I was re-organizing my bookshelf – as I do in my free-time – and I stumbled across a journal my parents bought me a long ago. It’s called: Read, Remember, Recommend. For Teens: A Reading Journal for Book Lovers. It was created by Rachelle Rogers Knight and it’s really cool. It has hundreds of books organized by the awards they’ve received, and there are dozens of awards in this journal. I decided to sift through it, and I was pleased to find that I’ve already read a lot of the books listed.
The whole purpose of the journal is to rank books you’ve read and recommend your highest ranking books to others, so here is a Top 10 list of books I have read that are listed in this journal.
The whole purpose of the journal is to rank books you’ve read and recommend your highest ranking books to others, so here is a Top 10 list of books I have read that are listed in this journal.
10. The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan The Ruins of Gorlan is the first book in the Ranger’s Apprentice series by John Flanagan. It follows Will, a young orphan eager to make a name for himself out in the world. He is bullied by other kids his age, but he has the last laugh when he is selected to be trained as a Ranger – a noble and highly prestigious title given to the King’s most elite spies and soldiers. I recommend this book because: a.) It’s a book boys can enjoy, b.) It’s a book girls can enjoy, and c.) It has a dark, mysterious mentor that’s actually a good guy. |
My brother despises reading; he has since he was a little boy. I have read a lot of books – books I know he would enjoy – but he refuses to read them simply because they are books. I remember he adamantly fought against me when I suggested he read the Harry Potter series. Yet he loves the movies, so I know it’s not the actual story he dislikes; it’s the reading. It has also been statistically proven that women read more than men, so I always get excited when I find a book that young boys are willing to read.
I love that young boys read The Ruins of Gorlan and I love that young girls also read this book. I believe most books can be enjoyed by all genders, but The Ruins of Gorlan has the perfect combination to be enjoyed by all male and female readers.
I also personally love Will’s mentor – the dark, mysterious, tragic, loyal, and cunning Halt. He is one of my favorite characters of any book I have ever read. What can I say, I love a quiet and somber man who saves a kingdom from trouble while riding a horse with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back.
I love that young boys read The Ruins of Gorlan and I love that young girls also read this book. I believe most books can be enjoyed by all genders, but The Ruins of Gorlan has the perfect combination to be enjoyed by all male and female readers.
I also personally love Will’s mentor – the dark, mysterious, tragic, loyal, and cunning Halt. He is one of my favorite characters of any book I have ever read. What can I say, I love a quiet and somber man who saves a kingdom from trouble while riding a horse with a bow and quiver of arrows on his back.
9. Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
While not everyone has read Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, most people know its plot. Oedipus Rex is that story where the young man is destined to kill his father and marry his mother, so he runs away from home, but he doesn’t know that he’s adopted. He comes across a man in the road, kills him, stumbles upon a kingdom that just conveniently lost its King, and marries the widowed Queen. Oedipus doesn’t know it, but the reader knows the man he killed was his real father and the queen he married was his read mother. In his struggle to avoid his fate, he actually made it come true.
Anyone who is looking to pursue English as a major in college needs to read Oedipus Rex at least once. I would recommend reading it like ten times though.
Oedipus Rex is the kind of story you have to read with a goal in mind. You can’t pick it up off the shelf and decide to read it on a whim. If you want to get the full effect of this story, pay very close attention to how the characters talk. Oedipus Rex is read in schools because it has the best examples of irony. I recommend it to anyone who is college-bound, because trust me, you’ll need it.
While not everyone has read Oedipus Rex by Sophocles, most people know its plot. Oedipus Rex is that story where the young man is destined to kill his father and marry his mother, so he runs away from home, but he doesn’t know that he’s adopted. He comes across a man in the road, kills him, stumbles upon a kingdom that just conveniently lost its King, and marries the widowed Queen. Oedipus doesn’t know it, but the reader knows the man he killed was his real father and the queen he married was his read mother. In his struggle to avoid his fate, he actually made it come true.
