 Holy high school flashbacks, Batman. Fangirl, another book by Rainbow Rowell, blew my mind. It focuses on a girl named Cather (Cath) who is a super popular fan fiction writer in the world of Simon Snow, who seems to be the equivalent of Harry Potter ten years ago. Cath and her twin sister, Wren, used to write fan fic together, but Wren has grown up to be a more social butterfly than her sister. This book deals with so many issues-- growing up, starting college, the anxiety of moving away from home, deadbeat parents, relationships, friendships, dining hall food... I could go on and on! I love this story because, even though it's fiction, it's such an honest depiction of growing up, geekdom, and fan fiction. It reminded me so much of my own teenage years, and my friendship with my high school best friend. You all should rel Also, Rainbow Rowell is rad. She responded to my tweets when I fangirled over this book and said I was going to recommend it to you all.
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 I noticed quite a few of my students reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell last year so I decided to give it a shot this summer. Eleanor & Park is built around finding common grounds between people of different backgrounds. It actually reminded me a bit of the 1986 film, Sixteen Candles, but with more of a focus on music and comic books than socio-economic class. It definitely tells a sweet, honest, sometimes painfully truthful tale of teen romance without making the story built on first love and relationships. I really enjoyed this book, and it ended up breaking my heart a little bit at some points. Definitely give this one a try!  Without giving away too much, Where She Went by Gayle Forman is the follow up to If I Stay, the last book I talked about in my summer reading adventures.
After staying up late and reading If I Stay in one night, I downloaded Where She Went to my Kindle the next morning and finished it in a few hours. The story picks up a few years after where its prequel left off. I don't want to spoil the ending of If I Stay, but just know that this book is told from the perspective of Adam. It further explores the story of Mia and Adam, adding new layers to their tale following Mia's accident, and exploring what it means to pursue your dreams when your dreams are inevitably changed forever. I definitely recommend this story. It's a fairly easy read that stays true to the love you develop for the characters in the first book. 
If I Stay by Gayle Forman was such an incredible book. I actually read it in one night, and then downloaded the sequel, Where She Went, and read it the next morning. In If I Stay, Gayle Forman tells the story of Mia, a talented cellist teenager who is in a horrific car accident that leaves her an orphan left in a coma. The entire story is told with Mia's soul (I guess?) floating around and seeing everyone she loves try to encourage her to either stay alive or join her family. I really loved this book and the characters Gayle Forman created. I felt like I was interacting with them as I read the story. This is definitely something you'll start reading and be unable to put down. Oh, and the movie adaptation of the first book comes out August 22nd. I'm probably going to go see it and bawl my eyes out. I totally cried while I was reading this book. |
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April 2015
AuthorMs. Barbour is an 11th grade English and poetry teacher at Franklin High School in Somerset, New Jersey. Categories |
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