When I was a teen, the idea of a young adult political thriller was unknown to me. That genre belonged squarely in adult fiction, in the realm of books by people like Tom Clancy who wrote about old (read: anyone over 35) men traveling across the world to wrangle dictators or stop submarines from launching missiles. Of course, Ellen Emerson White’s series The President’s Daughter was around, but my teenage years fell squarely between the release of the third and fourth books, so they just weren’t on my radar.
In recent years, though, I’ve seen an uptick in political thrillers for the YA market. I suspect it has a bit to do with Scandal, though I’m unsure how many teens actually watch that show. Several of the books below have been marketed as “Scandal for teens.” But today’s teens are also perhaps more politically aware, at least on a surface level, than previous generations thanks to the saturation of social media, where political memes are legion and a willing audience exists for the discussion of any and every political ideology.
I’m speculating about the reasons for the rise in these sorts of novels, but I’m certain that the books on this list (four of which I’ve read myself) are treats for politically-minded teens. Though none of the protagonists are of voting age, they all find themselves involved in national or international politics in some way – their parents are diplomats or politicians, or they find themselves accidentally in possession of a dangerous piece of information. Most touch on current political events broadly (terrorism, corruption, inequality, globalization), though they also tend to stay away from more specific details, which gives them a more perennial shelf life.
Descriptions are via Worldcat.
Diplomatic Immunity by Brodi Ashton
A seventeen-year-old aspiring reporter decides to write a scathing exposé on an elite Washington, D.C., private school, but her life changes when her subject comes to her for help
The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
When her grandfather develops dementia, sixteen-year-old Tess, who has been keeping his Montana ranch going, is whisked away to Washington, D.C., by a sister she barely knows and thrown into a world of politics, power, wealth, love triangles, and family secrets. | Sequel: The Long Game | Kimberly’s reviews
All Fall Down by Ally Carter
There are many powerful people along Embassy Row who want Grace to block out all her unpretty thoughts. But Grace will not stop until she finds out who killed her mother and make the killer pay. | Sequel: See How They Run | Kimberly’s reviews
Zero Day by Jan Gangsei
Eight years after being kidnapped Addie Webster, now sixteen, resurfaces under mysterious circumstances, significantly changed, and her childhood best friend, Darrow Fergusson, is asked by a national security advisor to spy on her to uncover whether she is a threat to her father’s Presidency or the nation.
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
When sixteen-year-old Avery West learns her family is part of a powerful and dangerous secret society, and that her own life is in danger, she must follow a trail of clues across Europe. | Sequel: Map of Fates
Sekret by Lindsay Smith
Follows a group of psychic teenagers in 1960s Soviet Russia who are forced to use their powers to spy for the KGB. | Sequel: Skandal | Kimberly’s review