What Shall a Teenager Read?

When your child is unexpectedly turns into a teenager it’s very important not to lose a dialogue with her or him. By reading together or discussing books you stay close. Even when you are naturally getting farther in everything else.

When you reach me by Rebecca Stead

Do you sometimes find yourselves in situations that get written in your memory in “a special ink”? They change the usual things … and us at the same time. We seem to wonder why we need this main role in a film with a weird name “This Will Never Happen to Me”.
And only the final episode where pain, hesitations, and suspense are mixed is supposed to bring about the answer.

That’s the best case scenario, of course. Miranda, the main character of a book by R.S., is lucky. Her film had a happy ending. All the secrets were revealed. And her world didn’t collapse. Just the opposite, she realized what a big role (not in a film, but in a real life) she could play in the life of her best friend Sam or her shy classmate Alice.

To teach us not to get afraid: isn’t it the main task of the director of the film where we play our roles every day.

The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer

“The Book of Everything” is about how ambiguous the world around us is as well as the microworld in your own family. This book is with the mood and it will definitely be passed on to you. If after the episode described on the first pages it gets colder inside you, do not close the book — read on and you will warm up.

This book is for you if you are concerned about domestic violence… or faith in God and people. We are all amazing creatures. And the author shows how differently we all look at the world; and how we can “read” each other without words. Be sure to read this book. Yes, there is Jesus in it, if it matters. A lot of Jesus.

Goggle-Eyes by Anne Fine

A book with a plot that unwinds itself. A simple beginning with a sobbing girl who doesn’t tell anybody what happened grows into a story about a relationship with a new person in the family.

The main character is a girl with strong principles who is not to blame for teenage stupidity. In teenage books I like moms most of all. They are us in the background, but the episodes in which they appear often reveal complex aspects of the main characters' personalities. In “Goggle-Eyes” the mom is not a mumble, not an eccentric, not a litmus test for her children. The mom is everywhere in this story: you can learn from her, you can argue with her and you respect her.

This story is perfect to feel what it is like when a stranger enters the family. This book is a friend to share your fears and sorrows with.

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper

Sometimes everything seems to have gone to hell and the black stripe of your life zebra seems to last for too long. Open this book and it is going to become a vest, a pillow, and a breath of fresh air. And all because the main character tells everything frankly about herself. Even the fact that she cannot speak, walk, and saliva sometimes flows from her mouth.
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As you can see, this “everything” is the worst thing you can imagine when you are a teenager and you want to enjoy life, and not be imprisoned in your own body.
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What might surprise you in this story about the girl named Melody is that her life and her family’s attitude to her is an example of unconditional acceptance? This is a dream come true that “grew” out of the hopes and actions of both her family and strangers.
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This book is going to teach you not to get upset for silly reasons. It may also inspire you to help people whose life is a little or much harder than yours.

By making these books part of your library, you will gain much more — a connection with your child. Thanks to good fiction, it will stay in your family for a long time.

Thanks to these good books, you’ll stay connected for a long time.

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