Listed in Alphabetical Order by Author Little Women - Louisa May Alcott The story of a New England family of girls growing up in the Civil War-era. The Marches are a picture of a happy home - with the brave and moral Father, who has gone into the army to do what he can for the North's cause, and kind, caring Marmee, who watches over her girls with gentleness and love. Then, there's the little women: sixteen-year-old Meg, who's pretty and mature; rough-and-tumble Jo, determined to become a famous writer; timid Beth, always putting others before herself; and spoiled Amy with her artistic talents. There's also their amiable neighbor, Theodore Laurence (Laurie). Join in on the fun and read all about Amy's trouble at school, Jo's precious book being burned, Meg going to "Vanity Fair," Beth's tragedy, and so much more. Summary from: Jennifer. Thanks! My Thoughts: A timeless classic! I've read the book three times and seen the movie once. Usually I don't like movies made from books because they change the story too much. But I enjoyed this movie! It was well done and as close to the book as they could get. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Great Expectations - Charles Dickens: This cautionary tale of a young man raised high above his station by a mysterious benefactor lacks in length, it more than makes up for in its remarkable characters and compelling story. The novel begins with young orphaned Philip Pirrip--Pip--running afoul of an escaped convict in a cemetery. This terrifying personage bullies Pip into stealing food and a file for him, threatening that if he tells a soul "your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted and ate." The boy does as he's asked, but the convict is captured anyway, and transported to the penal colonies in Australia. Having started his novel in a cemetery, Dickens then ups the stakes and introduces his hero into the decaying household of Miss Havisham, a wealthy, half-mad woman who was jilted on her wedding day many years before and has never recovered. Pip is brought there to play with Miss Havisham's ward, Estella, a little girl who delights in tormenting Pip about his rough hands and future as a blacksmith's apprentice. "I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. Her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it." Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: I had to read this one in high school and I was prepared to hate it (cause most of the books we were forced to read sucked, imo), but I so enjoyed this one that I didn't need to buy my usual Cliff's Notes so I could pass the test without ever rading the book. :o) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee: Like the slow-moving occupants of her fictional town, Lee takes her time getting to the heart of her tale; we first meet the Finches the summer before Scout's first year at school. She, her brother, and Dill Harris, a boy who spends the summers with his aunt in Maycomb, while away the hours reenacting scenes from Dracula and plotting ways to get a peek at the town bogeyman, Boo Radley. At first the circumstances surrounding the alleged rape of Mayella Ewell, the daughter of a drunk and violent white farmer, barely penetrate the children's consciousness. Then Atticus is called on to defend the accused, Tom Robinson, and soon Scout and Jem find themselves caught up in events beyond their understanding. During the trial, the town exhibits its ugly side, but Lee offers plenty of counterbalance as well--in the struggle of an elderly woman to overcome her morphine habit before she dies; in the heroism of Atticus Finch, standing up for what he knows is right; and finally in Scout's hard-won understanding that most people are essentially kind "when you really see them." By turns funny, wise, and heartbreaking, To Kill a Mockingbird is one classic that continues to speak to new generations, and deserves to be reread often. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: Great story! If you like classics, this is a definite must-read! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger: Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins, "If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them." His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation. Summary from: amazon.com. My Thoughts: Another book that I was forced to read in school and another one that I loved! No Cliff's Notes needed here. Every teenager can relate to Holden in some capacity. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ** This list isn't complete yet.