The Outsiders is about 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis and his two older brothers, Soda and Darry. The boys are orphans and struggle to stick together in their lower-class neighborhood, known as the East Side. They and their friends are part of a gang of working class boys called the Greasers. The book follows Ponyboy as his life gets thrown off course after a rival gang, the Socs, beat him and one of his friends up, causing a chain of events that changes Ponyboy’s life.
In this volume, Nick and Charlie wonder if they should take their relationship a step forward and strengthen their physical relationship. This topic is widely talked about in their school, friend groups and even their families. Another major plot point is that Nick is going to be going to college and they try to get over this challenge.
Carley Connors has just had her entire life upturned after a traumatic accident left her and her mother in the hospital. Since her mother was in an extremely bad state, Carley had to stay with a foster family. Her “new” family was not what she was expecting at all. Carley discovers what it really means to be a family in this stunning YA debut novel by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. This book is really good, and is one of my favorites. The characters are all very well written, and it makes you feel as if they are all real. This book was really sad, but it is a very good read.
The Running Dream is a beautifully written book about resilience and courage. This book follows the journey of a girl named Jessica who is a high school student. Jessica loves track and running but when she gets into a terrible bus accident and loses her leg she must learn how to cope with this loss. I enjoyed this story because it is a very heart-warming story. I also enjoyed how the story played out. The part of the book that I liked the most was the angle of friendship it had.
What About Will is a heart-touching that revolves around family bonds. This novel is about the life of a boy named Trace who was once a happy guy with a perfect family but one accident turned his whole life upside down. When Trace’s older brother Will gets a brain injury everything changes and Trace is stuck trying to cope with everything that is happening in his life now. I loved this book a lot because it was very realistic and the author's writing style and plot were very interesting.
The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga follows the character, Balram Halwai, as he discusses his rise to wealth. Over a seven day period, he writes to a famous Chinese Premier about his success as an entrepreneur, as well as his struggle of fighting the remains of the caste system and the social ladder. He writes about how he started as a driver from a little town in Laxmanghar, and he worked to own a company in Bangalore.
Summary: In Five Feet Apart, readers are introduced to Stella Grant and Will Newman, two teenagers who are anything but ordinary, due to their battle with cystic fibrosis (CF). Stella is meticulous about her treatment regimen, aiming to keep her health stable enough for a lung transplant. Will, on the other hand, is tired of clinical trials and restrictions, eagerly awaiting his 18th birthday to reclaim some freedom from his disease.
Lu is a track-related book written by Jason Reynolds. In the final book of a four-book series, Lu is the co-captain of the Defenders, his track team. Lu is a leader and shows that with his friends Ghost, Patina, and Sunny. His only weakness is that he can sometimes let his ego take over. But when he must do hurdles on and off the track, he wonders if he can handle it. Unexpected twists do happen, causing Lu to rethink some things, but in the biggest stage, the most unanticipated difficulty occurs.
Summary: In the gripping novel, The Catcher in the Rye, we meet Holden Caulfield, a rebellious teenager expelled from his boarding school. Holden wants to find realness and authenticity in a phony world, but his own self-destructive tendencies and inability to connect with others hinder his progress. Throughout the book, Holden embarks on a journey through New York City, encountering various people and situations that further challenge his beliefs and push him to confront his own demons.
I rated The Hate U Give a 5 out of 5 for a few reasons. This book follows Starr Carter and her journey as she has two different personalities, she lives in a poor neighborhood but goes to a white school with rich people. The book is also about how she fights for justice for her friend Khalil who gets shot by a police officer unjustly. At first, she is afraid of speaking out but then she realizes that she must stand up for her friend as he would have done the same for her.
