Every 16-year-old in Sweden will soon be receiving a copy of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s We Should All Be Feminists as part of a campaign to open up conversation about gender.

Here are the books we’d gift to every 16-year-old in Australia – if we could!

If I was going to get every 16-year-old in Australia a book, it’d probably be something practical like a cookbook – Complete Perfect Recipes by David Herbert has every recipe you could ever want, from boiled eggs to self-saucing chocolate pudding, and they work every time. Or, if I wanted them to read, I’d probably choose a classic like The Catcher in the Rye because when I read it at 16, Holden’s teenage angst really resonated with me. Actually, scrap both of those ideas because I’ve just learned of the existence of Pocket Kanye Wisdom which contains quotes from Yeezy himself, such as: ‘I feel like I’m too busy writing history to read it.’ Everybody needs this book, if only to learn from the mistakes of others. – Holly Harper, children’s specialist at Carlton

The Dog Of The South by Charles Portis because it shows them that literature can be fun. – Chris Somerville, online team member

Every 16-year-old Australian should read Anna Krien’s Night Games. An incredible work of investigatory nonfiction, Night Games shines a light on Australian sexual politics in a truly relatable way. At the centre is Krien’s account of the rape trial of a footballer. This element of courtroom drama makes Night Games a complete page-turner, and the sporting focus definitely lends itself to so many accessible discussion points for teenagers. Not only does this book tackle issues of sexual consent and abuse, but expertly treads through the minefield of sexism and misogyny intrinsic to sporting culture, and Australian culture more broadly. – Stella Charls, marketing and event coordinator

The title story in this collection, Consider Her Ways, truly freaked me out as a 16-year-old. A normal woman wakes up in an unfamiliar body in a futuristic matriarchal society where all the men have perished and women are separated into strict castes. At that age, I shared the horror of the protagonist that she had been placed in the Mother caste and was forbidden to read. Everything about this story is slippery and unsettling, but it really made me think deeply about what it meant to be a woman. – Leanne Hall, grants officer for the Readings Foundation

I read Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi when I was maybe 19 or 20, and not only did it open my eyes to the power of graphic novels but its simple, heartfelt story of growing up in a rapidly changing Iran gave me an insight into a part of the world I was largely unaware of outside of the news. In today’s climate, I think the story of how everyday people become displaced and affected by totalitarian regimes is more important than ever. – Alan Vaarwerk, editorial assistant for Readings Monthly

I think 16-year-olds are already prescribed plenty of books they have to read for school. They’ve probably had quite enough of being told what to read, and why it will be good for them. To that end, I would pick something like Illuminae – a fast-paced, highly entertaining adventure novel that is structured differently to the kind of text they are used to reading (the story unfolds through a series of documents, chat sessions, transcripts and more). Plus, Illuminae is set in space (universal appeal!) and written by Australians (supporting local talent!), and it’s the kind of book any teenager could completely lose themselves in. – Nina Kenwood, marketing manager

There are too many to pick just one! The most recent release that comes to mind is Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, which blew me out the water this year, and that I wish I could’ve read earlier. Or, Shaun Tan’s The Arrival which is such a beautiful, gentle and necessary story to share. – Bronte Coates, digital content coordinator