(Part 2) Best teen books according to redditors
We found 5,195 Reddit comments discussing the best teen books. We ranked the 2,165 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the products ranked 21-40. You can also go back to the previous section.
This is the plot of the book "The Obnoxious Jerks."
Why the fuck am I getting down-voted?
Source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Obnoxious-Jerks-Stephen-Manes/dp/0553281143
Look at the fucking cover. Fucking Philistines.
And Anne McCaffrey (for kids): Dragon Song, etc.
Some of these were listed on my blog, but here's a list of Fantasy/Romance with Strong Female Protagonists:
And of course, as mentioned by everybody else:
The Obnoxious Jerks by Stephen Manes
You could try A Wrinkle in Time there is a nice 50th Anniversary edition, and a Boxed Set with the other books to choose from.
You joke but we live in a world where THIS is a thing.
here!
Consider Philip Pullman. His "His Dark Materials" series is fine Fantasy with Steam Punk style.
As well, Larry Correia's Grimnoir Chronicles are 'wicked good'.
Has anyone read Graceling? That is indeed the case. Those with unique eyes like this are considered outcasts and people fear them.
So I have a friend in jail that I regularly send books to. This doesn't cover every situation, but I assume the circumstances will be similar.
He says that the (meager) prison library is very skewed towards religious books, classics, GED materials, and low-difficulty grocery store novels. Anything other than that will be appreciated. The books most requested are thick fantasy books, activity books (sudoku, physics workbooks, etc), science non-fiction, and coffee-table books or magazines with lots of pictures. These will be swapped with other inmates so that anyone interested has a chance to read.
Some things to keep in mind:
Books that have gone over well and can be found in cheap forms:
https://www.amazon.com/YOLO-Juliet-OMG-Shakespeare-William/dp/0553535390
Right now it's in Bernie's head and soon to be in his computer. The release date is Nov 13^th.
As for his other works, here's what you can do:
Step 1: Go to your local library's contact page (now is a good time).
Step 2: Contact them and ask them to order copies of:
> Where Do We Go From Here ISBN 978-1250163264
> An Outsider in the White House ISBN 978-1784784188
> [Our Revolution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Revolution_(book) ISBN 978-1250132925
> The Speech: On Corporate Greed and the Decline of Our Middle Class ISBN 978-1568585536
> * Bernie Sanders Guide to Political Revolution ISBN 978-1250138903
Step 3: Smile that public funds are supporting the political revolution and disseminating our message.
Step 4: Pass on the idea if you think it worthwhile.
Step 5: Lean into standing up, exercising your voice, and fighting for what you believe in.
I read the whole series as a kid, and pretty much forgot about them for the last 25 years... I wonder if they're available on Kindle? I'm now itching to read the whole series again.
Yep, only $6.99 for the first book too. Neat!
I wasn't aware that you could use tax dollars to buy books on Amazon. Could you please tell me how you go about doing that? Or do you have no idea what you are talking about?
In her defense, I hated "The Great Gatsby" too, and I consider reading/literature to be my number 1 hobby. Not every book is for every person.
If she likes horror stories/movies, my top suggestion is Stephen King. All very creepy, minimal to no sexuality in most stories, and the best part is that he has numerous short story collections for the attention impaired. I actually prefer his shorts to his novels. I'd start with Night Shift, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, or Skeleton Crew, as these are all classic creepy King. A slightly newer but also excellent collection is Everything's Eventual.
If she doesn't want to try King, maybe something like The Forest Of Hands And Teeth would catch her interest. It's 'The Village' meets '28 Days Later' in a way, a teen novel and the first in a trilogy.
If she likes graphic novels, there are graphic novelizations of many popular fiction books out there. This HuffPo list has classics like Dante's Inferno and Farenheit 451. Campfire Graphic Novels has tons of classics and nonfiction graphic novels. They are usually for a younger set, but that just means she'd read them faster.
This sounds like one of the planets visited in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
This is a bestseller, tons of people enjoy it.
>Yeah, can you imagine Shakespeare written in text speak?
https://www.amazon.com/YOLO-Juliet-OMG-Shakespeare-William/dp/0553535390
Ok I thought of one more author: Madeline L'Engle. Beyond her A Wrinkle In Time series (<3 Many Waters <3), there's A Severed Wasp and The Arm of the Starfish both of which are departures from The Wrinkle in Time series but still great.
What, like this?
I would check out most of Cal Newport's recent writings. He received his PhD in Computer Science from MIT, and is now teaching at Georgetown.
His main thesis is deliberate practice consists of lots of different facets, most of which aren't necessarily thought about. While his work focuses a lot on improving work in "knowledge fields" it is drawn mostly from creative pursuits. He argues that thinking about your habits for practicing and learning (meta-habits) are just as important as sitting down to practice or learn. For example, knowing how to build a clear path of improvement and success in learning the piano is as important as sitting down and working through the hard parts. Sometimes the hardest part is simply figuring out where it is wisest to invest your time.
His article "The Deliberate Creative" I found to be particularly enlightening, among others. He's also been published in the New York Times, The Economist, and has five bestselling books.
On a side note, I originally found him looking for ways to improve my study habits, which is what he originally wrote about as an undergraduate. Any current high school or college students would benefit GREATLY (IMO) from his blog and first three books. Seriously, the guy has some great stuff.
What you do is buy a copy of Bernie's book - either Our Revolution: A Future to Believe in or his other book Bernie Sanders' Guide to a Political Revolution.
From there I followed the instructions on their Instagram page:
>Send your copy to the office with a note to Bernie and he will sign it. Please include a return envelope with postage paid. Use the media mail postage rate, its cheaper. Send it to Bernie's campaign office called Friends of Bernie Sanders to PO Box 391, Burlington, VT 05402. It takes a while for him to have time to sign, so please be patient, but he would be happy to sign it for you!
I sent my book in a box and included a 10 X 14.5in. self-addressed postage paid bubble envelope so that after Bernie signed it, they could return it to me. Also, it took about 2 and a half months for me to have the book sent back, so it will take a while. But it's worth it for a signed Bernie book if you ask me! <3
The Phantom Tollbooth! I still reread this book.
http://www.amazon.com/Phantom-Tollbooth-Norton-Juster/dp/0394815009/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1248319158&amp;sr=8-1
xD ok this will be a long message bear with me.
