Must read books that students will enjoy
It is very important to keep reading outside of school, especially during the summer. It's crucial to keep the brain working and thinking even when your outside of school, also reading a vast majority of different genres and books will help you write essays and especially on the AP exams. Picture from public domain.
by Yealin Lee, junior staff reporter
It can be difficult to find a good book to read but because there are many different genres, everyone should be able to pinpoint their favorite type of books.
To get ahead in the school year, starting with some classical literature might be a good idea; such as Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck.
According to Cliff Notes, Of Mice and Men is a “parable on what it means to be human”. It is about two men on a journey in search of making their ‘dream’ come true. George uses Lennie as a key to unlock this dream but as the story progresses, ironically, Lennie becomes the biggest obstacle to overcome in achieving this dream.
There are also books like Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley that covers two genres, science fiction and classical literature. But looking mainly into the region of Science Fiction, a popular selling book is Harry Potter, by J.K. Rowling.
“I like classics because they’re timeless, I would recommend any books by Oscar Wilde,” junior Barbara Kasomenakis said.
Harry Potter revolves around a fantasy world that co-exists with the human world. There are wizards in training and Harry Potter is one of those students who go to the school Hogwarts to learn more about his abilities. In the book, like every book, there is a villain named Voldemort. Voldemort is after Harry’s life because he wants to be the most powerful wizard, but he heard a fortune saying that Harry would surpass him. But if this is not interesting enough, there are also other books similar to Harry Potter such as Lord of the Rings. And there are some people who just love science fiction,
“I find science fiction interesting because your imagination is not limited,” junior Alessandro Leto said.
Completely different from the genre of science fiction is romance. This type of book will churn a strongly emotional sensation. The Fault In Our Stars, by John Green proves likewise. This book is about a 16 year old girl with lung cancer.
She expects nothing from life and has nothing to live for; but as she is pushed to attend the support group she meets a boy named, Augustus Waters. And together, they discover love and open up their hearts to what they thought they couldn’t. They learn what it means to live life to the fullest with no regrets.
And last but not least, there is Mystery and Horrors. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is a New York Times #1 best seller. This novel takes place during the World War II.
Jacob is a 16 year old boy who goes on a journey to a remote island off the coast of Wales. He finds Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children in ruins and as he searches through the destroyed building, he tries to figure out his grandfather’s stories and his last words.
“My favorite genre is mystery because it’s suspenseful and it doesn’t bore you, it’s exciting,” junior Angel Lee said.
And as the students say, not everyone will like the same type of genre, so there are always other options such as:
- The Crucible by Arthur Miller (Tragedy, Drama, Classical literature)
- Dracula by Bram Stoker (Gothic fiction, Science fiction, Classical literature)
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Gothic fic, Science fic, Classical literature)
- Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (Romance novel)
- Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (Romance novel, young-adult fiction)
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Fantasy, Mystery)
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (Young-adult fiction, Mystery)
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Horror, Fantasy)
- Lord Of The Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien (Adventure fiction, Science fic)
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Romance novel, Fantasy)