Editor’s Note: Student Union’s weekly columns are a joint effort of the region’s high schools, the Bangor Daily News and Acadia Hospital. The following column was written by Mount Desert Island Regional High School students. Their adviser is Beth Blugermanes.

As teenagers, we personally know how busy our lives can be, but we both find that one of the best ways to relax is by reading.

Not only is reading a tranquil activity, but it also expands our knowledge, perspective and imagination. Reading allows us to explore unknown worlds that we normally would never be able to see, yet most teens either don’t have the time to read or just flat out dislike it.

Why do so many teens refuse to read? By asking the students at MDI Regional High School, we discovered many of our peers claim not to have time, or that they choose not to read in their spare time. We also discovered that 38 percent will read only if a book is really good; 25 percent attempt to read a little bit every day; and 35 percent like to read. The other 2 percent of students don’t read at all unless they have to for school.

Thirty-seven percent prefer fictional books, 18 percent like fantasy the most, 4 percent read romance, 10 percent enjoy mystery, 13 percent selected nonfiction, and the remaining 10 percent like other types of books. Even though there are many bookworms at MDIRHS, there are still those who do not like to read.

Even the most stubborn person’s opinion on reading can change with the right book, yet busy schedules prevent many teens from having the time to browse. To make everyone’s lives easier, we have chosen a few books that we feel are very good.

George Orwell’s “1984”: This is an essential book for teens and adults, written in 1948, describing how the author predicted the future. It tells the story of Winston Smith, a man who lives in London, which is now in the country of Oceania, a country ruled by Big Brother, kept in line by the mind police (who can read your thoughts) and is a place where you aren’t even safe to think about your own opinions. It’s very interesting to see how George Orwell thought the future would turn out, and see how his predictions were both wrong and right.

E.R. Frank’s “America”: According to our school librarian, teens at the high school tend not to want to read this book because the title is unappealing. Instead of the overzealously patriotic book you think you are picking up, you actually meet a character America, who at first look is almost less appealing. This book jumps back and forth between the past and the present, when America is just 14 and in a mental institution after his recent suicide attempt. America is angry and feels forgotten. Abandoned by his mother, abused by his adopted uncle, then lost in the state foster-care system for years, America has a right to be angry. In this book, we hear the story of America’s miraculous recovery, about how a boy who spent his entire life lost finally became found.

Susana Kaysen’s “Girl, Interrupted”: This book was also made into a movie. However, many students do not know that the book is a more detailed story and includes many events the movie does not have, or changed. “Girl, Interrupted” is an exquisite novel about the author’s time spent in a psychiatric hospital. Having what the doctors call a “personality disorder,” she sees things from a different perspective, which is revealed throughout the book. It is a wonderful read for teens, showing the depths of friendship, hope and sanity.

Patricia McCormick’s “The Secret Life of Bees”: Don’t be fooled by the title. This book is a work of fiction set in 1964. It is about teenager Lily Owens, who struggles to remember what happened at the scene of her mother’s death so long ago. Tired of her father’s hurtful and cruel actions, she plans to escape with Rosaleen, a friend who was imprisoned for upsetting some racist men. Together, they travel to Tiburon, S.C., where they encounter three beekeepers who teach the runaway duo not only about bees, but the meaning of faith and life as well.

Schools participating in Student Union are Hampden Academy, Brewer High School, John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor, Old Town High School, Mount Desert Island Regional High School, Stearns High School in Millinocket, Nokomis Regional High School in Newport, Hermon High School, and Schenck High School in East Millinocket.