“I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say, but I shall still be your affectionate Godfather, C. S. Lewis.”
“Far overhead from beyond the veil of blue sky which hid them the stars sang again; a pure, cold, difficult music. Then there came a swift flash like fire (but it burnt nobody) either from the sky or from the Lion itself, and every drop of blood tingled in the children's bodies, and the deepest, wildest voice they had ever heard was saying: "Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake. Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees. Be talking beasts. Be divine waters.”
If you grew up reading The Selection series, a contemporary YA classic that graced many, many bookshelves in the 2010s, then you might be interested in author Kiera Cass’ other work, A Thousand Heartbeats. Published in 2022, the novel centers on Princess Annika and Commander Lennox, two young people on opposite sides of a violent conflict between their two countries.
One of Us is Lying, by Karen McManus, is one of the most popular and intriguing mystery books of the last few years. Centered in the small town of Bayview California, McManus’s quick paced writing and addicting style allow readers to get invested from the very beginning. High schoolers Abby, Nate, Bronwyn, and Cooper find themselves in detention with Simon Keheller, the creator of Bayview High’s gossip app, ‘About That,’ which is known for spilling destructive and deadly secrets about Bayview’s students.
Summary: An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon is a compelling work of fiction set on a generational spaceship, the HSS Matilda, where society is divided by race and class, echoing the injustices of America. The story follows Aster, a dark-skinned healer who discovers secrets about the ship's past while navigating a hierarchy that mirrors the worst aspects of slavery.
Summary: Into the Wild tells the story of 23-year-old Chris McCandless, who in April of 1992, hiked into the Alaskan wilderness. The biography is written by Jon Krakauer, who found McCandless’ story to be strikingly similar to his own. Krakauer recounts McCandless’ life, from his graduation from Emory to his denouncing of his identity and possessions. Then, of his explorations into the wild and his brief encounters with others.
Summary: 1984 follows Winston Smith, a party member living in the dystopian future of Oceania. Through Winston’s perspective, we learn the government has full control over everyone and everything. Led by Big Brother, the government not only controls what people experience, through government-made media and propaganda, but also controls the people themselves, through surveillance, language, and the absence of individuality.
Summary: Grendel presents itself as a parallel novel to the first ever epic of Beowulf, telling the story of the monster Grendel. Grendel lives in an isolated cave with his mother, whom throughout the novel, he is unable to communicate with. Eventually, Grendel begins to wander further outside the cave, encountering humans. At first, he tries to befriend them. However, he is only seen as a monster and the humans attack him.
The Do-over follows Emilie, a teenage girl who is forced to relive the worst Valentine's Day over and over again. Each day she wakes up and it’s February 14th again, and the same things always seem to happen no matter what she does to change it.
Summary: Lennie loves magic and she wants to get as good as possible. But when she and her brother are invited to compete in challenges to become the prime wizard she has to agree. So she tries her best to be chosen. Then learns just how unfair Wizardmatch can be.
