One of the things that I love about summer is the abundance of books that come out. All those extra bookcases in the bookstores with suggested summer reading.

I come across an oldie but goodie recently. Forever… by Judy Blume.

What girl doesn’t like Judy Blume? I read Forever last month, and it’s amazing the impact that this book had on me. It was the catalyst for one of the novels I wrote in high school. Certain phrases I remember saying came from this book.

What impressed most about this book is that it was written in the 70’s but even reading it now, it’s still relevant. That’s the thing about writing about universal themes—they are truly timeless.

For me, I consider Forever to be a teen classic. Sort of like a rite of passage for readers—the start of reading books that deal with real-life situations in an honest manner.

I also came across a book of essays out this week, Shelf Discovery: The Teen Classics We Never Stopped Reading by Lizzie Skurnick.

A big bonus in the book is that one of my favorite authors, Tayari Jones, wrote an essay about Forever.

It’s amazing how we remember the books that touched us as young people and how those same books touch teens today. I guess this is the lasting impression of a classic.