4 Classic books every teenager should read

The Hunger Games

Everyone has either watched the movies or read the books at least once. I have done both. You probably have. Do it again bro, you won’t regret it. Suzzane Collins is a pro at bringing out the emotions of her characters and dropping you into the scene. While I read, I could clearly picture the way the Capitol looked compared to District 12.

I could feel the indignance of the people who secretly hated the Hunger Games. Collins is able to show me this politically driven story without making me feel bored or confused (god knows so many stories make their worldbuilding and state affairs too complicated for me to understand). Overall an awesome read, and definitely better than watching the movies.

Harry Potter

I know, I know! This series is overrated, but there’s nothing better than going back to a childhood favorite in order to get out of a reading slump. And here’s a plus: you can even skip chapters of the books if you want, after all, you’re probably rereading for the thousandth time.

I personally didn’t really like the series at first, thinking it was too good to be true. But one day, fourth grade me was very bored at a friend’s house and decided to pick up their copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and give it a try. I was not disappointed.

Percy Jackson & Heroes of Olympus

Not going to lie to all of you, I quit reading halfway through the Heroes of Olympus series in order to pick up another series, but I still love Rick Riordan’s imaginative storytelling. Strongly reminded of my most loved series (Harry Potter), I went into the series with low expectations, thinking it would be a low-grade copy of JK Rowling’s wizarding world.

I’m glad that these books proved me wrong. Percy is your everyday kid going to school, other than the behavioral issues (which are obviously misunderstandings), he’s a normal kid just like the rest of us.

He was much more relatable than any other protagonist. Percy’s overwhelming sense of normalcy was what made his dive into the world of Greek gods all that much more interesting. Really captivating, so much so, that you’re gonna wanna give it a try with Riordan’s other fantasy stories based on other mythologies, such as Egyptian gods, and Norse mythology. (those are pretty good too, by the way).

Keeper of the Lost Cities

Tried, tested, and ultimately loyal to the barely hidden love triangle trope (which stays in hiding due to the character’s young ages and the major conflicts), KOTLC is a middle-grade fantasy classic. It’s heavy on action and political issues that don’t make sense until you go over the passages three times, but it’s still loveable. I personally haven’t read the latest installments of the series, but it’s definitely on my to re-read list.

My main reasoning is that: who wouldn’t love to read about a realistically portrayed mary-sue, whose only setback is her emotional baggage and slow learning curve, preventing her from reaching ultimate god-hood. Messenger freshly reimagines the world of elves and illustrates them and their kind as the ethereal beings I now think of them as.

My days of watching Thor: The Dark World, are officially over. One thing I really like about this action series is the way that MC, Sophie’s crush on another character is depicted. She gets butterflies in her stomach and has a cute crush on him. Other stories like to portray teens that move things too fast (which is unrealistic on a whole other level), but Messenger stays true to her slow burn agenda.