Literature is probably the heart and soul of any school if you think about it. Besides the obvious example of English class, Montclair High throws textbook after textbook for each subject a student takes, and then said textbooks never sees the light of day again till either the end of the semester or the end of the school year. While school normally makes you read books, it can be stressful since that book is part of your grade, so if anyone reading wants to pick a book and not be overly stressed about it here are my suggestions.

Number 5, City of Ember

Corruption runs deep in this city, in a post-apocalyptic world where people are forced to live deep underground. Over the years the government has become less and less reliable, the city is run down and old, with broken power lines and lights that flicker on and off, sometimes leaving the city in utter darkness. The City of Ember was written by Jeanne Duperau and is a New York Times best-selling book loved by many. I guarantee this book will have you reading until the very end.

Number 4, Coraline.

Coraline’s with her mother and father when they move into their new home, while she’s exploring, she finds a strange little door that seems to lead nowhere. Until one night when she goes through the door to discover a strange otherly world behind it. Everyone’s seen Studio Laika’s Coraline, you might remember it as that one movie that gave you nightmares when you were 10. While most people know and love the movie, the original book written by Neil Gaiman almost seems overshadowed by it, so this is another highly suggested book, especially if you’re a horror fan.

Number 3, They Both Die At The End.

A suspenseful and romantic novel written by Adam Silvera, our story begins in the middle of the night, Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio -the two protagonists- are informed that within the next 24 hours, they will die. The novel documents their final hours as the two go about their day walking around the city together to have the best final day they could have before time is up for them. This novel will leave you on edge the whole time while reading it, constantly guessing what will inevitably lead to their end.

Number 2, A Good’s Girl’s Guide To Murder.

Pippa, a senior at Fairview High School, is starting her senior capstone project. As any normal kid would do, Pip goes above and beyond by trying to solve the missing person’s case of Andie Bell, a girl who disappeared 4 years prior and was never seen again. Written by Holly Jackson, this book is highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in true crime (or anyone who loves a good mystery). Good Girl’s Guide To Murder is also the first book in its series so if anyone reading this is interested in reading Pip’s journey all the way to the end then the next book you’d want to check out is Good Girl: Bad Blood.

Number 1, Unwind.

In Neil Shusterman’s Dystopian World, after the civil war known as the “heartland war” where pro-life and pro-choice armies fought against each other, a new law was passed to put an end to the conflict. This was known as the “Bill of Life”, tt states that a human life can not be aborted until the age of 13-18 so long as the child’s life doesn’t technically end, this creates a new practice called unwinding. When a child is unwound their parts (limbs, organs, etc.) are donated and given out to people in need, this is considered a common practice and is done regularly. In fact, some families consider it an honor to unwind their children.

The novel follows 3 main characters, will they get caught and unwound? Maybe! I’m not spoiling the book here.

Remember Cavs, the library doors are (almost) always open!