Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet is a tragic comedy play by William Shakespeare and is his most famous. It plot takes place in the city of Verona in Italy where two families, the Montague’s and Capulet’s live and have been feuding for a very long time. But between these two rival families is Romeo who is a Montague and Juliet who is Capulet. Both Romeo and Juliet are in love with one another, but the tension between their two families is what is keeping them from expressing their love in public. The play was very interesting to read with many different characters, funny scenes, and a terrific end in my opinion. I would definitely recommend high school students to read this book if they aren’t already in English class.

Sameer Khan

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Time Machine is a classic time traveling adventure, and even one of the first of its kind. In fact, Wells even coined the term time machine. It is about this guy that creates a vehicle that can take him back to a specific point in time. He accidentally goes to the very distant point in time, year 802701. He later meets the very gentle and not violent Eloi. However, he does not live in peace with the Eloi for very long because there are these freaky ape things called Morlocks that are not gentle and are violent. Morlocks are not good business, I’m sure. It is a really short, and fun book. It is recommend for middle-school, or any science fiction nut.

Luqman Sattar

War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

War of the Worlds is another classic novel of H.G. Wells. The book was widely popular, and has gotten a movie, and a few graphic novel versions (we have one in the library… if you check the comic out instead I won’t blame you. I promise). It is about a bunch of aliens invading earth in these tripod thingies. And it all starts on the planet Mars, when astronomers see a bunch of explosions on the surface of the red planet. Then they see a bunch of Martians popping out on Earth and killing a bunch of people. Of course there is a war because then the name of the novel would be different. Anyways, the humans lose and begin foraging through houses and living under ground. The book is very interesting and really cool. I recommend this book to middle school, high school, and science fiction lovers.

Luqman Sattar

The Merchant of Venice by Gareth Hinds

If you are in grade 10 and don’t want to read page after page of boringness in The Merchant of Venice, I recommend that you check out the graphic novel version. It keeps that same ugly Shakespearian English script found in the original play, so how different can the thing be? Merchant of Venice is pretty much about this guy named Antonio who makes a deal with this guy that say, “If you can’t pay me back I will have a pound of your flesh… you know… for the lolz.” And of course, Antonio can’t pay him back. This happens because Antonio’s friend likes some girl and he has to pay her money to ask her to marry him, and of course, he has no money because he is dead broke. It is a very interesting concept, and I love the medium that is used. It will be a useful tool to anyone learning the text.

Luqman Sattar

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby is a classic novel that takes place in the 1920’s, and follows the life of Jay Gatsby from the mind of Nick Carraway. Nick Carraway is the cousin of Gatsby’s love interest. After Nick meets Gatsby, he finds out that Gatsby wants to get back together with Daisy (his love interest). This story is a classic about the life in the roaring 20’s. It is a good book and a classic. Do you know what place good and classic books have in our school? They are a part of our course. The Great Gatsby will be read by high-school students (some of them) as a part of their Grade 10 English course. It is a recommended read especially if you want a good grade.

Luqman Sattar

The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is very important to people going into HL English next year because it is part of the IB curriculum. The story is about a guy named Mersault and his life after his mom died. He makes a friend, and while he is walking on the beach with him he killed someone, and later went to prison. This book is very interesting, and is a key book in HL English. This book was originally written in French (things get lost in translation). If you speak French, I recommend that you read it in French. And if you read the book, make sure you read the book found in school because the online version and the one we have in school is different. Reading it would be a good idea. Trust me.

Luqman Sattar

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction, and social criticism novel written by Charles Dickens in 1859. The story takes place in the cities, London and Paris during then 1789– 1799 French Revolution. The novel shows the events leading up to the revolution from showing how the lower class masses of French society were treated by the monarchy and the aristocracy. I loved reading this novel because it was a literary classic written more than a hundred years ago and I found it interesting to read literature work from back then. I would definitely recommend high school students to take the time out and read this book.    