Yes! Every serial I write has a home page, and every home page has:
For my serials, the home pages are as follows:
Flameweaver Saga
Halfway to Home
From a quick browse-through of your comments I didn't see you crossing paths with any other serial authors - If you haven't read any of his stuff, I highly, highly recommend /u/Hydrael's work, over at /r/Hydrael_Writes! His Dragon's Scion and Small Worlds projects are exceptional! Small worlds is also published on Amazon!
I can help with that! Some quick recommendations that I personally love - these are loosely ranked in order of how I'd recommend them, but the fact that they're here at all means they've got my support :)
Fantasy novels:
The October Daye series:
Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen
Graceling
Scifi Novels:
Agent to the Stars and Old Man's War
The Ender Quartet
The Ship Series
Maybe [The Monstrumologist] ( http://www.amazon.com/The-Monstrumologist-Rick-Yancey/dp/1416984496) by Rick Yancey? It's about monster hunting - I really enjoyed it. It has more of a science/anthropology bent than pure magic but it is still very much fantasy. It's also set in a similar time period, no modern technology.
Full disclosure, I haven't played Bloodborne but am familiar with the general themes from reviews.
The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper felt that way me. And my spouse feels that way about The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander.
I see by the suggestions on Amazon that we're not the only ones who liked both of those! Hah. Well, I second Amazon's third suggestion of A Wrinkle in Time.
You can preview a few pages of it on Amazon.
Clicky
Then go to "Search inside another edition of this book" and "Surprise me".
Meh, not really. Plus 544 sheets will go a long way.
holy shit there is 🤣
When I was pre-pubescent, my mom got me The Period Book and I loved it. It was accessible, parts were illustrated, and it answered most of my questions. You and your daughter could read it, or something similar, together. Granted, it exclusively discusses female puberty, and is mainly centered on the period. But it covers body hair, breast / breast buds, hygiene, acne, etc.
While not directly related, you may also enjoy Feed by M. T. Anderson
I constantly see references that remind me of this book years later (e.g. Google Glass, lab-grown meat, outsourcing schools, individual ad targeting, etc). One of those odd books that just sticks with you.
Here are some ideas for young adult fantasy, with a few science-fiction books thrown in. Look them up and see if they look like something you might like:
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville (Mievile is a rising star of of SF/F, and this is his only novel so far written for young adults. Two British girls are pulled into a bizarre alternate London and must foil an evil plot)
The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer (scifi in futuristic Africa, three mutant detectives trying to rescue kidnapped children of a famous general)
Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes (near-future SF, robots do all the work, so what is there for new high school graduates to do?)
There are plenty of SF/F Choose Your Own Adventure books, which are a nice change of pace from third- and first-person narratives.
The Dark is Rising sequence by Susan Cooper. The first book is Over Sea, Under Stone, but you might want to start with The Dark is Rising.
Incidentally, I do NOT, under ANY circumstances, recommend Eragon.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. It is technically a children's book, but it is also one of my favorite books of all time, and really takes me back to seeing things as a child and not an adult. It's super imaginative, at times heartwarming in its simplicity, yet has razor-sharp wordplay throughout.
Hmmm... paranormal/supernatural tween reads with strong girl characters (not that Twilight had a strong female lead in it, but you may as well steer her in a better direction).
You really can't go wrong with the Hunger Games. Or you could get her the Japanese novel Battle Royale. It's also a dystopian novel about teenagers forced to battle each other to the death.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children is worth checking out. It starts to lose some oomph towards the end, but is still a solid read with actual substance to the storyline. I'd get the hardback - the photography in it is just genius. Male lead, but there's a pretty cool chick who throws fireballs.
I enjoyed Anna Dressed in Blood. It's a bit like Supernatural, only with one male ghost hunter as the protaganist. He falls in love with a ghost, but she's a homicidal maniac.
The Rise of Renegade X - a boy raised by his evil supervillain mom discovers that he's the product of her one-night-stand with a superhero. That was pretty enjoyable...
Poison Study is a great book about a girl who's been sentenced to death and is offered a reprieve if she becomes the king's food taster. Her handler ends up subjecting her to a litany of poisons so that she can build up immunity. Didn't read the sequels, but the first book was pretty good.
Graceling is set in a world where certain people are born with random talents - the ability to hold their breath underwater for long periods of time, musical or dancing abilities, cooking the best food imaginable, etc. The main character is born with the talent to kill & becomes her uncle's assassin.
Stardust - Neil Gaiman... really nuff said, eh?
Howl's Moving Castle - A girl is turned into an old woman by an angry witch & takes refuge in the mysteriously moving castle of an "evil" wizard.
Okay. I'll stop now. :)
Anne McCaffrey wrote a YA trilogy set in her world Pern that might be a good fit.
The book is actually about a girl who lives in a somewhat misogynist society (the setting is like medieval setting in outer space in the far future, with dragons) with leaders who are trying to help society grow. She is skilled in, and wants to do a job that is traditionally male, but her family finds this shameful, is verbally abusive and ends up accidentally-on-purpose maiming her (age appropriate for E, despite how this sounds) to quash her dreams.
She runs away, then is found by people who show her that her gift is a good thing and help her to live up to her potential. The first two books are called Dragonsong and Dragonsinger.
The third book is about someone else and i don't recommend it.
Long shot but the first part sounds like Dragonsong from Anne McCaffery? https://www.amazon.com/Dragonsong-Harper-Hall-Trilogy-Book/dp/0689860080
I remember this book answered all my questions pretty well when I got mine. I wasn't a shy kid but my mom certainly never sat down and had a period chat with me when it happened. I was 12 I believe. I went to the library and checked this out on my own hahaha
http://www.amazon.com/The-Period-Book-Everything-Dont/dp/0749917059
You're starting early, which is best. I would recommend this book to you: How To Be A High School Superstar. It details what you should do to get into top colleges.
Overall, I'd say strive for straight A's, score well over 700 on each section of the SAT, and try to find ONE thing your son is passionate about and follow that to the highest level possible.
Don't be one of those boring "well rounded" students who has great grades, test scores, and is on a club. They're looking for people who make impact. As I was told from a former Duke admissions officer, "Every student body has to have a President, Every year book has to have an editor, but who are the movers and shakers? Who is making impact?"
Winning awards like Nextel Science competition is major, doing research in a field is impressive, etc.
Overall, make sure your son is "different." He's going to apply 4 years from now, and at the rate things are going, I would assume that there will be probably 45,000+ applicants by then. What is going to make him different from those other applications?
Make sure he loves learning for the sake of learning and is taking control of his own education. Make sure he follows his passions during the summer, because elite schools want to know what these kids are doing during the summers. Make sure he leaves an impact in his school and forms a strong bond with his teacher.
