High school: A time rich for fiction

In my Sunday books column, I listed a number of books that explore the high school experience. Among the books I included were the efforts by area authors such as Chris Crutcher (“Running Loose,” “Athletic Shorts”) and Terry Davis (“Vision Quest”) along with the likes of Robert Cormier (“The Chocolate War”) and J.D. Salinger (“The Catcher in the Rye”).

A few readers weighed in with their choices. Nina Neff, 13, offered up “Life is Funny” by E.R. Frank, which she calls “fantastic.” “I think it would be hard to find a book that better represents high school and coming of age,” she says. “Slightly reminiscent of Chris Crutcher.”) And, she adds, “Books by S.E. Hinton and Cynthia Voigt are not precisely about high school, but are about high school students and the same kind of struggles.” Finally, there are “Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones” by Ann Head, and Madeleine L’Engle ’s “A Ring of Endless Light,” which Nina says “may be something girls might enjoy a bit more, but is so well written it can be for anyone.”

Other readers mentioned the Stephen King novella “The Body,” from his collection “Different Seasons,” which Rob Reiner made into the movie “Stand By Me.” One also mentioned “Hud,” the movie that was made from Larry McMurtry’s novel “Horseman, Pass By.” And then there are the classics, Herman Raucher’s “Summer of ’42,’’ which was a screenplay first, a novel second and then a popular 1971 movie. And, finally, there is John Knowles’ “A Separate Peace,” which was published in 1959 and became a movie in 1972 and on Showtime earlier this year.

There are many others. Care to add your favorites? Click here.