Adult-friendly YA books

Think Young Adult (YA) books are just for kids? Think again. Sure, plenty of these books are written on a level that would test your patience, but there are just as many that’ll capture your attention faster than you can say Harry Potter. Don’t believe me? Check out the first line of these outstanding YA books and, much like the old potato chip slogan, I bet you can’t read just one.

“In the summer of 1838, in his rented rooms on Great Marlborough Street, London, Charles Darwin drew a line down the middle of a piece of scrap paper.” Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman

“The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World.” Going Bovine by Libba Bray

“In these dungeons the darkness was complete, but Katsa had a map in her mind.” Graceling by Kristin Cashore

“When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.” The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

“It was a burnished, cloudless day with a tug-of-war wind, a fine day for flying.” The Lost Conspiracy by Frances Hardinge

“The women resemble schoolgirls with gangly limbs, ruddy cheeks, plaited flaxen hair; they walk holding hands.” Madapple by Christina Meldrum

“The nose of the seat bit into my shoulder as the toe clip scraped the back of my thigh.” Shift by Jennifer Bradbury

“The match snapped, then sizzled, and I woke up fast.” What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Would you ever read a YA book (and admit to it?)