Make sure he's "high impact" in some type of field. The keyword being "impact."
Here's a link to a youtube video of a former Stanford admissions officer :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96XL8vBBB7o
http://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1459262515&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=high+school+superstar
I went from a 31 to a 34 in October. You can do it!
If you don't have a prep book already consider getting this just for the practice tests - it's what I used. I'm not sure on specifically geometry or if you were looking for online resources sorry
In his new book Bernie defines Socialism as
"A central government controls the production and distribution of goods to establish an equitable distribution of labor and property."
Stolen from E_S_S: here is a hot take on Bernie's newest book.
https://www.amazon.com/Bernie-Sanders-Guide-Political-Revolution/product-reviews/1250138906/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_hist_1?ie=UTF8&amp;filterByStar=one_star&amp;reviewerType=avp_only_reviews&amp;pageNumber=1#reviews-filter-bar
You guys mad?
The Monstrumologist
http://www.amazon.com/The-Monstrumologist-Rick-Yancey/dp/1416984496
I'm so excited for your son to have fallen in love with reading - books are some of the best comforts one can have.
Ages 6 - 8 (some of these may be challenging)
Flora & Ulysses (Newbery Award winner) by Kate DiCamillo
I actually haven't read this book, but DiCamillo is an amazing author, and Newbery award winners are usually a safe bet. Tale of Despereaux is another great book of hers.
Everything written by Roald Dahl
Just in case he hasn't read them yet - I suggest Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, BFG, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Mathilda, James and the Giant Peach, and The Witches.
The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis
Fantastic fantasy series to prepare him for Lord of the Rings trilogy I'm sure he'll watch/read in the future. Fun fact: the authors were dear friends.
Ages 9 -12 (more challenging)
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L'Engle
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls
Warning: he will cry at the end. Everyone cries at the end.
Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli
A runaway kid who starts a new life - like a children's version of Forrest Gump.
The A. I. Gang Trilogy, by Bruce Coville
Bruce Coville is a great children's author and this series would be right up your kid's alley if he likes spies. Five kids go to an island with their mad scientist parents and basically have amazing spy adventures. This series is geared toward 9+ years, but his other books and collections of stories are geared for younger kids (some of which are about aliens, which may appeal to his Star Wars attraction).
There are so many more books out there, but I didn't want to overwhelm you with choices. Please let me know if there are a specific genre you'd think your son would be interested in, and I'll try to think of more (although I was much more into fantasy when I was younger). Your son is so lucky to have a parent who encourages his reading!!
P.S. I LOVED The Phantom Tollbooth when I was younger :D
I highly recommend "His dark materials" for you to read. It has to be one of the better books I read and it is a series!
All 3 books (tangible copies)
All 3 books (Kindle)
It has coming of age, strong female protagonist, science fiction, and survival story all rolled into one.
If you liked harry potter, there is a good chance you will like this book series. (They tried to make a movie about it but adapted it horribly.. do not judge the book by the movie)
Agreed, but i should mention A Wrinkle In Time is actually the first in a series of 5 (I haven't read the last four yet but they can be found here)
Yeah. Or it would be full of clunky prose, unrelatable two dimensional characters, uptight stuffy white and delightsome people and the secret origins of Native Americans.
OH WAIT.
Here, I have some reading material that might interest you. The writing is a bit higher level than Rand but the message isn't too different. Check it out.
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville turns this idea on its head very nicely. The chosen one gets taken not long after the start of the novel. Her best friend goes and saves the day instead. Near the end she becomes known as the un-chosen one.
Wasn't Un Lun Dun YA (I haven't read it yet)?
Thought it was a reference to this
Sounds a lot like The Forest of Hands and Teeth with a few slight differences.
The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a YA zombie novel that is one of the best horror books I’ve read in that genre adult or YA.
It is what I usually hand to my YA/preteen patrons when they ask for horror refs at my library. It’s the first in a trilogy.
What sort of fantasy do you think you would like? High fantasy, modern day real world fantasy, steam punk, romance, adventure, coming of age?
If you are looking at staying with a Young Adult fantasy theme, I would suggest Cassandra Clare's series, [The Mortal Instruments] (https://www.amazon.com/Bones-Mortal-Instruments-Cassandra-Clare/dp/1481455923/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1478740289&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=the+mortal+instruments) and it's prequel series, [The Infernal Devices] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1481456024/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&amp;pd_rd_i=1481456024&amp;pd_rd_r=H6XGB69FAEC3097ZA851&amp;pd_rd_w=lLXM8&amp;pd_rd_wg=MOvOs&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=H6XGB69FAEC3097ZA851) . The prequel series is actually my favorite of the two. It is steam punk fantasy while the other is not. I also would recommend [The Dresden Files] (https://www.amazon.com/Storm-Front-Dresden-Files-Butcher/dp/0451457811/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1478740351&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=dresden+files), by Jim Butcher even though they are not Young Adult. They contain every type of fantasy creature and setting you could imagine. It's a series about a private detective in modern day Chicago who also happens to be a wizard.
If you want to delve into a zombie genre, I have enjoyed [The Forest of Hands and Teeth] (https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Hands-Teeth-Carrie-Ryan/dp/0385736827/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1478740244&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=forest+of+hands+and+teeth) series by Carrie Ryan as well as [The Enemy] (https://www.amazon.com/Enemy-new-cover-Novel/dp/1484721462/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1478740190&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+enemy+charlie+higson) series by Charlie Higson.
The Reapers are the Angels
The Rising
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
Don't eat Cat
Ex-Heroes
I picked up The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan a year or so ago and it was a pretty good read. I haven't gotten a chance to read any other books in the set, but it was good.
Can't believe no one said The Phantom Tollbooth yet.
It was already answered in the r/askreddit post, but in case anyone hits this page on a search, the books are Three Tales of My Father's Dragon and The Phantom Tollbooth.
Why yes... yes I have!
In the last month I have read the Hunger games books and the Lightbringer series books.
/u/Morthy you shall now be dubbed Dr. Morthy-o. Let's play a pill version of Tetris.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore. It's my favorite book of all time, and I have not found one person yet who doesn't love it.
Here's Amazon's description: Kristin Cashore’s best-selling, award-winning fantasy Graceling tells the story of the vulnerable yet strong Katsa, a smart, beautiful teenager who lives in a world where selected people are given a Grace, a special talent that can be anything from dancing to swimming. Katsa’s is killing. As the king’s niece, she is forced to use her extreme skills as his thug. Along the way, Katsa must learn to decipher the true nature of her Grace . . . and how to put it to good use. A thrilling, action-packed fantasy adventure (and steamy romance!) that will resonate deeply with adolescents trying to find their way in the world.
