Staff Pick
This coming-of-age story absolutely shines. Charlie is your average teenager trying to navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence, yet he's so much more than that. Recognizing something special in Charlie, a teacher feeds him literature and tries to guide him into growth and maturity. Charlie has a bit more on his plate than he knows what to do with, however. Chbosky manages to dodge stereotypes while mining his characters for the real humanity underneath the surface. This tiny novella delivers a huge, heartwarming story. Teenage years have never seemed so poignant, nor so beautiful! Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A feature film in 2012 starring Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, and Paul Rudd and written and directed by the author—the provocative and poignant “coming-of-age tale in the tradition of The Catcher in the Rye and A Separate Peace” (USA TODAY) that has affected an entire generation of young people.Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion has become a modern classic.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie’s letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives or to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, and music—when all one requires to feel infinite is that perfect song on that perfect drive.
Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
Review
Rave reviews for The End or Something Like That
“The End or Something Like That dares you to suspend all disbelief and look at loss, and life itself, in an entirely new way. This is a hilarious and awesomely weird ode to friendship and youth—with the kind of stellar prose that wont let you look away.” - John Corey Whaley, Printz Award winning-author of Where Things Come Back
“The End or Something Like That breaks your heart and mends it back together with hope and humor. After reading this book, I believe.” - Ally Condie, author of the #1 New York Times Bestselling Matched Trilogy
* "The Las Vegas setting powerfully contrasts the absurdity of life against the separation of death, and several truly uncomfortable scenes involving Emmys classmates lays bare just how ill-equipped many people are to handle death. A hard-hitting story about remembering the dead while not forgetting the living." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Ellis skillfully captures what its like to be a kid who flies beneath the radar and is afraid to speak up." - School Library Journal
"The choppy, edgy tone of Ellis dialogue illuminates Emmys longing for her old friend. She practically burns with intensity, even as she gradually begins to move on." - Booklist
“Incredibly funny, sad, magical, and real all at the same time. Count me as a major fan.” - Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s
“Ann Dee Ellis is my own personal J.D. Salinger. Sometimes haunted, sometimes haunting, but always achingly human, she finds truth in a burrito and a pizza boy, a fistful of gummy bears, and a dead science teacher. You will truly love this book.” - Margaret Stohl, New York Times bestselling co-author of the Beautiful Creatures series
“Ann Dee Ellis has one of the most interesting voices I know. I love the humor, honesty, and restraint with which she explores Emmys complicated relationship with the past, the present, and herself.” - Sara Zarr, National Book Award Finalist for Story of a Girl
Synopsis
"A timeless story for every young person who needs to understand that they are not alone." --Judy Blume "Once in a while, a novel comes along that becomes a generational touchstone. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one of those books." --R. J. Palacio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wonder
This #1 New York Times bestselling coming-of-age story with millions of copies in print takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory.
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky follows observant "wallflower" Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
A #1 New York Times bestseller for more than a year, adapted into a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson (and written and directed by the author), and an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), this novel for teen readers (or wallflowers of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.
Synopsis
Since its publication, Stephen Chbosky’s haunting debut novel has received critical acclaim, provoked discussion and debate, grown into a cult phenomenon with over three million copies in print, spent over one year at #1 on the
New York Times bestseller list, and inspired a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
Synopsis
standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective…but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. since its publication, stephen chbosky’s haunting debut novel has received critical acclaim, provoked discussion and debate, grown into a cult phenomenon with over a million copies in print, and inspired a major motion picture.
the perks of being a wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. the world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. of sex, drugs, and the rocky horror picture show. of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
Synopsis
Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective…but there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.Since its publication, Stephen Chbosky’s haunting debut novel has received critical acclaim, provoked discussion and debate, grown into a cult phenomenon with over two million copies in print, spent over six months at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, and inspired a major motion picture.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
Synopsis
I dont want to be this person anymore, but Ive been running for so long, I dont know how to stop, how to stand still, how to begin again.
Seventeen-year-old Cat is club kid royalty, with the power to decide who gets past the velvet rope at some of the hottest clubs in the city. She lives for the night with its high-inducing energy, pulsing music and those seductive white lines that can ease all pain. Her days are something else entirely. Having spent years enduring her mothers emotional and physical abuse, and abandoned by her father, Cat is terrified and alone. But when someone comes along who makes her want to truly live, shell need to summon the courage to confront her demons.
Both poignant and raw, White Lines is a gripping, coming-of-age tale for readers of Willow.
Synopsis
For fans of Sara Zarr and Stephen Chbosky, an achingly raw and surprisingly funny novel about coping with loss Emmys best friend Kim had promised to visit from the afterlife after she died. But so far Kim hasnt shown up even once. Emmy blames herself for not believing hard enough. Finally, as the one-year anniversary of Kim's death approaches, Emmy is visited by a ghostbut its not Kim. Its Emmys awful dead science teacher.
Emmy cant help but think that she's failed at being a true friend. But as more ghosts appear, she starts to realize that she's not alone in her pain. Kim would have wanted her to move forwardand to do that, Emmy needs to start letting go.
Synopsis
Read the cult-favorite coming of age story that takes a sometimes heartbreaking, often hysterical, and always honest look at high school in all its glory. Now a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson,
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a funny, touching, and haunting modern classic.
The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
A #1 New York Times best seller for more than a year, an American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults (2000) and Best Book for Reluctant Readers (2000), and with millions of copies in print, this novel for teen readers (or “wallflowers” of more-advanced age) will make you laugh, cry, and perhaps feel nostalgic for those moments when you, too, tiptoed onto the dance floor of life.
About the Author
Stephen Chbosky grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the University of Southern California's Filmic Writing Program. His first film,
The Four Corners of Nowhere, premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival and went on to win Best Narrative Feature honors at the Chicago Underground Film Festival. He is the recipient of the Abraham Polonsky Screenwriting Award for his screenplay
Everything Divided as well as a participant in the Sundance Institute's filmmakers' lab for his current project,
Fingernails and Smooth Skin. Chbosky lives in New York.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is his first novel.