HIGH LIFE : A Lot of Enjoyment Found in Literature

From book reports to books for fun, teen-agers spend a lot of their time reading.

Here are some responses to this week’s hot topic: “What’s the best book or play you’ve read since you’ve been in high school?”

“ ‘Tale of Two Cities’ because I like reading (Charles) Dickens.”

--John Young, 16, senior, Corona del Mar

“ ‘We read ‘Trinity’ by Leon Uris in Advanced Placement Literature. It made me realize the plight of the Catholic Irish in Northern Ireland.”

--Vicki Kennedy, 17, senior, Dana Point

“ ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus and ‘No One Here Gets Out Alive’ by Denny Sugerman.”

--Richard Hartzell, 16, senior, Dana Point

“ ‘Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ (by Robert Louis Stevenson) was great.”

--Dara Aicklen, 16, junior, Estancia

“ ‘Moby Dick’ (by Herman Melville) is meaningful and symbolic.”

--Karl Bui, 17, senior, Estancia

“ ‘Macbeth’ (by William Shakespeare) because it is famous and has a reputation that validates its greatness.”

--Erich Salvacion, 16, junior, Estancia

“ ‘Lord of the Flies’ (by William Golding) was the only book that contained action and suspense.”

--Neven Burica, 17, senior, Estancia

“ ‘The Princess Bride’ (by William Goldman).”

--Read Johnson, 14, freshman, Foothill

“ ‘Medea’ by Euripides.”

--Tara Suan, 15, junior, Foothill

“ ‘Catcher in the Rye’ by J.D. Salinger.”

--Jeanette Reed, 17, senior, Foothill

“ ‘A Separate Peace’ (by John Knowles).”

--Vicki Wilhelm, 16, junior, Foothill

“ ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ (by Douglas Adams).”

--Chad McHenry, 17, senior, Foothill

“ ‘The Great Gatsby’ (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) because I learned a lot about the American Dream.”

--Curtis Kin, 16, senior, Foothill

“ ‘The Iceman Cometh’ by Eugene O’Neill because of the characters and their dreams. It is a depressing book, but it is well written.”

--David Sampica, 17, senior, Foothill

“ ‘Pride and Prejudice’ (by Jane Austen) because I liked the story and I liked how proper everyone was.”

--Adriana Araiza, 17, senior, Mater Dei

“ ‘The Glass Menagerie’ by Tennessee Williams. I liked it because I relate to the main subject, Laura, living in her own dream world, not in reality.”

--Katrina Haines, 17, senior, Mission Viejo

“ ‘The Princess Bride’ (by Goldman) because of the action and suspense. It kept me interested with every line.”

--Chris Witbeck, 17, senior, Mission Viejo

“ ‘Night’ and it was written by a Jewish author (Elie Wiesel) whose family died in German concentration camps.”

--Erin Fitzgerald, 16, senior, Mission Viejo

“ ‘Pygmalion’ (by George Bernard Shaw)--it’s like the play ‘My Fair Lady.’ ”

--Lisa Garbut, 16, junior, Mission Viejo

“ ‘Farenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury. It provides great insight into a modern problem with eloquence in a future time.”

--Stu Gripman, 16, junior, Mission Viejo

“ ‘The Great Gatsby’ (by Fitzgerald) because it captures your attention fast and it’s glamorous.”

--Laura Haxel, 17, senior, Newport Harbor

“ ‘2061: Odyssey Three’ (by Arthur C. Clarke)--I like science-fiction novels and I thought that this was an interesting one.”

--Todd Hitomi, 14, freshman, Servite

“ ‘Flowers in the Attic’ (by V.C. Andrews).”

--Karin Ming, 14, sophomore, Southern California Christian

“ ‘Fisherman’s Lady’ and ‘Marqui’s Secret’ by George McDonald.”

--Cary Oliver, 18, senior, Southern California Christian

“ ‘The Hiding Place’ by Corrie Ten Boom.”

--Julie Martin, 14, sophomore, Southern California Christian

“ ‘Where the Red Fern Grows’ (by Wilson Rawls) was my favorite book because it’s made me cry.”

--Hannah Chung, 15, sophomore, University

“ ‘R.U.R.’ (by Josef and Karel Capek)--this play was like nothing I’ve ever read before.”

--Andy Graurer, 15, junior, Valencia

“ ‘The Dead Zone’ by Stephen King.”

--Greg Geissman, 15, junior, Valencia

“ ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ (by Harper Lee).”

--Eric Anderson, 15, sophomore, Valencia

“ ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (by Shakespeare) because that is the only book or play that I’ve read so far in high school.”

--Thad Beeler, 15, sophomore, Valencia

“ ‘The Invisible Man’ by Ralph Ellison.”

--Shauna Scollick, 17, senior, Villa Park

“Either ‘Othello’ (by Shakespeare) or ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ (by Alexandre Dumas).”

--Kathleen Diaz, 17, senior, Whittier Christian

Next Week’s Hot Topic: What’s the best television show of all time and why?

Hot Topic responses gathered by Chris Bergerud, Joanna Brooks, Julie Graves, Rebecca Leung, Chi Mai, Hai Pham, Elena Rego, Jena Swail.