The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I was told about this book in my Lit for Adolescents earlier this year. I assumed that it was a newer book, mostly because I had seen it before but hadn't realized that it was actually published in 1999. The novel is about a young man named "Charlie" who writes letters to someone he calls "friend". I really enjoyed to format of the novel, the letters and it was divided into 4 parts. I also liked that Charlie references different music and books throughout his story; often the music and books tie into what is going on in his life when he is writing. It made me smile every time he mentioned making a "mix tape" for his friends...and then I remembered that his story takes place in 1991. With all of that said, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. I just didn't feel like the book went anywhere and it was a little cryptic towards the end ('Catcher in the Rye' anyone?) It wasn't a bad book and I'm sure that many readers could identify with what is going on in Charlie's life: family issues, drug use, school pressures, unrequited love, etc. Overall 3 out of 5 stars.

Since I finished this book almost a week ago, I am proud to announce that I have started reading my 3rd book of the summer! "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. Even though it is along the lines of 600 pages, I hope to give my next review before my birthday (less than 2 weeks!). Until then, Happy Reading!