Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

In this series Elisa, the bearer of the Godstone, is destined to do something great. The reader meets her as an anxious teenager and follows her transition into a headstrong, fierce, and selfless heroine. I absolutely love this series. (Hector is my book boyfriend; no, you can’t have him.)

 

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez

In this fictionalized account of the 1937 East London, Texas school bombing, Naomi and Wash fight for love among the many forces working to keep them apart. This was a brutal book that grabbed my heart and wouldn’t let go.    

 

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

I’ve only read the first one, but this is by far the best character-driven story I’ve had the pleasure to read.

 

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

In this book, youth grapple with beginning- and end-of-life questions and how to advocate for one’s self when those in positions of power are not doing so. This book has one of the most haunting scenes I’ve read. It will stay with you forever.

 

1984 by George Orwell

Another haunting novel that will stay with you forever. This, along with Orwell’s allegory Animal Farm, is one of my favorite classics.

 

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch

This was my favorite book as a child. I loved the illustrations and very badly wanted Brigid’s super-indelible-never-comes-off-till-you’re-dead-and-maybe-even-later coloring markers. (Yes, I wrote that from memory.)

 

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter’s cool!
He flies around on a broom.

I wish I could, too.

 

–Jannell