Meg from A Wrinkle in Time, and Menolly from Dragonsong.
I take it from Harry Potter and Divergent he likes strong, morally-white protagonists on journeys to save the world. I don't know his exact reading level or interests, so I will make the following suggestions by category. I ranked books in each category by difficulty.
&nbsp;
Teen Fantasy:
&nbsp;
Dealing with Dragons: Funny, easy to read, dragons, magic, and sarcasm.
The Lioness Series, Immortal Series, or The Magic Circle Series: Strong female leads and interesting to read with great stories (Think Mulan). My brother loved them.
Artemis Fowl: Strong, morally ambiguous but ultimately altruistic, sarcastic, and smart protagonist against the world.
User Unfriendly: Dudes get sucked into a video/rpg and try to get out without dying. Like Tron, but less sci-fi and more fantasy.
Halo: One of my brothers who HATES reading -- or at least is incredibly picky actually stayed up all night to finish four of Halo books. He also really likes the games. I don't know which one is the first or the best but this one had the best reviews. I dunno if it is dark either -- I haven't read it :'(.
The Dark Elf Trilogy: Darker than anything else I have on here (or can be) hero vs world type fantasy. Drizzit = my brothers' hero growing up. Kinda WOW-esque? Having played both, I understand how much of WOW is inspired by DnD. I personally didn't like this.
Redwall: Harder to read, talking animals save the world from other talking animals. I personally hated this series, but my brothers read every single book in the series at the time.
&nbsp;
Adult Fantasy:
&nbsp;
Magician: Magic, totally badass protagonist, BORING first couple chapters, but ultimately the most OP hero I have ever read. Amazing, truly amazing. I think it is two-three books in the first series.
Harper Hall: Dragons, music, strong, but lost protagonist. Deals with sexism and gender biased. The other books in the cycle range from sci-fi to political fantasy.
Dragonbone Chair: Strong, badass hero vs a dragon. What happens? He becomes more badass. It is a lighter verison of LOTR/Sword of Shanara (which is probably too much politics/genetics/enviromental commentary -- generally boring-- for him right now) --
An even lighter alternative, more teen book is Eragon. That being said, I absolutely DETESTED these books. I don't care if he was 16, he didn't coming up with any of his own material. But -- a lot of people really like it, so your brother might!
&nbsp;
Sci-fi:
&nbsp;
Ender's game: Amazing ending, especially if he likes videogames. I haven't seen the movie, but my Dad said it was "loosely inspired" from the book. All I know is the book was world-changing. It has some legitimately dark points (like gouging out a giants eye or drowning puppies).
Johnny Maxwell Trilogy: This dude is cool. I didn't know until I linked it that it is hard to get a copy >.<.
Dune: This, like LOTR, is VERY political and can be very easily boring. It might also be too adult or hard for him. There is mental illness and just crazy people in the later books.
&nbsp;
Mature Humor:
&nbsp;
He should be ready for some British humor, which is a little more mature than American humor (sorry) and much more sarcastic. You also have to be in the mood for it, especially if you aren't expecting it.
Sourcery: Really, really funny.
Hitchhiker's Guide: Also funny.
Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold: American. Funny take on fantasy books.
&nbsp;
I kept away from darker books where the protagonist is morally grey (Artemis fowl and Drizzit being exceptions -- though they are both still definitely heros), sex, questionable themes, or general mental derangement.
I also stayed away from more modern books, which I have read a lot of if you would like recommendations for those instead. I read a lot in general, so if you have a questions about a book in particular, I can try to help.
Edit: Links
Ok, when I was a kid, my mum bought me a book that we saw at a market stall. I saw it and wanted it. I still have it! It was my bible and I will pass it down to my daughter :-) it’s called The Period Book: Everything you don’t want to know, but need to know.
Here’s a link to it on amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Period-Book-Everything-dont-want/dp/0749917059
Edit: you can get an up to date version here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/161963662X/ref=pd_aw_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=RRJS56S9K1SWXWX4DWKB&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=41zNNl9PrxL
My mom bought me "The Period Book," (link below), told me to read it and then come ask her anything else. She then taught me how to use a condom with a banana, and talked to me many times about sex. She was very open. My dad to some extent. I was lucky.
I am now a science teacher, and my students will ask me questions that I answer as clinically, factually, appropriately and technically as possible (if it is wildly inappropriate, I tell them so) about sex, the reproductive cycle, gestation, etc. My kids are really good about asking appropriate stuff, and I answer them. I have had multiple female students over the years tell me, "Wow! I wouldn't have gotten/be pregnant if I had known that before!" And multiple male students tell me that some of what I told them grosses them out, makes them not want to have kids right now, or how to be safe.
I wish more parents would talk about sex to their kids. The truth is that it is going to happen. You are not planting the idea. It is in our biology to reproduce and life will find a way. So, instead of making it mysterious and creating misconceptions and so on, tell them straight, tell them the facts.
Edit: forgot link. Here you go! https://smile.amazon.com/Period-Book-Everything-Dont-Want/dp/0749917059/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=the+period+book&qid=1563564796&s=gateway&sr=8-2
Edit 2: NTA
For each person it is different. I recommend reading The Period Book.
The Period Book
Personally I get an insane surge of energy before my period starts, and just start getting things done, then my period hits me like a brick 3-5 days later.
I recommend getting both tampons and pads, a pain killer that works for you (not all pain killers work the same for every person when it comes to cramping), and some temporary/portable heating pads. Take a some of each with you in a backpack or purse at all times (I keep mine in a cloth pencil case).
Also, read the warning on the pamphlets included. Toxic Shock Syndrome is serious. YoU SHOULD NEVER LEAVE A TAMPON INSERTED FOR MORE THAN 4 HOURS, unless you are sleeping. Even then, insert right before bed, and change it first thing in the morning.
I hope this helps. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Hmm, this looks similar to The Eleventh Hour, which we had as kids, and spent hours on. There's a few red herrings in it, too, which took hours to solve, then turned out to be nothing. Wholely aggravating. My mom worked on it with us, and we never did figure it out. I ended up cheating by peeking at the answer. But I still have the book, and hope to work through it with my stepdaughter.
