Best Tear-Jerkers in Teen Lit
What happens when everything that defined you is stripped from you? Your health is no longer reliable and you find yourself incapable of undertaking daily tasks alone? Teen novels often explore the themes of 'what if', encouraging young readers to pursue their ambitions before it's too late.
Teen Lit is often overlooked in the world of books, but here are three examples that show why we should all indulge in some tear-jerkers from time to time.
Teen Lit is often overlooked in the world of books, but here are three examples that show why we should all indulge in some tear-jerkers from time to time.
1. Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider / Review
When Lane is sent to Latham House, a boarding school for young people suffering with tuberculosis, he doesn't have much hope. When he meets Sadie and her group of troublemaking friends, everything changes for the boy who had all but given up and in indulging in pranks, crushes and friendship, learns to hope one day for a cure in the knowledge that there is something worth living for.
This novel is perfect for John Green fans and has a particular 'The Fault in Our Stars' and 'Looking for Alaska' feel as it tackles themes of love, terminal illness, loss and teenage life. The character of Sadie reminds me a lot of Green's Alaska in her free spirit and mysterious ways. It had me in tears of laughter and sadness and in so many ways, reminds you of the privilege of existence.
This novel is perfect for John Green fans and has a particular 'The Fault in Our Stars' and 'Looking for Alaska' feel as it tackles themes of love, terminal illness, loss and teenage life. The character of Sadie reminds me a lot of Green's Alaska in her free spirit and mysterious ways. It had me in tears of laughter and sadness and in so many ways, reminds you of the privilege of existence.
2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
If you haven't read the book or seen the film by now, have you been hiding under a rock? The story of Hazel-Grace and Augustus Waters has hit the hearts of so many of us and Green's portrayal of ill-fated love creates a sense of gratefulness as well as empathy amongst readers. Hazel-Grace struggles to come to terms with her illness and is forced by her parents to attend group discussions, fearing she may be depressed. It is here that she meets Augustus Waters, a young man who has seemingly overcome it all with an outlook on life that so many admire. Augustus teaches her to accept her illness and above all, how to love, reigniting the remnants of the Hazel-Grace pre-diagnosis. There is an underlying theme of hope that is played with and teased throughout with a plot twist that devastates and shocks any new reader. If you haven't already read this, regardless or age or gender, I highly recommend.
3. Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes
Another incredible book made into a film, this tear-jerker tackles themes of love and illness as well as a sense of poverty. Louisa Clark is left jobless and unqualified when the café she works at is forced to close due to competition at the castle. Her younger sister and single mother aspires to leave for university, leaving Louisa to fend for herself and her family. One of the things I love about this novel is the sense of achievement. Despite the working-class background, Louisa's sister still manages to follow her ambitions and goes off to university, and despite having no qualifications and no talents she can think of, Louisa learns from Will Traynor, a quadriplegic she comes to care for in more ways than one, that life is all about experience. The novel tackles the important topic of growing up and at first, shows Louisa in a long-term relationship with Patrick, a boy she loves but it seems is becoming increasingly different to her and her ideals. The story encourages readers to find happiness, a moral I continuously look to live by.