At its best, Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a poignant, bittersweet portrayal of a teenage boy’s coming of age. Throughout most of the novel, however, it reads as a loosely connected web of teenage trauma that’s held together by an empty shell of a protagonist. The book follows Charlie, a shy, fifteen-year-old boy who recounts his life in letters to a never[1]identified friend.
This Delicious Death by Kayla Cottingham offers an interesting premise but falls entirely flat in its execution. The novel takes place after a sort of zombie apocalypse called “The Hollowing” that turned a small part of the population into “ghouls”, feral creatures who crave human flesh.
Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby follows Quinn, a high school senior who is coping with the death of her boyfriend Trent. After Trent dies, his organs are donated to many people in need, one being Colton Thomas. Quinn’s sorrow encourages her to find the last remnants of Trent, so she tracks down Colton’s shop near the beach. Without revealing her true intentions for meeting Colton, Quinn and Colton become good friends. As they become closer to each other, Quinn finds it harder to keep her secret.
Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a rom com about Liz Buxbaum who is certain the guy she’s going to end up with is Michael, who was the person she’s had a crush on since she was a little girl. Michael never noticed Liz before he moved away. Now that he’s back Liz will do anything to get his attention. Even becoming friends with Wes, her annoying next-door neighbor who bugs her every time he sees her since they were kids.
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir is the first book in the series. Laia, who witnesses the murder of her grandparents and her brother getting arrested, must risk her life as a spy for the rebels by going into the Empire’s greatest military academy as a slave. Elias, who is a soldier in the academy, plans to desert, but deserting isn’t easy. If Elias gets caught, it could cost him his life. Both Elias and Laia want to seek freedom but find out it’s harder than they think.
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is a beautifully woven narrative set during World War II. It follows the lives of two protagonists: Marie-Laure, a blind French girl forced to flee Paris with her father, carrying with her a priceless jewel from the Museum of Natural History, and Werner, a German orphan with an extraordinary talent for radio technology who becomes a soldier in the Nazi army. Their paths eventually converge in the occupied French town of Saint-Malo.
I Am Number Four is a young adult science fiction novel by Pittacus Lore, which follows the story of a teenage alien named John Smith, one of nine surviving members of an extraterrestrial race known as the Lorien. They are hunted by the ruthless Mogadorians who seek to eliminate them all. John, along with his guardian Henri, constantly moves to evade detection.
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is the gripping tale of Percy Jackson, a twelve-year-old boy who discovers he's a demigod, the son of Poseidon, and embarks on a quest to prevent a war among the Greek gods after being accused of stealing Zeus's lightning bolt. Alongside his friends Annabeth and Grover, Percy traverses the United States, encountering mythical creatures and overcoming formidable challenges, all while learning about his unique abilities and the responsibilities of being a hero.
The Lightning Thief from the Percy Jackson series follows the story of a boy in New York who realizes he's half-blooded, his father is a Greek god. The story follows him as he tries to figure out who his godly parent is. Percy and his new group of half-blooded friends must go on a mission to return a lightning bolt to Zeus from an evil titan. On the way, Percy learns where he can fit in and where he belongs. The book has themes of identity and living up to one's full potential based on the opinions of others.
The Prince is a political treatise written by Niccolo Machiavelli during his time imprisoned, following the wars in Italy in the 1500s. He wrote this book as a gift to his captors: the de’ Medici family. The main purpose of the book is to inform rulers how to gain power and, most importantly, maintain power at any cost. The book covers how to conquer foreign lands, how to maintain control of your lands, how to deal with your army or traitors, how to behave with people of different social statuses, etc.
