A Classic Five

By  Charlotte Bennardo 

I'm relatively new here, this is only my second post, so hi all. 

This month, the theme is five YA books we wish we'd written. Oh, tough list because there are just sooo many. Please note I'm purposefully NOT choosing any novels by friends and colleagues because I can't fit them all in! I would never choose one over the other so I am staying with the classics. There are many on my list, but here are a random five:

Seventeenth Summer by Maureen Daly was truly the first YA book I read. Yes, it's old, but it had such an impact on me when I read a battered library copy. The emotions and confusion of being seventeen were raw and sweet and beautifully realistic that as soon as I finished it, I reread it. 

Anne Frank, the Diary of a Young Girl is the epitome of bravery and tragedy. While I would not want to have been in her situation to write that book, what I took away from it was her appreciation for life, even at its hardest. Her words are sincere and honest and heartbreaking. I want to write with that joie de vivre, that belief in hope and people even when surrounded by evil and despair. 

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot. Honestly, the witty self-deprecation of Mia and the snark of her bestie Lilly, and the sweetness of Michael make this fun and a salute to the horror that can be high school, loss of a parent, and navigating puberty. Life shouldn't be all dark and gloomy, a little royal fantasy is a sweet getaway. 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has every human emotion in a story of every possible situation. Love, hate, betrayal, anger, grief, friendship, sacrifice, growth, horror, discovery. In my opinion, this book is the best dystopian novel.

 

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. When I read this book, it became a favorite because I felt like I could be Kit Tyler. I believe most teens feel isolated at times and look for a place to fit in. Kit's feelings of being an outsider resonated with me. Hard to believe, but I was very shy and introverted, having few friends until junior high school year. (People who know me now are probably reading this with their mouths open- I'm quite engaging.) This book stands the test of time. 

Charlotte writes MG, YA, NA, and adult novels in sci fi, fantasy, contemporary, and paranormal genres. She is the author of the award-winning middle grade Evolution Revolution trilogy, Simple Machines, Simple Plans, and Simple Lessons. She co-authored the YA novels Blonde OPS, Sirenz, and Sirenz Back in Fashion. She has two short stories in the Beware the Little White Rabbit (Alice through the Wormhole) and Scare Me to Sleep (Faces in the Wood) anthologies. Having finished her MFA, she's applying what she learned and is working on several children's and adult novels, along with some short stories. She lives in NJ but dreams of a Caribbean beach house.