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The 11 Best Books I Read In School

For every "Tale of Two Cities" there is a "To Kill a Mockingbird."

Nicole Slater

Mar 06, 2017

Duquesne University

Wikipedia Commons

For a lot of kids, English class is their least favorite. You're lucky if half the books assigned to you are even a little enjoyable. I have many that would make my least favorite list, but going back through middle school and high school, there were quite a few book that truly made an impact on me.

1. The Kite Runner

Plot: Amir, a young Afghani boy living in Kabul, and his best friend Hassan, the son of his father's servant, fight kites and deal with the secrets of the past and one tragic event that will have repercussions for the rest of their lives.

Themes: Redemption, fathers and sons

Grade Assigned: 10th grade

2. To Kill a Mockingbird

Plot: Attorney Atticus Finch defends a black man accused of raping a white woman in 1930s Alabama, while teaching his children Scout and Jem about having compassion towards those less fortunate.

Themes: Loss of innocence, racism, compassion

Grade Assigned: 9th grade

3. Catcher in the Rye

Plot: Holden Caulfield wanders around New York City, contemplating his impending adulthood.

Themes: Coming-of-age, alienation

Grade Assigned: 12th grade

4. The Outsiders

Plot: Ponyboy Curtis and his friends struggle to find their place in a gang war between the rich Socs and the poor Greasers.

Themes: Coming-of-age, social inequality

Grade Assigned: 7th grade

5. In Cold Blood

Plot: A fiction novel written after meticulous research by Truman Capote, following the murder of the Clutter family by Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.

Themes: Nature vs. nurture

Grade Assigned: 12th grade

6. The Westing Game

Plot: The mysterious heirs of the recently deceased millionaire Samuel Westing are brought to Sunset Towers to solve the puzzle set up in Westing's will and win $10,000.

Themes: Identity

Grade Assigned: 6th grade

7. The Crucible

Plot: A play based off the Salem witch trials, young Abigail Williams and her friends accuse several prominent women in their town of being witches, causing hysteria and prejudice.

Themes: Intolerance, hysteria

Grade Assigned: 11th grade

8. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

Plot: Siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are sent to live with a professor in the country during World War II and discover a magical world inside a wardrobe.

Themes: Loyalty, forgiveness

Grade Assigned: 6th grade

9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Plot: Eleven year-old orphan Harry Potter is thrust into a magical wizard world at the Hogwarts boarding school where he is already a celebrity because he defeated a dark lord as a baby.

Themes: Triumph of good over evil

Grade Assigned: 7th grade

10. Of Mice and Men

Plot: Friends Lennie and George, two migrant workers, move from place to place looking for work during the great Depression, and find themselves in trouble at their newest place of employment.

Themes: The American Dream

Grade Assigned: 11th grade

11. Hamlet

Plot: Prince Hamlet returns after his father's death to seek revenge for his murder, which he suspects was done by his uncle, who has married Hamlet's mother.

Themes: Power and ambition, revenge

Grade Assigned: 12th grade

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Recommended for you

The 11 Best Books I Read In School

For every "Tale of Two Cities" there is a "To Kill a Mockingbird."

1. The Kite Runner

2. To Kill a Mockingbird

3. Catcher in the Rye

4. The Outsiders

5. In Cold Blood

6. The Westing Game

7. The Crucible

8. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

9. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

10. Of Mice and Men

11. Hamlet

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1. "Unlimited Freedom!"

2. "Dorm Life!"

3. "Never mind, where is my apartment?"

4. "Whose idea was this 8 AM?"

5. I'm so looking forward to that nap."

6. "I don't have the brain capacity for this"

7. "Wow, college is great"

It's easier than you think.

1. Look into Housing and Dining.

2. Pay attention to campus postings.

3. Find common interest groups.

4. Join an intramural sports team.

5. Work on a cause that you care about.

6. Join a club related to your major.

7. Get an on-campus job.

8. Volunteer.

College without friends is like peanut butter without jelly.

1. You need people to hang out with.

2. You don’t want to be stuck alone eating lunch or dinner.

3. Weekends suck without anyone to share them with.

4. College will be miserable for you.

5. Finding a roommate for the following year will be impossible.

6. You need someone to talk to about personal stuff or homework that isn’t your mom.

7. Classes will be boring and quiet for you if you don’t know anyone.

8. Walking around campus is just awkward.

9. Homework help and study buddies do not exist.

Why it pays to leave the hoodie at home.

1. Comfort

2. Confidence

3. Surprises

4. Self Esteem

A few signs that you may live in the library whether you'd like to admit it or not.

1. You dress for the temperature of the library, not the weather outside.

2. You say hello to the security guard when he or she walks by.

3. The employees at Starbucks know your name and order.

4. You eat all your meals at a library cubby, not at your own house.

5. You take the quiet floors very seriously.

6. Any night you are not at the library is a special occasion.

7. You have shown up to the library hungover on more than one occasion.

8. Your friends always text you when they are going to the library because they know you will be there.

9. You have taken a nap in the library at some point.

10. You know all the cold and hot spots in the library.

11. You've seen your studying pay off.

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