We’ve all been there. Growing up is an emotionally charged experience filled with physical changes, new situations and finding out who you are and who you hope to become. Since we’ve all lived through it, or are currently navigating it, reading coming-of-age stories can be especially relatable and easy to form a deep connection with the characters.

With a new school year approaching, what better time to read about and relive the teenage angst, faltering friendships and emotionally driven plots? From classic titles like To Kill a Mockingbird to the more modern Heartstopper series, coming-of-age stories happen to be some of my favorite reads for their mix of nostalgia and self-discovery that seem to never get old, no matter your age.

Here are some books all about growing up, available to borrow from your library on the Libby reading app:

Nick and Charlie by Alice Oseman

From the mega-bestselling creator of Heartstopper comes a must-have novella in which Heartstopper’s lead characters, Nick and Charlie, face one of their biggest challenges yet.

Everyone knows that Nick and Charlie love their nearly inseparable life together. But soon Nick will be leaving for university, and Charlie, a year younger, will be left behind. As the time to say goodbye gets inevitably closer, both Nick and Charlie start to question whether their love is strong enough to survive being apart. Charlie is sure he’s holding Nick back… and Nick can’t tell what Charlie’s thinking. Everyone knows that first loves rarely last forever. What will it take for Nick and Charlie to defy the odds?

Blackout by Dhonielle Clayton

Six critically acclaimed, award-winning authors—Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Angie Thomas, Ashley Woodfolk and Nicola Yoon—bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teens in love to this charming, hilarious and heartwarming novel that shines a bright light through the dark.

A summer heatwave blankets New York City in darkness. But as the city is thrown into confusion, a different kind of electricity sparks. When the lights go out, people reveal hidden truths. Love blossoms, friendship transforms and new possibilities take flight.

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones

Fans of Nic Stone, Angie Thomas and Jason Reynolds will appreciate this powerful and impactful NAACP Image Award Nominee that follows two teen girls— one black, one white—who have to confront their own assumptions about racial inequality as they rely on each other to get through the violent race riot that has set their city on fire with civil unrest.

Perfect for sparking conversations about prejudice and the racial tension that exists in America.

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Aza Holmes never intended to pursue the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a $100,000 reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Pickett’s son Davis.

Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun 1 by Osamu Nishi

Hopeless pushover Iruma Suzuki has found himself in a devil of a predicament. His trashy parents have sold off his soul, and he now has to live and attend school in the Netherworld. But with his unique survival skills and doting demon grandfather’s support, Iruma will surely make it through this hellish experience. He’ll just need to subjugate rival classmates, summon familiars and more, all while never revealing that he’s human…Easy as aleph, bet, gimel, right?

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This is the remarkable story of Esperanza Cordero, a young Latina girl growing up in Chicago, inventing for herself who and what she will become. Told in a series of vignettes—sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes deeply joyous—Sandra Cisneros' masterpiece is a classic story of childhood and self-discovery. Few other books in our time have touched so many readers.

*Title availability may vary by region.

For more YA coming-of-age stories and books for younger readers about going back to school, browse this list: