The Surrender Tree by Engle

The next time your history teacher says you need to read historical fiction, read this book. The Surrender Tree tells the story of Cuba's three wars for independence, starting in 1868 and ending in 1899. Centered around real-life healer Rosa, this book of short poems shows how different characters deal with issues like slavery, guerrilla warfare, betrayal, medicine, and surrender. I'm a history geek, so I liked it for the history itself and learned a lot about a new topic. Teens will like it because it's short, interesting, and very readable.

The Gemma Doyle trilogy by Bray

I was reluctant to read this series. The cheesy-romance novel cover of the first novel, A Great and Terrible Beauty, kind of turned me off. On the recommendation of someone I trust, I decided to give them a shot.

Gemma Doyle lives in India with her mother, prat of a brother Tom, and her doting father. Following the tragic murder of her mother, the family relocates to England where Gemma is inducted to stuffy Victorian society - boarding school, corsets, and all. There, a beloved teacher fills Gemma's head with stories of "The Order," a mysterious circle of women with extraordinary powers. These stories launch Gemma and her friends on a beautiful and terrifying journey into the world between life and death.

As Gemma deals with unraveling the secret of her mother's death, controlling her new-found powers, and coping with the petty rivalries of upper-class English society, she grows into a powerful and formidable heroine. It takes a bit to warm up to this series, but once you do, you'll be hooked.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My first encounter with Mockingbird was in the 7th grade and I couldn't seem to get past the big vocabulary. "Scuppernongs" and "chiffarobes" were too much for my 12 year-old mind to handle. I tackled it again in 9th grade, this time at the insistance of a well-meaning teacher. Didn't like it much better. I was, however, impressed that the teacher had the entire first chapter memorized and could recite it by heart. My third reading of Mockingbird led me to a more mature appreciation of the book. I'm awed by Harper Lee's ability to make Scout's voice authentic and innocent, even when written as a retrospective. The book is full of three-line diamonds, like Mr. Raymond's appraisal of Dill when he cries in the trial: "Things haven't caught up with that one's instinct yet. Let him get a little older and he won't get sick and cry. Maybe things'll strike him as being - not quite right, say, but he won't cry, not when he gets a few years on him." Lee manages to be insightful, honest, but never dogmatic. Over all, the writing is a 10. The narrative voice of the piece is stupendous. The almost episodic nature of the story is entertaining for most ages, but the difficult vocabulary is a little off-putting. Therefore, I give the story a 6 for younger readers, but a 10 for adults. Teens who want to read about depression era life, but can't deal with the big words would be better served reading "A Year Down Yonder" by Richard Peck; all of the fun, most of the message, none of the hurdles.