Anyone who is looking to pursue English as a major in college needs to read Oedipus Rex at least once. I would recommend reading it like ten times though.
Oedipus Rex is the kind of story you have to read with a goal in mind. You can’t pick it up off the shelf and decide to read it on a whim. If you want to get the full effect of this story, pay very close attention to how the characters talk. Oedipus Rex is read in schools because it has the best examples of irony. I recommend it to anyone who is college-bound, because trust me, you’ll need it.
8. Dante’s Inferno by Dante Alighieri Dante’s Inferno is only a small portion of Dante Alighieri’s narrative poem The Divine Comedy, but I argue it is the best part. Dante’s Inferno follows Dante (we believe Dante Alighieri wrote himself as the main character), who has awaken in a mysterious forest. Dante tries to escape the forest, but his path is blocked by many monsters. The poet he admires and practically |
worships, Virgil, appears and tells him he must travel through Hell to escape the forest. Virgil then helps lead Dante through the nine “circles” of Hell, with each circle housing more sinful criminals than the last. They finally escape after climbing down Satan’s back and through a crack in the ground. Dante’s Inferno is grossly underrated. It is beautifully written, and the fact that it’s a poem that follows a rhythm makes it even more admirable. It took Dante years to write it and it didn’t get any attention until long after he died. I know I’m a huge poetry nerd so that makes me biased, but it is so thought-provoking and inspiring that I can’t help but want others to love it as much as I do.
7. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a really special book because it takes place during World War I. There isn’t a lot of literature – or media attention in general – about WWI out there, and even less told from the perspective of a German, so All Quiet is one of the best books to read about “the lost generation”.
It is considered a fiction book because of the names Remarque uses, but the events that happen and the challenges the characters face are all real things Remarque experienced himself, giving the book an even deeper impact.
The main character is Paul Bäumer, a young 18-year-old German boy enlisted to serve in the war. Throughout the book, Bäumer remembers how his teacher tricked him into enlisting by promising him glory and fame. Bäumer quickly realizes there’s nothing good to be gained though. He describes the battles he fought and the unforgettable people he met and, most importantly, the psychological trauma the soldiers faced. There’s a reason why soldiers who fought in WWI are known as the “lost generation” and Remarque does a spectacular job highlighting that through Bäumer.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a really special book because it takes place during World War I. There isn’t a lot of literature – or media attention in general – about WWI out there, and even less told from the perspective of a German, so All Quiet is one of the best books to read about “the lost generation”.
It is considered a fiction book because of the names Remarque uses, but the events that happen and the challenges the characters face are all real things Remarque experienced himself, giving the book an even deeper impact.
The main character is Paul Bäumer, a young 18-year-old German boy enlisted to serve in the war. Throughout the book, Bäumer remembers how his teacher tricked him into enlisting by promising him glory and fame. Bäumer quickly realizes there’s nothing good to be gained though. He describes the battles he fought and the unforgettable people he met and, most importantly, the psychological trauma the soldiers faced. There’s a reason why soldiers who fought in WWI are known as the “lost generation” and Remarque does a spectacular job highlighting that through Bäumer.
6. Lord of the Flies by William Golding Lord of the Flies by William Golding is one of those books I probably wouldn’t have read – or even heard about – if it weren’t for my English class at school. It’s one of those pure literary novels that have to be read with a purpose in mind. Lord of the Flies is a dystopian novel about a group of British boys who crash on an uninhabited island. They attempt to govern themselves in a way that will both keep them alive and prepare them in case an opportunity to be rescued arises. However, tension rises between two characters – Ralph and Jack – causing the group to split into two. After that, it isn't |
just a fight for survival – it’s a fight to beat the other group. I love this book because it makes one question the difference between right and wrong. When does self-preservation cross the line into aggression? Is self-defense an excuse to harm others? These are questions we don’t always ask ourselves because we live in a civil society. There are rules to follow, which is why a society can thrive. But what happens when there’s no one to enforce those rules? It’s a fun book to annotate (which is saying something, because annotating sucks). If you track the actions of certain characters closely you can pinpoint when they change and what made them change. Also, the ending is really loose so the reader can imagine how the story continues after the book. It’s a great discussion to have.
5. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The first mystery novel I ever read was The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. If all mystery novels were written like this one, I might enjoy them a little more.
There’s been a murder in the family. The 16 heirs are summoned to hear the reading of the will, only to discover that only two of them will inherit anything. To earn the money though, they have to solve the mystery of the death.
This book is so great as a classroom read-aloud book, which is how I first heard of it. My 5th grade teacher read it to my class. I think every 5th grade class should hear this book. It has twists and turns and a long list of characters to keep track of, which is what makes it the perfect classroom book. My teacher really wanted us to try solving it on our own before she read the last few chapters, so we listened. We paid more attention to that book than any other. Everyday, after our teacher finished a chapter, we compared notes and clues. I hardly remember any of the details from the story, but I do remember that no one in my class guessed correctly on the murderer. It’s a story – and an ending – you don’t want to miss.
The first mystery novel I ever read was The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. If all mystery novels were written like this one, I might enjoy them a little more.
There’s been a murder in the family. The 16 heirs are summoned to hear the reading of the will, only to discover that only two of them will inherit anything. To earn the money though, they have to solve the mystery of the death.
This book is so great as a classroom read-aloud book, which is how I first heard of it. My 5th grade teacher read it to my class. I think every 5th grade class should hear this book. It has twists and turns and a long list of characters to keep track of, which is what makes it the perfect classroom book. My teacher really wanted us to try solving it on our own before she read the last few chapters, so we listened. We paid more attention to that book than any other. Everyday, after our teacher finished a chapter, we compared notes and clues. I hardly remember any of the details from the story, but I do remember that no one in my class guessed correctly on the murderer. It’s a story – and an ending – you don’t want to miss.
3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Pretty elves, second breakfasts, orcs and demonic jewelry. What more could you ask for?
2. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
Surprise, surprise, another big name series at the top. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is so incredible; the characters are unforgettable, the settings are magical, the plot line is so easy to understand yet has such a complicated resolution. Harry Potter has everything that makes a book great. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost for hours and hours in a single story. This story will stay in your heart all your life.
Surprise, surprise, another big name series at the top. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is so incredible; the characters are unforgettable, the settings are magical, the plot line is so easy to understand yet has such a complicated resolution. Harry Potter has everything that makes a book great. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get lost for hours and hours in a single story. This story will stay in your heart all your life.
1. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen This is the book that started it all. I read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen when I was in 4th grade. It was the first book I ever deeply connected with. I read it as part of a small, advanced reading group in my class and I got in trouble for reading ahead. I just couldn’t put it down. I love everything about it, and even to this day I go back and read it whenever I need inspiration. Hatchet is about a young, spoiled boy named Brian. |
His parents are recently divorced. On his way to visit his dad in Canada, the pilot of the bush plane he’s riding in has a heart attack and they crash in a lake in the wilderness. With only a few supplies – including his trusty hatchet – he must survive the Canadian wilderness and find a way to be rescued.
I recommend this book because it’s so real. Things get way, way worse for Brian before they get better. He nearly touches death on multiple occasions, but his determination manages to pull him through. This is a story of survival in its rawest form. Brian’s not the only one who grows as a person; you will too.
I recommend this book because it’s so real. Things get way, way worse for Brian before they get better. He nearly touches death on multiple occasions, but his determination manages to pull him through. This is a story of survival in its rawest form. Brian’s not the only one who grows as a person; you will too.
Honorable Mentions:
Books that didn’t quite make my Top 10 list but still deserve a shout-out:
The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Fullmetal Alchemist by Arakawa Hiromu
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Macbeth by William Shakespeare
Books that didn’t quite make my Top 10 list but still deserve a shout-out:
The Haymeadow by Gary Paulsen
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Fullmetal Alchemist by Arakawa Hiromu
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Macbeth by William Shakespeare