Book #60 – Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

In 2016, Lemont High School published a school reading curriculum which had a couple of parents (and a silent back up of “parents and neighborhood”) up in arms over it’s “pornographic” content. The potential ban list was initially started by Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but quickly included 7 other books that contained any sort of sexual interaction, murder, suicide, or homoeroticism. The books were sustained and students were given the “opt out” option where they or their parents could request an alternative title. In a bizarre twist, the same high school put on the play production of Thirteen Reasons Why earlier the very same year.

Thirteen Reasons Why was originally published in October 2007, when I would have been starting my Senior year at high school. I, like many others, had not heard of the book until the controversial Netflix series aired. In a way, I’m glad I hadn’t discovered in high school, as suicide had blackened much of my own Junior year. It follows Clay, a Junior at Liberty High School, as he discovers a shoe box of cassette tapes been anonymously mailed to him. Listening to the tapes, he finds out it’s a recorded suicide note from Hannah, a girl who had died only a few weeks before. What follows is both a traumatic experience for Clay, and likely, many readers.

Book #206 – The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Originally published 6th in the series in 1955, this particular Chronicle of Narnia sees the birth of Narnia and the introduction of the Professor. I read the middle 5 chronological books about 20 years ago, but for some reason, never read The Magician’s Nephew or The Last Battle. I finally read Last Battle in 2015, and was so put off by the end of Narnia that I didn’t pick up Magician’s Nephew until now. I’m glad I did, because while I felt the Last Battle was a horrible send off, Magician’s Nephew does a wonderful job setting up Narnia as the land of magic and parable.

The Chronicles of Narnia are likely one of the most beloved children’s series of all time, with multiple movie adaptations of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. However, as of now, The Magician’s Nephew has never been made into film, despite being selected for creation after the 2010 Dawn Treader movie. However, of the chronicles, Magician’s Nephew has probably the least action and magic, so it’s possible we may never see a movie adaptation.

Book #288 – Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

When the book was originally published in 1986, it was on the heels of other young adult survival novels. It somehow managed to outshine it’s predecessors and became a classic. My husband remarked that he was astonished this was not on the required reading when I was in elementary school. Currently, the only similar books with the same number or ratings as Hatchet are Island of the Blue Dolphins and Call of the Wild. Both of which I read in elementary school, along with My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, The Talking Earth, and Sign of the Beaver (which are along a similar vein of thought). Which makes it even more surprising that I never read Hatchet. You’d think it would have been right up the alley of my nature-studying child mind.

One of the reasons that I think Hatchet manages to still draw readers is because it doesn’t ever let the character forget that he is alone. There is no one to save him but himself, and as he realizes this, he grows because of it. This is something that would likely draw a teacher’s attention to young minds, and might draw a student’s attention for the adventure.

Book #408 – The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

 Part of the reading across America list, I chose this book for California. I figured I’d start on the West Coast and work my way East. Then swing around and get Alaska and Hawaii. (Let’s see if that lasts) Written by the prolific author James Patterson in 2005, I believe this is the only young adult series he’s written. And you can definitely tell because it doesn’t have so much of the “I’m a girl and there’s a boy and oh my god, my pubescent emotions” and more “I’m here to chew gum and kick butt, and I’m all out of gum”.

The book series has since been made into a manga series, a movie, and my friends’ build projects for wings. Oh god, the feathers.

Book #744 – Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkins

This book came out when I was in college, and would have immediately gone to the top of witchcraft obsessed high school me’s wishlist for books. Sadly, I was a broke college student reading my way through Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series, and whatever heat transfer book my professors were swearing by that year. So, the cursory glance over at the back cover while browsing the small literature selection in the campus bookstore? About as far as this book got with me 8 years ago.

The set-up is pretty much your typical high school transfer student….

Book #2 – Divergent by Veronica Roth

I know what you’re thinking. This is the first review, why is Book #2. Because this was Book #2 on “The List”, ranked with 2,339,658 ratings on Goodreads at the time the list was created.

I should premise this by saying I watched the Divergent movie when it came out because at the time, I was fascinated with dystopian futures the way practically everyone was in the post-Hunger-Games era that was the time of my college years. Unfortunately, while reading the book, I recalled next to none of the movie save small snippets.