Here are 7 books that You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This fans have personally recommended if you like You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of The Things They Carried

Anthea T. Piscarik Author Of The Years In Between

From Anthea's 3 favorite reads in 2026.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Anthea's 3 favorite reads in 2026

Anthea T. Piscarik Why Anthea loves this book

Tim O'Brien is a poet with a lyrical, rhythmic sense of language. But he doesn't spare the shock and tragedy of war. He repeats refrains like the best of epic storytellers. What a marvel to be centered through is recounts into the eye of a storm called Vietnam. Highly recommend for its timelessness even though we too quickly forget the soldiers and conflicts that shape and haunt their lives.

By Tim O'Brien ,

Why should I read it?

25 authors picked The Things They Carried as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 14, 15, 16, and 17.

What is this book about?

The million-copy bestseller, which is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

'The Things They Carried' is, on its surface, a sequence of award-winning stories about the madness of the Vietnam War; at the same time it has the cumulative power and unity of a novel, with recurring characters and interwoven strands of plot and theme.

But while Vietnam is central to 'The Things They Carried', it is not simply a book about war. It is also a book about the human heart - about the terrible weight of those things we…


If you love You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This...

Book cover of The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent

The Coldest Winter I Ever Spent by Ann Jacobus,

Finalist for the 2023 California Book Award, and the 2023 Northern California Book Award.

Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place than she was a year and a half ago. She’s sober, getting treatment for her depression and anxiety, and volunteering at a suicide prevention hotline. Her own suicide attempt…

Book cover of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl

jillian tenner

From jillian's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Unknown Author Why jillian loves this book

Epic gender bent and continues bending moment

By Andrea Lawlor ,

Why should I read it?

5 authors picked Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl is quite simply one of the most exciting - and one of the most fun - novels of the decade.' Garth Greenwell

It's 1993 and Paul Polydoris tends bar at the only gay club in a university town thrumming with politics and partying. He studies queer theory, has a lesbian best friend, makes zines, and is a flaneur with a rich dating life. But Paul's also got a secret: he's a shapeshifter. Oscillating wildly from Riot Grrrl to leather cub, Women's Studies major to trade, Paul transforms his body at will in…


Book cover of Swallows and Amazons

William DeForest Halsted IV Author Of Private Owens

From my list on kids manage their adult free world.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in kids running their own world largely free of adult intervention probably began with reading Swallows and Amazons and carried on into writing my own book. I love how the kids become important, standing figures, taking on the role of adults while still being kids. It offers the kids an opportunity to take leading roles in their society while also becoming a vehicle by which to potentially explore the true nature of young people. There aren’t very many books that actually do this, and some of them are fairly obscure.

William's book list on kids manage their adult free world

William DeForest Halsted IV Why William loves this book

I read the entire series growing up, starting with this one, and to this day, I consider it the best book ever written. The story was so realistic yet exciting and had a wholesome family dynamic. It sparked an enthusiasm towards sailboats among me and my siblings.

The kids, leaving their parents behind to camp on an island, sailing across the lake, fighting mock wars—it was thrilling, and everything worked and made sense. The characters are distinctive and memorable, and all important to the story. Ransome is a genius, and every now and then, I return to this book and revel in my imagination once again.

By Arthur Ransome ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Swallows and Amazons as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, and 11.

What is this book about?

The ultimate children's classic - long summer days filled with adventure.

John, Susan, Titty and Roger sail their boat, Swallow, to a deserted island for a summer camping trip. Exploring and playing sailors is an adventure in itself but the island holds more excitement in store. Two fierce Amazon pirates, Nancy and Peggy, challenge them to war and a summer of battles and alliances ensues.

'My childhood simply would not have been the same without this book. It created a whole world to explore, one that lasted long in the imagination after the final page had been read' - Marcus…


If you love Aaron Starmer...

Book cover of The Time-Jinx Twins

The Time-Jinx Twins by Carol Fisher Saller,

Twelve-year-old identical twins Ellie and Kat accidentally trigger their physicist mom’s unfinished time machine, launching themselves into a high-stakes adventure in 1970 Chicago. If they learn how to join forces and keep time travel out of the wrong hands, they might be able find a way home. Ellie’s gymnastics and…

Book cover of Gone

William DeForest Halsted IV Author Of Private Owens

From my list on kids manage their adult free world.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in kids running their own world largely free of adult intervention probably began with reading Swallows and Amazons and carried on into writing my own book. I love how the kids become important, standing figures, taking on the role of adults while still being kids. It offers the kids an opportunity to take leading roles in their society while also becoming a vehicle by which to potentially explore the true nature of young people. There aren’t very many books that actually do this, and some of them are fairly obscure.

William's book list on kids manage their adult free world

William DeForest Halsted IV Why William loves this book

This was a truly unputdownable story. The science fiction concept was interesting in itself, especially watching the characters try to figure it out, but the suspense was strong. The plot had a lot going on, but it was well done and worked pretty well.

I really got to know the characters and particularly enjoyed the well-done romance between Sam and Astrid. It’s a very character-driven story, including the conflict between tyranny and freedom.

By Michael Grant ,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Gone as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 12, 13, 14, and 15.

What is this book about?

Welcome to the FAYZ! The first book in the bestselling cult YA thriller series GONE that Stephen King calls a 'driving, torrential narrative'.

In the blink of an eye all the adults disappear in a small town in southern California and no one knows why.

