Classic millennial books' appeal lies in resonant themes like independence, horror, and existential debates. Standout literature like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and Roald Dahl's books shaped millennial literature. The Harry Potter series and The Secret History were cultural milestones for millennials in terms of changing the course of literature.

A handful of standalone books and book series defined the childhoods of millennials due to their timely themes or popularity in the 1980s and 1990s. These classic kids' books from the 90s are still worth reading for their literary merit as well as nostalgia for the time. Some books were defining cultural moments for young millennials because of their reception when they first came out. Others were released earlier, but are still important to this generation as they are still required reading material and demonstrate some resonant themes.

Some of these books are assigned school reading books people would pick up today,...