Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. T. Egerton, Whitehall. 1813.
A book doesn't need overly complex language to be great. You also don't have to be an adult to enjoy a great book. Pride and Prejudice is a story that is actually pretty relevant to tweens who pick it up. Family, friendship and love are the keys themes. Also, Jane Austen isn't just for girls. My brother loves Jane Austen. He also likes books like A Clockwork Orange, so yeah, I have little patience for boys who complain about Jane.
Elizabeth Bennet's family is driving her crazy. Her mother will go to any length to pair her daughters up with eligible young men, even if it means almost killing Lizzy's older sister Jane. Jane is too shy to let Mr. Bingley, the object of her affection, know how she really feels about him. Mary is overly verbose and awkward. Kitty and Lydia are giggling, boy crazy, gossips who seem to have no concern for anyone but themselves. Mr. Bennet is grumpy all the time and never really does anything about anything, which is why Mrs. Bennet is on this voracious man hunt in the first place. If Mr. Bennet dies, the rest of the family will be sent to the poor house. Enter Mr. Darcy. He at first snubs Lizzy, but over time he falls madly in love with her, and really kind of saves the day at the end. One of the reasons that this book holds the test of time is that the reader gets all sides of the fairytale. Mr. Darcy gets to be the knight in shinning armor, but the story is not complete without Lizzy's wisecracking and quick witted observations. She is out to set things right for those she loves, and doesn't let what people think of her get in the way. A true heroine if there were any.
A great book for 8th and 9th graders. This ATOS level bugs me since the Sense and Sensibility level is 8th grade.
ATOS Book Level: 12.0
AR Points: 27.0
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