Book Recommendations 

By Moira Andrews 

Sometimes it can feel impossible to find a good book. There are so many different genres so it can feel overwhelming. Here are a few recommendations for different genres. 

Fantasy books are one of the most popular genres for teens. Whether its about dragons and knights, or fairies and monsters, fantasy has it all. Some of the most popular fantasy books include, A Court of Thorns and Roses, Six of Crows, Cinder, Caraval, Once Upon a Broken Heart, The Mortal Instruments, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Twilight. 

Dystopian books are a great way to look at the world and examine what the future may look like. Some dystopian books include, The Hunger Games, Divergent, Uglies, Matched, and more. Dystopian is a very common book genre that tends to appeal to young adult readers.  

When asked if she could recommend any book to the whole school, what would it be? Miss Schawl said, “The first book I ever read on my own without being asked was “Taken” by Erin Bowan. It’s about a heist that takes place on the night on a sixteen year old birthday. It’s a mix of phycological thrills and emotions of a sixteen year old boy that has his life taken from him and needing to be the father figure after his dad was taken from the heist. Gray (main character) thinks the system is a lie and goes in to figure out what really happened in town and learned that they are test subjects in a game but to them it’s normal life, for that is all they know. Gray goes to find his brother Blaine and the twist that leads to him escaping and figuring out the truth and finding reality. They learned to be grown up at 9 instead of playing with toys.” 

When asked what she would do if she got stuck in the world of her favorite book, Ms. Reilly said, “Well, sadly I don’t read often so I don’t have many “favorite books’: to choose from. I did really enjoy The Hunger Games series though (both the books and the movies but the books are definitely better!) If I were stuck in The Hunger games, I would hope I wasn’t one of the ones chosen as a participant in the games. If so, I would try to buddy up with Katniss in hopes that would be my best chance for survival. If I wasn’t chosen, I would try to secretly work with Gale and others to try to find a way to defeat Panem and finally put a stop to the games.” 

Books can take you to a completely different world. It can be a great distraction for problems in real life and great way to spend your time. Reading is not only good for your intelligence, but also your mental health.