Children's Book Suggestions | Young Teen Romance

A selection of age-appropriate romance stories focused on first crushes, first kisses, and first dates for readers age 10-14.

Updated January 21, 2026
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Star-crossed
Dee, Barbara
Paper Book
"Star-Crossed delighted me! Barbara Dee has a light touch and a pitch-perfect middle school voice. This book will have you laughing and groaning in sympathy with crush-addled Mattie and eagerly turning pages. Mattie and her classmates charmed me with their kindness, their humor, their...
The love pug
Howard, J. J.
Paper Book
J.J. Howard, author of Pugs and Kisses and Pugs in a Blanket, delivers more puppy love and friendship mix-ups. Emma's pug, Cupid, has a hidden talent: He is a master at matchmaking! Her pet seems to have a nose for spotting which two people belong together. With the...
Sundae my prince will come
Nelson, Suzanne
Paper Book
Suzanne Nelson delivers another sweet, "foodie" tween romance for our WISH line, this time with ice cream, ballet, friends, and happily-ever-after.Malie's mom manages an ice cream parlor, but Malie's real love is ballet. She dreams of landing the lead in an upcoming production of Cinderella...
A song for you & I
O'Neill, Kay (Cartoonist)
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Being a ranger means adventure, action, and protecting the weak. But who protects the ranger when they lose their way? From the bestselling author of The Moth Keeper and the Tea Dragon Society comes a must read MG graphic novel for fans of soft sweeping fantasy...
Spin with me
Polonsky, Ami
Paper Book
From the author of the critically acclaimed Gracefully Grayson comes a thoughtful and sensitive middle-grade novel about non-binary identity and first love, Ami Polonsky's Spin with Me. In this elegant dual narrative, Essie is a thirteen-year-old girl feeling...
Meow or never
Taylor, Jazz
Paper Book
A heartwarming story of secret pets and secret crushes... and learning to take center stage! Avery Williams can sing, but that doesn't mean she can sing in front of people. She likes to stay backstage at her new school, which is where, to her surprise, she finds a cat tucked away into a...
Well, that was awkward
Vail, Rachel
Paper Book
Gracie has never felt like this before. One day, she suddenly can't breathe, can't walk,can't anything-and the reason is standing right there in front of her, all tall and weirdly good-looking- A.J. But it turns out A.J. likes not Gracie but Gracie's beautiful best friend, Sienna...

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