The Best Clean Book List for Young Teen Girls To Read
Are you looking for clean books to give your high school girl to read? Finding quality books that will challenge her mind without corrupting her morals can be tricky in the teenage years. These excellent books will capture your teen’s interest and inspire her to live a life of integrity.
In compiling this list of the best books for teenage girls, I specifically looked for books that emphasize themes like loyalty, perseverance, truth, friendship, courage, honesty, prudence, and industry.
While I cannot vouch for every minute detail, these books generally have little or no foul language, crude jokes, or indecent scenes. I like that the characters model wholesome romance that lends to marriage and family rather than passionate love stories.
Since we become very much like the books we read, choosing good books for teen girls is so important!
Clean Book List for Teen Girls
My teenage girls helped me come up with this book list, so these are mother-and-daughter approved!
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Heidi by Johanna Spyri
In this classic children’s novel, young readers are introduced to a little girl named Heidi. Young Heidi is taken care of by Dete until her mistress takes her up the mountainside to live with her uncle, who has not been seen by anyone for ages. Her uncle seems harsh, but Heidi finds that he is only lonely, and her good spirit makes the uncle warm up to her. But soon Dete returns, and immediately withdraws Heidi from her grandfather, taking her to a rich house in town where she is to live. Despite having all the food she could eat, and making a friend named Clara, she is unhappy and misses her lonely old uncle.
- Hardcover Book
- Spyri, Johanna (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 336 Pages – 08/28/2014 (Publication Date) – Puffin Books (Publisher)
Kidnapped By River Rats by Dave and Neta Jackson
A brother and sister are alone in London, searching for their uncle. They have to survive somehow, and Jack takes up a job he knows is not right, but it pays him enough to buy bread for himself and his sister. But upon returning one day, he finds that she has been kidnapped. A good book for young readers!
- Jackson, Dave (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 112 Pages – 06/18/2016 (Publication Date) – Castle Rock Creative, Incorporated (Publisher)
Little House on the Prairie Book Series by Laura Ingles Wilder
These stories are my favorite books of all time! They are an easy read for young children as well. Based on Laura Ingles Wilder’s account of growing up across the prairie, the big woods, and Plum Creek, they narrate the memories her family created as they lived a happy life off of their hard-working endeavors.
- A good set of books for a reader. Not for collector. Therefore the price is less than the rest, and has the box cover.
- Laura Ingalls Wilder (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 2784 Pages – 05/30/1994 (Publication Date) – Harper Trophy (Publisher)
Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter
(My girls like the Great Illustrated Classics abridged version.) A girl named Pollyanna, who has a vivid imagination is adopted by her rich aunt and traverses through many adventures including meeting a strange and melancholy man who Pollyanna soon befriends, along with her rich aunt.
- H. Porter, Eleanor (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 01/01/2008 (Publication Date) – Waldman Publishing Corp. (Publisher)
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare
This historical fiction novel is about a young lady named Miriam Willard, who was captured by Indians in the 1750s and sold to a rich French lady. Her mistress has Miriam fulfill her love of sewing by making beautiful dresses for her lady. She is torn between her true love and a new man of wealth and prosperity, who could hold a wonderful future for her.
- Speare, Elizabeth George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 288 Pages – 10/29/2001 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
This is an incredible story of a young woman whose big life suddenly caves in when her father dies and she is moved from the Philippines to Connecticut. She is different from the well-formed Puritans, and when she befriends a supposed “witch”, trouble begins for her from the community she has been trying to fit into.
- Speare, Elizabeth George (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages – 01/10/2011 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
A proper young girl named Charlotte, just out of the rigor of finishing school, boards a ship for home alone and finds that the captain of the vessel she is boarding is well-known and well-feared. As the voyage goes on, mysterious things happen among the sailors, including a stowaway starting a mutiny against the captain, avenging himself for what the captain brutally did to him in the past. The main character ends up helping the sailors and finds herself involved in their fight to overthrow the evil captain.
