This question is inspired by a post asking about books that we were too young to fully grasp. It got me thinking, “So what books ARE ‘age appropriate’ while being thought-provoking?” For example, reading The Catcher in the Rye in as a high school junior was a formative experience for me, as it showed me that I wasn’t alone in my disillusionment with relationships and my search for authenticity.

What books would you recommend to younger readers who want to have their perspectives widened while still grasping what’s going on?

By the way, I realize that each young person is different and that the term “age appropriate” is a touchy issue nowadays; I’m just asking what books shaped readers here at certain stages of their lives, books that you would recommend to young people going through those stages.