Cut off from the outside world, those that are left are trapped, and there's no help on the way. Sam Temple and his friends must do all they can to survive. Chaos rules the streets. Gangs begin to form. Sides are chosen - strong or weak. Cruel or humane.

And then there…


Book cover of The Innocent

William DeForest Halsted IV Author Of Private Owens

From my list on kids manage their adult free world.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in kids running their own world largely free of adult intervention probably began with reading Swallows and Amazons and carried on into writing my own book. I love how the kids become important, standing figures, taking on the role of adults while still being kids. It offers the kids an opportunity to take leading roles in their society while also becoming a vehicle by which to potentially explore the true nature of young people. There aren’t very many books that actually do this, and some of them are fairly obscure.

William's book list on kids manage their adult free world

William DeForest Halsted IV Why William loves this book

This book is short but to-the-point and extremely entertaining. One of its best qualities is how much sense it actually made, how the author thought through what would happen if a bunch of preteens were abandoned on a planet with only a computer to aide them. These are some shrewd kids, making sensible decisions—like lowering the marriage age to thirteen, which is honestly hilarious.

The author really handled his wonderful characters very well, capturing the reality of life and human beings without resorting to cliché cop-outs. I was pleasantly surprised by how good this book turned out to be.

By John Peel ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Innocent as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

School's out on the planet Tarshish...forever.

Humans have established a thriving colony on the planet Tarshish, until a native species of semi-insectoids awakens from a long incubation and attacks the colony. Only the children survive--and a computer.

The computer teaches the children how to form their own community. A community without adults and without boring adult rules and stupid adult regulations. On Tarshish, kids rule! Until the day a rescue ship arrives to bring them back.

But the kids don't want to be rescued. They like being in charge. In fact, they might go to war to prove it!


Book cover of The Only Ones

William DeForest Halsted IV Author Of Private Owens

From my list on kids manage their adult free world.

Why am I passionate about this?

My interest in kids running their own world largely free of adult intervention probably began with reading Swallows and Amazons and carried on into writing my own book. I love how the kids become important, standing figures, taking on the role of adults while still being kids. It offers the kids an opportunity to take leading roles in their society while also becoming a vehicle by which to potentially explore the true nature of young people. There aren’t very many books that actually do this, and some of them are fairly obscure.

William's book list on kids manage their adult free world

William DeForest Halsted IV Why William loves this book

This book was an amazing, mysterious read that sucked me back, not for suspense, but to know why—information withheld until the very end of the story, and even though the end of the book is not the end of the story, and even though I still have questions, the ending is immensely satisfying.

I’ve always been fascinated by time travel and time loops, which I find inherently broken. They would never work. But this author managed to intricately create something that actually made sense, something in which I could find no holes. One of my favorite parts was how Felix rebuilt the Internet using wood blocks and strings.

There’s also a profundity to it as well. The story seems to ponder the ideas of fate, destiny, and predestination and ultimately concludes—what does it matter? Just do what you should do. Utterly brilliant story.

By Aaron Starmer ,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Only Ones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.

What is this book about?

"Call it coincidence, call it fate. This is the place you come. There's no one else. This is the entire world."

These words welcome Martin Maple to the village of Xibalba. Like the other children who've journeyed there, he faces an awful truth.

He was forgotten.

When families and friends all disappeared one afternoon, these were the only ones left behind.

There's Darla, who drives a monster truck, Felix, who uses string and wood to rebuild the Internet, Lane, who crafts elaborate contraptions, and nearly 40 others, each equally brilliant and peculiar.

Inspired by the prophesies of a mysterious boy…


If you love You Are Now Old Enough to Hear This...

Book cover of Sonnets and Serpents

Sonnets and Serpents by Elizabeth Lowham,

A cynical shapeshifter. A hopeful princess. A love they never saw coming.

Far from home, Princess Eliza searches for her shipwrecked love and is waylaid by Silas, a grumpy university student who's been hired by her sister to return her to the castle. Eliza and Silas are opposites in every…

Book cover of Supernova Era

William DeForest Halsted IV Author Of Private Owens

From William's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

William's 3 favorite reads in 2024

William DeForest Halsted IV Why William loves this book

This was a fabulous a story that was super interesting. It read kinda like a history text/novel, something in between, an effect I really loved. The story was well-developed, with scientific and technical detail and specific stories used appropriately to develop the story, along with broader overviews. The characters were all interesting. The plots, schemes, and machinations are really good. The battles ranged from thrilling to very depressing.

Overall I thought the book was very realistic and made a lot of sense. The author thought through what would happen in an adultless world. I like how he captured that while kids are often seen as innocent and virtuous, take the adults away and they have not yet learned to appreciate the value of life, etc. It really gives you a lot of food for thought about human nature and especially children.

My main criticism of the book is…

By Cixin Liu , Joel Martinsen (translator) ,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Supernova Era as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Like Ursula K. Le Guin rewriting The Lord of the Flies for the quantum age' NPR
'Cixin Liu is the author of your next favourite sci-fi novel' WIRED
Eight years ago and eight light years away, a supermassive star died.

Tonight, a supernova tsunami of high energy will finally reach Earth. Dark skies will shine bright as a new star blooms in the heavens and within a year everyone over the age of thirteen will be dead, their chromosomes irreversibly damaged.

And so the countdown begins.

Parents apprentice their children and try to pass on the knowledge they'll need to…


Book cover of The Things They Carried
Book cover of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
Book cover of Swallows and Amazons

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