Things We Like
What teenagers are reading in Emily Farrell's creative writing class at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford: Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale, follows the life of a con man who impersonates a doctor, a lawyer, and an airline pilot as he makes millions of dollars. I was hooked by the adventures of the main character. Very educational!
What teenagers are reading in Emily Farrell's creative writing class at Strath Haven High School in Wallingford:
Catch Me If You Can, by Frank Abagnale, follows the life of a con man who impersonates a doctor, a lawyer, and an airline pilot as he makes millions of dollars. I was hooked by the adventures of the main character. Very educational!
Bill Magerr
Junior
William Kotzwinkle's satirical and hilarious The Bear Went Over the Mountain is impossible to put down. When a bear named Hal Jam finds a manuscript under a tree, he becomes rich and famous; however, the true author, Arthur Bramhall, fares less well.
Derek Pastuszek
Junior
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, by Louise Murphy, takes place in Poland during World War II. Two Jewish children are left in the woods by their father and stepmother in hopes of survival. The clever connections to the fairy tale make this book much more than just an ordinary novel.
Chelsey Sokoloff
Junior
Stephen Chobsky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower depicts a freshman in high school during the 1990s. Drugs, relationships and family are all dealt with in this compelling epistolary novel.
Greg Millio
Sophomore
1984, by George Orwell, tells the story of Winston, who is living in a world where freedom of speech, press and even thought is denied. Orwell drags you into a nightmarish world that is impossible to escape until you turn the final page.
Gwen Moore
Sophomore
In Richard Russo's Straight Man, a college professor threatens to kill a goose a day and hides inside a ceiling to spy on his colleagues. If you feel people in academe take themselves too seriously, this book is for you.
Julia Sippel
Sophomore
Rafael Yglesias' The Murderer Next Door is about a young woman's journey from a poverty-stricken childhood to a wealthy life as a lawyer. She finds the bitter truth about humanity after the murder of her best friend. If you are searching for ways to become paranoid, then read this novel.
Tasnim Aziz
Sophomore
A little boy witnesses a horrible crime, and a family's reputation is at stake. Montana 1948, by Larry Watson, tells a story of moral issues, family problems and racism. The twisted ending left me thinking about how far people will go to keep secrets.
Chris Del Roccoili
Sophomore
After a whale sporting the message "Bite Me" is spotted in Hawaii, marine biologist Nathan Quinn's world is turned upside-down. If you love humorous novels, Christopher Moore's outrageous Fluke is a true gem.
Molly Cohen
Sophomore
A riveting story of a high school girl's brutal rape, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is an exhilarating novel that touches on internal struggles, depression and high school angst.
Kevin Jacobsen
Senior
A tale of the friendship of four men and one woman who meet at Harvard during the 1950s, Matters of Honor by Louis Begley describes a world of social ambition, family problems and frustrated love. I was totally enthralled and sad to leave the book at the end.
Emily Farrell
Teacher