The paper examines what kind of books have been read by Japanese high-school students since World War II, based on two types of data concerning the reading activities of high-school students. First, the study collected and analyzed reports by the Japanese School Library Association covering the 40-year period from 1960 which include annual book reading surveys. Second, the study listed up and analyzed the book titles for review essays entered into the All Japan Student Book Review Contest over a 45-year period. In terms of free reading by students, as reflected in the first source of data, while classic books were popularly read during the in 1960s and 1970s, in the 1980s, young adult books came popular, and in the 1990s, there was an increase in violent genres. The most frequently read book was Natsume Sosekiʼs KOKORO. In terms of books for thinking, as indicated by the student reviews, the most frequently reviewed works of fiction were Dazai Osamuʼs NINGEN SIKKAKU, Natsume Sosekiʼs KOKORO and Albert Camusʼ “The Stranger”. As for nonfiction, “Anne Frankʼs Diary” was the most frequently reviewed.