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

Sycamore Row by John Grisham

Seth Hubbard is dying of lung cancer and writes a questionable will immediately before his death, leaving everything to his maid. His family fights to the end, making all kinds of accusations and involving many lawyers.

Not until the very end of the book does Hubbard's reasoning make sense, bringing the novel to an interesting conclusion.

Like Grisham's A Time to Kill, this book is hard not to read in one sitting.

Submitted by Mrs. Caudill

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch and Lee Chadeayne

The Hangman's Daughter centers around a small German town's executioner, explaining how he is born into the job and how he protects not only his family but also the innocent. The title is a bit misleading; the book is not gruesome, but it offers a great history lesson.

This English translation was free on Kindle e-books for a while, making it a bargain as well.

Submitted by Mrs. Caudill

The Confession by John Grisham

In The Confession, John Grisham makes a valid case for abolishing the death penalty through the character of Donte Drumm, the town's star football player who sits on death row for the murder of a cheerleader nine years before--a murder which he did not commit. The story revolves around the race to save his life when the real murderer comes forward and confesses to a preacher who lives several states away. Allowing the reader to see what goes on behind the scenes in preparation for a lethal injection and in the court appeals process, the story also reveals the racial prejudices in a small Texas town where the condemned is black and the victim white.

Grisham does an excellent job of creating suspense and leaves readers with many questions about the Texas penal systerm.

Submitted by Mrs. Caudill

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In this futurist novel, Katniss Everdeen volunteers for a sure death sentence to protect her sister, her community, and herself by competing with  friends and enemies in front of a live television audience. Along the way, she must overcome great obstacles and her own fears.

Even those who are not fans of science fiction will enjoy the novel. The plot is detailed, and Katniss's character is fully developed, making for an exciting reading experience.

Submitted by Mrs. Caudill

A Kiss in Time by Alex Flinn

Alex Flinn does a sterling job with a modern twist on another well-loved fairy tale--Sleeping Beauty--but instead of being asleep for about a day, Euphrasia is asleep for 300 years. Princess Talia pricks her finger on the spindle causing the curse of sleep. Three hundred years into the future, two teenaged boys escape from an educational trip and discover this long-lost kingdom. Jack is one of the boys who finds Talia. He is compelled by her beauty to kiss her. This kiss breaks the spell, and Talia awakens to find this oddly-dressed boy as her prince. Doing the only thing she can do, she follows him back to his home. Unfortunately for Talia, Jack thinks of her as a royal brat; plus, he can't seem to get his ex-girlfriend out of his mind. Talia only has about a month to get Jack to tell her he loves her, or she and the kingdom will be thrown back into an endless slumber.

Will Jack tell Talia he loves her, or will his ex-girlfriend win his love?

Guest review submitted by RAWR!

Beastly by Alex Flinn

Kyle Kingsbury had everything: money, perfect looks, the perfect girl, and the perfect life; however, there was one thing he didn't have--a heart. He tore everyone down; no one was as good as he. Kyle's story starts when he asks ugly-loser Kendra Hilferty to the school dance so he can play a prank on her when he shows up with his girlfriend. His plan goes well, but what Kendra says to him affects him the most. After the dance he finds Kendra at his house, waiting to put a curse on him. Kyle then turns into what his true nature is: a beast. With only two years to find true love and break the curse, Kyle finds it almost impossible until Lindy walks into his life.

Based on the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast, this story has a modern day twist. After reading the book, the movie might also be of interest.

Guest review submitted by: RAWR!