Other Award(s)

: I just need to start off by saying that this book is more than Bohemian Rhapsody awesome, and that song is my jam! This book was so beautifully written and it made me bawl my eyes out at some points. John Green does such a good job at making the reader feel like they are a character in the book. It all starts when sixteen year old Hazel Grace reluctantly goes to her cancer support group. She feels the sensation that someone has their eyes on her, so she glances across the room only to see drop dead sexy Augustus Waters. Many days of talking and helplessly falling in love lead up to being Amsterdam as part of a "cancer perk". After a plethora of adventures in either Amsterdam or Indiana, including an encounter with a drunken author, tragedy strikes. With love and lost battles, the truth hits hard and must be accepted. I chose this book because it was gifted and recommended to me by a friend. I'm a rather picky reader, but this exceeded my standards by about a million. I think the part I enjoyed the most about this book is just the fact that every single tiny little detail was thought about. John Green puts so much effort into his books and cares about each and every one of his characters he writes about. With every page flip a new sort of surprise was waiting to be read, and that is also part of what I loved. Believe me, this is one of the best books I have ever read and only took me a couple days, if not a week to read.

"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" is an adventurous book about a young boy named Jacob who wants more. He had grown up in a normal town with a normal family, feeling different. His grandfather felt the same when he was a kid, and when he dies, Jacob uncovers a huge power that he has. That power helps him find Miss Peregrine and her peculiar children, and they all need to work together to fight evil. This book is part of a trilogy, and gets better with every page. At first it can be hard to get into, but once you start to read, you can not go back. This story is filled with plot twists, cliffhangers, and exciting events to keep the reader engaged. This book is fictitious and takes place in both modern and past times. If you love interesting tales, a little bit of creepiness, and an amazingly well written novel, this book is for you!

One of King's most famous books, Salem's Lot is a story about vampires that doesn't exactly rival King's other books in terms of plot and suspense. However, it's still a great book that is very enjoyable. The book is about a vampire that eventually turns the entire town into vampires themselves, and a small group consisting of a doctor, a priest, a writer, and a little boy all fight back against the outbreak. The book does a good job of building up the villain and the characters, but the horror is not exactly the preliminary theme here. Instead, it is more focused on the drama and action, which is fine, but for an author who is famous for his horror novels, this book was slightly underwhelming. However, I would still recommend it to Stephen King fans or anyone looking for a good book.

Flipped is an innocent novel with characters that the audience either sympathizes or connects with easily. The novel follows children Bryce Loski and Juli Baker in a period of coming of age starting when Juli moves into Bryce’s neighborhood in the second grade. She develops an annoying and persistent crush on him that Bryce just wants to go away but over the course of six years their feelings flip for each other. Bryce, once distant and cold, is now interested in Juli but he does not show this new feeling well after he upsets her on three separate occasions which causes Juli to begin to dislike him. There is also a movie based on the novel which I think does justice to the book portraying everyone accurately and evoking the appropriate emotions. The only major difference is the time period, the novel takes place from 1994-2000 and the movie takes place from 1957-1963. I personally enjoyed the the 1957-1963 setting better because that emphasizes the whole playing with the neighbors outside for hours and everyone knows everyone aesthetic which is necessary to the plot. Flipped is a quick read I read for the first time in the fifth grade in elementary school but continue to enjoy now as a high schooler.

Max has been caring for everyone, the flock, since the person who was like a father to them disappeared. Each one of them contains a special ability, including wings. They don't know what had happened, only that they had been in the lab for too long until their father figure helped them escape. But when creatures called erasers take their youngest, Angel, back to where they were created, they have to rescue her, along with trial and error.

This was a very good book. I listened to it on audio and the narrator was fantastic. The climax of the book takes place during a dust storm, which is a classic case of the natural elements reflecting the story line. A bit contrived, yes, but good for young readers. The conclusion was textbook, but also okay for younger readers. If you'd like to read a good story with no surprises, this book is for you.

I was required to read Into the Wild for English class and normally I’d be procrastinating to get into those books but I enjoyed this one a lot. In 1990, based on real life events, a wealthy boy named Christopher McCandless, fresh out of college from the East Coast, abruptly decided to donate all of his money to charity, sever contact with his parents, and set out for the great Alaskan wilderness. He journeyed all over the West Coast traveling around California, New Mexico, and Arizona and even held a job at a farm in South Dakota, eventually renaming himself Alexander Supertramp. Alexander picked up new skills and information such as how to skin a moose, different camps he might stay at, what weapons he needed, etc. from all of the individuals he met. For years, he remained in the continental United States but his goal was always to live off the earth in Alaska - he thought there was more to life than the money and fame his parents treasured. What I enjoyed most about this book was that there were actual accounts of Alexander’s journey either from his personal journal or the friends he encountered that allowed the readers to sympathize with Alexander and understand his goal despite his unfortunate fate. The problem with the novel was that I think Alexander was portrayed to be more conscientious and experienced than he truly was due to the fact the author, Jon Krakauer, outright states he idolizes him in the foreword. This concept can also be emphasized by the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter that provide quotes from famous adventure novels including The Call of the Wild and White Fang as if trying to ensure that Alexander was the hero Krakauer thought he was. However, I did find Krakauer’s bias easier to support the claim that Alexander was naive. Why else would the author be trying so hard to prove he was not? Slow-paced at some parts, but I do think this is an interesting telling of what so many individuals are afraid to do.

Spy School, by Stuart Gibbs, is a really good, light, and easy read. The book's main attraction is its plot twists. The unknown double agent, hidden 'spy' school, and secret organization all combine to make a great action-packed, half-romance novel. The ending also gets the reader hyped up for the next book in the series. Stuart Gibbs uses great foreshadowing throughout the book, and hints at every little detail in the plot. Although the plot is sort-of cliche and some characters are kind-of bland, the book sums up to be a highly entertaining read. I would recommend this book to anyone willing to put in the little time it takes to read it.

Stuart Little, by E. B. White, is quite the fascinating tale of an adventurous mouse on a quest to find his beloved, lost friend. The book is endlessly entertaining, and Stuart the mouse hooks the reader with his various shenanigans. Rather than developing the side characters, E. B. White strives and succeeds at focusing on peculiar Stuart and amusing the reader. The side plots also fit very nicely into the main story. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone, as it is a quick, easy, and wondrous read.

"I'll Give You The Sun," is a touching story about relationships, heartbreak, and love. This story is told from the point of views from Noah and his twin sister, Jude Sweetwine. "I'll Give You The Sun," starts with a broken family that appears like it will never be mended and everything will remain shattered for life. However, as the plot progresses, the reader understands that nothing is permanent and mistakes can be fixed. Life can be renewed and more glorious as ever. This book really emphasizes the quote, "No rain, no flowers." My only critique for this book is that it gets inappropriate at some points; this book is more suited for an older audience.