The Breakfast Club turned 31 years old today. This classic 80s movie has so much wisdom to share.
Screws do fall out. The world is an imperfect place.
And when you grow up, your heart can die.
The characters discuss experience neglect and abuse, and talk openly about slut shaming.
Most of all, it showed that people are more than what they seem.
So, to celebrate this movie we wanted to share some booklists for characters that are more than they seem.
Andy is an athlete in detention for an extreme act of bullying (he duct taped someone in a very uncomfortable place). So, he might benefit from the perspective found in Leverage by Joshua C. Cohen, which a stark look at the realities of locker room bullying. As a wrestler, he might enjoy the graphic novel, Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life by Michael Krugman. And he might find himself surprised by how much he relates to the main character in The Sweetheart by Angelina Mirabella, a coming-of-age novel about a girl who is recruited to be a professional wrestler.
The Universe vs. Alex Woods by Gavin Extence would be perfect for Brian — it’s about an extraordinarily smart boy who’s been bullied, but know he is destined for greatness. As a member of the physics (and math, and chess) clubs, he might enjoy What is Relativity? by Jeffrey Bennett, which explains Einstein’s greatest ideas. And as a bit of a nerd, the text-based role-playing game that drives the plot of Wolf in White Van by John Darnielle would probably appeal to him.
Allison is not even supposed to be in detention. Everyone has deemed her an outcast, but she’s really quite insightful and observant about people. She might like the new YA novel Read Between the Lines by Jo Knowles, a day in the life of the complex social hierarchy in a suburban high school. But she might also like the literary short story collection St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves by Karen Russell. As an outcast, she might relate to the struggling rock journalist teenager in How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran.
I Will Save You by Matt de la Pena is about a boy living in a group home wondering if he could ever be with the beautiful, popular girl who seems perfect — which Bender might relate to. He also might like Charm & Strange by Stephanie Kuehn — a book about a boy with a terrible father and a terrible secret. Bruiser by Neal Shusterman is a suspenseful novel about the sacrifices we make for the people we love.
Claire, the popular princess, might related to the trials of Astrid, the anti-hero of Firecracker by David Iverson, who despite being the daughter of a billionaire, is forced to go to private school. She should appreciate the lessons learned by the popular girls in Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. Although she’s falling for a bad boy, she might enjoy reading about the perfect boy falling for a troubled girl in Dare You To by Katie McGarry.