Daisy Dewsnap: Three books that you need to read

Our regular columnist, and secondary school student, Daisy Dewsnap loves reading and she has some recommendations for you...

Back in November, I wrote an article talking about my love for reading and I recommended three books which I think everyone should read at least once in their lifetime.

These were: ‘The Book Thief’, ‘The Hate U Give’ and ‘Of Mice And Men’. 

So for this article, I decided that I would follow on from where I left off and share with you three more books.

The first book is ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ written by John Boyne. 

I think this may be one of the most powerful and gut-wrenching books that I have ever read; yet it is written in such a beautiful, unique way and is narrated from the point of view of Bruno, a young boy around the age of eight. 

Despite being told in a third-person narrative, it focuses merely on the thoughts going on within Bruno’s head which helps us to see a much more innocent perspective on the horrors of what was going on at the time. 

The story is set in World War Two, and follows Bruno’s family who leave Berlin to take up residence next to a concentration camp where his father has just got a high-ranking job. 

Bruno is lonely and isolated for other children his age, so ventures away from the house one day and meets Schmuel, a Jewish boy the same age as him. 

The two form a forbidden bond, completely unaware of the true nature to their surroundings and the differences that separate them from one another. 

It is a story of friendship, love and human nature and will be sure to have you in tears by the end.

The book provoked so many questions throughout and I felt that it really made me see the whole event in a different light. 

It’s impossible for it to be easily forgotten too; it will stick with you for a while after putting the book down and will certainly have a profound effect on you.

The second book is ‘We Were Liars’ by E Lockhart. This book will forever be one of my favourites. 

It begins as the sort of story every child adores; a happy family on a private picturesque island, golden sunsets, an endless blue ocean, beach adventures, smiles and endless laughter. Everything is perfect.

But when our main character, Cadence, is involved in an accident, leaving her with constant crippling migraines and memory loss, everything changes. 

She is determined to find out what happened to her on the day of the accident but as she delves deeper, she’ll begin to uncover secrets that are better staying unknown and we’ll begin to question if everything really is as perfect as it first seemed.

We Were Liars focuses on the theme of self-acceptance and family morals, but also hugely highlights the idea of consequences for our mistakes.

When I finished reading it, I think I sat for around ten minutes just contemplating what had happened and being unable to believe it. 

There is a huge twist towards the end, which I would never have seen coming and it was very cleverly done too. 

The whole book was so well-written and raw, and it’s such a quick read too – it only took me a couple of nights to finish it!

The third book is ‘Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children’ which was written by Ransom Riggs. 

I’m sure you’ll have heard about this book at some point! I first read it a couple of years ago as a part of the school curriculum but I then read it again more recently out of school because I enjoyed it so much. 

The whole concept of the book is so unique, and yet it seems to realistic at the same time; I was completely and utterly hooked the whole way through, eager to know what would happen next! 

The storyline is very fast-paced as well which I found to be very useful! 

I straight away fell in love with all of the characters and how interesting each of them was! 

And I loved reading the descriptions of the rural Welsh island where the orphanage was situated. 

The plot of the book begins with Jake’s grandfather leaving clues to a mysterious place where he apparently spent his childhood, his hints and clues take Jake on a journey in which he discovers a ‘home away from home’ at Miss Peregrine’s orphanage on an island just off the coast of Wales. 

But the mystery deepens as he gets to know the children living at the orphanage and why they’re really there. 

This book explores themes such as the supernatural and identity/who we are as a person.

I could go on and on listing books but these are three that I absolutely loved and wouldn’t for a second hesitate to recommend to anyone.

I hope that you enjoy these books - if you decide that you’d like to read them.