Summer is probably the number one most anticipated time of the year among teenagers. For the typical teenage girl, summer is a time to dedicate to friends and boyfriends. For the typical teenage boy, summer is a time dedicate to either video games or sports. For teenagers who break the stereotype, summer is the time to dedicate to getting that feeling of joy that can only be found within the pages of a good book.
Without school taking up their time and teachers assigning books to read, summer is without a doubt the best opportunity to spend hours lost in a book of your own interest.
If this is your first summer you plan to read and have no idea what book to start with, here are some books students at our school recommend.
Freshman Nasyria recommends a graphic novel, off the top of her head, called “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. “It is a memoir of an Iranian girl growing up during the Islamic Revolution. It’s a different kind of novel that tells real events with a fictional story.”
Freshman Greg recommends the autobiographical “Hole in My Life” by Jack Gantos. Greg says “it is about this guy who gets caught with drugs and when he is sent to prison, he escapes.”
If you have not hopped on the bandwagon already, Junior Eli recommends “The Hunger Games.” It is a fantastic series set in a futuristic country divided into districts where the Capitol draw the names of two children, ages 12-17, one male and one female, from each district to fight to the death.
Senior Amanda suggests the novel, that will soon be a film, “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky. She dubs it as a, “Life-changing book that just talks about how awkward and hard it is to be a teenager.”
Sophomore Zineb recommends “It’s Kind of A Funny Story,” by Ned Vizzini. Zineb summarizes it as, “after an attempted suicide, a teenager in New York City checks himself into a rehabilitation center where he meets a lot of new friends and a girl.”
I have read a few of these books myself and I would highly recommend them as well; The others are still on my reading list and should also be on yours.
Another book, that was not mentioned, is “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” by John Boyne. It summarizes the events of World War II in Nazi Germany through the eyes of a 9 year old son of a Nazi. After his Nazi father moves the family by a concentration camp, just across the forest of their backyard, the son strikes up an unlikely and genuine friendship with a little boy who lives within the fence.
Although a few of these books are also movies, it should not stop students from reading literature rather watching the movies; This should never discredit the satisfaction of reading a book.
If reading is not a part of your summer plan, it is now because the NYC iSchool summer reading assignments for 9th-11th grade will be announced at anytime soon and short-response questions of the books are already up on the NYC iSchool Summer Reading facebook page. Happy reading!
