Five Classic Books Your Teenager Should Read This Summer

When summer reading lists arrive at the end of the school year, some teenagers have difficulty deciding which books to read over the summer. Teenagers may avoid the "classics," afraid of wasting hours trudging through heavy books filled with dense (i.e., boring) prose.

Here are five classic novels that frequently make summer reading lists, but are also adventurous, suspenseful, and filled with enough action to make enjoyable reading for any teenager.

(For a list of the classics you should be reading this summer, click here.)

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Adventure, English, 1883

Serialized (therefore, formatted into short chapters) and then published as a complete book in the late 19^th century, Treasure Island is the tale that initiated every pirate stereotype taken for granted today: wooden legs, a parrot on the shoulder, treasure maps where X marks the spot, and Long John Silver.¹ Jim Hawkins, a young boy living with his parents in a seaside inn, takes a treasure map from the sea chest of a pirate staying in the inn, in return for payment the man never produced. When Jim shows the map to Dr. Livesey and John Trelawny, the two men decide to try to find the treasure, and they allow Jim to come along. What follows is a tale of mutiny, deceit, bravery, the cleverness of Jim, and the moral ambiguity of the notorious Long John Silver.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

Coming-of-Age, American, 1967

Not only was this coming-of-age novel about teenage gangs and social pressures written by a woman (the S.E. stands for Susan Eloise), but it was written by a teenager. Hinton was seventeen when the book was first published.² The book follows the life of three eccentrically-named brothers whose parents have died (The oldest brother, at age twenty, is their guardian.) and whose family consists of their friends, other "Greasers." Life consists of causing trouble and fighting with the rich kids, the "Socs." When the youngest brother, Ponyboy, stabs a Soc in self-defense, he runs away with his friend Johnny and the two hide in an abandoned church until tragedy strikes and they must return home.

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Science Fiction, American, 1969

Teenage fans of science fiction will love Vonnegut's story about Billy Pilgrim, a man who jumps around in time, from his service in World War II, to his imprisonment in an alien zoo, to his married life on Earth and career as an optometrist. The title refers to the empty slaughterhouse in which Billy is imprisoned by the Germans during his time in the war. This novel isn't just for science fiction fans, though. Vonnegut uses science fiction as a method to discuss themes on war, fate, and free will.

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Mystery, English, 1934

Christie's famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, catches the only available spot on the Orient Express when another passenger unexpectedly does not show up. The second night on the train, Mr. Samuel Ratchett, is murdered in the compartment adjacent to Poirot's. With only twelve other passengers, as well as the conductor, Poirot's friend Monsieur Bouc, and a Dr. Constantine, the murderer must be on the train. The solution to this mystery is surprising, and one that only Poirot could deduce.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Romance, English, 1811

Jane Austen's first full-length novel (began when she was nineteen years old) has the usual romance, matchmaking, and gossip of her other novels, but also includes more than the usual amount of deceitful characters and plot twists. The story focuses on two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood, who are forced into humbler circumstances with their mother and younger sister when their father dies. Marianne falls for the seemingly-heroic John Willoughby. Elinor pines for the soft-spoken Edward Ferrars. A happy ending results, of course, but it may not be the one expected.

Sources:

[1] Treasure Island on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasure_Island

[2] New York Times, Sept. 7, 2005, "An Outsider, Out of the Shadows"

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/07/movies/MoviesFeatures/07hint.html?_r=1