I started her slow, by going through Puzzle Island with her. I also got The Red Herring Mystery, but we haven't solved this one yet, and we've gotten away from this. I want to work up to The Eleventh Hour, though. It looks as though Graeme Base has other books as well, which we'll have to check out. My stepdaughter is incredibly smart, and she's eight years old now, and she loves these kind of puzzles. She also REALLY relishes anything that she can do with one of her parents (and yes, I count as one of them - she really digs me these days, which is TOTALLY AWESOME! I get to really be a mom, YAY!).
Anyway, "Masquerade" in Hardback in Good condition is selling for a penny for $3.99 shipping, so I bought a copy. Looks good. :) I'm all for things like this!
Possibly Animalia, by Graeme Base?
https://www.amazon.com/Animalia-Graeme-Base/dp/0810919397/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1487964102&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=animalia
The only one I can think of is Animalia. Here is a link to the amazon page for it; look at the 'also purchased' books for some good suggestions for your book.
http://www.amazon.com/Animalia-Graeme-Base/dp/0810919397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1417467641&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=animalia
For the 26 I didn’t study more than a week out for any of them, but for this last one I signed up for a prep class and started studying about a month and a half before the test. Every Saturday I’d take a practice test from the ACT prep book then go over what I’d missed the following Monday and Tuesday and try to figure out what I did wrong and I’d rework all the math problems. I also used the 5 lb. ACT practice book to get extra practice on the types of problems I was struggling with.
Mine are some [Earbuds on my iPod list] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007136B7A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=JA3CGVP7ZEGL&amp;coliid=I114BCC7KXLIS) because my old pair broked :(
Then this book on my book list, it's on there because reading is good!!!
St. Vincent on my CD list because she's amazing
and that's it :\
The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey is another good fiction series.
For non fiction it's not quiet crypto but it is ghosts: Ghost Hunter- Hans Holzer. It's a collection of sorts about early paranormal investigation.
Another series I like that's fiction is The Newsflesh series by Mira Grant. It's zombies (I know, over done) but a really cool universe of post apocalypse society.
I thin you will like The monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey
34172
A used paperback of The Monstrumologist would be awesome if I win. Thanks for holding the contest! :)
For the ACT that would be this: https://www.amazon.com/Official-ACT-Prep-Guide-2018/dp/1119386896/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1510794029&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=real+act+prep+book+2018
2)You can find all of the concepts tested on the respective web sites for the tests. ACT.org and collegeboard.com
3)That is a way more complex question. First and foremost, I would tell you to not rely on tricks. Tricks are what sell test prep companies, not improve scores.
I bought this Panda math book, read all of it, and worked 75% of it.
For the English, I just did a little online Khan Academy practice because my English score was already pretty high. I definitely concentrated a lot more on math.
I also used the normal SAT book, which is pretty helpful too.
If your practice or PSAT scores are really low (like below 1200), I'd suggest you get tutoring instead.
But I don't think the SAT is very difficult. It's very repetitive, so the more practice tests you take and questions you study, the more you'll be prepared for the actual test because it's just regurgitating concepts.
Do not take the actual SAT just to see how you do. Many colleges request the full testing history and will see your first score.
Instead, do one of these official practice tests from the College Board:
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/sat/practice/full-length-practice-tests
My recommendation is to print it out and do it on paper. However, the most cost-efficient option is to purchase the Official SAT Study Guide, which includes the 8 practice tests (it's $19 with ~1000 pages, and you save a lot on printing costs). It can be found here:
https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2018/dp/1457309289/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524454802&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=official+sat+study+guide+2018+edition
I highly suggest skipping the CollegeBoard's "study guide" (the first ~200 pages or so), as most of it is fluff that won't help you. Instead, take practice test 1 as a diagnostic.
Then, sign up for Khan Academy practice. Khan Academy will help you tremendously considering the position you're at now. They have skill levels from 1-4 for all math concepts. If you have the time and dedication, level up for the math as much as you can. However, KA math is best used as content review/practice and not as practice for the actual math questions. The questions tend to be phrased awkwardly and are not identical to those you will encounter on the SAT.
Instead, once you have a solid grasp and conceptual understanding of the Algebra II topics, sign up for UWorld (free code on the sidebar) and complete as many math problems as possible. Reading and writing are phenomenal on KA and much better than UWorld, though, so I recommend KA for that.
If you have the time and dedication, you can easily achieve your target score of 1450. You still have several months left, and you will be shocked on how quickly your score will go up. Don't waste your money on tutoring services; you'll be able to increase your score far more on your own.
Space out the official practice tests by about 2 weeks. They should be completed under real timed conditions and serve best as diagnostics for how your studying has been paying off. If you don't see an improvement on subsequent practice tests, then something is wrong with the way you're studying. Do not use the practice tests as merely practice questions, because there are a plethora of practice questions available to you on UWorld.
Once you feel confident with your score on the official practice tests, then take the real SAT.
Good luck!
Alright, since you're not going for any electronic resources, I'll list a couple of books. Your main problem seems to be English in general. While the books might help you, I recommend reading a lot. Try historical and scientific articles online or even in a book. Read a couple of classics by Charles Dickens or Victor Hugo.
1- Kaplan https://www.amazon.com/SAT-Prep-Plus-2018-Strategies/dp/1506221300
This book has exceptional EBRW practice and thorough explanation with multiple methods of approaches. The math section is alright, but I feel that it is a little easier than the actual test.
2- Dr. John Chung's SAT math book. https://www.amazon.com/Dr-John-Chungs-SAT-Math/dp/1481959794
A phenomenal book. It has challenging question in the math section that will over prepare you. If you can get a 700 on his tests, you're set up on getting an 800 for the math section.
3- Barron's New SAT 28th edition https://www.amazon.com/Barrons-NEW-SAT-28th-Sat/dp/1438006497
Great book for learning the entirety of standard English convention and reading strategies. The EBRW questions might be a little easier than the actual thing, but the information it provides is meritorious. The math section also has some challenging problems that will over prepare you.
The official SAT study guide (alias blue book.) https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2018/dp/1457309289
This is the best book to test all you've practiced for. After you complete all other books, take all 8 practice tests. This will prepare you well.
Now for some tips:
1- Focus on your writing section more at the begining. Getting 44/44 in this section while missing 10 on the reading puts your score at 740-760. It weighs more.
2-Write some essays and have someone check them. It'll help you spot mistakes easier.
3-Calm down, you can always take it again.
Good luck!
