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.
Khaled Hosseini's historical fiction novel A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the story of two Afghan women, belonging to different generations, from the early 1960s through the early 2000s. Both women are born in different circumstances as Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a rich man and Laila is the daughter of a teacher. Mariam is forced to marry a shoemaker from Kabul when she is fifteen and Laila's life is turned upside down when her parents are killed.
The Canyon’s Edge is a kind of boring and an emotional realistic fiction novel by Dusti Bowling. This book is about a girl named Elenor. Ever since the shooting that killed her mom, she and her dad have isolated themselves from the world. After a year Elenor and her dad go to a canyon where no one goes. Elenor’s dad feels a canyon flood and pushes Elenor to safety, but he gets carried away by it, now Elenor has to find and rescue her dad.
Be Not Far from Me is an adventurous and kind of boring thriller novel by Mindy McGinnis. This book is about a girl named Ashely, she and her friends go hiking in the Smokies. Her boyfriend Duke cheats on her with his ex-girlfriend. When Ashley sees this, she is shocked and runs in the opposite direction of the camp. She gets lost and eventually finds her way back. When she’s found, there are tons of reporters that want to interview her.
Matt Damon plays Mark Watney in Ridley Scott’s science fiction film, The Martian, made in 2015. Mark is abandoned on Mars after a big storm comes through the crew’s camp. His fellow astronauts including Melissa Lewis (Jessica Chastain) and Chris Beck (Sebastian Stan), escape Mars safely, but leave him behind after coming to the conclusion that he had died due to debris. Mark makes contact with the crew and with NASA back on Earth and communicates with them to try and get him off the barren planet.
The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman is a devastatingly realistic look into the life of a homeless child. It tells a realistic story of abuse and homelessness, and yet also is a story of hope. The book is set in India, and follows the two main characters, young girls named Viji and Rukku as they run away from their abusive household and live alone on the streets. They meet other characters and try to survive the harsh life.
Twelve-year-old Torak’s life is suddenly turned upside down when a bear attack suddenly leaves Torak without his father. Now, Torak is faced with completing the oath that he promised his father he would complete: To find a mountain that nobody has ever found, to solve a riddle that nobody has ever solved, and to kill the bear that killed his father. Luckily, Torak has a guide, in the form of a wolf cub. Together, Torak and Wolf travel together, avoiding enemies, collecting pieces of the riddle, and finding a way to make it to the mountain.
The story of Dune begins with Paul Atriedes, son of the Duke Leto. Leto is assigned to govern over the hostile desert world of Arrakis, the only source of melange. This “spice” is highly coveted, as consumption of it can cause, most notably, heightened mental abilities and limited foresight. However, the Duke’s acclimation of the planet was planned so that the Atriedes family might be left vulnerable. Paul must learn to navigate the new worlds of Arrakis and interplanetary politics, or his family will not survive.
Dry is about Alyssa and Garret, whose lives completely alter after the drought. Alyssa and Garret are siblings who live in California with their parents and uncle. Suddenly, the water supply is gone. Therefore, families turn against each other, striving for water. Her parents are gone, and her brother and her lives are threatened. Can Alyssa fix the problem with the help of her neighbor, Kelton?
Based on a true story, Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell, focuses on the main character Karana who enjoys life on an island with her tribe in the middle of a sea of dolphins. One day, Russians unexpectedly raid her island and attempt to make a deal to share the supply of fish equally with the islanders.
