By JENNIFER K. BAUER
Saraya Flaig
“I made my mom drive me up there the day of my birthday,” says Flaig, 15.
A decade later, the Lewiston girl is one of 31 teens nationwide writing about books for this month’s Teen Read Week Blogging Contest sponsored the Young Adult Library Services Association.
Flaig is the daughter of Cassandra and David Flaig of Lewiston. She’s a sophomore at Lewiston High School where she’s a cheerleader and her favorite classes are English and AP European history. She found out about the contest at the Lewiston City Library where she is the president of the Teen Advisory Group. In her blog to be published Oct. 26, she wrote about the shifting popularity of young adult genres.
“I really like dystopian books right now,” says Flaig, who discovered the genre in the seventh grade when her class read “The Maze Runner.”
Flaig listed five of her “current favorite” reads in no particular order for Inland 360. More teen recommendations, and her blog, can be found at www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/
“Paper Towns,” by John Green
Synopsis: Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life — dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge — he follows.
Flaig: “Personally, I love anything by John Green, but this book has you going everywhere. Looking for clues to solve a mystery, wishing for romance between characters, and even almost falling off the bed because you don’t know what will happen next.”
“Divergent” series by Veronica Roth
Synopsis: A dystopian trilogy set in a futuristic Chicago where people define themselves by belonging to five factions.
Flaig: “This series has everything you could ever wish for, action, adventure, romance, and it can even make the heartless cry. I end up recommending this series to everyone because it is one of those books you have to stay up until 2 in the morning finishing, because you absolutely have to know what happens next.”
Percy Jackson “Heroes of Olympus” series by Rick Riordan
Synopsis: A retelling of the tales of the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece through the lives of their contemporary teenage progeny.
Flaig: “Another series I always come back to and recommend to EVERYONE. It is the perfect mix of fantasy and modern day. It has the taste of romance for girls, and is packed full of action and adventure for guys. It never lets you stop wanting more, more and more!”
“Selection” series by Kiera Cass
Synopsis: For 35 girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. It’s the chance to escape the common life and be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels, to live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon. However, for one girl it’s a nightmare.
Flaig: “Another series to make the heartless cry. It is a combination of ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘The Bachelor,’ perfect for someone who can’t decide whether to read romance or dystopian.”
“Eleanor and Park,” by Rainbow Rowell
Synopsis: Eleanor, 15, is the new girl at school and bullied because she’s overweight and dresses in a flamboyant manner. Park is a half-Korean boy who has lived in Omaha, Neb., all his life but still feels like an outsider. A story of first love.
Flaig: “I loved this book because it has little touches of romance. It isn’t dominated by romance and is mainly about a girl trying to find herself, and it is the perfect read for a girly girl who needs a break from crying a lot because of other books.” !
