Liz Rosenberg poses an intriguing question in a 2009 article for The Boston Globe: why do so many new novels for young adults feature werewolves, fairies, and other supernatural beings? From Twilight to Wicked Lovely to Evermore, magical characters have become ubiquitous in YA literature in recent years. And in many of these stories, as the list below demonstrates, protagonists possess the ability to change shape at will.
Richad Cavendish writes that the mysterious figure of the shapeshifter is one that has fascinated human beings since earliest antiquity (“Mythology: An Illustrated Encyclopedia,” Orbis, 1982), a fascination that continues to this day. Arguably, shapeshifters act as the perfect metaphor for the mercurial identity of the modern teenager, unsettled and occasionally unsettling. Twilight is perhaps the most famous teen shapeshifter narrative of the 2000s, but there is more to the mythology than werewolves and vampires. Numerous mythical creatures are notable for their ability to alter their physical form (Cavendish, 10), and many of them can be found in the teen genre.
Shapechangers and Shapeshifters: Books for Young Adults
The following is a short list of some of the best shapeshifter novels to appear in the teen genre in recent years.
- Tithe by Holly Black (Simon & Schuster, 2002, ISBN: 9780689867040): Tithe is part paranormal romance and part coming-of-age narrative. It stars free-spirited Kaye, who discovers that she is a green-skinned fairy changeling given human form by a spell. This is a fast-paced novel, and Kaye has good chemistry with Roiben, her fairy-knight love interest. For a review of Tithe, click here.
- Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (Scholastic, 2009, ISBN: 9780545123266): Shiver is another paranormal romance. The novel features two likeable protagonists and a lyrical reimagining of the werewolf myth.
- Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce (Random House, 1997, ISBN: 9780679882886): Pierce’s Immortals quartet, which begins with Wild Magic, revolves around Daine, a thirteen-year-old orphan who can speak to animals. Wild Magic introduces us to Numair, a powerful, shape-shifting mage who becomes her instructor in the “wild magic.” An enjoyable secondary world fantasy.
- Seven Tears Into the Sea by Terri Farley (Simon Pulse, 2005, ISBN: 9780689864421): Seven Tears Into the Sea will appeal to teens who enjoy myth-infused fantasy novels. The shapechangers in this story are selkies, and the heroine is seventeen-year-old Gwen, who is vacationing on the coast for the summer. She is visited by Jesse, a handsome but mysterious boy with an inexplicable tie to the sea.
- Long Night Dance by Betsy James (Simon Pulse, 2005, ISBN: 9780689850714): This is another selkie novel, woven with romance and poignant social commentary. Sixteen-year-old Kat yearns for a world in which she can become something more than a good housekeeper. Her life is changed when one of the legendary seal people washes up, injured, on the beach by her village.
- Owl in Love by Patrice Kindl (Graphia, 2004, ISBN: 9780618439102): A charmingly offbeat shapeshifter story, Owl in Love stars Owl (who, unsurprisingly, can transform herself into an owl) a fourteen-year-old girl in love with her science teacher. This book is highly recommended; not only are the characters strong, but it’s a good option for teens who are tired of the werewolves and weredragons that have become commonplace in the fantasy genre.
- Clockwork Angel by Casandra Clare (Simon & Schuster, 2010, ISBN: 9781416975861): Sixteen-year-old Tessa discovers that she is one of the magical Downworlders, and possesses the unique ability to turn herself into other people. A beautifully written young adult fantasy novel set in Queen Victoria’s London.
Other Shapeshifter Books for Teens
While the young adult genre offers many options to choose from, teens interested in shapeshifter stories can find even more choices in the adult sci-fi/fantasy section. The following shapeshifter books for adults will likely appeal to teens too, and feature everything from gender transformations to trees that morph into human beings.
- Dragon’s Winter by Elizabeth A. Lynn
- Wolf Moon by Charles de Lint
- The Last Dragonlord by Joanne Bertin
- The Shape-Changer’s Wife by Sharon Shinn
- The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling
Teens interested in shapeshifters can discover a world of literature that delves into different aspects of the mythology, not just werewolf/vampire lore. The books listed above are highly recommended for their strong characterization, unique reimagining of the shapeshifter figure, and literary prose.
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Heather Fawcett - Heather Fawcett is a Vancouver-based writer and editor. She holds an M.A. in English Literature and specializes in teen fiction, having ...
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