31. Coraline by Neil Gaiman: Short, odd, and very creepy, Coraline was an easy read with a dark theme, something I’d recommend to everyone!
32. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah: A touching story about a girl growing up unwanted by her father and stepmother, despite every effort to make them proud. This is a tragic, inspiring story which is made better by the fact that it’s so well written and true, too.
33. Dancing Shoes by Noel Streatfield: Another book about orphans making their way in the entertainment world, centered around two sisters, Rachel and Hilary, who are forced to join their aunt’s dance academy, disregarding their dead mother’s final wish that Hilary would do proper ballet, and not the silly things the academy teaches. I actually found this a bit dull, compared to Streatfield’s other two books.
34. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding: Modern and funny, but no real comparison to Pride and Prejudice (which this book was based off of). I think anyone who liked Confessions of a Shopaholic will like this, since the style is very similar.
35. Looking For Alaska by John Green: Incredible. Smart, funny, exciting, and sad. I think all teenagers should read this book and get pulled into the story of Miles “Pudge” Halter, a boy attending boarding school for the first time, living a life full of pranks, cheap wine, and Alaska, the rebellious, beautiful, insane girl who changes his life.
36. Specials by Scott Westerfeld: The last book in the Uglies and Pretties series, and honestly I found it hard to get into and very unsatisfying, but I suppose if you’ve already read the first books you’ll read this one anyway.
37. Midnight Alley by Rachel Caine: The third Morganville Vampiries book, as suspenseful and dramatic as the others, with exciting plot twists that made it hard to put down.
38. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith: Jane Austen’s original masterpiece, with new text and zombie battle scenes. I think this book failed as an attempt at humor, since most of the zombie bits read like a cliche movie.
39. Howard’s End by EM Forster: A profound story of the upper, middle, and lower classes in the early 1900s. The book is about three families, the artistic and literary Schlegels, the rich and materialistic Wilcoxes, and the poverty-stricken Basts, and how their lives are drawn together. An excellent book and a great film, too!
40. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: One of the most well-read love stories of all time, filled with memorable characters, brilliant dialogue, and the all important happy ending!
-The Fourth Bronte Sister
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