10 Books by Young Authors That Show Students Their Voices Matter
As English teachers, we spend so much of our time reminding students that their writing has power — that their words matter, even if they don’t yet feel “grown up.” Still, many teenagers hold onto the belief that they’re “too young” to write something meaningful, that great books are always written later in life. They imagine the authors they study as distant figures, often forgetting that some of the most powerful voices in literature and history were, in fact, very close to their own age.
One of the most effective ways to challenge this mindset is to share stories created by young people themselves. These aren’t just practice attempts or scraps of early work tucked away in drawers. They are full books, diaries, memoirs, and speeches that shook readers, inspired movements, and in some cases, changed the course of history. From Anne Frank’s diary, written in hiding as a teenager, to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, drafted at eighteen, young authors have consistently proven that creativity and courage are not bound by age.
These texts remind us, and our students, that age isn’t a barrier to voice, imagination, or impact. Whether through personal diaries that became historical testimony, fiery speeches that sparked activism, or novels that redefined entire genres, these young writers demonstrate that powerful writing begins the moment you dare to put pen to paper.
In the list below, you’ll find ten remarkable books written by young authors. For each, I’ve included details about the writer, the context in which the work was created, what it can teach our students today, and how we might use it in the classroom to spark their own voices.
Anne Frank – The Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank was just 13 years old when she began keeping her diary while in hiding during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. What started as a private record of daily life — the arguments, fears, and fleeting joys of a teenager confined with her family — has since become one of the most widely read and enduring works of the twentieth century. Her words are not polished essays written for public consumption, but raw and honest reflections from a girl who was trying to make sense of her world.
What it teaches students: Anne’s diary shows that ordinary thoughts can carry extraordinary weight, and that even the act of writing about your own life can preserve a voice that history tried to silence.
How to use it in the classroom: Use selected passages as mentor texts when asking students to write diary entries or reflective journals. Encourage them to think about how writing can become both a personal outlet and a historical document.
Mary Shelley – Frankenstein
Mary Shelley was only 18 when she conceived the idea for Frankenstein during a ghost-story challenge at Lake Geneva. What began as a dare turned into a groundbreaking novel that is often credited with launching science fiction. Shelley’s book is not just a Gothic tale of horror; it asks profound questions about creation, responsibility, and the boundaries of human ambition — questions still relevant two centuries later.
What it teaches students: Shelley proves that imagination has no age limit. A teenager’s story can redefine entire genres and set the course for literary history.
How to use it in the classroom: Pair excerpts from Frankenstein with creative writing prompts where students invent their own modern monsters or ethical dilemmas. This shows them how fiction can grapple with real-world questions.
Malala Yousafzai – I Am Malala
At 16, Malala Yousafzai published her memoir, recounting her life in Pakistan, her fight for girls’ education, and the day she survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban. Her story is one of courage, persistence, and the refusal to be silenced. In her own words, Malala demonstrates how speaking up can change not just a community but the entire world.
What it teaches students: Malala’s story shows that young voices are powerful enough to challenge entire systems. Courage and conviction, when paired with writing and storytelling, can spark global change.
How to use it in the classroom: Use excerpts from her memoir as models for persuasive or autobiographical writing. Ask students to write their own “I am…” pieces, where they reflect on a cause or belief that matters deeply to them.
Greta Thunberg – No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference
Greta Thunberg was only 15 when she began striking outside the Swedish Parliament, and within a few years her speeches were echoing around the globe. No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference collects those speeches, written and delivered by a teenager with extraordinary clarity and conviction.
What it teaches students: Words can mobilise movements. Greta proves that you don’t have to be an expert or an adult to influence policy or inspire millions. What matters is the ability to communicate with passion and persistence.
How to use it in the classroom: Use her speeches as examples of rhetoric and persuasive writing. Analyse her use of repetition, tone, and appeals to urgency. Challenge students to write their own short speeches on issues they care about.
S.E. Hinton – The Outsiders
Susan Eloise Hinton wrote The Outsiders at just 16, frustrated by the lack of honest stories about teenagers she could relate to. Published when she was 18, the book became an instant success and remains a classroom staple decades later. It captures the struggles of adolescence, identity, and class conflict with authenticity because it was written by someone living through it.
