Many students can often fondly look back on novels that they felt shaped their childhood and may have pushed them towards being the person they are today.

Young adult and teen novels are a certain class of stories that are well-loved by the readers of this generation, mixed in with other genres such as fantasy, paranormal and realistic fiction. Readers of these can call forth memories of intense battles, or timid first interactions between love interests.

Recently, students were surveyed on popular teen and young adult novels they may have read, and just why they may or may not have been influential.

8. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare
“City of Bones is about a fifteen-year old girl named Clary Fray, whose search for her missing mother leads her into an alternate New York called Downworld, filled with mysterious faeries, hard-partying warlocks, not-what-they-seem vampires, an army of werewolves, and the demons who want to destroy it all. She also finds herself torn between two boys — her best friend, Simon, for whom she’s developing new feelings, and the mysterious demon hunter, Jace. She becomes a part of the secret world of the demon hunters, or Nephilim, and as she does she discovers that rescuing her mother might mean putting their whole world in jeopardy.” – cassandraclare.com
11.1% of those surveyed read The Mortal Instruments. It’s final score was 3.9/5.

7. Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
“Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.” –stephaniemeyer.com
23.5% of those surveyed read Twilight. It’s final score was 3/5.

6. Series Of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snickett
“Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky.
In the first two books alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, a lumpy bed, a deadly serpent, a large brass reading lamp, a long knife, and a terrible odor.
In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted. Never before has a tale of three likeable and unfortunate children been quite so enchanting, or quite so uproariously unhappy.” –lemonysnicket.com
25.9% of those surveyed read The Series of Unfortunate Events. It’s final score was 3.7/5

5. Maze Runner by James Dashner
“Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out—and no one’s ever made it through alive.
Everything is going to change.
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.” –jamesdashner.com
39.5% of those surveyed read the Maze Runner series. It’s final score was 4/5.

“The book I liked the best was Maze Runner,” Senior Delaney Hageman said, “because it’s a powerful book that can keep you on the edge of your seat. It’s a fast paced mystery book full of adventure.”

4. Divergent by Veronica Roth
“In Beatrice Prior’s dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can’t have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she’s chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she’s kept hidden from everyone because she’s been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.” –veronicarothbooks.com
43.2% of those surveyed read Divergent. It’s final score was 3.9/5

“Divergent was my favorite book series in the survey,” Junior Katherine Phillips said,” because it was interesting to see how people could be so divided over personality traits that many possess multiple of.”

3. Percy Jackson by Rick Riordan
“Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson is on the most dangerous quest of his life. With the help of a satyr and a daughter of Athena, Percy must journey across the United States to catch a thief who has stolen the original weapon of mass destruction — Zeus’ master bolt. Along the way, he must face a host of mythological enemies determined to stop him. Most of all, he must come to terms with a father he has never known, and an Oracle that has warned him of betrayal by a friend.” –rickriordan.com
45.7% of those surveyed read Percy Jackson. It’s final score was 4.5/5

“I liked Percy Jackson the most,” Senior Sarah Boughner said, “because of the fantasy elements and Rick Riordan’s unique writing style.”

2. Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
“When mysterious letters start arriving on his doorstep, Harry Potter has never heard of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
They are swiftly confiscated by his aunt and uncle.
Then, on Harry’s eleventh birthday, a strange man bursts in with some important news: Harry Potter is a wizard and has been awarded a place to study at Hogwarts.
And so the first of the Harry Potter adventures is set to begin.” –jkrowling.com
48.1% of those surveyed read Harry Potter. It’s final score was 4.1/5.

“Harry Potter was really cool,” Sophomore Oliver Gamez said,” because it strongly influenced pop culture worldwide.”

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
“Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be North America. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, “The Hunger Games.” The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When her sister is chosen by lottery, Katniss steps up to go in her place.” –suzannecollinsbooks.com
59.3% of those surveyed read the Hunger Games. It’s final score was 4.03/5