Question: Top 10 novels teens should be required to readAnswer: Ideally, we want our hypothetical teenagers to read a wide range of novels... OUTSIDE the YA genre. You might find a few YA books on our list this week, but our main goal is to prepare teens for a lifetime of reading. We’re also assuming that many of the great YA books are already on their “un-required” reading list...
- To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) – Amazing book! Amazing narrator!
- Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) – Literature’s classic love story, although any Jane Austen book can be substituted here.
- The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien) – The epic adventure that led to another 3 part epic adventure...
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl) – So many readers (including us) missed this great author in their youths. James and the Giant Peach or Matilda can also be substituted here.
- Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (Louise Rennison) – This is one of the funniest teen diary books we’ve come across. Teens should be careful to avoid being as shallow as the main character...
- David Copperfield (Charles Dickens) – Our opinion has changed over the past few months, but this novel is now our favorite by Charles Dickens.
- Bag of Bones (Stephen King) – Any Stephen King will do, and with close to a bazillion novels published there are plenty to choose from.
- The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Douglas Adams) – “Don’t Panic” is the number one rule all teenagers should live by... Okay, there might be a few others, but not panicking shouldn’t be undervalued. This “guide” has more than a few tips!
- Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi) – Personally, we’re not that into graphic novels, but this novel was excellent. Plus, it helps further the quest to read a variety of different genres.
- Gone with the Wind / I Capture the Castle / Jane Eyre / Rebecca / A Room with a View – Take your pick! We know our favorite, but any 1 of these 5 novels will provide a worthy final choice.
Have a great week and head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to join the fun!
I pooped out creating my list last night so I went back to it this morning and added a few more books and I just decided that Hitchhiker's Guide should be a must read for its hilarity, then I pop over here and find it on your list, too. Such fun!
ReplyDeleteNice list. I also included To Kill a Mockingbird and Pride and Prejudice. I had a hard time narrowing the list down to ten!
ReplyDeleteI included TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD too, but not any Austen. I'm just not convinced that Austen (or for that matter, Dickens)is for kids. But of course that's my own personal opinion. This was a hard list to narrow down. Really I'd love to see kids reading anything, just so long as they're reading.
ReplyDeleteI saw Hitchiker's Guide on someone else's list. Great stuff.
ReplyDeleteI loved Persepolis! I've actually only seen the film, but it's done in the style of the graphic novel, which was cool. It definitely shows a very different childhood than the ones we're used to seeing and experiencing.
I've heard Persepolis is really good. I've been wanting to try a graphic novel, maybe this should be the one.
ReplyDeleteI put Persepolis on my list and I may have kind of copied you. I think I would substitute Matilda for Charlie, but any Dahl will do. I also think I need to give David Copperfield another shot.
ReplyDeleteCome visit me at The Scarlet Letter.
I actually think Stephen King is closer to two bazillion novels now... :)
ReplyDeleteGreat list, I love that you didn't stick to what has been deemed YA friendly but what will set them up better for the future
+JMJ+
ReplyDeleteI'd probably pick Carrie for my Stephen King must-read for teens. Why did you choose Bag of Bones?
And I had to laugh at the reason for including Angus, Thongs and Full-frontal Snogging, which I read a bit of several years ago and haven't touched since. I think some "reverse role models" are useful once in a while--as long as it's very clear what they are--and a teacher who made another list suggested including a really "bad" book now and then, so that students flex their critical muscles tearing it to shreds. =P
Bag of Bones *terrified* me, but that's a good book nonetheless. I'm not certain which King I'd put on there, but The Dome comes to mind, or The Shining.
ReplyDeleteAnd though GWTW is a personal favourite, I'd definitely shove I Capture the Castle into anyone's hands, much less a teenager. Good choice.