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May and June are two of our combo months (along with December and January). We read just one book for May & June. It makes it a good time to catch on some other things. And this month (these months) the theme is: School’s Out! So, drumroll please… dun dah dah dah!!! Ok. That’s enough. For May & June we’ll be reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower. It’s a modern young-adult classic. Or at least that’s what we’ve heard. It’s one of those books that’s always on our TBR (to be read) lists, but somehow we’ve gone years without picking it up. And, maybe, watching the movie instead. Ahem. Well, enough procrastinating. It’s time to officially give this one a go. You in??

Well, you should be. And if the movie trailer doesn’t grab you (trust us, the story is about a lot more than it seems), here are a few more fun facts…

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was written by Stephen Chbosky and first published in 1999. Chbosky is a native of Pittsburg, as is our protagonist Charlie. But more on that later. Chbosky graduated from USC’s filmic writing program and wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of RENT. He even wrote and directed the feature film adaptation of this book! That’s a pretty impressive resume. It took him 5 years to develop and publish The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which has been banned in some American schools due to controversial content and met with some mixed reviews from critics. But most landmark books are, right? And with the premier and success of the 2012 film version the book reached the New York Times Bestseller list.

Set in the early 1990’s, this book tells the story of Charlie, who narrates through a series of letters to an anonymous recipient (us maybe?) as he treks through his freshman year of high school. The book’s powerful representation of a niche time in life has gained the book (and film) a cult following and made it a match for some required reading lists (that is, wherever it’s not banned). Hence, Bookly making it our choice for the May & June YA book!

Ok, now, are you in?! Good.

And one more thing, here’s a fun playlist to listen to while enjoying our May & June read…

Happy reading.