Top 10 Reads from a teenage Chloe
Inspired by my year nine teacher at the time, I started keeping a list of every book read, complete with a review and rating. Several decades on, and my hard copy list-making continues.
Now as my kids develop their own reading habits, and friends' kid’s enter the teenage years of reading, I thought I’d go back through the notebooks and compile my favourite 10 reads from ages 15–18 years old…. and see if they stand the test of time with today’s generation of teens.
We All Fall Down — Robert Cormier (Published 1991, Read Year 9)
I remember finding Cormier through ‘The Chocolate War’ and proceeding to make my way through all of his books. Unlike ‘The Chocolate War’, which I still have a vague memory of, I can’t recall much about this except that it was a gripping YA suspense novel.
The Power of One — Bryce Courtney (Published 1989, Read Year 9)
Along with ‘Flowers in the Attic’ and ‘Clan of the Cave Bear’, ‘The Power of One’ was a mandatory read for all of my friends around this time. I think we all felt pretty “mature” lugging around the huge paperbacks in our school bags too (no kindles back then). I’m also pretty sure that the 1992 release of the film, with Stephen Dorf in the starring role, helped with the take-up. In any case, it was a solid read, and the sequel ‘Tandia’, just as compelling.
Wise Child — Monica Furlong (Published 1987, Read Year 9)
To be honest, I can’t remember a thing about this book and the blurb: ‘In a remote Scottish village, nine-year-old Wise Child is taken in by Juniper, a healer, and sorceress. Then Wise Child’s mother, Maeve, a black witch, reappears…” does nothing to jog my memory. However I gave it an excellent rating and Goodreads gives it a solid 4.1 stars, so it must have been awesome.
Tales of the City (Series) — Armistead Maupin (Book 1 Published 1978, Read Year 10)
I remember randomly picking this book up from the library, and getting absorbed into the wonderful, queer, and sweet lives of these characters and the pull of Anna Madrigal in 1970s San Fransisco. It had just enough “drugs” and “sex” to be risque, but also written in a lovely, heartwarming way. I wonder if it has dated well? (Be warned — don’t even attempt to watch the TV series — I cried at how awful it was).
The Client — John Grisham (Published 1993, Read Year 10)
I’m pretty sure that I “borrowed” this book from Dad who had just finished reading it, and felt pretty cool reading an adult book. While I wouldn’t read Grisham now, ‘The Client’ was a pretty top-shelf entry into law & order / detective novelling.
Wild Swans — Jung Chang (Published 1991, Read Year 10)
Looking back, this is probably when I started to get a little more serious with my reading (looking back at my book list I did have a laugh at the numerous Dolly Doctor books I also read at this time). Spanning a century of modern China, Wild Swans took my love of history to the next level, and no doubt consumed a month or so it took me to read it.
Waiting for Alibrandi— Melina Marchetta (Published 1992, Read Year 11)
I’m not sure if this was a school text, or just a must-read book of the moment, but whatever the reason, it still remains one of the best Australian novels for older teens. I do wonder if the book has aged well (probably no mobile phones or insta-tik tok moments back then), but with a focus on a young teen of immigrant parents in Sydney, I’d like to think the theme is timeless.
Paddy Clark Ha Ha Ha — Roddy Doyle (Published 1993, Read Year 11)
What made me laugh most about digging up this memory was that it won the Man Booker Prize. Probably the last time something won that award that actually made sense! But I digress… Thinking back, I probably loved this book for the same reasons kids today love Billy Elliot. Following the lives of a 10 year old boy back in North Dublin — probably a place discussed many times by my family. Just the right amount of history mixed with the joy of youth.
The Kitchen God’s Wife — Amy Tan (Published 1991, Read Year 12)
Happy to see my enjoyment of Sino-American stories continued through to year 12. Though I’m sure a lot of it had to do with my amazing modern history teacher of the time. Looking back on a blurb that talks about the booking dealing ‘extensively with Sino-American female identity and draws on the story of her mother’s life…’, I can imagine reading it now that I’d have a very different take than as a naive 17 year old. But certainly better than Dolly Doctor.
The Celestine Prophecy — James Redfield (Published 1993, Read Year 12)
Forty+ year old me groans at seeing this — but in year 12, and about to embark into adulthood — THIS WAS LIFE CHANGING. THIS BOOK SPOKE TO ME, IT UNDERSTOOD ME, IT WAS LIKE IT WAS WRITTEN FOR ME. (It was also more than likely I was enjoying some happy plants at the time that made it EVEN MORE AMAZING) — do kids still read this book!?
