What was your favourite book when you were 14?

[stillsleeptraining]

I've been asked to give this as a gift, but my reading habits took a really weird (and completely unmonitored) turn at this age and absolutely wouldn't be appropriate!

Hoping someone can suggest something that resonated and is appropriate. My kids are too little for me to be in this headspace!

Harry Potter

Flowers in the attic series and all the others by Virginia Andrews - I think Rain was my favourite.

Cider with Rosie - Laurie Lee

Yes, it was - and she very nearly has sex with the husband.

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 and 3 quarters.
(Although it is very period specific - not sure how it's dated.)

Also: Goodnight Mr Tom, Death on the Nile and my cousin's old copies of Jackie magazine 😁

Actually - another vote for I Capture The Castle. (The film version is lovely too.)

Judy Blume forever
Adrian Mole
Agatha Christie

Someone also gave me some old Jackie annuals and I used to love reading those. I wish I’d kept some to reminisce.

Jane Eyre

I would say most 14 yos I know now are a lot less mature than 30 years ago so it's really difficult to say. I was reading adult books at that point really, trashy stuff really Jackie Collins, Jill Cooper, Danielle Steele. Also loved Virginia Andrews but I have always though of those ones as teen books TBH.

Have noticed a few people saying Judy Blume, were people really reading those at 14, I would have said around age 10 really for those? Forever is a bit older perhaps.

I also loved Mauve Binchey books plus anything like Pride and Prejudice

I still re-read my Judy Blumes and I'm nearly 50! At 14 I was reading a mixture of adult and children's/YA fiction.

@AsAnyFuleKno lol yes I do too now I'm in my 40s but at 14 I wouldn't have read younger stuff.

Oh yes to Maeve Binchy too

@PugInTheHouse yes I still loved Judy Blume at 14 - and 15, 16....and now at 47 🙂
I kind of struggled to make the crossover from authors like Judy Blume, Paula Danziger, Caroline B Cooney to 'proper grown up books' that we had to read at school.
I choose to do A-level English Lit on the theory that "I love books" but actually I loved children's and teen books not the stuff we had to read. I still love children's and teen books. The new Jacqueline Wilson is on my Christmas list.
(I failed the A-Level)

The thirty nine steps

@Needmorelego I definitely like those teen books now, just wouldn't have read them after about 12/13 till I was an adult.

@PugInTheHouse I think I just liked to read a straight forward non complicated story. No over analysing of characters etc.

I was reading Asimov (robots and 2001 etc), Frank Herbert (Dune), various retro Sci Fi,
Flowers in the Attic, Anne McCaffrey,Sweet Valley High, Baby Sitters Club, anything and everything I could lay my hands on really.

Vampire stuff by Anne Rice.

Avoided horror. Have never liked that genre.

I had a fallow period between pony books/Enid Blyton and more adult books at age 12/13. I went from never having my nose out of a book to not reading much at all.
Luckily I grew up in a house full of books, so picked the habit back up. @Needmorelego I felt much the same about English Lit A Level!

@Needmorelego I totally get that! My favourite books to read now are true holiday reads, I also love to re read books I like. I dropped A level English lit, I like you loved reading but clearly not the right sort of stuff!

I completely agree. I was reading 'In Search Of Lost Time' when I was 10.

Yes, I read my sisters copies when I was younger, around 10/11.

Best answer ever! Just reading a Dean Koontz right now.

I Capture The Castle. Rebecca.