By Megan O'Connell, Student at University of Wisconsin – Platteville

Whether you’re hitting up the sandy beaches or going home for a weeklong visit to see Mom and Dad, you’ll probably find yourself having some down time.

Spring Break is the perfect opportunity to not only catch up on your favorite TV shows, but also to catch up the top five "must-read" books of the spring season, in my opinion.

1) “The Hunger Games” Series by Suzanne Collins

If you haven’t read the series already, you should seriously consider doing so. Be forewarned though, once you start, it’s impossible to stop. The series is about what is presumed to be a post-apocalyptic North America rebuilding civilization in the form of a capitol that controls 12 districts. Sound a little boring? Wait until you read further and find out what the capitol does to keep the districts from rebelling. And that’s just book one.

2) “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett

Another must-read of the season, this book is one of the most motivational and inspiring books I have read in a long time. One young writer with the help of unlikely friends changes one Mississippi city's perceptions in the 1960s. Perceptions of what? You’ll have to read to find out. You might find the dialect in the book hard to get used to, but it’s definitely worth it. And never forget, “You is kind, you is smart, you is important.”

3) “Lone Wolf” by Jodi Picoult

If you’ve never read a Jodi Picoult novel, you’re really in for a edge-of-your-seat read. A middle-aged father gets caught up in his work and faces the consequences in his family life. Years after his son walks out on the family he must return and with the help of his sister, they must make a life-changing decision that forces them to challenge their usual emotions and methods of thinking.

4) “Girlchild” by Tupelo Hassman

Hassman leaves readers nothing but pleased with her debut novel, “Girlchild." “Girlchild” is the story of a young girl, Rory Dawn Hendrix, trying to break free from her predetermined future of living the trailer park she grew up in. The novel follows Rory’s life as she takes her future into her own hands.

5) “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte

Maybe you had to force yourself through this novel in junior high. But I highly recommend picking the novel up again and giving it another chance. Open the pages and dive into the exciting and wrenching life that is Jane Eyre. Her passions become yours as you get lost in the pages of this thrillingly emotional novel.

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