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books
im a senior in highschool. in one of my classes we get half the class to read a book of our choice, and any words we dont know, we write down on notecards as vocab. we have to get 20 a week. i've been reading the perks of being a wallflower, because i heard it was really good, but theres been like 5 words i dont know and im on page 100. its soo easy. does anyone have suggestions for a good book? it doenst necessarily have to be difficult or on a 12th grade reading level, but i just need to be able to find words every so often.
i love books that deal with teenage life. all the drama with school, boys, friends, sex, partying, you know. like the movie thirteen.. if that were a book, i would love it.
any suggestions? something you've PERSONALLY read and loved. preferably not one thats HUGE either.
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I think I have a few good suggestions [I'll give you a link to Amazon so you can read reviews, etc]
1. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.
"Since the beginning of the school year, high school freshman Melinda has found that it's been getting harder and harder for her to speak out loud: "My throat is always sore, my lips raw.... Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze.... It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis." What could have caused Melinda to suddenly fall mute? Could it be due to the fact that no one at school is speaking to her because she called the cops and got everyone busted at the seniors' big end-of-summer party? Or maybe it's because her parents' only form of communication is Post-It notes written on their way out the door to their nine-to-whenever jobs. While Melinda is bothered by these things, deep down she knows the real reason why she's been struck mute..."
- I would personally give it a 6.5 out of 10.
Link: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
2. Skinny by Ibi Kaslik.
"In her first year of med school, 22-year-old Giselle Vasco seems to have it all together. But a lifetime of bitter relations with her deceased father is slowly catching up, and she falls into a downward spiral that her mother and her younger sister, Holly, are powerless to stop. Skinny, though, is much more than a study of one young woman's battle with anorexia. What starts as Giselle's story quickly develops into a rich and powerful tapestry of a whole family. When Thomas and Vesla Vasco emigrated from Hungary in the 1970s to escape communism's rigid caste system, Vesla was already pregnant, and Thomas had always questioned whether the baby was his. His doubts color his whole relationship with his older daughter, and when Holly is born eight years later, the divide becomes more apparent. Holly, a natural athlete, struggles to understand and avert her sister's self-loathing. The chapters alternate between the sisters' voices, and the ability to see the events unfolding through their eyes adds a depth and a poignancy that would not have been possible with a single narrator. Kaslik's first novel hits the mark with characters with whom teens will empathize, and tackles a relevant and painful subject with grace."
- I give this book an 8.5 out of 10. It was very powerful, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Link: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
3. Wild Roses by Deb Caletti.
"Seventeen-year-old amateur astronomer Cassie Morgan wants a normal life, but that possibility flew out the window three years earlier when her musician mother, divorced five days, married famous violinist Dino Cavalli. Living with arrogant Dino is like walking on eggshells, and the usually competent, clearheaded teen believes he has the unique ability to make her feel incapable to the point of needing to be institutionalized. Any little thing sets him off, and the problem only gets worse when he stops taking his depression medication while he prepares for his huge comeback concert. When Ian Waters, a promising–and poverty-stricken–young violinist, shows up for lessons with the maestro, Cassie falls in love at first sight despite her belief that passion only brings about pain. Dino demands that the two stay away from one another to avoid compromising the young man's focus, but that is impossible. And as Dino's concert and Ian's scholarship audition draw closer, even Cassie's loving mother can't protect her from Cavalli's escalating bizarre and paranoid behavior. With its profound observations and vivid, if occasionally profane, language, this multifaceted and emotionally devastating novel will stick with readers."
- I give this book a 7 out of 10.
Link: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
4. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen.
"This modern-day romance narrated by a cynical heroine offers a balance of wickedly funny moments and universal teen traumas. High school graduate Remy has some biting commentary about love, including her romance-writer mother's betrothal to a car dealer ("He put one hand on my shoulder, Dad-style, and I tried not to remember all the stepfathers before him that had done the same thing.... They all thought they were permanent, too") and her brother's infatuation with self-improvement guru Jennifer Anne. But when rocker Dexter "crashes" into her life, her resolve to remain unattached starts to crack. Readers will need to hold on to their hats as they accompany Remy on her whirlwind ride, avoiding, circling and finally surrendering to Cupid's arrows. Almost as memorable as her summer romance with a heartwarmingly flawed suitor is the cast of idiosyncratic characters who watch from the sidelines. There's the trio of Remy's faithful girlfriends, all addicted to "Xtra Large Zip" Diet Cokes practical-minded Jess, weepy Lissa, and Chloe, who shares Remy's dark sense of humor as well as Dexter's entourage of fellow band members, as incompetent at managing money as they are at keeping their rental house clean. Those expecting a Cinderella finale for Remy will find a twist consistent with the plot's development. Contrary to any such implication in the title, this one will keep teens up reading."
- I give this book a 980237895 out of 10. I've read it at least 10 times and it never gets old. I can pretty much say, confidently, that it is my favorite book ;]
Link: [Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Hope this helps!
-Laura (16-f)
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Tale of Two Cities, Dean Koontz novels tend to use some new vocabulary (Bougainvillea for example!) as well as perhaps Michael Crichton? He wrote Jurassic Park, etc. There's dinosaur terms, spanish words, and others.
Pride and Prejudice or I suppose then any of the Jane Austen novels will most likely have words you'd have to look up.
I think Tom Clancy and his military/political/presidential novels use a lot of that particular kind of political jargon. So that might be good.
=D For a non-fiction piece I would recommend The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker. It's a very easy read actually, the writer is funny and presents the subject matter in a very interesting and easy to read way. Yet since the book is about Language, you will be bound to find terms/words you don't recognize.
Good luck,
Tiffany/=D
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Unfortunately, the kind of books I read don't deal with school, boys, or partying, but I'll try to help anyway.
You could complete your assignment very easily by reading A Clockwork Orange. It's a fantastic book, but it takes a lot of patience to read (And a bit of knowledge in Russian or other Cyrillic/Slavic lanaguages is a big plus). Needless to say, you might struggle a bit with it (Especially since it's about serious business and not high-school drama), but on the bright side you'll be able to extract a months worth of words out of the first chapter.
If your teacher allows reading nonfiction, try one of the works by some great philosophers. They tend to use uncommon words (Or make them up on the spot). May I recommend John Locke's response to Cartesian doubt? Or anything by Bertrand Russell? Facinating stuff, really.
Sorry if my suggestions aren't what you're looking for, but quite frankly you're probably going to have the "Too easy" problem with any high-school drama book you choose to read. Most of them are written for a 6th-7th grade reading level.
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You'd probably really like White Oleander by Janet Fitch. It's really hard to describe (and sounds lame when you read the summary) but it's definitely got all that.
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read smack by melvin burgess. its not a very difficult book but there are quite a few words that you dont know i guarantee it. plus its pretty much a book that you described. super super good. try it
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