Books to Read Before the Summer Blockbuster Movies Come Out

The tearjerker to end all tearjerkers, John Green's novel is ostensibly for young adults, but it's been read by those far beyond its target age range (ourselves included!). The love story between Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters is witty (as only smart people in love can be), agonizing (as only first love can be) and spellbinding (as all real love must be). But it's also startlingly painful and profound, as the two struggle for something real and permanent in the face of death. True, much of the novel's dialogue appears verbatim in the film—such as when Shailene Woodley's Hazel declares, "I'm a grenade and at some point I'm going to blow up"—but, on screen, we just don't get her funny, insightful interior life. You might consider bringing the book to the movie and reading along where needed.