The Horrors of Growing Up, Reading List

Growing up can be hard. Especially when there's an author out there determined to throw all sorts of horrific things your way. Here's a list of books with young protagonists, trying to grow up around events that would make others curl up and want to die.

The list includes several teen novels (I couldn't find enough in the adult horror section to fill the endcap. I also added Push by Sapphire because the protagonist's life, as told in the first few pages, horrified me).

As with my other reading lists, this one's not meant to be comprehensive, though if you can think of a book that matches the criteria feel free to leave it in the comments.

Flowers in the Attic – V.C. Andrews

Thief of Always – Clive Barker

Peter Pan – J. M. Barrie

Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury

Child Thief – Brom

Ender's Game – Orson Scott Card

Lost Boys – Orson Scott Card

Neverland – Douglas Clegg

The Gates – John Connolly

Coraline – Neil Gaiman

The Devouring – Simon Holt

The Reach – Nate Kenyon

The Shining – Stephen King (and a lot of other books by King)

Let the Right One In – John Lindqvist

Another Faust – Daniel Nayeri

Wishing Game – Patrick Redmond

Forest of Hands and Teeth – Carrie Ryan

Push – Sapphire

Shadows – John Saul (all John Saul books)

Cirque du Freak – Darren Shan

Unwind – Neal Shusterman

Talisman – Peter Straub & Stephen King