Recent Teen Reads

One of my students finally motivated me to read Jane Eyre, a novel I’ve wanted to read for a long time.  The student just finished it and wrote me an email to say how much it has impacted her life and that she will definitely read it again.  It’s about time I read it myself so I can talk with my students about it.

Here are a few other books I’ve finished recently, along with a few comments:

• Guys Write for Guys Read edited by John Scieszka: Buy it right now and get one as a Christmas present for every guy you know between the ages of 13 and 113.  It’s that good.  See my longer review for more.
• Drums, Girls, And Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick: This book keeps moving from student to student in my classroom.  I’m going to have to buy a few more copies for the classroom library.
• Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) by Stephanie Meyer: Finally, a vampire book I actually liked.  This series has been getting a lot of attention lately, and for good reason.  It’s a compelling, original twist on an old story, and it comes without all the occult trappings of a typical vampire story.
• Confessions of a Closet Catholic by Sara Darer Littman: This is  a humorous story about a Jewish girl fascinated with Catholicism.  It’s respectful toward both faiths, and is very easy to read.