The Top Ten Books I Found Deceiving
1. Wither by Lauren DeStefano:
Everyone raved about this book online, and the beautiful cover gave me high hopes. However, when I read it, all I felt was... blah. It just wasn't that good, and the sequel Fever was even worse.
This book was on the Virginia Reader's Choice list last year, and I'll be honest - I doubt many students read it. The cover isn't exactly jumping out at the reader. However, this was one of my favorite books I read in 2011. It was both heartbreaking and hilarious at the same time.
3. Delirium by Lauren Oliver:
This one is an example of reviews leading me astray. All over the online community, this book has been getting nothing but absolute raves. For whatever reason, I just didn't find it as compelling as everyone else. However, I just finished Oliver's Before I Fall, and absolutely loved it.
As a teacher, I'm always on the hunt for "boy books" and "girl books." Sadly, so few novels transcend the gender lines, and cover art helps me discern sometimes for which group a novel would be appropriate. This cover looks super girly - wrong! I found this novel is one that appeals to both genders, as the main character is a male and deals with lots of "boy" problems. As long as my guy readers could get over the cover, they all seemed to enjoy this novel just as much as the girls.
5. Swim the Fly by Don Calame:
Online, all the reviews list this book as "profane," "foul," and even "without literary or educational merit." OUCH! Read this book, and I completely disagree. I would rate it as only slightly more inappropriate than The Sandlot (one of my favorite movies ever), with realistic "boy" humor. Plus, the novel's themes of perseverance and the importance of friendship are sure to resonate with teens.
I read the summary of this book, and could not wait to get started. A romance that spans lifetimes, with each of the partners meant for one another? How charming! Sadly, the book just did not live up to the premise. The chapters were super short, so they didn't seem romantic at all - mostly just rushed. Plus, the author had an "emerald" motif with which she bludgeoned the readers. So not worth reading, in this life or the next.
7. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling:
For the longest time, I refused to read the series, as it seemed childish and not something I could relate to as an adult. When I read it in grad school, it was only under the auspices of "well, my students will have read it, so..." I shouldn't have let my prejudice get in the way. All of the hype over the series was absolutely earned!
8. New Girl by Paige Harbison:
This book was touted as a re-imagining of Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier. "Super!" I thought. "One of my favorites re-designed for modern teenagers." However, I will never pass this book to a teen reader... ever. The characters are flat, the story has some suspenseful moments peppered in to a relatively dull storyline, and there is FAR too much inappropriate content. It just didn't live up to the legend of the first novel!
Sorry to say it, but when I looked at this cover, it just seemed totally 80s and out of touch for modern readers. I assumed the story would be too. But, I have to say, this is one of my favorite teen books from one of my favorite teen authors. The story is exciting, suspenseful, and has a good lesson at its heart. Well worth sharing, even if the cover looks like it needs leg warmers and a boombox on its shoulder.
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon:
Another rather dull cover for a book that is anything but. I had heard so many positive reviews of the novel, and I'm glad I chose to listen to those instead of judging by the cover!
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