All 8 John Green Books, Ranked From Worst To Best

John Green is one of the most successful young adult fiction authors of all time whose works have powerfully connected with teen readers worldwide. With eight books, ranging from solo novels to collaborative works and even a collection of non-fiction essays, Green has many exciting releases across his impressive body of work. In his fiction, Green has often depicted young, quirky characters who struggled to find meaning and purpose amid their complex romantic and personal existences, and all his work has been imbued with insightful references to philosophy and psychology.

Green became known worldwide after the international sensation of The Fault in Our Stars and the many screen adaptations of his work. However, there is so much more to this writer than just that. For nearly twenty years, Green has been at the forefront of the YA genre and has recently entered the world of non-fiction. As an author, podcaster, and YouTuber, Green is a man of many talents, and his varied interests, innate understanding of younger readers, and unique authorial voice have made him one of the most recognizable writers working today.

8 Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances (2008)

John Green’s third novel was written in collaboration with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle

John Green’s third novel, Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances, was an interesting piece of Christmas fun, although it did not hold the same level of emotional resonance as much of his other work. Written in collaboration with other YA authors, Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle, Let It Snow was essentially three interconnected novellas packed into one story, all set in a small town during a snowstorm on Christmas Eve. While there were a lot of snow disasters and teen romance on display, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the three authorial voices don’t fully align with each other.

Green’s section, “A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle,” was certainly the strongest, as Tobin, the Duke, and JP were lured out of their movie marathon to the local Waffle House, only to end up snowed in and stuck with a group of cheerleaders. While the story was full of Green’s signature style, awkward teens trying to figure life out, and a healthy dose of humor, it also felt oddly disposable. Let It Snow was an enjoyable, warm book for a cold winter’s day, but it was not as effective as the rest of Green’s bibliography.

7 Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010)

John Green’s fifth novel was written in collaboration with David Levithan

Much like Let It Snow, Will Grayson, Will Grayson was an anomaly in the works of John Green as it was co-written with the YA author David Levithan, who was known for writing strong gay characters. Will Grayson, Will Grayson was divided evenly as Green wrote all the odd-numbered chapters from the perspective of Will Grayson, and Levithan wrote all the even-numbered chapters about another boy with the same name who used lowercase lettering as ‘will grayson.’ The two struggling teen stories later aligned when they met in the latter half of the book and changed each other’s lives forever.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson explored themes of friendship and sexuality but also included many musical references to indie bands like Neutral Milk Hotel. The novel worked well as Green’s Will encapsulates his common characterization of a nerdy boy trying to find his place in the world, while Levithan’s Will struggled with depression and was much darker. The two writers’ styles brought something unique out of each other, and although Will Grayson, Will Grayson sometimes felt like a creative writing experiment, it came together as a complete whole.

6 An Abundance of Katherines (2006)

John Green’s second novel

It was always going to be difficult for John Green to follow up his beloved debut novel, Looking for Alaska, and while An Abundance of Katherines did not have nearly the same level of impact, it also proved that he was not a one-hit-wonder. The novel followed Colin Singleton, a teenager whose type happened to be girls named Katherine, as he was dumped by 19 of them. After Katherine XIX ended things with him, Colin knew he needed to reinvent himself and went on a road trip with his only friend Hassan, searching for his “eureka moment.”

An Abundance of Katherines was full of YA writing clichés. The child prodigy Colin encountered a new girl who, shockingly, was not named Katherine, and he began to connect with the equally lost Lindsay. Green’s signature wit and concepts like the “Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability,” which Colin used to work out what went wrong in his past relationships, were a lot of fun. Overall, An Abundance of Katherines was a worthy follow-up to Green’s excellent debut, but it sadly just did not hold the same magic as before.

5 Paper Towns (2008)

John Green’s fourth novel

Paper Towns was a coming-of-age story full of metaphor and philosophy about a boy named Quentin “Q” Jacobson and his search for Margot Roth Spiegelman, the girl next door he has been in love with all his life. While Margot’s life was full of adventure, Q was a stereotypical rule follower who had created a perfect image of Margot in his head that he did not want to destroy by getting close to her. After spending a night with Margot carrying out her nineteen-point revenge plan, she disappears, and now Q must go on an adventure.