Sameer Khan

The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad is an insanely long poem written by Homer in Ancient Greece (in other words, a really long time ago). The poem is about the war between Troy and the Greek army that was fueled by the love affair of Helen of Troy and Paris. It is considered a classic and is a pretty long read. I thought it was interesting, because I like reading this kind of stuff (mythology and fantasy stuff). In all honesty I recommend reading it, but there is a big possibility that you will get bored while reading it. I recommend this for high school more than I recommend this for middle school.

Luqman Sattar

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is an outstanding novel written by Harper Lee and published in July, 11 1960. The novel depicts the 1930s and the times of the Great Depression in Maycomb, Alabama. The story is told from the eyes of a six year old girl called Scout Finch. She narrates the story by remembering past events in her adulthood. Personally I found this type of narration to be unique because it gave me a sense that what she remembered could have easily been false and misleading as our memory tends to fool us at times. The book being about the rape of a white woman by a black man, the theme of racial prejudice is highly prevalent in the novel. Adding in the fact that a white lawyer is trying to prove the black man innocent really emphasizes on the dramatic story and tragic elements. Though I didn't find the book to be very tragic or sad, it had elements of injustice which may prove to be moving for some readers. I wasn't surprised with the ending of the novel as the story has elements suggesting how there were double standards between whites and blacks. Tom Robinson(the black man) being falsely convicted was something I expected from the portrayal of the society in the setting. The way he was framed and accused by Mayella Ewell (the white woman) despite her flirting with him in reality is the perfect example of racial prejudice in a society. This story reminded me of the novella "Chronicle of a Death Foretold" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in the way an individual is accused for something he didn't do and the society prefers to stay oblivious to the reality that can save the individuals life.


Due to the strong themes it illustrates and it's unique narration. To Kill a Mockingbird is an outstanding novel.

Yasin Mergen

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies is a young adult fiction novel written by William Golding and published in 1954. The book starts out with a group of young British boys who are stranded on an uninhabited island after their plane went down somewhere over the pacific ocean. The boys soon come together on the island and try to form a sort of government in order to govern themselves. This leads to disastrous results as the boys feud over who should be leader. But this is one of the problems the boys have to face, they also need to find food, and build shelter in order to stay alive on the island, also their is a fear among the boys that a beast lurks the island. There is a constant battle between Civilization and Savagery in this literary classic. The book kept me in suspense with its shocking revelations, and the twists and turns which helped develop the plot. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone above the age of thirteen who are interested in suspenseful fiction, and a literary classic with lots of different interpretations and thought provoking ideas.

Sameer Khan

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Do you read books? Do you watch TV? Which do you prefer? Which do you do more? Imagine a world where there was no choice between the two and all everybody did was watch TV. Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a world where reading books is illegal and watching TV is something everybody. Fahrenheit 451 takes place in a backwards world where firefighters burn books rather than put fires out. The book follows the life of a firefighter that meets a neighbour and decides to start reading books. The book is thought provoking because that is seemingly where the world is moving. This classic dystopian novel is a must read for everyone.

Luqman Sattar

1984 by George Orwell

1984 was written by Eric Arthur Blair, also know as George Orwell. It is a dystopian novel about totalitarianism. It takes place in the city of London in a fictional country called Oceania. The London in the book is a depressing place, there is never enough to eat, the food is grotesque, there are not enough cloths, shoes, and other necessities to go around. The city is pretty much deteriorated except for 3 large pyramid shaped government buildings that over look the city, there is some sort of war going on, but no one knows what it's about. Rockets costantly blow up in the streets and people are blown to bits. The main character of the book is Winston Smith, a member of the outer party, the group which governs the entire Oceania, Winston life is dreary and he hates the Party, but any action or thought that seems against the Party will be result in a punishment by the state. The book is an English classic, and i recommend, anyone who is interested in literature, and a novel about a dystopian society.
Sameer Khan