Teens Only | If You Like a Good Puzzle...

This is the blog for you. I'm always reading reviews of teen books to find great things to read... and to of course recommend to you. So I came across a list of books that every teen should read. Gosh I don't like being told what I should read. So how about we call these books every teen should want to read. Better, right?



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Back to my penchant for puzzles. I am not going to make this easy for you. I will give you some clues to each title, but I'm not going to tell you the title. You're all super smart, and you'll be able to figure out the titles with just a little keyword searching in the library catalog.

Are you ready?

Our first book features a girl named Cath who is feeling left out when her best friend no longer shares their love for a favorite celebrity. So she finds herself all alone in her first year of college, has to deal with a not-so-nice roommate, and constantly worries about her father.

Ok. Do you know what book I'm talking about? Go ahead. See if you can figure it out. Quick hint: If you use the girl's name in a word/phrase search, and perhaps another word from the description I just gave you, you'll probably find it. And by the way, it sounds great and I'll be reading it very soon.

This next one was first published in 1967 and is about three brothers who struggle to stay together after the deaths of their parents. This book was made into a movie starring Matt Dillon, Rob Lowe, and Tom Cruise. It's a great movie, and the book is even better. Do you know what the title is? Have you read it? If not, are you going to read it?

The last book in today's puzzle is by one of my favorite authors. This book is about a 16-year-old on trial for being an accomplice to murder. What's super cool about this book is that it is written in the form of a film script. It's a quick read that will really make you think. Do you know it?

Three books that are really great. If you're totally stumped, let me know by posting a comment. I'll respond soon.

In the meantime, happy reading!

Book Bucket List | The Outsiders and Looking for Alaska

When I was thinking of types of books that should make anyone's book bucket list, one of the first things that came to mind was a coming of age story.  I really can't decide between two of my favorites, so I am going to write about S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders and John Green's Looking for Alaska.

In The Outsiders, Ponyboy is a fourteen year old boy that belongs to a local gang that call themselves the Greasers.  Even within his group of friends, Ponyboy feels like an outsider as he feels his interests in books and movies can't be shared with anyone.  But once things flair up with a rival gang and Ponyboy's friend accidentally kills a member of that rival gang, Ponyboy is forced to grow up very quickly. 

The Outsiders was written by Hinton when she was only sixteen years old.  Even at that young age she told a story that many generations have been able to relate to.  Any reader would be able to see some part of themselves in her vast cast of characters.  If you're looking for a classic coming of age story, this would be it.

In 1983, The Outsiders movie was released featuring huge names like Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, and Matt Dillon.  So once you finish the book, you can go and watch the movie! Check out the trailer below.

One of my favorite books that I have read this year is John Green's Looking for Alaska.  When Miles Halter gets bored with public school and convinces his parents to ship him off to his father's former boarding school in Alabama to seek what he calls "the great perhaps".  Once there, he befriends the non-popular group including the beautiful and quirky Alaska Young.  For awhile, Miles is content with his interesting classes and pranks on the popular kids at his school, but after a drastic accident, everything in his life changes.

In 2006, Looking for Alaska won the Michael L. Printz award from the American Library Association for "best book written for teens, based entirely on its literary merit."   It really is a great book that completely blindsides you from where you think the story is headed!