The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Reader reviewed by Sonsko

Every freshman in high school, should read it. And if not in freshman year, then just high school.

My favorite book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky for many ostensible reasons. First of all, it is a highly philosohpical book. The story describes how “infinite” can feel. My favorite quote is, “And in that moment, I swear we were infinite.” It just describes how life should feel. A major reason this book is my favorite is because I can often relate to the characters and the story. It is about a high school freshman who has to cope with finally becoming a part of life. Although I believe I am often 'a part of the dance floor', I know that I do stand on the fringes of life sometimes. It is also easy to relate to the protagonist, Charlie, because he is a high school freshman who must learn the ways after his brother and sister have already done so, but neglected to teach him. Another reason I adore this story is the magnificent way it was written. The layout is an unknown person who calls themselves 'Charlie' and mails letters to 'friend'. We only see what happens through Charlie's eyes, but that is enough to understand how his world really works, because of his observance. Often, stories are written with the protagonist being an outgoing character. The Perks of Being a Wallflower's protagonist is a boy who is coming of age, but not quite a social butterfly. This coming of age story has affected me to make it my favorite book. It is a powerful story that takes us through the wild days nown as growing up. Not only can you relate to the characters, but it can help the reader to deal with complex high school situations. We all deal with the dilemma of passivity vs. passion. By creating unique circumstances, the reader can understand how to deal with them. Sometimes, all we need is that little extra push in the right direction. By watching Charlie get 'pushed', we can see how we can push ourselves. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the number one book I've read, although I have read amazing stories such as the Harry Potter stories, Memiors of a Geisha, and Snow Falling on Cedars.

Reader reviewed by Cara

This is definately my favorite book. Its about your average teenage boy growing up in high school. He just wants to fit in. The author decreibes his feeling so well, at the end of the book you feel like you know the character personally. I bet a lot of kids could relate to this book.

Reader reviewed by Courtney

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was an excellent book. It was relatable and simple which made it really easy to read. I found myself wanting to see what would come next. It showed the concerns and struggles of being a teenager, such as fitting in and having friends. Instead of there being chapters, there was a series of letters written by the main character showing his experience. I really liked how you were able to see into the character's mind and see what he was thinking, how he was feeling during the instance that he is writing about. It was entertaining because you could see the events actually happening in life, it made it easy to visualize what it would be like in that situation. It was a short book and wouldn't be too time consuming to read. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading it.

Reader reviewed by Mara

Wow , contrary to the other review all ready posted about this book, I thought it was excellent. I picked it because my teacher gave us a list of books to choose from and she told us a little bit about each one of them. Her description of the book made me want to read it and it turned out that it was definitly worth my time. The Perks of Being A Wallflower is a classic type novel about a boy in high school. His letters offer a unique perspective into hios world. The book starts off with Charlie nervous about his first day of high school. Through his experiences, you learn that he is just an average kids going through stuff a normal high schoolers go through. Through his eyes you see some of his most amazing experiences and his most terrifying. This leads you through the world of drugs, sex, first kisses, and those long drives when "in that moment, I swear we were infinite." Just overall great book!

Reader reviewed by Brianna

This is a wonderful coming of age book. i got it for christmas and finished it on christmas. to sum up the book this boy Charlie writes letters to this person. they have know idea who he is but he seems to know them. you follow his life and experience what he thinks and feels. i learned alot about myself from reading this book. i truely think that this book is amazing. it is defently on of my favorites.

Reader reviewed by Kiki

This story is about what it's like to grow up in high school. It is written in diary form and it is very personal. The reader never finds out where that protagonist lives and whom he is writing to. The protagonist is caught between trying to live his life and trying to run away from it, which puts him in a strange position. This book keeps you guessing until the very end.

Reader reviewed by ij

best book in the world. This book honestly changed my life. i would recomend this book to anybody. However i recomend this book to any misplaced kids or somebody that needs to find their place. his wonderfull writing changed my life forever. i have since read the book 23 times

Reader reviewed by Castrezzy<3

This book is WOAH. Or, wow. It's really amazing from beggining to end. It's really awesome. I enjoyed this book, and if your one of those people that love to read then this book is for you!! Oh, and a shout out to those people that have it rough in life, this book is also for you. Just letting you know that this book will open your eyes, knowing that family, friends, etc have it worse and stuff. Yet, that is no excuse to do something stupid. Anyways, this book is so amazing. I personally give it a hundred!

Reader reviewed by xbitemynailsx

I bought this book for my boyfriend for a christmas gift. he liked it so much, so i asked if i could borrow it haha. It is so much better than The catcher in the rye. This book is about a boy who is a "wallflower" and he meets some new friends and he basically observes everything around him. It is funny, sad and very realistic. Im sure everyone can relate to the main character at some point. It is a definately a must read.

Reader reviewed by bria

First off let me say that this book made me cry. There aren't enough words to explain how much i liked this book. The main character is so juvinille, but wise. He goes through so much. And i left so bad when he made friends and then they all left. I also love Rocky horror picture show, so i couldn't stop smiling when he played rocky. Every teen going through troubled times should read this book because it helped me and i'm sure that it will help you too.