- Avi (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 09/01/2012 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Paperbacks (Publisher)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is one of my daughter’s favorite books! It is a timeless classic story of a family of young women. At first meeting Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet thinks him to be conceited but as time goes on, she finds that he is beginning to grow fond of her. Meanwhile, her kind older sister, Jane is in love with Mr. Darcy’s close friend, Mr. Bingley. However, Mr. Bingley moves away and does not return for a while. Once Elizabeth learns to love Mr. Darcy, her other sister’s affairs prevent anything from beginning them.
- Great product!
- Austen, Jane (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 448 Pages – 12/31/2002 (Publication Date) – Penguin Books (Publisher)
A Night Divided by Jenifer A Nielsen
Jennifer A. Nielsen portrays the perfect idea of bravery during wartime, which is especially hard for Gerta Lowe, a victim of those trapped in East Berlin, Germany, as the Berlin Wall is built to keep East Berliners from leaving for the West. Right before the wall goes up, Gerta’s father and brother scout the West to see if it’s fit for their family. They are separated, and Gerta can only think of one way to get her family safely back together again before her brother has to join the Russian Stasi.
- Item #:NTS568244
- ISBN13:9780545682442
- Format:Paperback Book
- Pages:352
- Genre:Historical Fiction
Other amazing books by Jennifer A. Nielsen:
Iceberg
The False Prince
Words On Fire
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery
A classic novel of an imaginative young girl who is sent from her former orphanage to live with Marilla Cuthbert and her brother Matthew. Her imagination and fiery temper are always surprising the Cuthberts as they watch her grow into a young lady. This is the first book in the Anne of Green Gables book series, but you simply should not miss reading them all!
- 8 complete oooks in boxset.
- Montgomery, L. M. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 336 Pages – 05/01/1982 (Publication Date) – Bantam Books (Classics) (Publisher)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
This novel by Charlotte Brontë is an incredible story of a Jane Eyre who strives to go into the world, and becomes a governess to the daughter of a rich man named Mr. Rochester. She stands faithfully by his side, watching as he falls in love with a beautiful lady. But for some unknown reason, the lady leaves him. He soon falls in love with Jane, and as she finds herself in love with him as well, more of Mr. Rochester’s dark past is revealed.
- Charlotte Brontë (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 624 Pages – 08/15/2006 (Publication Date) – Penguin Classics (Publisher)
A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich
This coming-of-age story tells of a young lady’s life, first by choosing the man who might have a lesser life for her, but who truly loves her. Together they move out into the wide prairie, and face many joys as well as hardships. You will laugh and cry with Abbie Mackenzie as she watches her children grow up and find their own lives.
- Aldrich, Bess Streeter (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 256 Pages – 04/01/1997 (Publication Date) – Viking Books for Young Readers (Publisher)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
(And the sequels in the Giver series: Gathering Blue, Messenger, Son)
One of Lois Lowry’s best and the 1994 Newbery Medal winner, The Giver is set in a dystopian society, where a boy named Jonas is separated from the rest, and given a job that is not easy. This job opens up questions, and as he starts to ask the Elders questions, he is increasingly faced as an enemy.
- paperback
- Lowry, Lois (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 07/01/1993 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
Across the Wide and Lonesome Prairie by Kristiana Gregory
(A Dear America Book)
Hattie Campbell writes in her diary as she follows her family and friends as they embark on a long journey across the prairie to Oregon. In this diary of a young girl, Hattie faces many horrifying and deadly incidents which strengthen her character.
- Gregory, Kristiana (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 168 Pages – 03/01/1997 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Inc. (Publisher)
Other Incredible Dear America Books that my girls love:
A Picture of Freedom
The Girl Who Chased Away Sorrow
Standing in the Light
The Endless Steppe by Esther Hautzig
Esther is living her normal life in Lithuania, when suddenly Russian soldiers push her and her family out of their home, and they are shipped on a packed train to Siberia. They are forced to labor out on the Siberian Steppe, and once they are freed, have to face the trial of surviving in such a harsh country.
