Top Ten Books

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – I really liked how F. Scott Fitzgerald portrayed the 1920’s in a very vivid, interesting, and understandable way. He depicted the problems of morality through an appealing story, and illustrated the extreme culture change of the 20's through colorful, bright images of what the characters did. It was an exciting read.

Persuasion by Jane Austen – I loved Persuasion. I had always been fascinated with old English culture, such as their houses and their way of dress, etc. Reading Persuasion was like being transported to those times, and I truly got to experience life as seventh century English woman. It was interesting how Jane Austen displayed this incredibly oppressive atmosphere, and instead of making it a feminist novel or a novel about rebellion, she just realistically demonstrated the condition of women at that time.   

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – This was a great novel that inspires a lot of thought. The themes in the novel are so relevant to today’s society: unfair judgment, remorse, revenge, etc. It is eye-opening in the sense that you can understand the problems of unjust judgment and the horrific consequences it can have on individuals. It is unfortunate that Dr. Frankenstein always thought that he was right and never thought about the sadness that his own monster was feeling, although I agree it was not right to build another monster.

The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – The Boy/Girl battle series was my favorite series when I was younger. I loved the hilarity of this first book, and the absolute fun of the pranks pulled by the boys and the girls on each other. What the boys and the girls did seems so exciting! It was a very enjoyable book to read.

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket – I also loved the Series of Unfortunate Events. Lemony Snicket wrote his books in an interesting fashion, his writing style was not depressing at all, it was more melodramatic, and maybe even slightly humorous. His stories were like the dramatic, sad stories that every kid wanted to read.  The Bad Beginning was a great start, where the orphans had to do various chores for the infamous Count Olaf (the villain of the series).

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins – I love futuristic dystopias, so of course I would love the Hunger Games. I have always been fascinated by the future, and the new technology it would have, new people, etc. The plot of Hunger Games is also incredibly interesting, with kids competing to survive in a game show. I also like how the Hunger Games, much like a lot of sci-fi novels, displays an oppressive government, allowing readers to reflect on society today. Additionally, I thought it was interesting how with this Hunger Games plot, Suzanne Collins was actually trying to educate kids about war.

The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini – This an amazing book about Afghanistan in general, and also how it was like when the Taliban took over. I am so glad I read this novel, because I now have a much greater understanding of the conditions that were there. I also have a greater appreciation and fascination with Afghani and Middle Eastern culture in general.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini – This novel is similar to the Kite Runner, but it is different in that it really is about the terrible conditions for women in Afghanistan. By reading this novel, I became aware of the atrocities suffered by women there. I learned about the concept of honor in their society and the several problems associated with it for women.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld – This book is also set in a futuristic, dystopic world with an oppressive government. The government mandates that everyone undergo an operation at the age of sixteen to turn “pretty,” but the population does not know that this affects their brains as well. I found this incredibly interesting – the danger of advanced technology and the government literally controlling its people. I also liked the theme of appearances and how people greatly care about their looks, because I think this highly reflects society today.

Girl Missing by Sophie McKenzie – This book was very interesting to read; it is about a girl and her friend who travel to find the girl’s real parents, since she was adapted. I loved this book because I was always wondering what was going to happen. I asked simple questions, such as how would her real family be like, what would happen after that, etc., but these questions were all very exciting to think about. It is a great story.