For those looking for some pleasurable summer reading, Ken Dunn, CEO and Founder of GoRead.com, picks his favorite Young Adult books.

Young Adult books typically focus on protagonists facing real world problems throughout many different real or imaginary worlds. While YA books are aimed towards teenage readers, many adults enjoy the genre as well. They are similar to books found in adult fiction, but commonly include themes of first love, friendship, and coming-of-age. Teens typically begun to solidify their favorite genres at this stage and have the ability to read full length, complex novels.

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly

“Deep Blue” is the first installment in a fun fantasy series full of mermaid lore and puns galore. To give you a sneak peak, the currency in “Deep Blue” is called “currensea.” How fun is that?

Looking for Alaska by John Green

“Looking for Alaska” is a book that manages to pull more emotions out of you than you thought a book could. A beautiful story of first love and first loss with a mysterious twist will have your young adult turning pages before they finish them in anticipation of what happens next.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

“The Eyre Affair” is the first book in a series following a literary detective named Thursday Next. Thursday’s job is to protect the world’s great literary works in a world where war is brewing, time travel is routine and cloning is a regular practice. Oh, did I mention she can actually teleport into books and interact with the characters? Talk about dreams come true.

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer

“Endangered” is a remarkable and unapologetic story of a girl and rescued bonobo chimp that form an unbreakable bond in the Congo just as war is breaking out. This outstanding novel makes readers think about ourselves as humans and our relationship to others in this world.