- Hautzig, Esther (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 256 Pages – 06/12/2018 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Tisha by Robert Specht
(older teens)
A young teacher named Anne Hobbs journeys from her small town in New York to the wild Alaskan wilderness. The people there soon accept her into the community. She longs to care for two children in her school who have been abused and soon takes them in, despite the disapproval of the townspeople. Throughout the story, she falls in love with a man whom she is unable to marry because of her teaching commitments.
- Author: Robert Specht.Anne Purdy.
- Publisher: BANTAM USA
- Pages: 464
- Publication Date: 1984
- Edition: 6.1.1984
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
This is an interesting story with many different perspectives on a murder, and how they try to figure out who was the murderer. Many surprises and twists turn the tables, as the supposed murder seems to turn into a different story.
- Raskin, Ellen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages – 04/12/2004 (Publication Date) – Penguin Young Readers Group (Publisher)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The Logan family lived by selling the bountiful cotton that grew on their large property. But the richest man in their town, who originally owned the land but sold it to their family, is continuously trying to steal it back. Cassie Logan and her siblings face many racial injustices of the 1930s and have to save their friend TJ from many qualms he often gets himself into.
- Audible Audiobook
- Mildred D. Taylor (Author) – Lynne Thigpen, Jacqueline Woodson (Narrators)
- English (Publication Language)
- 12/26/2004 (Publication Date) – Listening Library (Publisher)
Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke
The story begins with the happy love of a newlyweds, and how they move out into the beautiful countryside. But soon tragedy occurs when Marty Dandridge’s husband gets killed in a riding accident. The people in that area try to help her deal with the grief and come up with a solution to where she will live. Clark Davis, a local farmer wants to take her, since his wife died, and left him with a little girl to care for. Marty agrees unwillingly, and takes up the responsibility of caring for the little girl, and soon finds that she loves Clark as well.
- Janette Oke (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 04/01/2003 (Publication Date) – Bethany House Publishers (Publisher)
Emily Starr Series by L. M. Montgomery
(Emily of New Moon, Emily’s Climb, and Emily’s Quest)
With a similar plot to Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery forms a beautiful story of an imaginative young girl, whose mother has been long dead, and who is living with her dear father. Soon, though, he dies so suddenly, and she is devastatingly left alone. Her proud relatives, the Murray’s from her mother’s side come, and two of her aunts who live together decide to take the poor child in. After getting used to the limitations that her new home holds, she makes a few wonderful friends who imagine and create alongside her.
- Montgomery, L. M. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 732 Pages – 08/24/2017 (Publication Date) – Read & Co. Children’s (Publisher)
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
As Rebecca’s family struggles to stay together financially, Rebecca is sent to her aunt’s house, who teaches her to sew and cook. Her imagination turns her aunt’s place into a livid place that she names Sunnybrook.
- Wiggin, Kate Douglas (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 280 Pages – 01/09/2019 (Publication Date) – Fingerprint! Publishing (Publisher)
The Secret Garden by Francess Hodgson Burnett
When both her parents are afflicted and killed by the cholera epidemic, the orphaned Mary Lennox is sent to live with her distant uncle, Archibald Craven, who is rarely home. She discovers many wonders, like a boy who is confined to his bedroom because of a disability, and a beautiful garden behind thick walls that she brings back to life.
- Burnett, Frances Hodgson (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 384 Pages – 12/21/2010 (Publication Date) – HarperCollins (Publisher)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott’s famous book Little Women is a story of four loving sisters who go through poverty and loss but continue to live cheerfully despite life’s difficulties. It is about the journey of the March’s maturing daughters, who face marriage, and the adventures of young womanhood that lie on the road ahead.
