Being forced to read a book is a hit or a miss. You either find yourself invested into the exciting novel or sink to reading spark notes chapter summaries instead. However, there’s always a few books that aren’t entirely dreadful to read. Throughout middle school and high school, my teachers have picked books that they think I would enjoy, and here are my favorites:

1. "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry

I remember reading this book in middle school and it being the first time I really learned about the severity of World War II and the effect it had on people. This book made me extremely upset, and I remember it being one of the first times I read a book that made me feel something.

2. "Dear Mr. Henshaw"by Beverly Clearly

Since I was pretty young the first time I read this book, I don’t remember much about it. What I do remember though, is that this book made me want to read. I never read much on my own, but this book showed me that there were more types of novels that I could ever imagine.

3. "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee

Since I knew how famous this book was, my expectations were very high. To my excitement, I loved the book more than I thought I would. It touched on serious issues, yet it wasn’t too heavy for a younger person to read. I also always thought it was funny that Scout was dressed as a ham.

4. "Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chobsky

This might be one of my most favorite books ever. It’s written so differently from most novels and was one of the first books that left me thinking after I finished. It left me confused; something I oddly enjoyed to an extent. The story wasn’t spelled out at times, you had to read between the lines. Since I loved it so much, I’ve reread it a couple of times and even admire the movie.

5. "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

Never did I ever think that I would appreciate a novel about two people traveling through a post-apocalyptic wasteland, but I did. I had to read this book the summer going into my senior year. I pushed off reading for a good portion of the summer, distracting myself in any way possible. But then once I started reading, I finished it within a week. This novel really taught me the importance of visualizing imagery. It painted such a descriptive picture in my head with each page; it felt like a movie in my mind.

6. "Animal Farm" by George Orwell

Some people may judge me for putting this on the list, but I actually really appreciate this novel. It was unlike anything I had ever read before, and was thought-provoking. It touched on huge political issues, yet used animals as a means of doing so. The elementary way of expressing these issues made it easier to understand these political matters in a greater sense.

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

Similar to To Kill a Mockingbird, I knew how popular this novel was and was skeptical as to if I would have the same appreciation for it as others did. The reason why I enjoyed the novel so much was because of Holden. I loved his character and was so absorbed by him.