What are Young Adult books?

Young Adult literature consists of books usually targeted at an audience between the ages of 12 and 20. Although the books target this age group, Young Adult fiction is mostly consumed by adult readers. According to a recent research report commissioned by HarperCollins, 74% of Young Adult readers were adults, and 28% were over 28. (Source: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/30/more-than-a-quarter-of-readers-of-ya-are-over-the-age-of-28-research-shows )

You must be familiar with the term “coming-of-age”. Well, that is one way to refer to the young adult genre. However, young adult fiction has now embraced a lot more themes than just transitioning from a child to an adult. It includes dealing with family dynamics, relationships with friends, physical changes like body image issues, gender and sexual identification, investigative detective fiction, murder mysteries, and of course, crushes, first love and heartbreaks. Despite being aimed at adolescent readers, the authors of young adult fiction usually treat the readers as adults by incorporating themes and messages that are quite common in adult life as well. Since YA novels mostly deal with challenges faced by teens and almost-adults, the protagonists or main characters are usually in the age bracket of teenagers.

In terms of writing, the tone, voice of the characters, and narrative style and structure are quite evolved from middle-grade or children’s fiction and are quite similar to adult fiction novels.

However, in Indian publishing, the Young Adult category is smushed with Children’s fiction and is not regarded as separate as in the western parts of the world. This results in the obscurity of these novels which end up in the wrong audience bracket and never reaches the majority of the readers who actually read Young Adult fiction.

Therefore, we made it easier for you by curating a list of Young Adult novels by Indian authors:

1. A Drop of Venom by Sajni Patel
   
   Medusa myth meets Indian mythology. Yes, you read that right. A sixteen-year-old priestess and a seventeen-year-old monster slayer have their fates entangled in an epic fantasy world full of floating temples and monstrous beasts. While they navigate through the perils of their Kingdom, the author’s lush prose and nail-biting suspense keep the readers on edge. Another mytho-fantasy novel by the author where the myth of Persephone is blended with Indian lore, “A Touch of Blood”, is upcoming in 2025.

2. A Time to Dance by Padma Venkatraman
   
   A novel in verse about a young classical dance prodigy named Veda whose dreams are shattered when an accident results in an amputation below the knees. Although bound to prosthetic legs, Veda doesn’t let her disability rain down on her life and dreams. She meets a young man named Govinda who treats dance as a spiritual practice. A relationship develops between them that helps Veda to reconnect with the world around her and within her. The author has many other books under her umbrella for the YA audience such as “Climbing the Stairs”.

3. Asmara’s Summer by Andaleeb Wajid
   
   A sweet summer romance story about a seventeen-year-old Asmara who is the perfect image of pretty and popular. But what happens when she is forced to live with her grandparents for the summer in a locality known for its lower-middle-class population? This is a story that deals with the age-old question of “Who exactly are you” and compels not only the protagonist but also the readers to rummage through their well-crafted identities. Also adapted into an OTT series on Prime Video earlier this year, Dil Dosti Dilemma, Asmara’s Summer is a story that helps one reconnect with their innermost selves and transition into a more evolved form. Do you notice the coming-of-age theme here? If you want to read more YA books by the same author, we recommend “Mirror, Mirror” and “What She Sent Away” as well.

4. Daddy Come Lately by Rupa Gulab
   
   Priya, a teenager, lives with her mother and believes that her father had died before she was born. But the world comes crashing down on her when her father shows up one day and wants to get to know her. Not only shaken by the sudden appearance of her father, Priya is annoyed with her mother for hiding the fact. Her life gets more and more difficult to deal with as her father tries to involve himself in their lives and even gets popular with her friends. Considered one of the best teen books by an Indian author, we believe it is perfect for the young adult reader. There’s another book by the author that will cater to the YA audience, “Hot Chocolate is Thicker than Blood”. Interesting title, right?

