Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Zora Neale Hurston writes a coming of age story about Janie, an African American girl, who is searching for true love throughout the book. At the end, she finally finds her love and her true self, but it takes a couple of husbands and a lot of bad experiences to get there.
The story creates its own suspense because the reader is constantly trying to find out who Janie will spend the rest of her life with and whether she will ever be happy.
The most important lesson I learned from the book is that one should listen to his or her own feelings, and never let any else decide what you should do in your own life.
The descriptive language was beautiful, but the dialect was often hard to understand.

Submitted by Stirring

How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

To understand fully How I Live Now, the reader must comprehend Meg Rosoff's criticism of the breaking down of England's society during the London bombing. Daisy, a fifteen-year-old, has been caught in the aftermath of a London bombing.While going through her journey to survive, Daisy tries to continue to do what she knows is right; however, she learns that the right path is not always the easy one.
The book is very easy for a teen to relate to because the reader gets caught up in Daisy's dilemma.

Submitted by CC

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

In The Road, Cormac McCarthy expresses his opinions about the lowness of humanity in a post-apocalyptic world. As the main character and his son travel toward the sea, attempting to survive, they meet all kinds of evil which the father recognizes, but the innocence of the son keeps the story moving on a morally straight path.
While reading the novel, I learned the importance of reality in such a situation that could apply to life today. For the man and son to survive, they had to forget the past and keep moving.
The both was entertaining and very easy to read and understand.

Submitted by DH

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Yann Martel tells the interesting story of Pi. who is lost at sea, with a Bengal tiger called Richard Parker. While reading the book, most will wonder if the story can be believed. What is does best though, is to allow the reader to understand animals and man better.
I've seen the movie and liked it much better than the book.

Submitted by #1 Senior
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13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen receives thirteen taped messages in the mail, along with a map. As he plays them, he discovers they are from Hannah Baker, one of his high school friends who commits suicide, and she shares with him the reasons for her act. He listens to Hannah's messages while traveling to each of the locations. On his way, he begins to understand how we affect the lives of other people without even realizing it.

The story is believable because the characters share problems that the typical high school student comes across today.

It was also an easy read because it kept my interest.

Submitted by JS

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Beatrice Prior lives in a dystopian society which is divided into five factions, each dedicated a particular characteristic--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent).  As a sixteen-year-old, she must decide which faction she will devote her life to. Should she stay with her family or become what she truly is?
Renaming herself Tris and totally changing her life, Beatrice goes through endurance and psychological tests, searching for her true identity.
Roth writes a book that is interesting, entertaining, and easy to read. The fact that it is a trilogy with a theme similar to The Hunger Games makes it one that almost all teens want to read.

Submitted by Divergent Fan

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Holden Caulfield tells his own story--about the schools he has been kicked out of, about his friends who are phonies, and about the things that just "kill him". It's not until the end of the book when his younger sister talks to him that he realizes that maybe the problems in his life are his own fault.

The book is an easy-to-read classic, and Salinger makes the reader feel Holden's depression.

Submitted by EB