Some people may know these books from summer reading, or just for fun. This is a list I have compiled of books I have read, and encourage you to read them as well!

1. "My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult.

This emotional novel is about a pair of sisters who are very close. One of them is diagnosed with cancer. Their lives are turned upside- down while dealing with this evil illness. The story goes through all of their ups and downs that they face as a family through this difficult time.

2. "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green.

This novel (a.k.a TFIOS) is the novel that left many of us in tears while reading it, or when watching the movie. If you don't know about this book, then it is about a girl, Hazel, who goes to a "cancer support group" to help her face her own cancer. There, she meets her soon-to-be best friend, Augustus. They both share the same interests such as their love for a fictional author named Van Houten. This novel takes you through the journey of facing cancer head-on with friends to help along the way. It teaches a life lesson: When life tries to drag you down, you can push through.

3. "The Man Who Loved Clowns" by June Rae Wood.

I had to read this book for my eighth grade English class. It is about a girl named Delrita who lives with her parents who also help take care of her uncle, Uncle Punky, who has Down's Syndrome. A tragedy occurs causing a very shy Delrita and Uncle Punky to grow much closer.

4. "Marley & Me" by John Grogan.

This true story is about a man, Mr. John Grogan, and his yellow lab best friend, Marley. Marley is a crazy dog who destroys the house and eats almost anything in sight. Soon, Marley is sent to obedience school, which he is later expelled from. Oops! All of Marley's shenanigans teach his human family what happiness really means.

5. "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.

This novel, written by the famous Harper Lee, is about a young girl, Scout, and her family living in the 1930s in Maycomb, Alabama. Scout and her brother and friends face the challenges of a very adventurous childhood. Scout's father, Atticus, must deal with a court case against an alleged rapist. Scout attends the hearing in court and cannot understand the reasoning behind the accusations.

6. "The Hunger Games Trilogy" by Suzanne Collins.

Now, if you've never heard of these books, have you been living under a rock for the past few years? These novels are about a young lady named Katniss Everdeen. She lives in District 12 of a fictional country of Panem. She attends the "reaping," in which "tributes" are called to fight in the next Hunger Games. Katniss must enter the Hunger Games alongside another member from District 12, Peeta Mellark. These three books show how each one of them must survive to destroy the Hunger Games and the Capitol.

7. "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger.

This novel is about a teenage boy's journey through school. Holden Caufield has failed out of numerous boarding schools due to disinterest. He begins to attend a fictional private school, Pencey Preparatory Academy. He faces many disturbances and trials. He looks for life advice from his parents and teachers along the way.

8. "Stargirl" by Jerry Spinelli.

This short novel is about a young boy, Leo, who moves from Pennsylvania to Arizona. He must begin at a new school. The story jumps to four years later, when Leo is in high school. Leo meets a girl by the name of Susan Caraway. She goes by the name "Stargirl." Everyone else that attends this high school are focused on appearance and what others think about them, Stargirl couldn't care less about what others have to say about her. Stargirl continues to act anything but normal. This story describes what she does and how others perceive her, and how they try to make sense of everything she is doing.

9. "Night" by Elie Wiesel.

This autobiography about Elie Wiesel, himself, and his family. In this book, he describes the disturbing details and horrible memories of Nazi Germany. He talks about what it was like being taken from his home. When they finally arrived at Auschwitz, he and his father were separated from his mother and other siblings. He discusses his memories and the fear he faced everyday while watching others starve to death and be put into the gas chambers. If you've ever wanted to know what really happened during the Holocaust, this is the book you need to read.

10. "13 Reasons Why" by Jay Asher.

This book is about a boy, Clay Jensen, who returns home from school one day to find a box at his house with his name on it. He opens it and finds out that one of his acquaintances, Hannah, has committed suicide. Inside the box, he finds thirteen tapes. Each one has a name and a reason why she committed suicide. Clay finds out that he is one of the reasons why. The box of tapes is sent around t everyone who led Hannah to do what she did.

11. "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton.

This very famous novel is about two groups of men, the Greasers and the Socs. These two groups deal with their differing socioeconomic statuses that set them apart from each other. This book discusses the differences and fights that these two groups deal with. One of the numerous characters, "Pony-Boy," a member of the Greasers, leaves a movie theater one night and is immediately attacked by members of the rival group, the Socs.