By Staff Writer Jena Fakroddin
Spring break is the time when many students will be kicking back on the beach, climbing through treacherous mountain ranges, skiing down slopes, spending long hours in the car on a road trip, or even making the best out of their stay-cation here in Naperville. Regardless of where this break takes NNHS students, it’s the perfect time to relax and get lost in a good book.
For students looking for must-read novels, NNHS librarian Kenni Johnston recommends 12 popular and non-gender specific titles.
- “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green
- “Meant to Be” by Lauren Morrill
- “Code Name Verity” by Elizabeth Wein
- “The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight” by Jennifer E. Smith
- “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
- “The Hostage Three” by Nick Lake
- “The Yellow Birds” by Kevin Powers
- “Steelheart” by Brandon Sanderson
- “The Fifth Wave” by Rick Yancey
- “Legend” by Marie Lu
- “Allegiant” by Veronica Roth (third book in the “Divergent” series)
- “Delirium” by Lauren Oliver
From this selection, Johnston especially encourages teens to read the “Divergent” series by Veronica Roth. Now a major motion picture, “Divergent” has captured the attention of many bookworms and movie junkies. According to www.goodreads.com, it has even earned a rating of 4.36/5 stars.
Spring break reading can also help with enormous, quickly approaching decisions. May 1 is just around the corner, and college-bound seniors do not have much time before they must to commit to a school.
For those still deciding and for the many juniors beginning their college searches, college career center assistant Carol Krashen recommends the book, “Colleges that Change Lives: 40 Schools that will Change the Way You Think about Colleges” by Loren Pope. In this guide, Pope shares insight into the process behind college selection.
Now, let’s be honest here. Most students wouldn’t want to lug around a hard cover book with them wherever they go. However, the NNHS library has a solution.
Librarian Lee Applegate encourages students to download eBooks using the NNHS Library eBook service. This option provides students with the flexibility to check out books, free of charge, that have already been checked out at the library. Students can download eBooks right onto any mobile device.
The system allows students to access digital collections from both the NNHS Library and Nichols Library. This selection is always growing too- both libraries constantly add new books to the system.
To get more information or to start downloading books directly onto any mobile device, go to http://naperville203.lib.overdrive.com, or ask NNHS’ librarians for further instructions.
When searching for the best spring break reads, your peers are often valuable sources.
Senior Maria Rousonelos, co-president of NNHS’ book club, the Lit Society, recommends one of her favorite books, “Princess Bride: The Good Parts Version” by William Goldman to all. Rousonelos gives this classic fairytale a 10/10.
“Goldman updates S. Morgenstern’s original story of ‘true love and high adventure’ to make the classic tale readable- readable and hilarious,” Rousonelos said. “The characters are endearing, and the plot is pretty easy to follow but still engaging.”
Sophomore Molly McQuaid, a member of The Lit Society, highly encourages students to read “Shatter Me” by Tahereh Mafi.
“It’s my favorite book of all time, and there is nothing bad I can say about it,” said McQuaid. “It is a trilogy, but all three books were as exciting as the last. It’s extremely captivating and well written. I could rave about it forever.”
No matter where spring break takes NNHS students, reading is always a great way to kick back and relax.