5. Faces in the Water by Rajit Lal
   
   This is the story of fifteen-year-old Gurmi and the magical well in their family’s farmhouse. However, this is not just a story about magic and mischief, it deals with powerful and sensitive themes such as female infanticide and the age-old hunger for male children in Indian society. What happens when Gurmi finds out the deep dark secrets of his family at the bottom of the magical well? We say, let’s pick up the book to find out.

6. Girl Made of Gold by Geetanjali Kolanad
   
   In a village called Thanjavur, in the 1920s, the disappearance of Kanaka, soon-to-be sixteen devadasi causes an uproar among the people. However, the sudden appearance of a gold statue in the temple makes the people wonder if the young devadasi has become one with the lord. With a thrilling mystery at the heart of the story, the author traverses through the lanes of desire, art, and the pursuit of freedom and love. If you’re interested in historical fiction, especially the ones to do with the rich history of courtesans and their deep relationship with art and performance, then this is a perfect pick for you.

7. How to Steal a Ghost @ Manipal by Shweta Taneja
   
   This is a paranormal mystery book about seventeen-year-old Twinkle Kashyap who’s a first-year student of Mechtronics at the beautiful Manipal University. As she faces the challenges of being a university student and trying to win the heart of her college senior, Rohit Dandi, she ends up getting entangled in the clutches of mysterious murders and ghost-hunting escapades. Full of fun, romance, and ghosts, it is surely an adventurous young adult novel by an Indian author.

8. No Guns at My Son’s Funeral by Paro Anand
   
   As the title already hints, this is a heart-wrenching story about a teenage boy named Aftab living with his family in Kashmir infested with hidden terrorist groups. Without any warning, the story dives into the life of this young boy who sneaks out often to visit the hideouts of this group and worship the leader of this terrorist group, Akram. While dealing with struggles in family and notions of peace, the book sheds light on the dark facets of the reality which many young people are regularly living with, in several communities of Kashmir.

9. Queen of Ice by Devika Rangachari
   
   Regarded as the author’s finest novel yet, Queen of Ice, is a historical fiction novel for young adult readers about a young princess who is married off to the decadent ruler of the tenth century Kashmira. Didda, the princess of Lohara, is considered beautiful, intelligent, and the subject of a prophecy. With a unique blend of fact and fiction, the author writes a compelling story about the struggles of Didda, the first real queen of Kashmira.

10. Saira Zariwala is Afraid by Shabnam Minwalla
    
    What if the phone you just got belonged to someone else before you? That’s what happens to young Saira who is super excited to get her own phone but soon finds it really annoying when all the messages received are for someone called Akaash. With her friends, Saira turns into detective mode, and they attempt to solve the mystery of a boy named Akaash who disappeared and even his family cannot find him. However, the light-hearted mystery curdles into a dark story soon enough. This is one thoroughly enjoyable thriller mystery that you should not miss out on.

11. Slightly Burnt by Payal Dhar
    
    A contemporary young adult novel dealing with teenagers and their problems that never seem to leave them alone. This is the story of sixteen-year-old Komal and how she deals with the secret her best friend Sahil has been hiding till now. Meanwhile, her brother also gets involved in the mess and it all becomes quite difficult to deal with for Komal for whom, friendships are shifting and she finds herself on completely strange grounds.

12. Someone Like You by Nikita Singh and Durjoy Dutta
    
    You must already know what happens when Indian kids enter college, right? Yes yes, college sports, new friendships, blooming crushes, and whatnot. This is a contemporary young adult fiction about the nerdy Niharika who has just started college and is soon going to fall face-first in the swamps of love and betrayal. Written by two very popular Indian authors of YA fiction in India, this is a story where you get to see the best of both of them.

13. Son of Bhrigu by Christopher C. Doyle
    
    You must have already heard of this author churning out amazing books in the series of “The Mahabharata Quest”. “Son of Bhrigu”, the first book in a new series called “The Pataala Prophecy”, tells the story of two fifteen-year-olds, Arjun and Maya, who live in Delhi but get catapulted into a terrific adventure when their history teacher is brutally and mysteriously murdered. The book has weaved in a lot of concepts from Hindu mythology and the author has once again created a mind-blowing, page-turning quest-like story that one will have a lot of fun reading.

