By Skylar Boggs ’18, Lifestyle Editor
There are thousands of books in the world, but that does not mean that every book is the best book to read. As a fellow student who enjoys sitting and reading a good book, I think it is important to broaden your horizon on book genres and different authors that can relate and interest you. I talked to one Upper School student in each grade, except for my own. My goal was to expand the genres and get a sense of how there might be a difference in the types of books someone would choose from each grade.
Freshmen:
Samantha Brant ’19 recommended the book Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. Brant described Name of the Star as, “A mystery set in London at a time where someone has begun murdering people, similarly as Jack the Ripper, and the main character is a young boy named Rory, who seems to be the only one who can see the suspect.”
Sophomores:
The two books that I would recommend would be The Siren by Kiera Cass and any of the Maximum Ride books by James Patterson. Because The Siren is only a single book, there is no post-climatic ending that you have to wait another whole year to read. The Siren is a book about a young girl named Kahlen, who loses her family at an adolescent age, and at the cost of 100 years of her life without aging, she must serve the Ocean as a Siren. Of course, there are bumps and hitches in the story of these 100 years and the other Siren’s that become her family. However, as her story progresses Kahlen relates to the feeling of being trapped as many teenagers do. The Maximum Ride Series is about a group of “test-tube” born children whom are 98% human and 2% avian meaning; they have superhuman strength, light and thin bones, and lastly, wings. The series takes you on a journey through their adolescent years of their life and where they were raised and abused and they story of how they escaped and survived on their own.
Juniors:
Anna Beyette ’17 decided to recommend Bossypants, written by Tina Fey and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Anna summarized Tina Fey’s Bossypants as a “hilarious autobiography [that] was as astute as it was witty. In this book, Tina Fey shares her journey to fame beginning with her roots in a High School summer theater program. Although Ms. Fey shares stories of her theater experiences, she also provides a clear look at what it is like to be a woman in today’s society, especially in the entertainment industry. ‘You’re nobody until someone calls you bossy,’ she remarks. Bossypants does not have a dull moment. Ms. Fey has a knack for finding adventure in everyday life. Her incredible humor allows her to make points about serious topics while poking a little bit of fun at then (and herself) in the process.” When speaking about the sci-fi novel, which takes place post-alien invasions, Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game Anna said, “[Their] government is working to train military geniuses on a space station. Selected boys and girls are taken from their families at 6 years old and trained to fight in armies. At the Academy Ender and his launch group (the other kids sent to space in his year) are trained in military tactics, strategy, and leadership. They are each selected into an army made up of other kids of varying ages. Ender moves quickly through the ranks and soon becomes the leader of his own army. The teams and individual students are ranked publically based on their performance in The Game, [and the top spot is given a chance to become the next general].” Anna highly recommended both of these books.
Senior:
Taylor Boggs ’16 recommended A Walk to Remember written by Nicholas Sparks and One Second After by William R. Forstchen, which, she intently described as, “One of the most terrifying, yet interesting and addicting novels [she] have ever read.” Taylor summarized Nicholas Spark’s classic teenage romance novel A Walk to Remember as “[A] novel set in Beaufort, North Carolina in the late 50s. Landon Carter at age 57 narrates the novel in which his 17 year-old self, who is rebellious and cruel, falls in love with Jamie Sullivan, the daughter of the church minister, who carries her Bible around everywhere she goes and spends her free time volunteering at an orphanage. Their relationship begins when Landon reluctantly asks Jamie to the school dance because he had no other options for a date. However, after working with her in the Christmas play and assisting Jamie at the orphanage, Landon falls desperately in love. But suddenly, everything changes when Jamie reveals that she has cancer.” Taylor described this novel to me and she reflected all of the rebellious nature and triumph that is displayed through young love. Taylor then recommended the novel One Second After by William R. Forstchen, which takes place in a “strategically placed” small town Black Mountain, North Carolina. Boggs summarized this as a “novel [that] surrounds what would happen if there was ever an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) set off above the United States, thus causing any and every electronic source of power to shut off: phones, cars with computer systems, refrigeration, and many others. The story is centered on John Matherson, a professor at the local college, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and a widowed father of two daughters. He is most worried about the fact that his 12-year-old daughter has Type 1 diabetes which requires a constant supply of insulin under refrigeration. The rest of the story deals with how the entire town responds to the attacks. Those on the highway whose cars shut down due to the EMP travel into the town, they quickly begin to worry about their food supply, and concerns arise about the nursing home residents.” The novel turns to the fear of communal disorder and how far those people are willing to go in order to gain food and shelter.
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