The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a timeless coming-of-age novel about identity, belonging and the struggles of growing up. The story follows Ponyboy Curtis, a thoughtful teenager caught between two rival social groups: the working-class Greasers and the wealthy Socs. As tensions between the groups escalate, Ponyboy is forced to confront violence, loss and the harsh realities of life.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to investigate the Andie Bell case as part of her high school project. Andie Bell was murdered five years ago, and the case was closed when they named Sal Singh, her boyfriend, her murderer. However, Pip always thought there was something off with this case. She teams up with Ravi Singh, Sal’s brother, to investigate the truth of what truly happened to Andie Bell.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows high school senior Pippa Fitz Amobi uncovering a murder case that has haunted her small town for years. Sal Singh was suspected of killing his girlfriend, Andie Bell, but Pip isn’t convinced. I loved this book. The characters felt very realistic and it was very fast paced. One of my main problems with mysteries is when the twists are not foreshadowed in the book. I think the author did a great job at making the ending hard to guess, but also laying out easy to find clues.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a fantastic book that really connects with readers through its honest look at average teenage struggles. It follows Holden Caulfield, a teenager who feels lost and frustrated by the world around him. Salinger writes in a way that makes Holden’s thoughts and feelings relatable, capturing the challenges of growing up and advancing through life. The themes of innocence and the search for genuine connections are powerful throughout the story.
Shannon is a quiet girl who is severely bullied at her school. She is forced to move to a new school where she is promised a new start. However, her world has taken a turn when she meets Johnny Kavanagh, Ireland’s golden boy. Johnny’s whole life is planned out with the center of it being rugby. So, when he meets Shannon, his feet are knocked out from under him and he is trying his hardest to stick to his life’s path. Past traumas and dangers are threatening to pull them apart as they try to understand this new world they have created for each other.
Belly Conklin has always said that summer is her favorite time of the year because of the beach house, Susannah, and most importantly the Fisher boys, Conrad and Jeremiah. Belly, her mom, and her brother Steven have been going to the beach house since before she was born, but this summer is finally the one where things start to change. Jeremiah and Conrad begin to see her as more than just an annoying little girl, and while Jeremiah begins to develop feelings for Belly, her heart is still stuck on the dark and moody Conrad, whom she’s always had a crush on.
The Girl in the White Van is a captivating and thrilling story. This story is about a girl named Savannah who gets kidnapped. Savannah and another girl are held hostage in a white van and now they must find a way to escape. This book follows the story of these two girls and how they deal with their situation.
Taking place in the year 2118, the Tower is a large structure with a thousand floors, each floor getting more extravagant than the last, with the thousandth floor being the most divine and coveted. On a vast variety of floors, Ryelin Myers lives on the 32nd floor, down as the DownTower portion and, when she is hired to clean one of the highest floors, she risks falling in love with a boy that she could never have. Watt Bakradi lives on the 200th floor, and is known to be a tech genius.
Meet Oscar, a strong-willed senior in high school. He has high hopes to take over his families’ Swedish food truck business. While at school, he meets Mary Louise, a girl who is the total opposite of Oscar. They both plan a minimal food waste project that includes his food truck. Despite all the chaos around them, a romance blooms between the two as they face each of their own struggles.
