The Outsiders is a book about a 14 year old boy and his 6 friends. They live in an era where two groups are divided by economic and social status. Ponyboy and his friends fall into the “greasers” side, which is the less rich and more tough side. Ponyboy has two brothers, Soda and Darry, and they all hangout with their other friends, Dally, Johnny & Steve. Ponyboy grows close to Johnny but when he commits a crime, their lives all fall down and a series of events that even leads to death happens after.
Dune is a 1965 epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert. The book follows Paul Atreides, a clever and brilliant young man who has a destiny that is beyond his understanding. When his father, Duke Leto, accepts Arrakis, the most dangerous planet in the universe, from the rival Harkonnen family, Paul starts to transform into something unimaginable as he leads his people into a momentous war.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is about of a group of young boys who end up on a deserted island due to a plane crash, and the book explains how they all act after leaving the structure and normalcy of society back home. Golding critiques human psychology and the ideas of how humans operate when survival is on the line. Although the novel can be a drag at some points, the actions of the boys and the thought processes that occur allow for great discussion and thoughts about human behavior.
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman is the story of Lyra Belacqua, a young girl living at Jordan College, in a world similar to ours. However, in this world, people have companions called daemons that are bonded with their souls and take the form of animals. Lyra, with her daemon Pantalaimon, have to face a dangerous journey to rescue her friend Roger from the Gobblers. These Gobblers take children to perform experiments, and work for the mighty Magisterium.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is a short story that follows the life of a traveling salesman, Gregor Samsa, after he mysteriously transforms into a bug. When Gregor wakes up as a bug, he cannot support his family, open his bedroom door, or even get out of bed. This story provides great commentary on societal expectations while maintaining its hilarity. Kafka manages to spell out all of modern society’s great faults through the eyes of his insect narrator.
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Fiction) is a tale of a dystopian world through the eyes of a boy, Jonas. In Jonas’s world, everyone is given a life chosen for them. They are given their career at a choosing ceremony, if they want a spouse they must file for one and then be assigned someone who is perfectly paired with them, they must file for children (which are birthed by specific women) and they can only have two children, one girl and one boy. Jonas is anxious for his job, and is surprised by the one chosen for him.
