[Top Ten Tuesday] Books Set in High School

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish. A prompt is given each week, and I hope to do it every week so I always have something going up on Tuesdays. We are back from hiatus! Which feels great. This week prompt I am talking about ten books I think are worth reading that are set in high school. Now, fair warning, I am almost 26 years old, which means I have been out of high school for about seven/eight years now. I do not tend to read a lot of books set in high school and when I do I don't tend to always love them because I can't relate as much as I used to. So because of that, if you click on my reviews and I haven't given the book a high rating, I probably added it to this list because I think that the book had good elements and/or it would be an enjoyable and good read to a younger reader.

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

This book is an amazing one. It's about a boy named Simon who is closeted gay and he's emailing another boy named Blue. Both of them know that they go to the same school but other than that they keep things as anonymous as possible (they give each other fake names). Until Simon is blackmailed by someone who learns about Blue. I love the characters and the themes. Becky Albertalli's writing is so much fun and easy to slip into. I highly recommend picking it up, especially since there is a movie adaptation in the works! My review here.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

The characters in this book are what make me like it so much. It's about this girl who is known for doing really well in school and being a bit of a teacher's pet. But at home she is an artist and she draws fanart for one of her favorite podcasts. I think this book is basically a little time capsule of how the internet is right now, which is really cool. I think a lot of young introverts would love this book. My review here.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

This is a book about an artist/writer named Eliza who has created one of the biggest web comics but no one knows she is the artist behind it all. She meets a boy who is new at her school and she finds out he writes fan fiction based on her web comic. This book is so great for anyone who suffers anxiety or depression. It tackles mental illness in such a realistic and important way. I would have benefited so much from this book if I read it when I was younger, even in college. My review here.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon and Dean Hale

This novelization of the comic book is SO much fun. It was my gateway into Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green) comics and I think it's a great start for anyone interested in this adorable superhero. It's definitely set for a younger age, but I really enjoyed it. It has some great representation when it comes to a deaf character and Doreen is such a little ball of sunshine.  My review here.

A List of Cages by Robin Roe

This book is honestly such a hard one. It's so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. It's about two teenage boys Adam and Julien who used to be foster brothers but haven't seen each other in a while reunite when they go to the same school. Adam, the older one, is so happy to see Julien again and he seems like the same kid he knew all those years ago but he soon comes to realize that Julien is hiding something that is very serious. I highly recommend this book. Have tissues at the ready. My review here.

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill

I definitely need to preface this with saying that this book is a heavy one and that it involves rape. If you are not triggered when it comes to this topic, I highly recommend it. It involves the aftermath of the victim dealing with victim blaming, not being believed, and dealing with her family's reactions to what was done to her. It's heavy but I think really important. It's been a while since I have read it so I don't have a review yet. I hope to re-read it soon.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

If I can somehow fit this book into each of my blog posts I will, and I am sorry for anyone who is not new to my site and is sick of me raving about this book. I can't help it, it's amazing. I know I am technically cheating since most of this book is about the summer, but Ari does go to school for a chunk of the story, and he's still the high school age. Pick this up, it's amazing. My review here. 

The Duff by Kody Keplinger

This is another book I haven't read in a while but I really loved it. I loved how mature it was for a high school book. I loved the characters and the overall message. Bianca is way too smart to fall into the charms of the charming ladies man of their school, Wesley Rush. She hates him, and when he nicknamed her "The Duff" she throws her Coke at him. She's having problems at home which makes her look for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley and throws herself into a friends-with-benefits relationship with him. Until it goes wrong. I highly recommend it!

Tash Hearts Tolstoy by Kathryn Ormsbee

Tash is one of the creators of a web series titled Unhappy Families, which is a modern adaption of Anna Karenina, written by Tash's literary love, Leo Tolstoy. Her life gets insane when the web series becomes incredibly popular basically overnight, it's nominated for an award, and she starts acting on feelings she has for a guy she's been talking through e-mail. The only obstacle is that she's asexual, and she isn't sure how to bring it up with him. I highly recommend this book for asexual representation alone, but also it has a lot of great themes and portrays the way we deal with the internet in a realistic way. My review here.

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy 

This book actually means a lot to me. Ramona taught me that sexuality can be fluid. I already knew this, but somehow Ramona helped me come to terms with my own sexuality. I was so pleasantly surprised by this book, and I really liked the characters and story. Ramona is a Hurricane Katrina survivor, her family not doing great financially because of it. Because of that she has taken the initiative to take care of her family, especially her pregnant sister. Unfortunately that means she isn't taking care of herself properly. She identifies as a lesbian, and has a summer fling with a girl who visits in the summer, but once she leaves Ramona starts having feelings for a childhood friend Freddie she has been reunited with. That has her questioning her sexuality. My review here.

Thanks for reading!