Clips from Teen Summer Reading 2008 - Ortega Teens Say...

I really enjoyed reading this book (The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel) because it was different from the books I usually read (romance) and it was down to earth. The author was really good at setting the book in a different time that’s not familiar to us and yet making it come alive. I really liked the idea that humans used to be like animals and had the memory of their whole evolution once they were born. I also liked that the characters were more focused on survival relationships and status rather than material things. I recommend this book to serious readers because it has some adult issues and long descriptions that sometimes get confusing.

New Moon and Eclipse were excellent follow ups to Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight because of the introductions of new characters, new plot, and new conflicts. Meyer cleverly combines the aspects of real live and the concept of werewolves and vampires into an ordinary girl’s life.

If you ever had a boyfriend, or need one, then try reading Absolute Boyfriend. Though it may not help you get a boyfriend, it gives you all the drama that any relationship has. Only difference is that this boy is a robot which looks like a human boy (Knight) and was sold to Riiko by a shady salesman (Gaku). It has tons of teenage drama and it also taught me to never trust shady businessmen.

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde was literally laugh out loud funny. The humor is well-timed and very British. This is definitely one of my new favorite plays! And plays are quick reads, too (hence it took me less than 2 hours) but still are great pieces of literature.

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair: This book made me sick to my stomach in a good, social-change way. The descriptions of the Chicago meat packing plants are gory and the descriptions of Jurgis Rudkus’s agony are heart wrenching. The ending was unnecessarily tedious but put a face to the sometimes exaggerated communism.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett. I enjoyed this book again, although I’ve read it before because it speaks out about poverty. In the story, Sara Crewe, the main character, is starving. She finds some money on the ground and buys 6 buns. Then she sees a girl that looks hungrier than herself and she gives 5 of the buns to her.