7 Teen Books From the 90s You Need to Reread

Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
Vivian Gandillon is confident in her skin and sexuality, and loves the way her body changes into a wolf’s under the full moon. This book marked the first time I’d ever seen this on the page: a girl who was undeniably herself, but suffering from the loss of her father and pack leader. She’s desired by the wolves in her pack but can’t help falling for a “meat-boy” from her high school, Aiden. Aiden is sweet, charming, and innocent, but he doesn’t fit in her world. As she tries to determine her place, Vivian deals with pack politics and the desire to reveal her true form to Aiden, a choice that could endanger everyone she cares for.

Primavera, by Francesca Lia Block
Francesca Lia Block captured my heart with her Weetzie Bat books and I Was a Teenage Fairy. She creates magic worlds that are whimsical and gritty at the same time. With Primavera, Block introduces an oasis paradise in the middle of the desert. The titular character, Primavera, has the power to make things grow with her voice. Her song makes flowers bloom and the whole book has a sense of enchantment. But as she grows up, she falls in love with an older man she can’t have. In a journey of self-discovery, Primavera hops on a horse-headed motorcycle and rides to Elysia, a city of magic that may never let her go.

Dragon’s Bait, by Vivian Vande Velde
Dragons and sacrificial lambs: Alys is a heroine that would make Daenerys Targaryen proud. She isn’t a witch, but that doesn’t stop the townspeople from using her as, wait for it, dragon bait. In a twist of fate, the dragon, Selendrile, who has the ability to take on human form, doesn’t eat her. She never quite fears him, which helps them create an unexpected bond. The outcast and the dragon form an alliance and plot their revenge. There’s a dash of romance (when he’s in his human form), and an exploration of what it means to be a hero.

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
In this Bridget Jones’ Diary for the younger generation, Georgia Nicolson’s confessions are riotous good fun. Georgia’s misadventures with her father, her cat, and major crushing are worth revisiting time and time again. She was one of the inspirations that kept my writing in a journal (read: diary) long after junior high. There’s an honest quality to her voice that captures the embarrassing things we do as teens to impress friends or cute boys we want to kiss. Georgia could be any girl, but she’s more than that. She’s our friend, and when we’re with her, we’re living through everything she does. Including that time she shaved her eyebrows off.

The Secret Circle, by L.J. Smith
While the short-lived TV show base on the series was great for eye candy, there’s so much more in the books that was left out. Cassie is initiated into the coven that runs New Salem and has done so for years. She has a hate/love relationship with the sleepy New England town, but is drawn to the magic and seductive mystery that comes with having power, even if danger is part of the price.

In the Forests of the Night, by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
Published when the author was 14 years old, In the Forests of the Night is one of the reasons I became a writer. When I first read it I was obsessed with anything vampire and fell in love the with the mysterious world of the Den of Shadows. Risika was turned into a vampire as a teen, and has spent 300 years living a quiet (vampiric) life. But when a black rose appears on her doorstep, the same thing that appeared on the night she was turned, she knows she’s being followed. It’s time for her to confront her past.

Gallows Hill, by Lois Duncan
The author who gave us I Know What You Did Last Summer gave us plenty of the ’90s most creeptastic teen novels. Gallows Hill starts off with a familiar conceit: a new girl comes to town after the death of a parent, but you don’t have to wait long for the Duncan twist. Sarah Zoltanne isn’t quite able to make friends in her small Missouri school. In order to stand out, she pretends to be a psychic at the school fair. But when her predictions start coming true, the town labels her as a witch. In this retelling of the Salem Witch trials, a young girl faces the suspicious nature of a small town while fearing she might actually have powers.