Where to Start Reading Maureen Johnson’s Books
Further Reading
These are just my favorites. But Maureen Johnson’s written so much! She partnered up with John Green and Lauren Myracle for Let It Snow, a collection of interconnected stories about Christmas and romance and smooching. She wrote a handful of fun romcoms in the mid-2000s, too, Suite Scarlett and The Bermudez Triangle among them. The Name of the Star is the first book in the Shades of London series, and I cannot recommend it enough. Murder mystery! Ghosts! Boarding school! And, of course, Maureen Johnson’s humor and ability to describe a place so well you think you’re experiencing it yourself. The story of Stevie’s first year at Ellingham is interwoven with the story of the original crime at Ellingham: the death of Albert Ellingham’s wife and daughter. They were kidnapped shortly after the school opened. The only clue was a riddle, signed Truly Devious. Truly Devious is the first book in the Truly Devious trilogy, chock full of Agatha Christie references and snark. If you’ve ever wished for a loved one to leave you money and a list of adventures to take (honestly, who wouldn’t want this to happen?), 13 Little Blue Envelopes is for you. There’s also a sequel, The Last Little Blue Envelope, with more adventures. Johnson also edited How I Resist, an essay collection about activism and hope for young adults. With essays from Jason Reynolds, Jacqueline Woodson, Libba Bray, Junauda Petrus, Alex Gino, Jonny Sun, and so many more incredible writers, it’s a wonderful collection to show teens (and everyone, really) that we can all create change in the world. Looking for authors similar to Maureen Johnson? Check out these reading pathways for other wonderful young adult writers: V.E. Schwab, E. Lockhart, Jenny Han, Seanan McGuire, and Meg Cabot.
