In the newer generations of students, many teens have leaned away from reading and towards scrolling through TikTok or other social media apps. For a lot of teens, it can be hard to actually want to read a book and relate to it. But the Boys of Tommen series by Chloe Walsh is one book series that might be able to change that for BASH students.
The Boys of Tommen books focus on a group of Irish teenagers who deal with problems that BASH students might also struggle with, like abuse, poverty, addiction, mental health, and complicated family situations.
In the books, instead of showing “perfect” lives, Chloe focuses on presenting the characters with real struggles and making mistakes while trying to figure out who they are, just like many BASH students.
The first book in the series, Binding 13, was originally self published by Chloe on Wattpad in 2018. After it became very popular on BookTok, publishers picked it up and put it on bookstore shelves around the world.
Since then, more and more teens have discovered the series through social media, primarily through TikTok, where BookTok helped it gain popularity
For the BASH students who say they “hate reading,” the Boys of Tommen series may be different. These characters are high school students dealing with things that many BASH students relate to, from sports to relationships.
These books don’t make the characters seem perfect, so readers who can relate may feel seen and understood through the series.
Some BASH students have already started reading the series and say that even though the books are longer than the standard, around 800 pages each, they are hard to put down.
“I usually just scroll on TikTok after school,” one BASH freshman said, “but when I started Binding 13, I actually wanted to keep reading since it felt like the characters were actual people.”
As more teens who scroll rather than reading, the Boys of Tommen series shows that books can still grab our attention and not feel fake, but rather relatable.
For students at BASH who are looking for something else to do but scroll, the Boys of Tommen series might just be the thing to read.
