The Best Young Adult Authors

Best young adult authors include some very recognizable names like C.S. Lewis and Louisa May Alcott, along with some newer authors who are becoming extremely popular among young readers (Amanda Hocking, for example). This list of young adult writers includes paranormal authors, fantasy authors, mystery authors, and more. Be sure to vote for your favorite YA authors here, and add your fave writer here if they aren't on the list!

Young adult books are crazy hot right now. One only has to look at the enormous popularity of Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' series or Rick Riordan's 'Percy Jackson' novels to realize that YA novels are flying off of bookshelves and being devoured on Kindles all over the world.

But really, some of the best young adult writers made their mark decades ago. Authors like Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary became household names years before Suzanne Collins even thought about creating Katniss Everdeen and 'The Hunger Games' or J.K. Rowling created the 'Harry Potter' fantasy series. If you're looking for some classic YA fantasy writers, for example, J.R.R. Tolkien can't be beat!

Some authors primarily wrote adult novels before they crossed over into YA books. Carl Hiaasen, for example, was already an established adult fiction writer before he penned the children's novel 'Hoot' (and won himself a Newbery Honor Award). Many of the writers on this list are Newbery Medal literary award winners, including Neil Gaiman, Beverly Cleary and Madeleine L'Engle.

Whether you're looking for the best young adult fantasy book writers or current, super-hot YA authors, this list represents some of the best talent out there when it comes to young adult writing. Enjoy, and happy reading!