Summer is here at last! It’s time to enjoy the sunshine, long days at the beach and of course, a great book. Here’s our picks for the top 10 summer book list for teens.

10. The Blood of Flowers

by Anita Amirrezvani

A 14-year-old girl in seventeenth-century Persia has lost her father, and with him, her dowry. Forced to work as a servant in her uncle’s house, she and her mother manage to create a life of beauty and art out of the life they never chose.

9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

by Stephen Chbosky

Part journal, part coming of age novel, Charlie’s letters share the details of his life, and the humorous trials and tribulations of trying to discover who Charlie is now and who he might someday become.

8. The Book of Lost Things

by John Connolly

When David’s mother died, he didn’t know where to turn. When he retreats to his attic bedroom, he is pulled into another world when the books on his shelves begin talking to him.

7. The Kite Runner

by Khaled Hosseini

Amir and Hassan were inseparable friends until a moment of betrayal ripped their connection apart. Years later and a world away, Amir must find a way to repay his childhood companion and redeem himself by returning to Kabul and saving Hassan’s son.

6. The Work of Wolves

by Kent Meyers

When a heartless land owner threatens the life of a group of horses, a horse trainer, a Lakota teenager and a German exchange student must come together to save the abused animals.

5. Nineteen Minutes

by Jodi Picoult

In the aftermath of a shocking school shooting, the residents of a small New Hampshire town seek justice and learn the hard truth about a local teenage boy who had been bullied since kindergarten.

4. Walden

by Henry David Thoreau

First published 1854, Thoreau’s timeless observations on freedom, simplicity, nature and life continue to inspire the idealism in readers of all ages.

3. Digging to America

by Anne Tyler

Two babies arrive from Korea and are adopted into two Baltimore families. Their lives from that moment on are very different, as each family draws their child into American life in a unique way.

2. The Autobiography of Malcolm X

with collaborator Alex Haley

From anger and violence to understanding and spiritual awareness, the journey of Malcolm X is a parallel for the struggle and the experiences of many African Americans in the 1960s. First published 1965, this classic is a must read on any thoughtful summer book list for teens.

1. Inexcusable

by Chris Lynch

How much can the “good guys” excuse? Senior football star Keir Sarafian thinks that his high school hero status means he can justify a tackle that cripples an fellow player, his vandalism of a treasured town landmark, and even rape. A thoughtful novel about personal accountability and our ability to rationalize even the worst behavior.

There’s our top 10 summer book list for teens.  So find a park, a blanket, and grab a good book and escape this weekend.