Do not get overly stressed about your first SAT. You can retake it as many times as you want, and you can always improve. You are not on any sort of time limit, for the test or for your future. The best way to prepare for your next attempt is by working through the official SAT study guide produced by ETS, who also produces the SAT test (shocker). You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2018/dp/1457309289. If you work through the exercises in the study guide, I am very confident you will improve your SAT score for next time.
Still pretty sure this is Feed by M. T. Anderson.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003KVKW9U/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&amp;btkr=1
I just don't think that there are THAT many well-known books for young adults with this premise.
I'm an addict!
A wrinkle in time
Wait til helen comes
These are the first books I remember reading and just falling in love with both of them!
WL linky or surprise me
I just saw that someone had been gifted A Wrinkle in Time and it brought back such good memories for me. I remember loving that book when I was younger :) I'd love to read it again!
I'm so sorry you have to work this weekend, I know that feeling :( This weekend I will be participating in a yard sale (which is awesome because I have tons of junk I need to sell!) Then my dad and I are going to look at a car (and I hope to buy it!) Sunday I'm going with my family and my roomie and his family to the Sugarloaf Craft Festival :)
Thanks for hosting! I hope work won't be too terrible for you this weekend &lt;3
Happy Friday
Tyara, I'm not used to the username yet.
/u/PotatoAssassin because she is fucking awesome and if you vehemently disagree I'll break your arm. Or at least hurt it a hell of a lot!
She should have these books because everyone should have His Dark Materials. Especially Northern Lights which is the best of the triology and no, I wont use the silly American name for it.
Here is a link to the books that I referenced.
http://www.amazon.com/Wrinkle-Quintet-Swiftly-Tilting-Acceptable/dp/0312373511
Yes! You can have it via Amazon Prime for $20! That's the one I have and it's pretty, though all the novels are paperback.
https://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Saga-Book-1/dp/0316015849
China Miéville's Un Lun Dun. It's a kids' book, but it's fantastic. Miéville turns a lot of the standard fantasy tropes on their heads, with thoroughly enjoyable results.
Dathan Auerbach's Penpal. Horror/suspense, written by a redditor, and debuted on reddit. The Kindle version is less than $4. Seriously creepy but totally worth it.
Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's Good Omens. I have never laughed so much while reading. It's phenomenal.
Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. What happens to poor people once nanotechnology can be used to make anything? It's my favorite of the Stephensons I've read, but it still ends like a Neal Stephenson novel. :|
Cory Doctorow's Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town. It's about the first-born son of a mountain and a washing machine. It's also about setting up wireless networks. Also: it's FREE.
Hope you enjoy some of these! :)
I suggest China Mieville's UnLunDun. It's fun, light, and almost Harry Potteresque.
I think you should read this book. I read it once a while ago and really loved it... sadly i no longer have my copy so if i win id love another copy of it!! Thanks for the contest, cause I love reading books!
The Forest of Hands and Teeth
In Mary’s world there are simple truths.
The Sisterhood always knows best.
The Guardians will protect and serve.
The Unconsecrated will never relent.
And you must always mind the fence that surrounds the village; the fence that protects the village from the Forest of Hands and Teeth.
But, slowly, Mary’s truths are failing her. She’s learning things she never wanted to know about the Sisterhood and its secrets, and the Guardians and their power, and about the Unconsecrated and their relentlessness. When the fence is breached and her world is thrown into chaos, she must choose between her village and her future—between the one she loves and the one who loves her. And she must face the truth about the Forest of Hands and Teeth. Could there be life outside a world surrounded in so much death?
The Forest of Hands and Teeth. It's a YA novel, but it totally gave me weird dreams while I was reading it. Creepy as hell. I bought the sequel but haven't brought myself to read it yet.
Also, Infected: A Novel. Pretty atmospheric, although not amazing. I think it would work better as a movie than a book, which is a rare thing.
The Phantom Tollbooth - You may have read it as a kid and thus think it is a kids book - but its still worth a read once in a while as an adult.
a chapter from The Phantom Tollbooth might fit your bill...
The Phantom Tollbooth
Link in the blog is a referral link, FYI. Here is a non-referral link:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Hunger-Games-Trilogy-Boxed/dp/0545265355/
These are fairly popular/obvious choices, so forgive me if you're aware of them, but I thought they deserved a mention since you just recently read Harry Potter. I have personally read all of these books and loved them. They're all currently being made into movies so that is a hint about how engaging/accessible they are for teens.
They are both dystopian novels. Divergent is particularly interesting because it's set in a future Chicago and it's interesting to see how the author plays around with that setting. Fair warning about Divergent: the third book in the series has not yet been released (I think it comes out this fall) so you may want to wait on these until next summer when all of the books are out.
Hunger games
These are my 3 fav books I love them and if i do win could you do a pokemon painting? Also how big will it be.
Graceling
Crossing the Wire
A Long Walk to Water
War Brothers
Oh, nice. That is a really good name, but I'm even more attached to Giddon than to him being a Vandagyre, if that makes sense? Giddon's a character from one of my favorite books, so I'm really happy to have him. :)
Thank you so so much for offering! I can't believe the kindness of the people in this community. :)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore It follows a female protagonist who has a special talent (called grace) in this book. The world-building in this book is fantastic and I am sure it will suit her adventurous nature.
Whoa, life imitates art. This was the plot of The Obnoxious Jerks, a book I am fairly positive absolutely no one here read and I'm not even sure how I remember it.
This is the exact plot of a young adult fiction from the early 90's. https://www.amazon.com/Obnoxious-Jerks-Stephen-Manes/dp/0553281143
This is the exact plot of a book I read as a kid, titled "The Obnoxious Jerks". (Or at least the bit I remember, years later.)
The Obnoxious Jerks by Stephen Manes.
It's just kind of a standard late-80s wacky YA fiction. Not a series, just a one-shot. Easily one of the most accurate, if slightly out-of-date, portrayals of high school banality. When I was 12-16, it was side-splittingly funny. Haven't read it in years, but I have a feeling it would still hold up.
the original book took place in a highschool
&#x200B;
Obnoxious Jerks
You say that as if this doesn't exist.
https://www.amazon.com/YOLO-Juliet-OMG-Shakespeare-William/dp/0553535390
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553535390/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_1gMSzb4HEWWC6
It is.
There's Dragonsong/the Harper's Hall books... I think I liked it better than other McCaffrey works I've tried (which I rather dislike).
The Period Book was awesome when I was learning about that.
This book is also great: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0749917059?pc_redir=1406540281&amp;robot_redir=1
Read How to be a High School Superstar.
