Books From Around the World (YA): Europe

It’s often interesting to get a different perspective on the world. Here are some books set in some far-flung places – and some places close to home – grouped by continent/large body of water with islands in it. The books on this list are (mostly) written by authors from the countries they are about, and in many cases have been translated into English from their mother tongues (the book we’ve chosen for Madagascar, Return to the enchanted island by Johary Ravaloson, is only the second book to have ever been translated from Malagasy into English!).

Not all of the books are in the Young Adult collection, but we’ve tried to make sure that they all at least feature kids or teens in prominent places in the story. Our eventual goal is to have at least one book for every country in the world! Help us out by sending in recommendations if you’ve found one we’ve missed!

This list contains books written by authors from Europe. Check out our lists for authors from Africa, Asia, North and Central America, Oceania, and South America for even more recommendations!

Updated June 19, 2024
W
Wellington City Libraries Youth team at Wellington City Libraries
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The diary of a young girl : the definitive edition
Frank, Anne
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Updated with enlightening new material, this is the complete, definitive edition of Anne Frank's diary, "the single most compelling personal account of the Holocaust" (The New York Times Book Review) Discovered in the attic where she spent the last...

The Netherlands | German-born author writing in the Netherlands during World War II

The Marco effect : a Department Q novel
Adler-Olsen, Jussi
Paper Book
The New York Times and internationally bestselling author returns with an astonishing and sinister case for Department Q All fifteen-year-old Marco Jameson wants is to become a Danish citizen and go to school like a normal teenager. But his uncle Zola rules his former...

Denmark | Danish author

The Count of Monte Cristo
Dumas, Alexandre
Paper Book
.0000000000This classic adventure, set in nineteenth-century France and Italy, tells the story of Edmund Dants, a young man falsely imprisoned who eventually finds himself in a position of power and able to seek his revenge against those who plotted against him. Eventually he begins to question his...

France | French author

172 hours on the moon : a novel
Harstad, Johan
Paper Book
A terrifying thriller for young adult fans of The Martian and paranormal space adventure that will be devoured in one heart-pounding sitting. It's been decades since anyone set foot on the moon. Now three ordinary teenagers, the winners of NASA's unprecedented, worldwide...

Norway | Norwegian author

Marina
Ruiz Zafon, Carlos
Paper Book
A love story as narrated by it's protagonist as he returns to Barcelona after 15 years.

Spain | Spanish author

Heidi
Spyri, Johanna
Paper Book
What happens when a little orphan girl is forced to live with her cold and frightening grandfather? The heartwarming answer has engaged children for more than a century, both on the page and on the screen. Johanna Spyri's beloved story offers youngsters an endearing and...

Switzerland | Swiss author


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