Kindness and community books for teens

If you're working on our February SweetBean challenge and looking for related reading recommendations, look no further! Here are some books that center kindness and community for teens.

Looking for recommendation list for other age groups?

Check out the list for adults here.

Check out the list for picture books here.

Check out the list for chapter books here.

Updated February 1, 2024
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Channel kindness : stories of kindness and community
Lady Gaga
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller For Lady Gaga, kindness is the driving force behind everything she says and does. The quiet power of kindness can change the way we view one another, our communities, and even ourselves. She embodies this mission, and through her...
The education of Margot Sanchez
Rivera, Lilliam
Paper Book
Pretty in Pink comes to the South Bronx in this bold and romantic coming-of-age novel about dysfunctional families, good and bad choices, and finding the courage to question everything you ever thought you wanted--from debut author Lilliam Rivera. Things/People Margot...
Find your people : building deep community in a lonely world
Allen, Jennie
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER . WINNER OF THE ECPA BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD . The author of Get Out of Your Head offers practical solutions for creating true community, the kind that's crucial to our mental and spiritual health. "My dear friend Jennie Allen shows ushow...
A heart in a body in the world
Caletti, Deb
Paper Book
When everything has been taken from you, what else is there to do but run? So that's what Annabelle does--she runs from Seattle to Washington, DC, through mountain passes and suburban landscapes, from long lonely roads to college towns. She's not ready to think about the why yet,...
Jackpot
Stone, Nic
Paper Book
From the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Martin--which Angie Thomas, the bestselling author of The Hate U Give, called "a must read"--comes a pitch-perfect romance that examines class, privilege, and how a stroke of good luck can change an entire life.
Just mercy : a story of justice and redemption
Stevenson, Bryan
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND JAMIE FOXX * A powerful true story about the potential for mercy to redeem us, and a clarion call to fix our broken system of justice--from one of the most brilliant and influential...
Kings, queens, and in-betweens
Boteju, Tanya
Paper Book
"Poignant and important." --Refinery29 "A bright and sparkly celebration of love and self-acceptance." --Kirkus Reviews Judy Blume meets RuPaul's Drag Race in this funny, feel-good debut novel about a queer teen who navigates questions of...
Queer : the ultimate LGBTQ guide for teens
Belge, Kathy
Ebook
Honest and engaging, Queer takes LGBT teens on an awesome and enlightening journey through the sometimes scary, sometimes silly, and always fabulous world of queer life. With advice on coming out, navigating a queer social life, dealing with queerphobia, and having safe sex, Queer is a must-have...
Scars like wings
Stewart, Erin
Audiobook
Relatable, heartbreaking, and real, this is a story of resilience--the perfect novel for readers of powerful contemporary fiction like Girl in Pieces and Every Last Word. Before, I was a million things. Now I'm only one. The Burned Girl. Ava Lee...

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