Please note: this post contains affiliate links. I’ve personally read and recommend every book on this list, but everyone has different convictions and tastes, so you might not like them all. 🙂
Summer is just around the corner!
There’s nothing like long summer nights for reading until 3 a.m. I love getting lost in a good book, but it can be hard to find clean books.
Every book on this list has no open door scenes and no (or practically no) language.
As an author who loves Jesus, I read a lot of books. These are some of my favorite clean YA fiction books. I hope you enjoy!
Pro tip: Scroll if you’re looking for a series. Send this to a friend if you want to start a book club.
Beyond the Mirage by Vella Karman
What if God allowed people to teleport?
Lauren is a quodesher – one of those people who can teleport a whole carful of people across the country.
When California wildfires turn the drive to her sister’s wedding into a mad dash teleportation tour of the country, she’s entrusted with her sister’s wedding ring…and thrust into a responsibility she knows she’s not ready for.
When the ring goes missing, Lauren is forced to make choices that will impact the lives of the people around her forever.
As the leader of this ragtag group of wedding guests, she finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. And since when did she ask to be haggled about her parents’ death (ancient history) at every move?
Not all is as it seems. And trusting God…might just be a journey.
With the imagination and powerful prose of Nadine Brandes’s Wishtress, this clean YA novel speaks to the journeys we all embark on, and the faith it takes to put the broken pieces back together.
Wishtress by Nadine Brandes
Her tears grant wishes. Her next tear will end her life.
She didn’t ask to be the Wishtress.
Myrthe was born with the ability to turn her tears into wishes. But when a granted wish goes wrong, she is cursed: the next tear she sheds will kill her. She must travel to the Well to break the curse before it can claim her life–and before the king’s militairen find her. To survive the journey, Myrthe must harden her heart to keep herself from crying even a single tear.
He can stop time with a snap of his fingers.
Bastiaan’s powerful–and rare–talent came in handy when he kidnapped the old king. Now the new king has a job for him: find the Wishtress and deliver her to the schloss. But Bastiaan needs a wish of his own. He gains Myrthe’s trust by promising to take her to the Well, but once he gets what he needs, he’ll turn her in. As long as his growing feelings for the girl with a stone heart don’t compromise him.
Authentically, Izzy by Pepper Basham
My mom gifted me this book for Christmas, and it’s already one of my favorite clean romances to recommend. It’s a low spice rom com told through emails, letters, and texts.
It’s kind of like Dear Mr. Henshaw combined with a Hallmark movie. It made me laugh out loud, very much a light-hearted read.
Call It Consequences by Alli Prince
This is my new favorite time travel book!! Someone said it’s the next Wrinkle In Time, and honestly I agree. I used to be obsessed with time travel books, and this shot to the top of the list as soon as I read it.
It’s a bestseller, and the cover is gorgeous, and it’s about forgiveness. The whole book just feels alive somehow, and I love it.
Fantastical Summer – short stories by fifteen Christian authors
What would you do if you started growing a fluffy tail every time you felt embarrassed?
A mermaid outcast, a girl who can steal stars, and a high schooler suddenly affected by gravity in a gravity-free world—these are just a few of the fantastical premises you’ll find in this collection of short stories.
Weaving classic coming-of-age themes into magical versions of our world, fifteen Christian writers each bring a fresh perspective on childhood, loneliness, and identity.
Save a spot in your beach bag, because this collection of clean, fun summer stories is more than a fluff read. This beautifully brave anthology leads us to ask hard questions while staying grounded in the truth of the Bible. You’ll want to revisit these thought-provoking stories throughout the year.
Dust by Kara Swanson
Kara Swanson is one of my favorite authors (she just dropped a bookish merch shop btw), and this is the first book of her Peter Pan retelling! I love how she weaves new strands of light into this somewhat dark fairytale.
One note: this book and the sequel (Shadow), have British curse words. Because I’m not British, they mean nothing to me, but I wanted to give you a heads up!
Shadow by Kara Swanson
The second book in the Heirs of Neverland series by Kara Swanson! The plot twists really got me in this one, and the characters are all so alive. The prose is also just…chef’s kiss.
Ignite by Kara Swanson
The themes are so deep in this one. It made me cry, which I didn’t expect for a phoenix book, but was really good. It ends on a cliff hanger, and the sequel comes out this year!!
A Study of Shattered Spells by Josiah DeGraaf
“Only the teachers know what really happens at magic school.”
I finished this book in a few nights. It’s one of the best (but only) dark academia books I’ve ever read. Part of the point is to “help you face the darkness with confidence.” The message of repentance at the end was great and all the twists/turns throughout? Beautiful.
Fae Cafe series by Jennifer Kroft
Sweet clean romances! This one of the few series that’s gotten me to keep reading four whole books. (I like standalone books, in case you hadn’t noticed.)
It’s set in some big city, New York or Toronto I think, at a cute little coffeeshop. These magical (but really similar to human) guys come into the human world and get into a lot of hijinks. The first book is my least favorite, but it’s really fun how the characters and storyline switch up between each book.
The Masterminds Series by Gordan Korman
A group of unusual teens goes on a wild trip to understand who they are and where they came from. This series is psychologically thrilling, and Gordan Korman is another clean fiction author that has a lot of books out.
Greystone Secrets series by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Margaret Peterson Haddix is one of my favorite clean fiction authors.
Her books are suspenseful and fun to read (plus she has SO MANY). I devoured this series one summer in high school.
Narnia series by C.S. Lewis
If you haven’t read the entire Narnia series (including The Magician’s Nephew and Horse and His Boy), you’ve got to at least consider it.
At the very least, you can’t say that you’ve read all the clean books that exist until you’ve knocked these off your list.
Have you read any of these before? Drop a comment and let me know.
If you’re looking for more, check out this article that will change how you think about clean fiction or this article with nine Christian authors you might like.