With all of the free time that summer can bring, it can be a great time to find a good book to read. However, it is not the easiest thing to do. It can be hard to find a good book that doesn't remind of you of English class. There needs to be a balance between comedy, adventure, and even romance. There is also the craving for something new or curiosity for a story that is not as well known. These are the top ten books that I would recommend reading during Summer vacation that are familiar or different.

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

The Outsiders is a story about a group of friends who live in a rough neighborhood. They look out for one another no matter the situation. When catastrophe strikes the group like nothing before, they learn how they can stay together even when it seems like there is no return to the way life was before.

2. "A Midsummer's Night Dream" by William Shakespeare

Shakespeare is not always the easiest to read because of the "old-time" dialogue. However, this play is a great summer time comedy. It revolves around meddling fairies who manipulate the love story of four young people and ends up making a mountain out of a mole hill. Along with the outrageous debates between the fairy king and queen, there is also the ridiculous characters such as Puck and Nick Bottom who do not fail to make the audience laugh.

3. "Matched" by Allyson Braithwaite Condie

If you enjoyed the Hunger Games or Divergent series, then the next series to get addicted to is Matched. This book series takes place in a futuristic world where young people are matched up with their significant other by society. The main character is stuck between her best friend with whom she was paired up with and another who was a glitch in the system at the start.

4. "Outlander" by Diana Gabaldon

A series is perfectly balanced with sci-fi, romance, history and adventure. The story evolves around the main character named Claire who, without the help of a time machine, accidentally travels back through time to 18th century Scotland where she meets Jamie Fraser. The series takes you all across a time where we see Claire's character take part in important historical events that could affect her own time period.

5. "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin

The story begins with the death of Samuel W. Westing. Stuck in the apartment complex are sixteen people who are all suspicious of this death and wonder if Mr. Westing was murdered by one of them. The story introduces the reader to each of the characters and a series of events that can lead to the conclusion of the mystery of Mr. Westing's death.

6. "The House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer

Many sci-fi stories reveal some type of clone, but the clone is the main character in this story. The center of the story is about the life of Matteo who is the clone of El Patrón. Matteo lives a life full of opportunities until he realizes the truth about why he is alive.

7. "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett

This book is a reminder of two things: adventure can be found in your own back yard and family is everything. After the death of her parents, Mary moves in with her depressed uncle who is lonesome and rarely home. She discovers both her ill cousin Colin but also a secret garden and the magic it bares that not only brings her happiness but also happiness back to her uncle and cousin.

8. "To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee

This story withstands the test of time in being loved through many decades. Scout lives with her older brother Jem and their father, a lawyer whom is called Atticus. Along with their friend Dill, Scout and Jem tackle with the knowledge that their father is involved in a strenuous trial defending Tom Robinson and the mysterious neighbor who is called Boo who just might have a bigger part in the story than one thinks.

9. "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas

After being set up by his best friend, Edmond Dantès is imprisoned the day of his wedding to Mercedes. After a couple of years in prison, Edmond meets Abbé Faria who is also wrongfully imprisoned and trying to escape. Before he dies, Faria tells Edmond about the hidden treasure of Spada. Upon his escape, Edmond finds the treasure which he uses to plot revenge against those who imprisoned him. Throughout the story, Edmond looses sight of what is really important in order to seek his revenge, and he struggles to remember the hope he once had about the life he always wanted.

10. "Frindle" by Andrew Clements

This may be a story for children, but it is story that inspires adults. Nick only asked his teacher, Mrs. Granger, a simple question which lead him to do something that would be become the talk on the school playground, create a new word. Nick's ambition and sense of humor show that anyone can do anything even if it seems impractical.