29 Books You Will Only Remember If You Were A Pre-Teen In The Early 2000s
Basically my love letter to Meg Cabot for raising me.
Teen literature (YA) hit its height during the early 2000s. There were so many books and book series coming out aimed at the pre-teen and teen demographic. I loved going to the local library and discovering a new series to get into.
If you were a voracious reader in the early 2000s, you'll probably remember reading at least a few of these books and book series!
1. 'The Mediator' series by Meg Cabot
I loved this series. A teen girl who speaks to ghosts and falls in love with a hot Latino? And those plot twists were something else!
2. 'ttyl' & 'ttfn' by Lauren Myracle
It was like reading the chat room history between you and your best friends. Truly revolutionary and ahead of its time.
3. 'The Princess Diaries' series by Meg Cabot
If you were a fan of this series, you know the movies completely strayed from the plot. I devoured these books.
4. The 'Harry Potter' series by J.K. Rowling
These books mark a generation in time. I will always remember the midnight releases and the feeling of anticipating the next installment.
5. The 'Gossip Girl' series by Cecily von Ziegesar
Those who read the books know that they were a little racier than the CW series. Eleven-year-old me probably shouldn't have been reading about high-schoolers snorting cocaine in New York, but I did and I loved it.
6. 'The Clique' series by Lisi Harrison
Honestly, I lived for the drama of these books and always ordered the newest one from the Scholastic book orders catalogue.
7. 'Confessions of Georgia Nicolson' by Louise Rennison
Ever heard of 'Angus, Thongs, and Full-frontal Snogging'? I read the whole series.
8. 'T*Witches' series by H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld
This was another book series that I remember ordering from the Scholastic catalogue whenever the latest one came out. It's pretty different from the Disney Channel movie.
9. 'The Au Pairs' series by Melissa de la Cruz
Kind of like Gossip Girl, but more summer.
10. The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Libba Bray
These books have seriously left a lasting impact on me. I'm still waiting for a movie, although I can't imagine it would be as well done as the books deserve.
13. 'Avalon High' by Meg Cabot
So many of the books on this list became movies. I really loved this book but the movie felt so, so disappointing.
14. 'All-American Girl' & 'Ready Or Not' by Meg Cabot
I related to the moody main character so much. Except for the part where she saved the president.
15. 'Molly Moon' series by Georgia Byng
I adored these books with their holographic covers and quirky plot lines.
16. The historical novels by Celia Rees
Pirates. Witches. Sorceresses. This author introduced us to some seriously bad ass women in history.
17. The 'A-List' series by Zoey Dean
There were SO MANY series about rich, beautiful teens. Basically the Instagram influencers of that time.
18. House of Night series by P.C. & Kristen Cast
19. 'How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller' by Julia DeVillers
If you've seen 'Read It And Weep', you should know it was a book before!
20. Peach Girl manga series
21. The Books of Bayern series by Shannon Hale
22. The American Girl self-help books
Was this a rite of passage for American girls?
23. Chicken Soup
24. The 1-800 Where Are You? series by Meg Cabot
25. Truth, Dare, Kiss, or Promise series by Cathy Hopkins
26. Mates, Dates, and ... series by Cathy Hopkins
27. Daughters of the Moon series by Lynne Ewing
The covers were so beautiful and the stories were interesting.
The Girls of Many Lands series from American Girl
This was a great series of books, aimed for an older demographic. I really enjoyed these historical stories.
29. History Mysteries from American Girl
A set of mystery novellas all set in different time periods. I really enjoyed some of these! My local bookstore even held an event with a book signing with one of the authors who wrote for this series.