Find your next great read for National Reading Month in these YA books with teen boys as protagonists.

Market wisdom says boys don’t read much YA contemporary, and that’s why there is such a prevalence of female protagonists in YA novels. Others disagree and lament the general lack of men and boys in YA fiction these days. I say that there are plenty of outstanding books out for the guys who actually do want to read stories about males (and the gals who enjoy male voices in their contemporary literature, too, and have empathy for those characters).

Here are my personal recommendations for some YA books with teen boys as protagonists that are definitely worth a look! They cover a wide range of the same themes you find in contemporary YA with female voices like friendship, bullying, grief, mental illness, and dying because these tough topics impact everyone, not just girls. I’ve also included some fantasy and dystopian fiction. Enjoy!

Unquiet Riot by Khristina Chess

“Best friends don’t label each other as crazy or rat each other out to adults.” ― Khristina Chess, quote from Unquiet Riot

Riley is not a psychopath.

It’s just that he was born unable to feel emotions. Is that person embarrassed or insecure? Suspicious or curious? It’s confusing when someone says, “Please don’t hate me,” but their face says, “You should definitely hate me for occupying the same planet right now because I wrecked your car.”

Riley’s life is filled with mind-numbing boredom until Henry arrives at his school. Henry’s amazing! Henry believes the world is populated by robots posing as humans. He believes the shadows in his room are monsters escaping from the electrical wires, and he sleeps with knives under his mattresses. For Riley, visiting Henry’s world is like being a tourist in a foreign land.

When police question Riley about Henry’s disappearance, Riley lies about their dangerous game and scrambles to save himself from being named accessory to mass murder. If Henry talks, Riley loses.

When someone feels nothing, do things like loyalty, friendship, and trust really matter?

Exhilarating and mind-bending! What I love most about Unquiet Riot is the slow unfolding of the friendship between the boys and the way Henry’s mental illness becomes revealed a little at a time. I worried for him. Riley is a great unreliable male narrator who is witty and scary. This is the kind of authentic novel that really shows how factors like bullying, mental illness, and lack of teacher, parental, and even friend involvement can allow an environment for a mass school violence event to occur.

You won’t want to miss this challenging YA book with teen boys as protagonists that explores the consequences of going along with the group and remaining silent. Fans of My Sister Rosa will love this psychological thriller.

The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island by Scott Semegran

I picked up this novel because it was the 2021 First Place winner for Middle-Grade/Young Adult Writers Digest Self-Published Book Awards. Wow! It hooked me immediately and didn’t let go.

Four middle-school boys find a backpack full of cash and pot left behind by their nemesis bullies, the Thousand Oaks Gang, and after evading them fails (they get beat up), they decide to retreat to an abandoned lake house for a few days. Being kids, they haven’t thought this through. The bullies find them. They end up stranded on an island with no food, water, or shelter and must survive until someone rescues them.

I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this novel. I felt I was in great storytelling hands with Semegran. I don’t usually like Middle Grade novels; they usually are too young for me to really appreciate. But The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island has something special. As others have noted, it reminds me of The Body by Stephen King, which inspired Stand by Me (the movie). Perhaps it is the narrator’s voice, which seems older and wiser than his young years.

Treat yourself to this excellent coming of age YA book about four boys who are transformed through a suspenseful survival experience that forever changes how they see the world and their place in it. If you’re looking for YA books with male protagonists, this one is worth reading.

The History of Jane Doe by Michael Belanger

“And most of all, Jane, f*#!ck you for leaving me here alone. For showing me happiness and then taking it all away.” ― Michael Belanger, quote from The History of Jane Doe

I picked up this book because I saw a positive review on Goodreads, but I didn't have any real idea what it was about except "read this book." The back-and-forth in time was confusing at first, but it seemed to adequately reflect Ray's state of mind and how he was dealing with his grief and the events after his girlfriend committed suicide. The book does a great job of exploring the helpless and unanswerable questions that someone like Jane leaves us with. I felt empathy for her parents, for Simon, for Ray, for Ray's parents, even the counselor. History shows that she touched everyone deeply and differently.

She will not be forgotten.

You will want to read this YA book with teen boys as protagonists. Ray is a male voice worth knowing and listening to.

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier

“Killing things shouldn't make you happy, Rosa. That's why they're worried.” ― Justine Larbalester, quote from My Sister Rosa

I went into this book with high expectations that Rosa would be some creepy 10-year-old future (or current) serial killer, and that story question drove the plot for me. What terrible thing will she do?

Although there are some slow points, the pacing in the second half of the book is excellent, and events took some thrilling and quite unexpected turns.

Most of the conversations between Che and his sister Rosa, who is a psychopath, are fascinating, dark, and disturbing.

Rosa shrugs. “How should I know? I asked Seimone lots of questions. She answered them all. I showed an interest. I know all sorts of things about her now.”

