A Better Class of Reading for Your College-Bound Teen: 5 Great Books for Summer or Anytime

Some of these books might not sell as many copies as Twilight or Harry Potter or even Hannah Montana's autobiography these days, but you'd be doing your kid (and his or her brain cells) a huge favor if you can manage to convince them to pick up even a single one of these titles for a little while instead. Glittery vampires and enchanted trolls are all well and good every once in awhile - at least, if you're into that sort of thing - but unfortunately for the die-hard Stephenie Meyer fans out there, you're probably not going to be seeing any college seminars on Edward Cullen's dreamy complexion anytime soon, so it really helps to be prepared with some more serious reading too. These books are just a few of the many, many great choices that are too often overlooked or dismissively skimmed through in overcrowded classrooms these days, and they're all quality choices for any up-and-coming students looking to expand their minds and cultural vocabulary. This is by no means a complete list, but given the choice between any of these and another flashy graphic novel or Hollywood gimmick, it's certainly a start.

-A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man by James Joyce: still considered one of the greatest coming-of-age tales of the century, A Portrait of the Artist is a powerful, uplifting, and extremely thought-provoking semi-autobiographical novel by infamous Irish author James Joyce. As a Joyce novel it can definitely be challenging at times, but the payoff is well worth the effort, and as a prequel to Joyce's masterwork, Ulysses, which is still considered by many to be the greatest and most difficult novel ever written, this much more manageable but still brilliantly written book will give anyone heading off to college or even just looking to expand their minds a fantastic head-start.

-Kim by Rudyard Kipling - Another brilliantly written coming-of-age story by Indian-born British author Rudyard Kipling, Kim follows the amazing adventures of a young Irish boy who uses his cunning to get along in the racially-charged atmosphere of British-ruled India. A stunningly diverse cast of rich, warm characters, vibrant descriptions, and exciting plot twists make Kim a fun, entertaining, and culturally enriching read for anyone, and again, a great pre-college warmup.

-Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse-Five still remains without a doubt one of the greatest and most influential pieces of modern American fiction and dark comedy in existence, and is absolutely crucial to understanding many of the styles and techniques that still heavily define all kinds of modern and post-modern artforms today. It follows the journeys through time of one Billy Pilgrim, a deeply-troubled WWII vet and POW who witnessed one of the greatest atrocities of the war - the firebombing of Dresden - and has become "unstuck in time," seeing past and future seemingly at random, not to mention being abducted by aliens. This book is both hysterically funny and deeply moving, and is an absolute must-read.

-Nine Stories by JD Salinger: Though JD Salinger is best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, which most public school kids will already be all-too familiar with, some of his best work can be found in the short stories included in this entertaining yet insightful collection, which includes subtle but powerful classics like A Perfect Day for Banana Fish and The Laughing Man. Easily managable reading at a high school level, and time well spent.

-The Illiad and The Odyssey: Homer's ancient epics really speak for themselves, being among the most universally retold and referenced stories in the history of storytelling - no Western education is even close to complete without these two. An absolute must for any prospective undergrads looking to get ahead.