Although I enjoy reading webtoons, I admit I enjoy them more when they’re in a physical book format. For one, I can get screened-out on a day-to-day basis, what with a significant portion of my work requiring the use of a laptop or tablet. For another, I suppose it takes me back to my childhood, and those long, slow days sprawled out on my bed reading comics. Nostalgia is a powerful thing, after all, and I’m always chasing that feeling of utter absorption that is more rare now that I’m an adult with a full-time job and several side gigs.
But because I prefer reading to be a tactile experience, I’m more likely to give a chance to a webtoon that’s been turned into a book. And because I’m a teacher on an endless quest to get my students to read for pleasure, I always have an eye out for any good webtoon turned YA book. You never know when a story might light up that spark, the one that initiates a lifelong love affair with the written word.
Whether the teen in your life prefers fantasy, sci-fi, or romance, they will find that genre here. Indeed, the only other thing these popular webtoons turned YA books have in common is that they’re great, entertaining reads that will transport a kid (or an adult!) to a different world. Isn’t that part of why we read in the first place?
Webtoons Turned YA Books
Your Letter by Hyeon A ChoAfter being targeted by bullies, Sori hopes a new school will provide a fresh start. But even she wasn’t expecting to be welcomed via an anonymous invitation to join a scavenger hunt. Could her unknown new friend be, well, a friend? |
Space Boy Volume 1 by Stephen McCranieAmy, a space-residing girl who thinks of people in terms of flavors, must return to Earth when her father loses his job. But it’s not simply a matter of hopping on a spaceship for a quick trip home. Instead, Amy and her family must become cryogenically frozen for the 30-year journey. When she finally gets to Earth, she finds a different world. Everything seems weird—including the boy at her new school who has no flavor. |
Magical Boy Volume 1 by The KaoMax is a trans boy doing his best to get through high school. Learning that he comes from a long line of Magical Girls who must save humanity from an ancient evil? Well, frankly, it was not part of the plan. So now, on top of passing his exams and surviving adolescence, Max has to become the first Magical Boy, and oh yeah, save the world while he’s at it. |
True Beauty Volume 1 by YaongyiFeeling ugly tends to be a childhood rite of passage. But Jugyeong Lim decides to do something about it: with the help of a few online tutorials, she becomes beautiful and popular. But self-esteem isn’t so easily won, especially when you’re a teenager and *checks notes* stuck in the middle of a love triangle. |
The Kiss Bet Volume 1 by Ingrid OchoaSara Lin has enough things to worry about without adding a first kiss to the list. But when her friend Patrick challenges her, Sara switches gears: now she has to care, but is a magical, fairytale first kiss too much to ask for? |
Heartstopper Volume 1 by Alice OsemanWhen Charlie becomes friends with Nick, he falls hard and fast. But there’s no way that Nick feels the same, right? After all, Nick is a cool rugby player, and Charlie is… not. Alas, life does have a way of surprising you. |
Morgana and Oz Volume 1 by MiyuliThis is Romeo and Juliet if our lovestruck teens were witches and vampires. Morgana and Oz do not exactly get along. But unless they want war to break out between her coven and his clan, they need to work together. And then, well. Romeo and Juliet is enough of a hint, isn’t it? |
Villains Are Destined to Die Volume 1 by Gwon Gyeoeul and David Odell (translator)Playing as the villain in a video game? Very fun, much recommended. Waking up as the villain of said game? Uh… do you accept returns? Unfortunately, this is Siyeon Cha’s plight. Playing as the villain means that she’s stuck in hard mode, which makes her chances of making it out alive… not ideal. Can she learn to play a hard game? |
If you’d like a refresher on webtoons, be sure to check out Webtoons 101: What are they and where to start. And if you’d like more recs, don’t miss 10 of the best webcomics for newcomers.







