‘Impossible love stories’ are teen favorites

When I moved from the classroom to the library two years ago, I was excited, but also apprehensive.

I worried that, lacking my own classroom, I wouldn't feel as connected to our students as I had in the past. I also feared discovering a world where computers and personal electronic devices had taken over, and books were just an afterthought, gathering dust on the shelves. I am relieved to report that I was wrong on both counts. While technology plays a huge role in teens' lives, the art of reading is still alive and well. And although I no longer have my own students, I am lucky enough to know far more students than before, many of them library regulars who have shared their favorite books with me while seeking recommendations for a new read.

Students read widely at our school. We have history buffs, classic lovers, series addicts, and a large number of students who just want a good book. Like any entertainment, books are subject to trends and the latest crazes; the books our students enjoy reveal that while the 21st century may seem foreign to adults, teenagers are still the same as they have always been.

The "Twilight" craze has moved from books to film recently. The books remain on our shelves unread now in favor of other similar stories. I call these books the Romeo and Juliet variations - impossible love stories. The 21st century has upped the stakes somewhat. Instead of "my boyfriend is from the wrong family," we have "my boyfriend/girlfriend is from the wrong species." In some, like the popular "Shiver" series by Maggie Stiefvater, the protagonists at first seem to be different species: he's a werewolf, she's human, but as the series progresses we learn that both characters are, in fact, werewolves, just at different times. Now there's a relationship challenge. In addition, there seems to be a cure for werewolfism (I think I just invented that word), but the cure tends to be fatal. "Shiver," "Linger" and "Forever," the three books in the series, have remained hot reads throughout this school year.

Also from the impossible relationships genre is the series by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl: "Beautiful Creatures, Beautiful Darkness, Beautiful Chaos." In these novels, the 16-year old protagonist, Ethan, meets his dream girl, Lena, only to discover that she's a witch (called a "caster" in the books) about to make a critical choice between darkness and light. What I like about these books, which sound like just a remake of the "Twilight" stories, is that while Ethan is caught up in Lena's otherworldly existence, he's also learning about his own family and discovering that the quiet southern town he thought he knew has its own secrets.

Moving away from tales of the supernatural, Suzanne Collins' "Hunger Games" trilogy remains popular this year. Featuring strong teenage heroine Katniss Everdeen, who offers herself as a sacrifice in place of her younger sister, the novels demonstrate that young people really are the salvation of mankind. With the first film in the series due to be released at the end of March, these books are sure to remain at the top of teen (and adult) reading lists for several years.

A new addition to the fiction collection is Veronica Roth's "Divergent," which I have been recommending to students all year. In Roth's post-apocalyptic world, people are divided into factions, and each faction holds strictly to its particular trait and plays a defined role in the structure of the new society. Abnegation members live to serve others; Amity followers are unfailingly kind; Erudite is the faction that controls the government and seeks knowledge above all things; Candor members value truth above all; and Dauntless followers are risk-taking daredevils. Beatrice, the novel's protagonist, must decide whether she will remain in Abnegation or choose another faction, giving up all contact with her family. The choice she makes and its consequences kept me reading for two days and left me panting for the sequel which, sadly, is not slated for release until May.

When I flip on the television and can find only all Kardashians all the time, I get depressed. I have no desire to explore the reality of housewives from any city and, having grown up on Long Island, Jersey Shore is anything but Jerseylicious to me. I prefer to curl up with a good book, and, I am happy to say, so do many of our students. Next time you're at the dinner table or in the car, ask your teens what they are reading. I guarantee you'll get an interesting response, and maybe you'll find a good book for yourself, too.

Prudence Plunkett is the librarian at Colony High School.