With plenty of clues that included cultural references like the musician Woody Guthrie and the poet Walt Whitman, and connections to Q and Margot’s childhood together, Paper Towns was an insightful mystery that sometimes leaned a bit too heavily into the manic pixie dream girl trope. Paper Towns was a really enjoyable teen read, and although Green’s protagonists were often quite similar, Margot felt like an enigma for the reader to uncover. While Paper Towns still did not reach the heights of Green’s very best work, he had truly come into his own with his personal style.

4 The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet (2021)

John Green’s first book of non-fiction

While many readers may only know John Green as a YA novelist, he’s also a popular YouTuber and podcaster who, since 2018, has explored different facets of life on Earth in The Anthropocene Reviewed podcast. After dozens of episodes, Green decided to adapt the podcast into the excellent book The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, which explored everything from hot dog eating contests to the difficulties of living life through the pandemic. For Green’s first work of non-fiction, this was a highly accomplished piece of research that encapsulated the insane scope of life on Earth and all the complexities that came with it.

Green’s writing style has always been very accessible, which was part of the reason his fiction connected so strongly with young readers. Here, Green has used that skill to simplify the complicated and bring it into a more academic and scientific setting, highlighting life’s philosophical, political, and social complexities in the 21st century. Hopefully, The Anthropocene Reviewed will be just the beginning of Green’s non-fiction writing, as it was an incredible new addition to his varied body of work.

3 Turtles All The Way Down (2017)

John Green’s seventh novel

Turtles All the Way Down was John Green’s long-awaited follow-up to The Fault in Our Stars, and thankfully, it did not disappoint at all. Green’s writing was as strong as ever, and this mystery, romance, and insightful exploration of mental health issues felt like one of his most accomplished and enjoyable works. The true highlight of Turtles All the Way Down was the way that Green captured the 16-year-old protagonist Aza Holmes’ struggles with anxiety and OCD, as the writing made it feel like the reader was directly inside the mind of its character.

With a story that involved a search for a missing person, a $100,000 reward, and a budding romance with a billionaire’s son, the core of Turtles All the Way Down was the bond between Aza and her best friend, Daisy. The themes of grief and loss were littered throughout the novel, which balanced a mystery with real vulnerability and a moving story. Turtles All the Way Down was a powerful book that hopefully made a lot of teens struggling with mental health issues feel less alone and like there were others out there who understood them.

2 The Fault in Our Stars (2012)

John Green’s sixth novel

The Fault in Our Stars was the novel that turned John Green from a popular YA author into a worldwide sensation and a household name. The book was massively popular, and teens across the globe deeply connected to its story of a young girl with lung cancer named Hazel Grace Lancaster and her romance with Augustus Waters, a survivor of osteosarcoma whom she connected with on a very deep level. The Fault in Our Stars was an immediate classic that debuted at No. 1 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children’s Chapter Books.

With humor, strong characters, and a moving story about cancer and romance, The Fault in Our Stars was the perfect blend of Green’s style wrapped up in a tragic tale of teenage illness. Full of memorable quotes, insightful philosophy, and pontifications on the fragility of life, it was no surprise that The Fault in Our Stars became an international sensation and brought Green the acclaim and recognition he so rightfully deserved. The beauty of The Fault in Our Stars was how simple Green made it look, as what appeared to be a simple line could destroy a reader emotionally with its heartbreaking beauty.

1 Looking for Alaska (2005)

John Green’s first novel

The greatest of John Green’s books was his first novel, Looking for Alaska, which signaled the dawning of a brand-new voice in the world of YA fiction who would become one of the most successful authors of his generation. Green’s unique style was on display right from the get-go as characters like Miles Halter and Alaska Young were fully formed, and this coming-of-age novel addressed powerful themes of grief, love, hope, and youth. Green’s style connected deeply with young readers, and his writing had an innate understanding of how teenagers saw and viewed themselves and others.

With humor, pathos, and understanding, Looking for Alaska rose above even its own story and was an emotional rollercoaster that slowly revealed itself through its before and after structure. Looking for Alaska was full of trauma as the characters dealt with their grief and loss, but it was also packed with hope as they tried to find meaning through even the most difficult circumstances. While John Green would go on to write many more books, Looking for Alaska felt like his most personal and, to this day, has maintained its effectiveness and innate power.

Sources: The New York Times Best Seller list