古人云，三日不讀書，便覺言語無味，面目可憎。假期過到現在，是不是內心有些空虛?本期特刊為您介紹幾本“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”，看看哪些文學作品鑄就了今天的美國人，或許對我們的人生也會有所啟發。
1. Little Women《小婦人》1868年
作者：(美)路易莎·梅·奧爾科特
 
讀書日特別推薦：“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”
 
[梗概]
19世紀，在風景如畫的美國新英格蘭地區，父親馬奇去了戰場，而家里的四個女兒——假小子喬、美麗的梅格、敏感的貝思以及浪漫主義的艾美——正當妙齡。
In picturesque 19th-century New England of the US, the 4 March sisters - tomboyish Jo, beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy - come of age while their father is off to war.
[簡評]
--我這本(《小婦人》)大概已有55年的歷史了，我看過至少25遍。這本書講述了一個家庭在特殊歷史時期通過特殊方式生存下來的故事。——讀者科里
My copy of this is probably 55 years old - I've probably read it at least 25 times. This is a story of a family that functioned in a particular way in a particular time. - Reader Corrie
--這本書棒極了。每個女孩都能在其中找到自己的影子。——讀者瑪莎
This book is so great. It has characters every girl could ever relate to. - Reader Martha
[精彩片段]
--"沒有禮物圣誕節怎么過?"喬躺在小地毯上咕噥。"貧窮真可怕!"梅格發出一聲嘆息，低頭望著身上的舊衣服。"有些女孩擁有榮華富貴，有些卻一無所有，我認為這不公平。"艾美鼻子輕輕一哼，難掩嫉妒之情。"但我們有父母姐妹，"坐在一角的貝思提出抗議。
"Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents," grumbled Jo, lying on the rug. "It's so dreadful to be poor!" sighed Meg, looking down at her old dress. "I don't think it's fair for some girls to have plenty of pretty things, and other girls nothing at all," added little Amy, with an injured sniff. "We've got Father and Mother, and each other," said Beth contentedly from her corner.
--"是的，喬。快樂的老處女勝過家庭怨婦，也勝過到處搜羅丈夫的不正經女人，"馬奇夫人用堅定的口吻說道。
"Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands," said Mrs March decidedly.
2. Harriet the Spy《小間諜哈里特》1964年
作者：(美)路易斯·菲茲修
 
讀書日特別推薦：“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”
 
[梗概]
哈里特·M·韋爾什是個間諜。她在日記里寫下她所認識的所有人的所有事，同學、好朋友也不例外。有一天，哈里特把日記弄丟了，日記落在了最不該看到它的人手中。她還沒來得及阻止，她的朋友們都讀到了那些關于他們每個人的真實的、甚至糟糕的過往。哈里特能否將她的生活拉回正軌并跟朋友們重修于好?
Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she's written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?
[簡評]
--5年級時第一次讀到《小間諜哈里特》，就被哈里特愛幻想、善于觀察和寫作的特質深深吸引。——讀者杰米
When I read "Harriet the Spy" in 5th grade, I was taken by Harriet's habit of wandering, observing and writing. - Reader Jamie
--哈里特可以與任何時期最偉大的文學人物媲美——如此的朝氣蓬勃，又遭遇了同齡人如此深切的誤解和非議。——讀者格里芬
She has to rank competitively with the greatest literary characters of all time - so spunky, so misunderstood, so maligned by her peers. - Reader Griffin
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--哈里特討厭數學。她身體里的每根骨頭都討厭數學。她花這么多時間討厭數學以至于沒時間學數學。
[Harriet] hated math. She hated math with every bone in her body. She spent so much time hating it that she never had time to do it.
--人有時不得不撒謊。但對自己，一定要永遠實話實說。
Sometimes you have to lie. But to yourself you must always tell the truth.
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy《銀河系漫游指南》1979年
作者：(英)道格拉斯·亞當斯
 
讀書日特別推薦：“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”
 
