College instructors suggest that children who begin reading while young tend to develop a life-long appreciation of books. Teenagers, especially, that are introduced to a balanced range of authors and genres will improve their chances of academic and career success.
So what should your teen be reading? The list below outlines several types of literary forms that can be adjusted to suit your child's taste. While these recommendations are merely suggestive of what your teen should read, cultivating a reading habit can be achieved through similar works.
1. Classical drama. Plays by classical Greek authors like Sophocles and Aristophanes provide a foundation of Western culture through the medium of drama. Works such as Oedipus Rex or Antigone reflect literary ideas and characters as outlined in the work of Aristotle's Poetics. Pick up individual copies of a couple of plays or a short collection of several.
2. Religious scriptures. The Bible formed the backbone of Western beliefs through modern times. Most popular writings make generous references to many parts of Scripture, whether the well-known creation or redemption revelations found in Genesis or the Gospels, the wisdom literature of Psalms and Proverbs, or the prophecies of both Old Testament and the Book of Revelation. Children born to Hindu, Muslim, or Jewish parents may be taught from those religious works.
3. Medieval humanism. Thinkers like Thomas Aquinas or Augustine provide insight to the development of humanistic beliefs that grew out of church teachings as they related to secular life. Questioning traditional religious faith systems, these philosophers pondered the great mysteries of the universe to arrive at empirical understanding of their own.
4. Renaissance literature. Petrarch's sonnets, Shakespeare's dramas, and John Smith or other adventurers' travelogues introduce new worlds of romance, lifestyles, or discovery that evolved during the early modern era. Historical records featuring female or minority figures, such as the account of Pocahontas, are a helpful and interesting addition to this period. Teen boys will enjoy the perilous voyages and meetings with natives while girls may thrill to intercultural romances and marriages.
5. Romance novels. From about 1800 to the present, British, European, and eventually American writers developed the longer story form called "novel" to recite a fictitious narrative with an intriguing plot. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, and poems by John Keats and his peers still delight us today, as do Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter and Edgar Allan Poe's short stories.
6. Contemporary fantasy and science fiction make a welcome addition to many teens' reading lists. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, Anne Rice's vampire plots, and Stephen King's horrific tales and apocalyptic themes will leave many a teenager with something to think about.
Humor books (like Garfield the cat), comic books (such as Spiderman), and poetry by authors like Sylvia Plath will round out a collection like the one indicated above. It may be helpful to encourage your teen to browse local bookstores for new releases and past best sellers. Fill the shelves with tomes like these and you will likely have a self-educated child within a few years.
