Top Ten Tuesday--Books that should be required reading for teens

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish

This weeks topic is TOP TEN BOOKS THAT SHOULD BE REQUIRED READING FOR TEENS.

These are in no particular order. Just whatever I thought of first. I'm mostly trying to think of books that I tend to throw at everyone I can.

1. Harry Potter by JK Rowling:
This is a series that everyone needs to read. Not even a should, it is a need. These books changed the lives of so many people.

2. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer:
While this is not the best written series, it does do something to people who read them. I know many people, myself included, that after reading this series, they became obsessed with reading. Many people owe Stephenie a thank you for bringing them back to the reading world. This is why I have a Twilight background and Harry Potter. The first series I fell in love with and the second that brought me back to reading.

3. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins:
These books are jaw droppers. I think it would be really cool to study these books in english class. It would be a whole lot cooler than the crap I was forced to read in school.

4. Looking For Alaska by John Green:
I was trying to decide which of his books to put on here and decided on this one. This would be a really cool but to rip apart and analyze the characters. John's writing is brilliant.

5. Far From You by Lisa Schroeder:
I think this would be a really good one to read in a creative writing class because it is written in a different format. Plus it's beautiful.

6. The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare:
This would be a good book to read with Harry Potter and do a bunch of comparisons. A side by side look at writing techniques and so on.

7. Divergent by Veronica Roth:
I really don't know why I put this on here, but it kept popping out at me. Maybe just because I love it so much.

8. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll:
AIW is everywhere! I think this is the book that I see most referenced in literature. Plus it's full of awesomeness.

9. Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger:
I think they got this one right when they make you study it in school. I loved this book.

10. Anything by Shakespeare:
This one I do agree on because shakespeare is everywhere. You need to know these things. Bill Shakespeare will always be in style.

Books I think they should stop forcing down teens throats in school:
1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne:
What a absolutely horrible book! Everyone has the exact same voice, it's boring, and all around just horrible. Why do they make kids read it????

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck:
Painful.

3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte:
I will never understand why people like this book. Cathy is obnoxious and Heathcliff is evil.

4. Paradise Lost by John Milton:
I honestly fell asleep three times while trying to read this epic poem. I've never before fallen asleep while reading. Who decided this was a good poem to have people read????