Other than managing your grades and standardized test scores, the majority of the book is about building achievement in your extracurricular activities. It's certainly not too late as a rising junior, but you do have limited time, so get started on this endeavor immediately.
This is all assuming your grades are good (3.8+). Take a practice ACT and new SAT this summer. Figure out which test you prefer, which should usually be the one you find easier and score higher on. Find suitable resources (college confidential, as hated as it is, has a lot of test prep advice) to raise your score as much as possible. Sign up for the October administration of your chosen test and make sure to take practice tests in the weeks leading up to it. If your score meets the threshold of the universities you wanna attend (assuming 34+ and 1500+ for top tier schools), you're done with testing. If not, keep studying and try to get that done by the end of the semester. Take your subject tests in June.
Wish me good luck as a rising senior!
We plan to use some of the strategies in this book to help our kids get into the colleges if their choice. It might be helpful to you. This book says it’s not so much about the GPA and test scores, but how you market yourself and the activities you do. Good luck! How to Be a High School Superstar: A Revolutionary Plan to Get into College by Standing Out (Without Burning Out) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0767932587/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-OXwDbBD4B293
Better you learn in it in your last year of high school than your first year of college. I highly recommend reading these books b4 stepping foot in college:
Book 1
Book 2
I think there's a high school version which might help you out with grade 12.
I would assume you would have a solid shot at Cornell. Cornell is actually the most transfer-friendly of the Ivies. I just applied to Cornell as a transfer student with a 34 and am waiting on my decision. However, most of the other Ivy League schools take a more limited number of transfers. Not to say that it would be impossible to transfer somewhere like Yale, for example, but your shot would be significantly lower than that of a first year applicant's. I think you should check out Cal Newport's "How to Become a High School Superstar." The title may sound corny, but the author details the stories of many successful gap year students. Here's the Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587. Also, as a prospective transfer student I've read a lot of material on the tips and tricks of transfer admission so feel free to PM me if you'd like to ask me anything! Hope this helps!!
You are definitely not "fucked". You can easily turn things around. Even if you go to a "mediocre" college, you can still do incredible things.
I'd recommend getting this book: https://www.amazon.com/How-High-School-Superstar-Revolutionary/dp/0767932587/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=JJZN9DVPA6KDVKY71SFS
Great guide about how to get into the college you want. In your situation, I'd recommend you get it ASAP. Follow it and results will happen.
Unpaid internships are essentially slave labor, or at least indentured servitude. That's a terrible idea.
I'm not sure what you would describe as your dreams, so I'll give you a possible alternative track for a possible set of goals that may or may not coincide with yours.
Let's say your goal is to get a well paying job and have a reasonably deep understanding of physics. Perhaps you'd also like that job to be intellectually stimulating. Here's a rough outline of what you could do to accomplish that:
-------------------------------------------
Before college
You're in 7th grade. First step, use this collection of links on efficient study habits to destroy and master your school work (check out Anki, too). At minimum, treat school like a day job. (Hopefully you'll have great teachers that teach you a love of learning and a value for a well-rounded educational base that includes the sciences, arts, and humanities.) Do all the exercises from Khan Academy from the beginning to fill any gaps in your knowledge and use sites like PatrickJMT, Paul's Online Math Notes, BetterExplained, and MIT OCW Scholar to supplement school and KA. Also, read these two books.
Once you've got school under control and are getting the most of what's available to you through that avenue, use the Art of Problem Solving Books to get a vastly deeper understanding of precollege mathematics. I'd say it should be a higher priority than learning calculus early in terms of ROI, but you can learn it if you want to.
See if you can find a group near you to train for a Math Olympiad or similar competition (like the ones listed on AoPS). Aim for the gold, but realize that it's unlikely and the real prize is how the training will bring up your mathematical maturity so you can tackle evermore challenging problems, concepts, and subjects.
Also, use sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity to teach yourself programming. Once you've got a reasonable handle on programming, check out a site like Topcoder and maybe try to compete in the Coding Olympiad. Also, mess around with a Raspberry Pi.
You could also check out any big research universities or even decent state schools in your area. They often have youth outreach like summer camps for kids who love math to come and learn things not usually taught in schools. You could also see if there are any researchers willing to take on a hard working and science-loving high school student for a research project (this is how most of the winners of Intel science competitions get their start).
------------------------------------------------------
College (Undergrad)
If you've done the first paragraph of the previous section alone, you should be able to get into any top 20 program in the country without any trouble. Chances are you'll be competitive for most Ivies and top 10 programs. Do any of the stuff beyond the first paragraph, and you'll be a shoe-in with a huge advantage over the overwhelming majority of college applicants in the country. The link about scholarships in my earlier comment will guarantee that you get a free ride. Also, read this book.
So now you want job security and financial security. Any sort of engineering would do, but I think you'd be more interested in computer science so let's say you do that and double major in physics.
Every summer you do paid internships for CS at various software firms for work experience. This will be the best way to make sure you are extremely hireable after graduation for lucrative positions with interesting work as a software engineer. That's Plan B.
For physics, you find a lab that does interesting work and start doing undergraduate research. You might change labs a few times to find a better fit. You might stick with the first one until graduation. Doesn't really matter as long as you gain real research experience.
You also study your ass of for the Physics GRE from your first semester. A few hours per week you do problems from old tests from subjects as you learn them. As in, do mechanics problems your first semester, do mechanics and E&M problems your second semester, do mechanics and E&M and thermo and optics problems your third semester, etc. (This may be different depending on how your school organizes its physics curriculum.)
You talk to your advisors and grad students and fellow students and professors about applying to grants and graduate school. They'll be able to give you actual advice tailored to your situation.
Either in the spring of your junior year or the fall of your senior year, you take the GREs and apply to graduate programs in areas that interest you and apply to grants to fund you and wait for the offers to return. Assuming you've followed my advice, at least some of them will contain acceptance letters with details of stipends. More than likely all the acceptance letters will include stipends you can live off of.
If you just get rejected, you'll at least have a BS-worth of physics knowledge and have experienced real research and can go off and enjoy your well-paid life solving interesting problems as a software engineer.
Or you can try and get a job at a national lab somewhere putting your physics background and programming chops to work and just apply again another year while saving up more money.
And all of this was debt free because you had the forsight in high school to apply to hundreds of scholarships.
------------------------------
Also, read this thread on what it takes to kick ass at MIT. The post and the ensuing discussion should drive home what you could train yourself to become. (I think the reply by the twin is particularly enlightening.)
You can either shoot for the stars and hit the moon, or you can read magazine articles about gravity on the moon.
