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Teen Classics
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The strong and memorable characters in these classic dramas have helped generations of teenagers feel less alone in the struggle toward adulthood.
Anne Frank the Diary of a Young Girl
by Anne Frank, B M Mooyaart (Translator)
Price: US$4.99
Discovered in the attic in which she spent the last years of her life and initially published in 1947, Anne Frank's remarkable diary has since become a world classic — a powerful reminder of the horrors of war and an eloquent testament to the human spirit, as well as a fitting memorial to the gifted Jewish teenager Anne Frank who died at Bergen-Belsen, Germany, in 1945.
In 1942, with Nazis occupying Holland, a 13-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, they and another family lived cloistered (与世隔绝的) in the “Secret Annexe" (密室) of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters and the ever-present threat of discovery and death.
In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving and amusing, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty (脆弱) and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
The Chocolate War
by Robert Cormier
Price: US$5.50
Stunned by his mother's recent death and by the way his father sleepwalks through life, Jerry Renault, a New England high school student, ponders the poster in his locker — Do I dare disturb the universe?
In the school's annual fund-raising event — a chocolate sale, Jerry refuses to be forced into selling chocolates by his ambitious teacher. His refusal creates a big stir. The whole school is divided into two camps. To some, Jerry is a hero. But his defiance is a threat to Archie Costello, leader of a secret school society — the Virgils — and master of intimidation (威胁), as well as a challenge to the traditions of the school.
And Jerry? He's just trying to stand up for what he believes, but perhaps there is no way for him to escape becoming a pawn (国际象棋中的兵、卒) in this game of control.
“Masterfully structured and rich in theme. Well crafted, well timed, suspenseful" — The New York Times.
About the author
Robert Cormier has written several highly acclaimed novels for young adults and received numerous awards. He lives in Leonminster, Massachusetts.
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