14. Talking of Muskaan by Himanjali Sankar
    
    One of the first books under YA fiction in India that deals with topics such as homosexuality, bullying, and mental health in high school. When Muskaan’s friends are called in at the Principal’s office and told that Muskaan is fighting for her life in the hospital, how do you think they take the news? This book is about these friends who are talking about Muskaan who had to make a decision which completely changes her life. The story unravels the incidents that might have led to Muskaan’s suicide attempt but it is quite a sensitive story that is a must-read for all teenagers as well as their parents.

15. The House That Spoke by Zuni Chopra
    
    Imagine living in a house where every item is magical. Yes, like the Beauty and the Beast palace! A house so old but ripe with magic where everything speaks to fourteen-year-old Zoon Razdan. This is quite a compelling read for young adult audiences as Zoon discovers dark secrets about her house and at the same time tries her best to stop her mother from selling it. Considering that it is set in Kashmir, the protagonist also deals with the horrors of terrorism and the constant skirmishes out on the streets. However, the fairytale-esque atmosphere of the book and its evocative prose will take the reader into the magical as well as real versions of Kashmir.

16. The Leaving of Things by Jay Antani
    
    There are already a lot of changes that happen during a teenager’s life. Add another to Vikram’s life here in this book. When a drunken weekend leads to Vikram and his parents moving back to India permanently, his life changes overnight. But while on his journey to self-discovery, Vikram finds his creativity through an old camera and also deals with the sudden loneliness that eats you up when moving to a new place.

17. The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana
    
    When Princess Amrita offers herself as the bride to Emperor Sikander of Shalingar to save her people, she doesn’t realise what fate has in store for her. Getting trapped in the palace all alone except for an oracle named Thala, both are forced to rely on each other so that they can escape and venture on a quest to reach the Library of All Things. Another young adult fantasy fiction full of quests, adventurous journeys, and fates that can be changed in libraries, this book is quite a fit for young adult readers with a taste for the unknown.

18. The Midnight Years by Jane De Suza and Sangita Unni
    
    It is a common misconception that teenagers in high school don’t have much to worry about (they’re still kids!). But if that’s what you think, go back to your own teenage years. Even better, pick this book up for a weekend read, and find out all the stuff that fifteen to seventeen-year-olds go through during high school while also dealing with drama at home. Starting from unrealistic expectations from parents to peer pressure, everything is dialled a notch higher than it should be. This novel is about four young high school students who seem to be in the same school setting but come from different backgrounds with their own set of challenges to deal with. At the end of the book, there’s a space with common teen problems that might have come up while reading the book and it offers an insight into the issues that might help the teens feel like they’re not alone.

19. The Room on the Roof by Ruskin Bond
    
    The old favourite is here again! This is a classic tale of coming-of-age that deals with the yearning to figure things out on their own during the transition age from teenage to adulthood. Ruskin Bond’s most heartwarming tale of Rusty and his passion and hopes takes him on a journey to self-discovery. This book feels like a comfort blanket, so read it if you haven’t already.

20. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
    
    One of the most popular young adult romances in the last few years, When Dimple Met Rishi is about two eighteen-year-olds who are the very definitions of opposites. Dimple is the girl who has it all figured out. But when she meets the hopelessly romantic guy at a summer program, their world crashes. While the book deals with ambition, love, and all things that eat the brains of Indian teenagers, it is also a very sweet and funny read that will make you laugh at odd moments. The popular Netflix show, Mismatched, is inspired by this book. Sandhya Menon has written more books for the YA audience such as “From Twinkle, With Love” and “There’s Something About Sweetie”.

Once you start looking for young adult books written by Indian authors, there’s no end to it. More and more authors from India are finding their footing to write about the challenges that have started to get more complicated with social media and the world online in the lives of teenagers or should we say, young adults. As we mentioned earlier, these books might be targeted for a young adult audience, the themes that encompass these books can be pretty good reads for an adult reader as well.

Tell us about your favourite young adult books by Indian authors!