She’s a seriously messed-up kid.

Rosa smirks though she can’t see the phone. “I’m going to get a dog, Che. When I get it I won’t hurt it. You’ll see. I keep my promises.”

Indeed she does.

If you are looking for thrilling YA books with teen boys as protagonists, My Sister Rosa will not disappoint!

It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

“Tentacles is my term—the Tentacles are the evil tasks that invade my life. Like, for example, my American History class last week, which necessitated me writing a paper on the weapons of the Revolutionary War, which necessitated me traveling to the Metropolitan museum to check out some of the old guns, which necessitated me getting in the subway, which necessitated me being away from my cell phone and e-mail for 45 minutes, which meant that I didn’t get to respond to a mass mail sent out by my teacher asking who needed extra credit, which meant other kids snapped up the extra credit, which meant I wasn’t going to get a 98 in the class, which meant I wasn’t anywhere close to a 98.6 average (body temperature, that’s what you needed to get), which meant I wasn’t going to get into a Good College, which meant I wasn’t going to have a Good Job, which meant I wasn’t going to have health insurance, which meant I’d have to pay tremendous amounts of money for the shrinks and drugs my brain needed, which meant I wasn’t going to have enough money to pay for a Good Lifestyle, which meant I’d feel ashamed, which meant I’d get depressed, and that was the big one because I knew what that did to me: it made it so I wouldn’t get out of bed, which led to the ultimate thing—homelessness.” ― Ned Vizzini, quote from It’s Kind of a Funny Story

That is the wonderful, funny, and utterly unique voice of the male narrator of this novel, Craig Gilner, who has ambitious goals for his life but who also suffers from anxiety and depression. He’s trying. Really. But things like The Tentacles get in the way.

I loved this book! It is a humorous and hopeful novel about a boy whose suicidal episode sends him on a very interesting journey through an adult psychiatric ward in a New York City hospital.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in YA novels about depression and anxiety and looking for YA books with teen boys as protagonists.

Buy it. Read it. Ned Vizzini’s writing is masterful. It’s so incredibly sad that this author died from an apparent suicide.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

“We all have to find our own ways to say good-bye.” ― Sherman Alexie, quote from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Junior Spirit is a courageous boy who dares to leave the reservation, his school, and his best friend to seek a different life. His story is funny, heartbreaking, inspiring, and brave. I loved his quirky voice, his cartoons, and I cheered so hard for him in his basketball game.

This novel highlights the contrast between extreme poverty and wealth, as well as racial differences. These themes are handled with humor and sensitivity.

The writing in this book is delightful. It often makes banned book lists because of the profanity and running commentary about sexual situations, but it will make you laugh out loud. That’s why you should read it immediately if you’re looking for YA books with male protagonists.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

“You see, a conflict always begins with an issue - a difference of opinion, an argument. But by the time it turns into a war, the issue doesn't matter anymore, because now it's about one thing and one thing only: how much each side hates the other.” ― Neal Shusterman, quote from Unwind

Unwind is Book #1 in a 5-part dystopian YA series in which teens may be sent to "Harvest Camps" to be chopped up for parts if their parents sign the papers. No part is wasted.

Some, like Connor, are signed over because of behavior problems. Others, like Risa, are wards of the state who simply don't make the cut in terms of protegee status. Lev begins as a religious tithe, a willing victim, but after being kidnapped and freed by Connor, he also changes.

The concept of this series and the plotting are great, and I'm interested to see where the rest of the books go. There were moments, though, where I thought the book fell short of greatness. For example:

• If a parent is able to bring all the parts of their child back together again, can they recover their child?

• Where do the souls of these children go?

There are some attempts at these questions, but I wanted the book to go deeper. The fact that I keep thinking about the unwinding process means that something important is being covered here.

I include this book in the list of YA books with teen boys as protagonists because most of the viewpoint characters are male, although Risa (a girl) does have a viewpoint occasionally.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

“There comes a time when we realize that our parents cannot save themselves or save us, that everyone who wades through time eventually gets dragged out to sea by the undertow-that, in short, we are all going.” ― John Green, quote from Looking for Alaska

A quiet boy at boarding school meets a charismatic girl, then loses her.

Miles Halter goes away to boarding school, where he makes new friends, takes up drinking and smoking, breaks some rules, and meets a hot girl named Alaska Young. She’s the ringleader of the merry group’s adventures. She’s the one who can get alcohol and cigarettes.

She’s a bit wild.

Then one night while they’re all partying, she receives a phone call and takes off in her car. She never returns.

If you’re looking for an excellent coming of age YA book, you won’t want to miss this one. In fact, John Green is such a great author that he’s on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited because he’s all-around amazing!