- Hardcover Book
- Louis May Alcott (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 554 Pages – 09/21/2023 (Publication Date) – Peter Pauper Press (Publisher)
Abigail Adams: Witness to a Revolution by Natalie Bober
(older teens)
The book of Abigail Adams is a story of a faithful wife and loving mother, who stands by her husband as wars rage in their country. A real life story of politics and death, love and the sadness of watching her children grow older and move away to a new life.
- Bober, Natalie S. (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages – 02/01/1998 (Publication Date) – Simon Pulse (Publisher)
Hope’s Crossing by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
Hope is taken from her family, a captive of the Tories, and is forced to work for the Thomas family.
- Goodman, Joan Elizabeth (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 224 Pages – 11/01/1999 (Publication Date) – Puffin (Publisher)
Journey to America by Sonia Levitin
The adventure of Jewish sisters as they traverse to the free country of America, where they will no longer be prejudiced for their religion.
- Levitin, Sonia (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages – 04/30/1987 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
When Ella was first born, a fairy named Lucinda blessed her with the gift of obedience. This turns out to be more of a curse, for whenever someone commands Ella to do anything, she has to do it. Soon her beloved mother dies, and her cruel father sends her to finishing school, where she is forced to improve. She runs into a young man several times, who happens to be the prince. Soon the two fall in love, but she cannot marry him because of the burdening curse upon her that won’t allow her to tell anyone of it.
- Levine, Gail Carson (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 240 Pages – 06/21/2022 (Publication Date) – Quill Tree Books (Publisher)
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
In this coming of age tale, Winnie Foster is the daughter of a rich widow who is much too protective of her. Her allowance to do anything is very limited until she ventures outside of her boundaries and wanders into the forest. There she meets Jesse Tuck, a charming young man who becomes her best friend. Jesse and his family, however, have a deadly secret they desperately want to keep from Winnie.
- NatalieBabbitt (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 08/31/2007 (Publication Date) – SquareFish (Publisher)
Tuesdays At the Castle by Jessica Day George
Princess Celie and her siblings begin their adventure when bandits ambush both the Queen and the King. Royal princes and ambassadors come from other countries, trying to get a hold of the throne while it is weak. But Celie and her siblings aren’t going to let them so easily take control of their beloved magic castle.
- George, Jessica Day (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 256 Pages – 02/21/2017 (Publication Date) – Bloomsbury USA Childrens (Publisher)
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
This novel about a family in Alabama describes Jem and Scout’s creative childhood as their father risks everything to defend a falsely accused black man.
- BRAND NEW TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD PAPERBACK BOOK
- Lee, Harper (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 336 Pages – 03/01/2002 (Publication Date) – Harper Perennial Modern Classics (Publisher)
Animal Farm by George Orwell
When a farm of mistreated animals begins an uprising against the farmer, they begin their free life on the farm. Soon some of the animals step up into leadership positions, and start a totalitarian way of life for all the animals under them, slowly taking away the other animal’s power and violating their own rules until they have gained complete power over the hardworking animals.
- Author: George Orwell.
- Publisher: Signet
- Pages: 140
- Publication Date: 1996
- Edition: 50th Anniversary
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
This wonderful story tells about the real lives of Corrie TenBoom and her family, who risk everything to hide Jews in their home. They have one of the most amazing ways of hiding the Jews, but soon they are caught, and forced to face the consequences of disobeying the German Nazi authority. Corrie, her sister, and her father are all sent to a concentration camp where they go through the hardships of working there.
- Special Econo-Clad Hardcover
- Corrie Ten Boom (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 272 Pages – 02/22/2025 (Publication Date) – Chosen Books (Publisher)
Letters From Rifka by Karen Hesse
Rifka writes letters to her beloved cousin Tovah who she and her family left behind in their escape from Russia’s cruel treatment of Jews in World War ii. She bravely faces the privation and poverty they face as they experience the change of a new country.
- Hesse, Karen (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 176 Pages – 01/06/2009 (Publication Date) – Square Fish (Publisher)
As your young girl enters her teen years, I hope these excellent young adult books inspire her imagination with stories of truth, goodness, and beauty! What books would you add to this list?
