The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature—an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind. It's Christmas time, and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school.

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone around Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps, and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is both beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, with a mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

J.D. Salinger's classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel has been frequently challenged in court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and was the book that every teenage boy wanted to read in the 1950s and 60s.

She was at the wrong place, at the wrong time. It was supposed to be just another night of partying for Hayley Larson... that is, until things go horribly wrong. She witnesses her father’s brutal murder and barely escapes with her life.

Now orphaned, Hayley's life quickly goes on a downward spiral. She is passed from one guardian to another and eventually ends up in the infamous Downright High, a place meant to discipline even the nastiest, most despicable delinquent. She is abruptly thrown into a life where indoor brawls, school lockdowns, and torturous hours of disciplinary isolation are all expected to happen before dinner.

Amidst the madness, Hayley meets Colin—an arrogant yet irresistibly captivating delinquent with his own set of issues. The attraction between them is unmistakable. And just when they begin to open up to each other, Hayley's dark past catches up with her.

Will Colin look beyond his own problems and reach out to help Hayley? Or will he serve as the final straw that will finally push her to the brink of self-destruction?

Valentina Hunter's parents think they've just hit the jackpot. When her mother invents a product that makes her family millionaires overnight, they buy a new house and new cars, and enroll their daughter in the ultra-exclusive Palm Lake private school.

The school comes with an excellent resume; more Palm Lake graduates go on to the Ivy League than any other private school in the area. Ninety percent of them start college with at least a year’s worth of Advanced Placement credits, and they earn more perfect ACT scores per capita than the students at any other high school.

Valentina’s mother and father are ecstatic, but Val doesn’t share the sentiment; she would rather go to the local public school with all her middle school friends. Events only increase her desire, as Valentina quickly finds herself embroiled in bitter social battles and hostile vendettas, leaving her to question whether she’ll even be able to survive the first month.

Dear Reader, If you are looking for a story about cheerful youngsters spending a jolly time at boarding school, look elsewhere. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent and resourceful children, and you might expect that they would do very well at school. Don't. For the Baudelaires, school turns out to be another miserable episode in their unlucky lives. Truth be told, within the chapters that make up this dreadful story, the children will face snapping crabs, strict punishments, dripping fungus, comprehensive exams, violin recitals, S.O.R.E., and the metric system. It is my solemn duty to stay up all night researching and writing the history of these three hapless youngsters, but you may be more comfortable getting a good night's sleep. In that case, you should probably choose some other book. With all due respect,Lemony Snicket