1. Read-In 2015 with Mr. Hudd 10 Books you might not know about, but should 2. 1. To Kill a Mockingbird Deals with Race in the South. Atticus Finch, the main character has been described as a moral hero and a model for integrity, especially for lawyers. Scout is an innocent yet strong female character who narrates the novel. This book is high up on my recommendations list because it deals with things still relevant to you: Racism, discrimination, cruelty. An some of the most memorable 3. 2. World War Z My favorite Zombie Lit. If youve seen the movie, you still havent read the book. See the venn diagram below. The book is told from the perspective of a journalist who interviews survivors after the outbreak has been contained. Each chapter is a different characters story from the attack and how they dealt with it. 4. 3. The Graveyard Book Super fun and a good amount of scary. Anything by Neil Gaiman will take you on the most fantastical adventure... The Graveyard is the story of a boy who grows up in a graveyard, the people he encounters and the people who raise him. Mystery, murder, love it has it all! When I read the first chapter, I almost peed my pants it was so scary. Its a short, easy read. Your 12 year old brother would love you forever if you read this book to him at night 5. East of Eden This is my all time favorite book. Number one. BUT I would recommend that you wait. If you read it too soon, it might not speak to you. Its Steinbeck, so relatively slow paced. Very descriptive as far as nature goes, you will fall in love with central California. Its more than 700 pages so its no joke. What is this book about? One word, Life. It follows 3 or 4 generations of a farming family in central California and all the battles in between. We named our two boys after characters in the book and probably will the third This is Steinbeck's masterpiece. He wrote a book about writing this book. It is the product of someone completely utilizing their perfected craft. You will never meet a more vile villain than 6. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn When I started reading this, I didnt get more than a page in when Mark Twain said that if I hadnt read about Tom Sawyer, then I need to before I read about his friend Huckleberry Finn. So I closed the book and went back to the library and checked out Tom Sawyer. I was sooooo glad I did. Tom Sawyer is amazing it self, and its on my list of favorite books. HF is written as a sequel to TS and a lot happens in the first book that you really need background on. But HF is epic. The main character, Huck is running away from home in search of adventure with a runaway slave. The two float down the Mississippi, hide out and come across some serious trouble once Hucks alcoholic father gets word of their whereabouts. Its one of the first novels to be written in America in an American vernacular, so if its hard at first dont give up, youll get used to the way its written and youll fall in love with these boys. If youre looking for adventure, 7. Dandelion Wine I had to throw up a Ray Bradbury on this list. One of my favorite authors, Bradbury has written a grip of books that shouldnt go unread. Something Wicked This Way Comes and Fahrenheit 451 are among my favorites. Dandelion Wine is the story of two brothers and their summer break. It talks about the beauty of making memories, and treasuring your childhood. The title is a metaphor for packing all the joys of summer into a single bottle beautiful, right? Most of the book is focused around small town America and the simple joys of yesterday. 8. Dune So I would suggest a warm up book before you dive into Dune. Try out something sci-fi. Enders Game or even Neuromancer, both incredible books that are very sci-fi. Dune is as thick as the bible and as epic. This book deals with politics, religion, ecology, technology, and human emotion as the different governments in space struggle for control of Arrakis (planet with a highly sought after commodity of spice). Sound boring? You will be fist pumping by the end when former aristocrat turned desert guerilla fighter Paul MaudDib rides into town on a 9. The Little Prince Youll finish in two hours and your life will be changed forever. And now here is my secret: it is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye. 10. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn A beautiful story of a little girl growing up in Brooklyn, NY amidst the great depression. This book will help the most heartless of people appreciate life. Dear God," she prayed, "let me be something every minute of every hour of my life. Let me be gay; let me be sad. Let me be cold; let me be warm. Let me be hungry...have too much to eat. Let me be ragged or well dressed. Let me be sincere - be deceitful. Let me be truthful; let me be a liar. Let me be honorable and let me sin. Only let me be something every blessed minute. And when I sleep, let me dream all the time so that not one little piece of living is ever lost. 11. The Fountainhead Another big one but well worth your time. Written by Ayn Rand, who youll learn about at some point in your English class. This is the story of an Architect who is Uncompromising. He will not give in to all the watered down, business of architecture and wants to design the way he envisions. Some of the archetecture is loosely based on the that of Frank Lloyd Wright. 12. Honorable Mentions Pride and Prejudice Lovey-dovey The Princess Bride adventurous, fun The Phantom Tollbooth creative, adventurous Brothers Karamazov Epic, life, family, Russia Crossing to Safety Life, love, wait till your older Something Wicked This Way Comes Scarry, fun, its Ray Bradburry so its the best Heart of Darkness trip up the Congo River. Deals with imperialism. Slaughterhouse 5 Kurt Vonnegut, WW2, Dresden firebombings, and other journeys through time The Bell Jar choices,. Growing up One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest -- Lonesome Dove Western Epic Paris to the Moon a fathers love Anna Karinina Russian Epic Seabuscuit Horseracing, but amazing story of overcoming odds. Flower's for Algernon -