What it teaches students: Their own experiences matter. Teenagers don’t need to mimic adult voices; their authentic perspectives are powerful in themselves.
How to use it in the classroom: Encourage students to write short stories or vignettes about their own communities, friendships, and struggles. Pair excerpts from The Outsiders with student writing to highlight the importance of honesty and voice.
Christopher Paolini – Eragon
Christopher Paolini began writing Eragon at 15, inspired by his love of fantasy. By 19, the book had been published and quickly grew into a bestselling series. What started as a teenager’s passion project became a global phenomenon, with millions of copies sold and a devoted fanbase.
What it teaches students: Dedication and persistence matter. Paolini’s work shows that young writers can build entire worlds if they commit to their craft.
How to use it in the classroom: Use passages from Eragon to explore world-building in creative writing. Have students design their own fantasy settings, complete with maps, cultures, and rules of magic.
Zlata Filipović – Zlata’s Diary
Zlata Filipović was 11 when she began documenting her life in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war. Like Anne Frank before her, she wrote with honesty about her fears, friendships, and the impact of war on her childhood. Published when she was still a teenager, Zlata’s Diary became an international bestseller.
What it teaches students: Even the youngest voices can shed light on the darkest experiences. Writing can be both survival and testimony.
How to use it in the classroom: Compare Zlata’s diary with Anne Frank’s to discuss similarities and differences in perspective. Ask students to consider how personal writing becomes a lens into history.
Beth Reekles – The Kissing Booth
Beth Reekles started posting her romance story on Wattpad when she was 15. It gained millions of reads, landed a publishing deal, and later became a Netflix film trilogy. While lighter in tone than many of the other works on this list, her story proves the reach of teenage voices in today’s digital world.
What it teaches students: Youth writing belongs in every genre — from Gothic horror to fantasy to contemporary romance. Teenagers don’t need to wait for permission to share their stories.
How to use it in the classroom: Use her story as an example when talking about digital publishing. Challenge students to imagine where their own stories could live — on blogs, platforms, or even self-published collections.
Anne Brontë – Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell
At 19, Anne Brontë published her first poetry collection alongside her sisters Charlotte and Emily. Though initially overlooked, her work later became recognised for its depth and originality. Her early start in publishing helped pave the way for the novels that would later secure her place in literary history.
What it teaches students: Collaboration and persistence are powerful. Working together and supporting each other’s voices can elevate young writers and help them grow.
How to use it in the classroom: Pair Anne’s poetry with student workshops where groups produce a collective anthology. Emphasise how collaboration can strengthen individual voices.
Daisy Ashford – The Young Visiters
Daisy Ashford wrote The Young Visiters at the age of 9. Published years later without editorial changes, the novel is charming, funny, and full of unintentional satire. While not a polished literary masterpiece, it has remained in print for over a century because it captures the pure imagination of a child.
What it teaches students: Creativity isn’t reserved for adults. Even childhood stories have value, humour, and insight.
How to use it in the classroom: Share short extracts to show how unpolished, unselfconscious writing can still resonate. Use it as a springboard to free students from the pressure of perfection and encourage playful drafting.
Final Thoughts
When we hold up these books in the classroom, we do more than teach literature — we teach possibility. Anne Frank’s private diary became one of the most important testimonies of the twentieth century. Mary Shelley redefined a genre before she turned twenty. Malala and Greta proved that teenage words could echo on the world stage. Hinton, Paolini, and Reekles remind us that imagination at sixteen can turn into stories read by millions. Even Daisy Ashford’s childhood scribbles and Anne Brontë’s youthful poetry show that early creativity deserves to be taken seriously.
For students, these examples break down a myth: that their writing is “practice” for some future moment when they are finally old enough to matter. The truth is that their voices already matter — in diaries, in stories, in speeches, in poems, and in every experiment they try with words.
In the classroom, these texts can become more than history or literature. They can become mirrors. Students see that people their age have written with honesty, courage, and imagination — and that those words continue to shape how we understand the world. Whether you use these works to inspire diary entries, speeches, poems, or fiction, the bigger lesson remains the same: writing is powerful at any age.
If we remind our students of that often enough, perhaps they’ll begin to believe it — and more importantly, they’ll begin to write with the confidence that their voices deserve to be heard.
