but thought it was for younger children, will look again.*

To be fair, I think it probably is marketed at young children. It's quite poetic though and I thoroughly enjoyed it myself. I think it's the type of book that could be enjoyed by any age but on second thoughts maybe not quite what you're after.