Anything by Stephen Michael King not the horror author. The Lighthouse Keeper's books. The Diary of a Wombat (and related books). Anamalia.
Aside from those, go to the library and let your daughter pick some. Soon you'll find ones that you both love.
“In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”
Bonus 1 and bonus 2 I will PM you :)
Just in case there were alternate covers I don't know about, Animalia is the sort of book people spend a of time lingering over. It is certainly the only alphabet book I've spent hours pouring over.
It's this one.
I found it was super helpful to take practice tests because it helped me get faster (especially on the science section), and figure out what I needed to go over more (especially random topics on the math section, my weakest subject too). As I took each practice test, I noted which questions I wasn't sure about, then after the test I went back and made a spreadsheet containing all of those problems, the problems I got wrong, and what the topic of the question was. Then I looked for patterns (basically what I was consistently getting wrong), and studied those topics. Watching Khan Academy videos for math was helpful if you get bored with your textbooks. I used the official prep book, which I liked. I also tried to simulate testing conditions as much as possible. Good luck!!
The Official ACT Prep Guide 2019-2020, (Book + 5 Practice Tests + Bonus Online Content) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119580501/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UJWvDb2TC6083
ACT Redbook
And do you mean this book? The Official ACT Prep Guide 2019-2020, (Book + 5 Practice Tests + Bonus Online Content) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119580501/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_iO04CbTNEGN6W
> Besides, no one's talking about revolutionary changes.
Oh yeah?
https://www.amazon.com/Bernie-Sanders-Guide-Political-Revolution/dp/1250138906
The Anthropophagi in The Monstrumologist were pretty wicked!!
Full text:
I’m a Harvard grad with honors and professional tutor/coach since 2002 (SAT, ACT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT). I have attained perfect scores on the SAT and ACT, with every question answered correctly, and 99% scores on the LSAT, GRE and GMAT (see my website for proof). I have been now teaching SAT for 20 full years, ever since I worked as an instructor for Harvard's "Get Ready" community service test-prep program in the fall of 1998. I am the founder of McElroy Tutoring, who has employed over 500 tutors since 2002, and the "r/SATACTprep" subreddit on Reddit, with nearly 1,000 subscribers and growing. I am also the former employer of another tutor with a highly-ranked review of this book that's very similar to mine. In short, I'm the one who wrote the recipe for the jam...but you know what they say about imitation.
The Official SAT Study Guide 2020 Edition (currently $19), despite not having changed much from the 2018 edition, is still the most essential SAT preparation book on the market. This is neither because the book contains useful SAT strategy advice, nor because the answer explanations are particularly helpful or easy to understand—the strategy advice is almost nonexistent, and the answer explanations are sometimes insightful but far too often convoluted, simplistic and/or incomplete. Instead, the book’s primary value lies in the fact that it includes 8 full practice SATs for only about $.02 per page.
How is this book different from the 2018 edition of the Official SAT Study Guide (https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2018/dp/1457309289), of which you can also read my detailed Amazon customer review (#1 on top) ? The first 294 pages of the book (the portion before the tests) are exactly the same. 6 of the 8 tests are the same—though the order has been reversed. And the two new tests—which show up as the first two tests in the book—are the October 2018 and October 2017 SATs, respectively, which are not yet available for download through College Board but can be found easily with a Google search. SAT practice tests #2 and #4 are gone, though you can still find them easily with a Google search. If we agree to call the October 2018 SAT test #10, and the October 2017 SAT test #9, then the tests are in the order 10,9,8,7,6,5,3,1.
Although 6 of the 8 the tests in this book are indeed free to download from the College Board / Khan Academy websites and print out at home (I expect the other 2 to be available as free PDF downloads soon), the cost of doing so would most likely exceed $19 unless you have a free/low-cost printing option. In addition, there is significant value in having all the tests literally bound together in one place—it makes it easy to stay organized, and since the SAT doesn’t provide scratch paper, you can practice by taking all of your notes right there in the book.
In fact, I would suggest that you buy 2 copies of this book: one for taking notes, and the other to keep blank, so that you can review questions later without bias. This is known as the “blind review” method and it works wonders.
You will notice that there is no Kindle version of this book, but again, you can download PDFs of the individual tests, scoring guides and answer explanations from the College Board / Khan Academy websites for free, which is far easier than the Kindle format anyway. That being said, it would be nice if the College Board would put a PDF of the entire book on its website as well--the first 300 pages of the book do include some useful advice on the essay, for example--though again, that advice could be vastly improved.
Of course, these 8 official SATs are just scratching the surface of what’s out there in terms of official SAT practice material: as of this writing I’ve counted 36 official SATs and PSATs in the new format that are publicly available online—and that doesn’t include other test forms that have been leaked.
Finally, in 2015, I also wrote an exhaustive Amazon review of the original (2016) edition of this book (https://www.amazon.com/Official-SAT-Study-Guide-2016/dp/1457304309), which I’m happy to say is also the #1 review of that book on Amazon. Please feel free to give that review a read as well, and to google “SAT Action Plan: How to Study and Prepare for the SAT College Entrance Exam” for a full list of my personal SAT prep recommendations.
Best of luck on your SAT and beyond,
-Brian
Sorry for the sort of late reply. I'd take it one more time -- something that I think really helped me improve my score was taking official SAT practice tests. You can purchase a booklet of these online (and maybe even find them for free on the College Board website?)
Of course, first go over the concepts that you need to review and make sure you thoroughly understand them (for math especially). Are you struggling more with the math or reading/writing sections?
Then, take practice tests -- the more the better -- under "test-taking" conditions (i.e. timing yourself, no extra resources, no breaks or distractions, etc.). After you take each test, review your answers and try to work through and understand why you got each wrong answer wrong.
Good luck!
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: Feed
|Country|Link|Charity Links|
|:-----------|:------------|:------------|
|USA|smile.amazon.com|EFF|
|UK|www.amazon.co.uk|Macmillan|
|Spain|www.amazon.es||
|Mexico|www.amazon.com.mx||
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|Germany|www.amazon.de||
|Japan|www.amazon.co.jp||
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Does this count as a match?
Not the Kindle versions, but I have all three paperbacks on my wishlist. (Three separate links.)
If not well...snooble!
You and Obaday Fing (from Un Lun Dun) would make a nice couple.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003KVKW9U/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
The book tour he is on now isn't about the book he put out last year after the election. He just put out another book last week, the one I'm talking about, and the book tour for that starts this month / has already started.
> getting people, young people especially, involved in the political revolution