Say It on Sunday: YA Books You Must Read

I'm introducing a new weekly series called Say It on Sunday. This will be a space dedicated to various topics concerning young adult literature.

This week's topic: YA Books You Must Read

There are certain titles or series that I feel are absolutely necessary to read if you're to truly immerse yourself in young adult literature. Here are just five of them:

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. If you haven't read this phenomenal work of literary art, what are you waiting for? It's not just for kids; in fact I think adults can appreciate it for the masterpiece that it is more than children can. But the point is that these are still immensely popular, and I think one day they'll be considered classics. Part of their charm is that the books themselves grow with Harry, allowing the reader to do the same.

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. At first I didn't understand what all of the hype was about. It sounded like an excuse to write violence, and that was not something I wanted to read. And then I did read it. And it was amazing. Katniss Everdeen is a character that everyone will root for and remember for the rest of their lives.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan. This blog might be in its infancy, but so far I've mentioned WGx2 twice. Two boys with the same name meet one fateful night. But that's not what makes this book. A young man by the name of Tiny Cooper is the keystone. If everyone had a friend like Tiny, the world would be a better, happier place. I should add that really anything written by these two authors is a must-read.

Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. Ugh. I know, I know. It violates two of my rules, vampires AND werewolves. But if you want to know what the kids are into these days, read it you must. This is slightly hypocritical considering I couldn't make it past the first 20 pages of the third book, but no one can say that I didn't make an effort.

Just Listen by Sarah Dessen. I've been a fan of Dessen's for a long time, and this book is the reason why. It deals with a large variety of issues that concern teens today (popularity, drinking, eating disorders, and date rape are just a few), and has a powerful message that's hard to ignore. For adults it can be easy to forget how hard it was to be a teenager, and this book is a helpful reminder.

Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments. This is not a job for one woman alone!