Do these books live up to the hype?

In the modern world, everything is hyped. We get easily psyched about movies, gadgets, toys, restaurants, music — even people whose names generate excitement among the general populous. Merriam-Webster defines hype as “to promote or publicize extravagantly.” And with the extravagant promotion of cultural entities like music and movies, it can become difficult to distinguish between something people genuinely love and connect to and something people like simply because of its popularity.

Books are no exception. Best-sellers’ lists and social media have allowed books to gain star-status among bookworms, making it difficult to tell whether or not they are worth the read. The Harry Potter series, The

Hunger Games and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo have become so-called literary classics because of their popularity. And while they may be worth the read to many, those who haven’t read them may find themselves wondering if they live up to the hype or if they are simply overrated. Many classics are often seen as “masterpieces,” an idea often promoted by teachers focusing on the writing style and composition. But are they really better than other books?

For teens who love to read, popularity often makes a difference in their choices — either because they are drawn to popular novels or because they would prefer to rebel against the mainstream. So in this week’s Generation Next book issue, teen writers take a look at some popular books to see if they do indeed live up to the hype.