You just got out of school. You're thinking about hanging out with your friends, going swimming, and staying up super late. Reading a book is probably the last thing on your mind. Am I right? I'm a book worm. I used to read all the time when I was in elementary school. But I quickly found out that I wouldn't have time to read as much in high school. What took me a day or two to read, now took me a week or more to finish. The books on my bookshelf began to be covered with a good amount of dust. But now it's summer and I do one of the things I love the most: read.
People always ask me why I love reading so much. After I answer I ask them, "Do you like to read?" and most people reply, "No." A lot of kids don't like to read because the books don't interest them. I think that everyone would enjoy reading if they just found good books. It is tempting to stop reading all together after not being able to finish a book. So I have a list of books that I have read and are currently sitting on my bookshelf that will hopefully interest any teenager.
The first book that I recommend is "Looking for Alaska" by John Green. It is one of my all time favorite books. It's a coming of age novel about a boy named Miles, aka "Pudge", who goes to a boarding school and meets people who will change his life forever. It is laugh out loud funny, but also will make you cry. It's a bit for the older kids because of the drug and sexual content, but otherwise is a really good book.
Next, is a very funny book called "Food, Girls, and Other Things I Can't Have" by Allen Zadoff. This book is about an overweight teenage boy who falls for this new girl named April. But, how can he win his dream girl when no one whats to date a fat kid? He reinvents his life when he becomes the center of his school's football team. Does becoming popular have it's consequences, or does his life have a happily ever after ending?
Another novel that I love is "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher. This girl named Hannah killed herself and she wants the people who brought her to kill herself to know the reasons why. Those people are the reasons why. Clay, a boy who loved Hannah, receives the tapes and listens to what she has to say and learns the secrets. To read a review click here, check out fairypup2's article from last week.
Sarah Dessen is one of my favorite authors. She writes love stories, so boys, you might not want to check these out at your local library, but they're perfect for teenage girls. Some the books she has written are "The Truth About Forever", "Along for the Ride", "Just Listen", "That Summer", and "This Lullaby".
I have to tell you guys my favorite book in the world, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. This author has also written another super good book called "The Messenger".
What about some series?
James Patterson doesn't just write adult novels, he writes some pretty good young adult novels too. My favorite series of his are the Maximum Ride Novels. The first one is called "The Angel Experiment", then "School's Out-Forever", "Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports", "The Final Warning", and "Max". Boys and girls would both like these books because there's some fighting, humor, love, and science fiction all wrapped in one.
Of course, I can't not mention The Harry Potter novels by J.K Rowling. If you haven't read them yet, go run to the library. Now.
For you teenage girls who love sparkly and warm things, go read the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer.
And for you nerdy kids like me, you will enjoy the Artemis Fowl books by Eoin Colfer. They are about a young boy who is a genius. He discovers a secret world of fairies and goblins. His adventures always mix him up with the fairy world and he tries to keep their existence from the humans a secret.
I'm a country tomboy and I love to play football with my guy friends. So when I found a book that is pretty much the story of my life, I was so excited. Catherine Murdock wrote a trilogy about a girl named D.J. who tries to get through playing on the guys football team and finding love. The order of the books are "Dairy Queen", "The Off Season", and "Front and Center".
Okay, one more series written by Suzanne Collins -- "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire". Go read them.
I think that should be enough books for now. Hopefully, you will fall in love with one of these books and begin to love reading.
Gasohp, aka Karlie, is signing off to go read . . . or go hang out with my friends.
