TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NON-AMERICAN NOVEL MENTION: LIGHT NOVELS

Specific Recommendations:

Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Naruto and more!

Start Reading [Amazon Links]:

Jujustu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, My Hero Academia, Naruto

First things first: this would not be a fair list of books to read if you like shonen manga if I didn't start by mentioning light novels as a whole.

A light novel is a style of Japanese novel targeting teenagers and young adults. These novels contain mostly illustrations in anime or manga style. They are usually published in bunkobon size (A6 – 105 x 148mm). Light novels are not very long. The length is comparable to a novella in US publishing terms.

That said, I have done my own searching for novel formatted anime-style books and Light Novels weren't the solution for me. 

I LOVE manga, but I also love reading novels, and I wanted something in between, and Light Novels were not what I was looking for. 

I have read all of the Light Novels I linked to above, and I loved some of them, but not because they were a perfect format of novel and anime - mainly because I already loved the world building that was done in the manga, anime or both and then got a deeper dive into the characters as a whole (in some ways).

That said, I have found a couple that almost hit the mark for me, but still ultimately prefer other options that I list below and would normally just grab manga if I had to choose between manga or a light novel.

Anime Workout Databases at SHJ:

Anime Workouts Database

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

HONORABLE MENTION: TRISTAN STRONG

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 3

Series Name: Tristan Strong Series

Author: Kwame Mbalia

Start Reading: Amazon

First up among our books your should read if you love shonen manga is an honorable mention for: Tristan Strong Punches A Hole In The Sky!

This one came in at number one on my list for Naruto fans so I'd be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention it here, but I do personally think there are better picks for shonen manga as a whole, which has a much wider focus for us than when we zoomed in on just Naruto and the age group that would be looking to read a novel after watching or reading the anime/manga.

The Tristan Strong Series, by Kwame Mbalia is presented by bestselling author of the Percy Jackson Series (which is in our runner ups section, by the way): Rick Riordan.

Triston Strong is an epic fantasy described as a middle grade American Gods!

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NUMBER FIVE: RENEGADES

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 3

Series Name: Renegades Trilogy

Author: Marissa Meyer

Start Reading:
Amazon

Up next starts our list of the best books to read if you like shonen manga at number five with the book series: Renegades Trilogy!

You may recognize Marissa Meyer's name considering she's the author of another popular book series: The Lunar Chronicles.

But, The Renegades Trilogy packs a punch for any of our shonen manga fans who love manga and anime like My Hero Academia, One Punch Man, Tiger and Bunny, Astro Boy, Sailor Moon and so many others that are centered around superheroes [but aren't graphic novels or comics].

I have another series on the list that comes in centered around a specific genre within shonen manga, but this one starts us off strong.

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NUMBER FOUR: THE NAME OF THE WIND

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 2

Series Name: The Kingkiller Chronicle

Author: Patrick Rothfuss

Start Reading:
Amazon

Coming in at number four among the books to read if you like shonen manga is The Name Of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss!

I first stumbled upon The Name Of The Wind while taking a course by Brandon Sanderson that he did at BYU on Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy.

If Brandon Sanderson gives you a recommendation, I will more than likely be checking out your stuff - and I was NOT disappointed. 

I have not read the follow up book [at the time of writing this], but it is definitely on my list for this year.

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NUMBER THREE: LOCKWOOD AND CO.

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 5

Series Name: Lockwood & Co.

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Start Reading:
Amazon

At number three among our top books to read if you love shonen manga I have the book series: Lockwood & Co.

Lockwood and Co. actually just became a super popular Netflix Original Series and I immediately grabbed it and binge read through all five novels, loving every second of it.

I personally wanted to put this one at number one or two, but had to take off my hype pants for a second and recognize that the next two on the list are so good they can't be topped so easily (though this one is THAT good).

This one most reminds me of shonen manga like Jujutsu Kaisen (my favorite anime/manga series, which is why I love Lockwood and Co. so much), but also gives off Demon Slayer, Kaiju No. 8 and other vibes as well.

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NUMBER TWO: UNSOULED

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 11

Series Name: Cradle

Author: Will Wight

Start Reading:
Amazon

Coming in at number two among our top books to read if you like shonen manga is Unsouled, book one of the Cradle series by my fellow Floridian Will Wight.

Wight's Cradle series is ALWAYS mentioned when any anime or shonen manga style conversion starts within novel format, and I would say it's the closest to Naruto-style progression if we needed some kind of comparison from anime/manga to Progression Fantasy (or just a good sales pitch for Will).

Another reason this one comes in at number two is because there are ELEVEN books in the series, giving you endless joy for what feels like an eternity, and they're ALL free with Kindle Unlimited.

Yes, ALL eleven books are free with Kindle Unlimited.

And, even if you don't have Kindle Unlimited, Will has some of the least expensive options among the list, with Unsouled starting at just $0.99...!

TOP FIVE BOOKS TO READ IF YOU LIKE SHONEN MANGA

NUMBER ONE: MISTBORN

Is This A Series: Yes

# of Books In Series: 3

Series Name: Mistborn

Author: Brandon Sanderson

Start Reading:
Amazon

Coming in at number one among our list of the top books to read if you like anime is Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy.

Sanderson is incredible, and his Mistborn Trilogy is the at the top notch among all of his books for me personally, which is why it isn't taken down off the top peg of this one just yet.

Sanderson is one of the bestselling fantasy writers, and for good reason, which is why Mistborn is an obvious choice for number one on this list with constant anime-like battles and distinctive characters.

Plus, not that it's an anime, but the book basically has metal benders as if they're coming straight out of Avatar: The Last Airbender...and who doesn't want that?