Top Ten Tuesday: Books you'd pair with required reading/should be required reading

Top Ten Tuesday is a fantastic meme hosted by the ladies over at The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is all about high school reading. I loved reading in high school, though some of the books they made us read weren't that great so I went and read my own instead. This week's list is broken into two categories (because it always seems easier to come up with 5 instead of 10!)

contemporary books paired with required reading

1984 by George Orwell/ The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Dystopian novels have changed a lot throughout the years and I think it would be fun to compare and contrast these two extreme novels.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee/ The Mockingbirds by Daisy Whitney

Taking the extremes from both books and comparing how rape is discussed differently. I like the idea of revamping an old tale and I loved both of these books.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien/ Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

I read HP first, but once I read the LOTR trilogy, I noticed a lot of similarities, though HP was much easier to get through. I'd love to have a discussion about these two.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger/ The Spectacular Now by Tim Thrapp

These two characters reminded me of each other and their destructions would be fun to dissect side by side.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding/ Beauty Queens by Libba Bray

Both are about kids/teens being stranded on a island without parental supervision. Boys in one, girls in the other. The differences and similarities will surprise you.

books that should be required readings

Looking for Alaska by John Green: I wish I had read this in high school, it was thought provoking and much better than most of the books I read!

Speak or Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson: There are realistic issues in these books that need to be in the forefront of people's minds. What better way than to discuss them in class.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous: A first hand experience about what drugs can do to a person. It's harsh, but what better time to teach people then when they are in the right age group to be tempted.

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers: bully is an issue that teens need to stop from happening. By putting it all on the table, hopefully kids would come forward if it was happening to them.

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver: The other side of bullying and popularity, this book goes through the steps of grief, forgiveness, and redemption. All important qualities for teenagers to know about.

I would have rather read books about hard issues and things I could relate to as opposed to some of the books we were made to read. Though I did love the Shakespeare and they should never stop teaching teens the glory that is plays!