Written by Stuti Kathuria, a grade 9 student.

As we all know, these challenging times are forcing each of us to master the art of spending time with oneself while having fun as well. What better way than to read some novels and watch a movie or two? 

Here is a list of a few books and movies to keep you entertained these days:

Books (For ages 11 to 18)

• The Power of Five Series

Written by Anthony Horowitz, the Power of Five novels were written between 2005 and 2012. The book’s protagonist is fourteen-year-old Matthew Freeman, who has spent most of his life blaming himself for his parents’ death. Matt always knew he was different than those around him, but now it was clearer than ever. After being arrested for a crime he didn’t commit, he has been thrown into the care of a strange woman with unknown intentions. Everything is about to change in Matt’s life, and only he and four other teenagers can stop the horror, which is about to be unleashed on the planet. It is a classic story of the youth going against authority.

• Black Beauty

This novel is a classic by Anna Sewell. The story is narrated by a beautiful horse that goes by the name of Black Beauty. It was written between the years 1871 to 1877 during the last years of Sewell’s life when she was bedridden. It depicts the course of the long life which Black Beauty lived through and the hardships as well as acts of kindness along the way. The book is a must-read for people who love autobiographies and documentaries, and it contains a lesson on kindness, compassion, and beauty in the simplicity of one’s life.

• Let It Snow 

It is a combination of three separate stories by different authors which revolve around a series of events occurring in a small town on Christmas Eve. Somehow, these stories find their way into each other and create a beautiful trilogy of three love stories. There has been a movie adaptation of the book, which is a light-hearted romantic comedy meant to capture anyone’s heart. After all, anything can happen.

• Elsewhere

Liz is a regular fifteen-year-old girl who just so happens to be dead. One day while riding her bike to the mall, she gets hit by a taxi, which results in her death. She awakes to find that she is aboard a ship full of departed souls who are on their way to the afterlife, where she meets her long-lost grandmother who died of breast cancer. She learns that everyone in Elsewhere ages backward, and so she begins a journey of self-discovery, hope, adventure, and her new “life.”

• Ready Player One

The story revolves around Wade Watts, a teenager living in the year 2045, where the whole world spends their time in the OASIS, an augmented virtual reality simulation where there’s no limit other than one’s own imagination. He sets off on an adventure to find an Easter egg hidden in the OASIS, which soon turns into a war between opposing armies. It is a classic science fiction novel by Ernest Cline, which has also been turned into a major motion picture directed by none other than Steven Spielberg himself.

Movies-

• The Imitation Game 

It follows the life of mathematician Alan Turing, who joined the cryptography team during the war between Britain and Germany in 1939. Turing built a machine to crack the Germans’ Enigma code, which was meant to uncrackable. It is based on the 1983 biography Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges.

• The Maze Runner Trilogy

One sudden day, Thomas wakes up in an elevator, moving rapidly upwards. Unaware of his surroundings, he lands in a mysterious place called the Glade surrounded by stone walls, which are entrances into a large maze. It is now up to Thomas and his fellow Gladers to escape from their fate and cross the maze. 

• Little Women

This award-winning adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s wonderful novel by Greta Gerwig is something that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Set in the years after the Civil War, it tells the story of four sisters living with their mother. There is Jo, the writer and second eldest, Meg, who aspires to become an actress, Amy, the artist, and Beth, the musician who falls devastatingly ill, bringing her family back together after going their separate ways. The novel is just as delightful to read as the movie is to watch.

• Parasite

The renowned Academy Award winner by Bong Joon Ho is a marvel meant for slightly older audiences. It tells the story of how greed can drive a person to do horrible things, and the class differentiation occurring in the homes of millions every day. This movie will make your stomach churn at every scene, wondering what happens next! 

A must watch. 

• The Harry Potter Series

These movies need no explanation. If you have read the books, the movies are a must and vice versa. The HP series revolves around an 11-year-old Harry, who lives with his rather horrible aunt and uncle as well as their snobbish son Dudley. All of that changes when he is invited to study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he shall set forth on all sorts of adventures with his new friends!

Written by Stuti Kathuria, a grade 9 student
Stuti is an avid writer and an Indian classical dancer. She runs a moodboard account on Instagram (@celestial_venus) and loves to read a lot! Stuti also has a great interest in activism and has helped raise money for the Black Lives Matter Movement through her moodboard account on Instagram.