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

“You know a guy a longtime, and I mean really know him, you don't get used to the idea that he's dead just overnight.” ― S.E. Hinton, quote from The Outsiders

Siblings from the Greasers rumble with rivals from the Socs, and violence ultimately escalates into death of one of the boys. Because the novel portrays gang violence, this classic YA book about siblings was controversial at the time of its publication in 1967 and is still banned in some schools today.

There’s a lot going on in this book, which is why it continues to resonate with readers today. The main character is a fourteen-year-old boy named Ponyboy; he looks like a James Dean sort with the hair and clothes but with a smart, bookish personality. From a sibling relationship perspective, Ponyboy and his older brother, Darry, have an unusually close bond. Darry is raising Ponyboy because their parents are dead. Ponyboy has another brother, Sodapop, who he shares a physical resemblance. These relationships between the three siblings is an important theme in the novel.

The Outsiders is a must-read, all-time-great in a list of YA books with teen boys as protagonists. And if you’re interested in other challenged and banned books like this one, check out my post on The Best Banned YA Books and Why You Should Read Them.

Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

“We used to be pretty good friends, but fourteen-year-old girls are psychotic.” ― Jesse Andrews, quote from Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

I loved this book. It was so comical, which is an odd thing to say about a book about a girl dying from cancer. But it’s true. It’s sad humor in the face of tragedy.

Greg and Earl are weird, unlikely friends and amateur filmmakers who manage to fly below the radar at school and enjoy their private world. Then Greg’s mom makes him reach out to Rachel, a childhood friend who has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs a friend.

Earl turns out to be the more compassionate of the pair, and the two of them set out to make a movie about Rachel. Their brilliant idea fails in execution and is the Worst Film Ever Made.

This wonderful novel is full of crude humor, heart, honesty, and surprises as Greg learns things about his long-time friend Earl, as well as himself, though this journey with the dying girl, Rachel. If you’re looking for YA books with teen boys as protagonists, Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl is definitely a title to add to your reading list.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

“Everybody told me to be a man. Nobody told me how.” ― Laurie Halse Anderson, quote from Twisted

I could totally see Twisted as a teen movie. Tyler has a crush on the high school popular girl, and after a summer of mandatory community service and a growth spurt, he’s suddenly “hot.” A dream come true, right? But Tyler has a lot of family and personal problems that are the reason behind his poor life choices. He was in trouble for a reason.

The plot is complex and nuanced, and there are so many things about this book that I love. Tyler has to figure out how to be a normal guy even though he comes from such a messed up family. I was rooting for him!

If you’ve missed this one, Laurie Halse Anderson has written a powerful YA book with a teen boy as a protagonist. She’s also on my list of Best YA Authors to Binge on Kindle Unlimited.

Fairy Tale by Stephen King

“A brave man helps. A coward just gives presents.” ― Stephen King, quote from Fairy Tale

You probably don’t think about Fairy Tale as Young Adult, but it’s about a boy and a dog on a journey in a magical realm. How much more Young Adult can you be, right?

In fact, Fairy Tale is Stephen King at his very best. This novel is multi-layered, with 3 distinct stories wrapped into a long, cascading, wonderful, and satisfying read.

The first story is how Charlie Reade meets Mr. Bowditch and his dog Radar in the first place. Settle in. There's a mystery here, and there's something supernatural, of course, because it's Stephen King.

That story leads Charlie on an epic journey with Radar to the center of another world, and this story is full of unique characters, dazzling details, and conflict in its own right. No sooner does this part of the story reach its conclusion than a new one begins, where Charlie is taken prisoner and is realized as the Prince That Was Promised, who has come to save the decaying kingdom.

Now the third story takes off, and there are monsters, giants, gladiator games, and all sorts of villains to be slain. There are princesses to be restored to kingdoms. There is a giant cricket king. It is a fairy tale, after all, as only Stephen King can tell.

I loved this book. At times, it reminded me of The Talisman, The Gunslinger, and The Stand for different reasons. It had this beautiful, epic quality. I didn't want it to, but of course, every fairy tale must.

Most importantly for this list, it is an outstanding novel with a teen boy as a protagonist—and a very fine book at that!

In fact, Stephen King writes amazing contemporary fiction with teen boys as protagonists. The Body comes to mind. The characters in Christine are also teen boys.

Other YA Books with Teen Boys as Protagonists

If you are looking for other YA books with teen boys as protagonists, check out the YA Male Protagonists, YA Books Boys Will Love, and Best YA Books for YA Men lists on Goodreads. You might also be interested in my post, Other Good Reads, which has a comprehensive list of reviews of YA books.

Do you have any personal favorites to recommend to me? I’m always looking for another great read in this category.

Khristina Chess is the award-winning author of several YA novels about troubled teens turning corners. You can find her on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter as an active daily contributor in the #5amwritersclub.