Books tend to play a crucial part in my life. As an avid reader and a writer, I spent my Sundays in the School Library. I have read many books. These are the top 5 books that every Teenager Must Read:
1. 13 Gifts by Wendy Mass
Tara Brennan decides to steal the school's mascot in the middle of the night from the principal's office so that she can fit in with the popular kids at her school. She falls into a lot of trouble that makes her parents send her to Willow Falls and spend some time there with her extended family. On her train ride, most of her belongings, her iPod and the 200 hundred dollars, were stolen without her knowledge.
And the thief remained unknown. She makes new friends there. She wanted to earn money and buy a new iPod and a gift to give to her new friend, David. Tara meets Angelina D'Angelo, who decides to help her only if she can find all the 13 gifts by her 13th Birthday, which leads to excitement, trouble, and chaos. Tara is then asked to put on a play called 'Fiddler on the Roof', with the help of all the 13 items.
Do you think Tara Brennan can put up the play? What other shocking details does she find? Does the story have a happy ending?
As the story unfolds, Tara Brennan finds shocking details about the past and her parents. The Novel showcases Tara Brennan's resilience that every teen must have in them!
2. Mary Poppins by Pamela Lyndon Travers
Mary Poppins is an American Novel written by P.L. Travers. Katie Nanna had quit her job when Jane and Michael decided to run away from their house, the fourth time this week.
Later that day, George, their father, put up an advertisement in the newspaper stating that they need a nanny who is stern and strict. The next day, a long line of nannies waited outside the Bank's family home but Jane and Michael noticed something different. There was a strong gust of wind. And they saw a woman gracefully descending from the sky using her umbrella as a parachute. She introduces herself as Mary Poppins and gets selected as the nanny for Jane and Michael. Does Mary Poppins always decide to stay together with the children? How does she get all her magic? As the story progresses, Jane and Michael have many magical encounters with Mary Poppins and her friends and see her as a magical being. The novel teaches us to have a life filled with happiness and lots of adventures.
3. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Little Women written by Louisa May Alcott is about the life of four sisters, named Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, who thrive through everything that comes in their way. They call their mother Marmee. Their father has been sent to serve in the Union Army.
It is the first ever Christmas they are spending without their father. The four sisters work to support their family and their home. Meg usually tutors four children. Jo is a tomboy who loves to write and assists her wealthy great-aunt March. Beth loves to play the piano and is satisfied by staying at home and helping with the housework. Amy is still in school but always longs for elegance and loves to enhance her vocabulary. Soon, they hear that their father is ill with pneumonia. Their mother rushes to meet him and on the other hand, Beth encounters scarlet fever. Do the sisters make it through to the end? Do you think something different happens? As the story proceeds, the four sisters stick together throughout the tough times and their unconditional love, affection, and sacrifices make the Novel different. The Novel teaches us the value of our families and relationships and how those little bonds with our neighbors make life much more fulfilling.
4. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables is an intimate and inspiring classic novel written by the Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery in 1908 and a comfort book of mine. When Anne Shirley arrives in quiet Avonlea, she takes everyone by surprise. Anne Shirley, an eleven-year-old orphan with bright red hair braids arrives in the heart of Prince Edward Island.
Matthew and Anne are coming back from the station and Anne shows her talkative nature by having a conversation with the shy Matthew. As they were going, there was a little grey house peering around a white apple orchard on a slope beyond and, although it was not yet quite dark, a light was shining from one of its windows. That’s Barry’s Pond,’ said Matthew. “Oh I don’t like that name either, " said Anne, "I shall call it the Lake of Shining Waters.” As Anne reached Cuthbert's place, she followed him only to discover that Matthew and his sister Marilla wanted a boy to work on the farm and not a girl. Matthew prevails on Marilla to let Anne stay with them and soon their relationship gradually develops which is quite fascinating and hilarious to read about. Does Anne's imagination lead her to fall into trouble? Does Anne decide to stay at Green Gables? The Novel teaches us that our imagination is the most valuable possession in our life and that learning to love yourself is the greatest value in the world.
5. A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett
A Little Princess is a novel for children written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and is about a wealthy English widower, Captain Ralph Crewe, who has been raising his only child, Sara, in India. She was sent to a boarding school in London. Her father had informed the headmistress Ms Minchin, to provide Sara with a private room, a personal maid, and a separate sitting room.
Sara got all the luxuries to have a comfortable life in her boarding school. Despite being wealthy, she is kind and generous and behaves like a princess. Soon Captain Ralph Crewe passes away, and Sara is left with no fortune. Sara becomes an orphan and now Miss Minchin makes her live in an unfurnished attic and keeps her as a servant. Do you think Sara will make it through? Does anything different happen in her life that changes everything? As the story unfolds, we see Sara thrive through her life and regain back everything she had in her hand. The story ends on a happy note, teaching us to be kind and humble to others and always have hope in ourselves.
To conclude, these five books showcase a variety and diversity in their timeline and genre, yet a similarity. 13 Gift and Mary Poppins fall in the genre of fiction and have a slightly similar kind of vibe despite 13 Gift being released in 2018 and Mary Poppins in 1934. Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, and A Little Princess provide a similar gist of how society was back in the 80s and 90s.