[梗概]
讓我們加入本書主人公阿瑟·鄧特的銀河冒險，看他怎樣跟勇敢的小伙伴福特·派法一起進入亂如麻的恐怖世界，引發一場令人捧腹的災難。鄧特被拋出地球之前，剛有一支宇宙施工隊將地球消滅掉，準備在原處建一條高速路。
Join the book's hero, Arthur Dent, as he travels the galaxy with his intrepid pal Ford Prefect, getting into horrible messes and wreaking hilarious havoc. Dent is grabbed from Earth moments before a cosmic construction team obliterates the planet to build a freeway.
[簡評]
--再沒有比這更搞笑的科幻小說了。——亞馬遜網站
You'll never read funnier science fiction. – Amazon.com
--我覺得我們在讀這本書時得時刻記住，這是一本寫于1979年的書。——讀者亞歷杭德羅
I think that one of the things that one has to keep in mind while reading this book is that it was written in 1979. - Reader Alejandro
[精彩片段]
--"我現在不想死!"他大聲喊道。"我的頭疼還沒好呢!我不想帶著頭疼上天堂!"
"I don't want to die now!" he yelled. "I've still got a headache! I don't want to go to heaven with a headache!"
--宇宙大總統手中沒有實權。他唯一的目標就是把人們的注意力從實權人物那兒轉移開。
The President of the Universe holds no real power. His sole purpose is to take attention away from where the power truly exists.
--"6乘以9是多少?""6乘以9，42。""對，就這些了。""我總覺得關于宇宙好像哪里出現了根本性的問題。"
"What do you get if you multiply six by nine?" "Six by nine. 42.""That's it. That's all there is." "I always thought something was fundamentally wrong with the universe."
--人生、宇宙和所有一切的終極奧秘就是——42!
The ultimate answer to life, the universe and everything is...42!
4. Sirena《海妖悲歌》1998年
作者：(美)唐娜·喬·娜波莉
 
讀書日特別推薦：“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”
 
[梗概]
船員們要去參加特洛伊戰爭，在航行途中遇到用歌聲引誘他們的美人魚賽麗娜和她的姐妹們，船員們應聲觸礁。只有一個幸存者。賽麗娜違背天后赫拉的旨意，照顧受傷船員，兩人因此墜入愛河。菲羅克忒忒斯愛的到底是賽麗娜的歌聲，還是她的靈魂?他能否掙脫情網去為榮譽而戰?
When mermaid Sirena and her sisters sing their siren songs to the sailors on their way to the Trojan War, the men crash their ships upon the rocks. There is one survivor. Sirena defies the goddess Hera by tending his wounds and soon the two are deeply in love. But does Philoctetes love Sirena's song, or her soul? And will the pull of honor prove stronger than the bond of love?
[簡評]
--作者沒有刻意迎合年輕讀者，而是用最美的筆觸縱情描繪出寓意深刻的故事。得出的教訓同樣令人難忘：不要為任何人改變自己。——讀者阿什利
Rather than pandering to younger readers, she poured out a poignant tale with the most beautiful language. The lesson was also unforgettable: Don't change yourself for anyone. - Reader Ashley
--很美的故事，但結局很悲情。推薦給所有年齡段的讀者。——讀者蘇琪
The story is lovely, but the ending is very sad. I recommend it to anyone of any age. - Reader Sookie
[精彩片段]
--我感覺到了星火。它的每一次閃耀都引燃我心中的情殤。
I feel the stars. Each sparkle sets aflame the pain in my heart.
--我渴望歌唱，我告訴自己不可以。但這種渴望難以抗拒。
I want so much to sing, I tell myself no. But it is so hard to keep from singing.
5. The Chocolate War《巧克力戰爭》1974年
作者：(美)羅伯特·科米爾
 
讀書日特別推薦：“改變美國青少年人生的書籍”
 
[梗概]
杰瑞·雷諾思索著海報上的一行字：我敢不敢撼動這宇宙?在一年一度的校籌款會上，杰瑞拒絕販賣巧克力的行為也許不算激進，但當他與學校里一個叫"守夜會"的秘密學社為敵時，他的抗爭才真正演變成一場全面戰爭。
Jerry Renault ponders the question on the poster: Do I dare disturb the universe? Refusing to sell chocolates in the annual school fund-raiser may not seem like a radical thing to do. But when Jerry challenges a secret school society called The Vigils, his defiant act turns into an all-out war.
[簡評]
--本書有力地說明了，要堅持你所信奉的，即使是一個人在戰斗。——讀者凱特
It's a powerful lesson about standing by what you believe in, even if you must do so alone. - Reader Kat
--世界是險惡的，你無法改變這個現實。努力反抗才是你最重要的出路。——本書作者羅伯特·科米爾
The world is evil and there's nothing you can do about it. Trying to fight against it is the most important thing you can do. - Robert Cormier, author of this book
[精彩片段]
--他厭惡自己的生活以這種方式繼續下去，漫長的還過得去的日日夜夜——不算好，不算壞，不算偉大，不算墮落，不算激動人心，什么都不算。
He hated to think of his own life stretching ahead of him that way, a long succession of days and nights that were fine - not good, not bad, not great, not lousy, not exciting, not anything.
--不在于你的塊頭有多大，而在于你怎樣運用你的身體。