This is a beautiful story that has been waiting years to be told. It is the story of three sisters who are broken apart by an abusive father. They are pulled back together as if by magic. The sisters are so different and the way they experience the story is told so amazingly well. It is not a light read, but it is almost a profound experience when you do sit down to read it. Enjoy!
I would suggest this book for middle schoolers, has a great plot and teaches good lessons.
Offering a nuanced understand of identify and lived experiences, Peters poses the question, “What constitutes family?” The complexities that accompany transness, family, and self expression are explored beautifully in the book.
Howl's Moving Castle is a fantasy novel about the infamous wizard Howl, and a cursed hatmaker named Sophie.
Sophie Hatter is a pretty average girl whose been left to maintain her family's hat shop. However, she gets cursed one day by the Witch of the Waste and is turned into an old woman. Sophie, seeking out an end to her curse, finds her way into Howl's mechanical moving castle, and in it, she meets Calcifer, a snarky fire demon, Michael, Howl's kind apprentice, and of course, Howl. Howl, rumored to be an evil wizard who eats the hearts of young women turns out not to be so harmless after all. Sophie quickly decides to appoint herself as Howl's castle cleaner, and we follow Sophie and Howl through their escapades, rooting for Sophie's curse to be broken.
Howl's Moving Castle is truly a very lovely story, and as I read the story, I found that it was very easy and light to read. I enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere of the fairytale-like novel, and each of the characters all held a special place in my heart. I enjoyed how eccentric Howl was, and it was very entertaining to read through his and Sophie's bickering. I've also seen the Studio Ghibli film version of the story, and I think that both the film and book versions were equally as charming. All in all, I highly recommend this novel if you're looking for a light, magical read.
Reviewer Grade: 11
In a teen fiction romance meets Sylvia Plath's Bell Jar, Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer is a very interesting "spin-off" from Plath's breakout novel. We follow our protagonist, Jam, a troubled high-school girl sent to the Wooden Barn, a place to help teens with mental illnesses. Jam, although wary of the Wooden Barn, soon meets an interesting circle of friends, most of them in her Special Topics English class, led by Ms. Q, a quirky and interesting teacher. Special Topics only admits very few students each year, and we soon learn why that is so.
Jam and her friends at Special Topics all suffer from prior trauma, leading each of them to the Wooden Barn. Jam is currently attempting to get over her boyfriend--of 41 days, death. To work through these traumas, Ms. Q hands out special journals to each of the students, but the journals are far from normal, and instead teleport each of the students back into the time before their lives were ruined. But the catch is this: the students are only transported to this dream world when they're writing in the journal--and there's only a limited amount of pages left.
The plot of this novel was interesting enough, however, I found that as I continued to read, I began to not be able to stand Jam. I honestly found her to be a bit self-absorbed and delusional, and maybe Wolitzer did this deliberately, but I found Jam to not be a favorable protagonist. I also really didn't like the cliche stereotypes Wolitzer scattered throughout the novel, and there was a lack of good character building and the arcs built for the side characters all seemed rushed and sloppy. Truth be told, while the plot was creative enough, everything else seemed pretty surface-level, and the huge plot twist at the end really unraveled any scrap of importance that the story had left. I wouldn't say that this novel was the worst book I read, as it was a pretty fast and easy read, but I doubt that I'd ever consider picking this book up again.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Donna Tartt and her debut novel The Secret History is one that will stick with me for quite a long time.
The Secret History follows insecure Richard Papen, a somewhat timid boy from Plano California. Richard, desperate to leave Plano and his unattentive parents, decides to go to college at Hampden, a school in Vermont, specializing in Humanities. Of course, when Richard arrives, he completely falls in love with Hampden and its very "Dead Poets Society" vibe to the school. Previously wanting to be in the medical field, but soon after developing a distaste for the field, Richard promptly decides to turn to studying the classics. We discover Julian, the only teacher of Greek in the college, who only takes five students a year in his class. Somehow, Richard makes it into this selective course, becoming the sixth member. We as readers are introduced to the slightly odd and quirky members of the Greek class, and come along with Richard as he slowly develops a friendship with each of them. However, Richard deduces that something is off about his new friends, and with this, dark secrets are unraveled, and we watch as each of the classmates descend into madness.
The Secret History touches upon the study of human morality, and the concept that terrible things hold a kind of beauty to them. I really enjoyed reading this novel and being forced to face psychological dilemmas. What is good? What is evil? What makes someone good or evil? The Secret History really led me around by the nose, and I enjoyed the twists and turns I experienced because of this novel. There were many influential quotes in this story and the writing was beautiful. Even though the novel might have a darker mood, I couldn't help but be enraptured by every word Tartt set out for me.
Overall, if you enjoy a "dark academia" style of book, and is willing to read this novel with an open mindset, The Secret History is definitely for you.
Reviewer Grade: 11
My Life Next Door is a romance book about a girl named Samantha who is explicitly told by her mother not to associate herself with the Garrett’s, a family with a great number of children next door. Despite the warnings, Sam falls in love with one of the Garrett boys, Jase, and he ends up being an essential part of her life when things get wild with her mother’s political career. I really enjoyed this book, and it had an involved storyline with many twists and turns. The one reason I wouldn’t give it 5 stars is because the characters weren’t very relatable (at least for me), but it’s definitely worth a read! I would recommend it for teen girls looking for a good love story about kids their own age. It is also the first book in a series, so if you enjoy it there’s more where it came from!
The main gist of the fifteenth book by Jeff Kinney, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Deep End, is that Greg Heffley and his family have been living in their grandmother's basement ever since some "financial issues" surfaced in the previous book. Ergo, there house was destroyed by a hot tub falling through their roof. Anyways, the conditions in which they are living in are not only uncomfortable for Greg, but also extremely boring. He has to not only face being cramped in a basement with his family all summer, but he can't even go hang out with his best friend Rowley because he and his family are on a trip to Europe. The family comes to the conclusion that they need a vacation, but the problem is that they are in strict money-saving mode. With a stroke of luck, they are able to find opportunity when Greg's Dad's brother, Uncle Gary, leaves an old RV in Greg's great grandmother's driveway. They clean it out, buy supplies, and hit the open road. On the way to finding their perfect camping paradise, they hit many road-bumps such as finding a place to park the RV, getting lost in the woods, and having a run in with a bear. Finally, they find Campers Eden, which is an RV park and resort where it seems that they can enjoy the perfect vacation. Will things turn out the way they think, or will they go off, "The Deep End."
Personally, I fairly enjoyed this book despite the fact that I am probably older than most of the audience that enjoys it. I find that the simple humor and writing is a good thing to help me relax at night and give me a laugh at the same time. The main reason why I picked this book to read was because I had been reading the books since third grade and like to keep up with them even though they are not quite at my reading level anymore. The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book was it was the same basic story for the Long Haul which was the ninth book in the Wimpy Kid franchise. In the Long Haul the family decides to take a trip during their summer vacation so their family could bond. Besides this fact, the book was a fairly decent read. It was not necessarily the best book I have read this year, but it was a definite nice taste of nostalgia and humor. I would recommend this book for anyone in the second grade or higher. It is what I would call a timeless and easy read.
Catniss Everdeen is the young girl in District 12 who comes from poverty and hunting. When the Annual Hunger Games start their draft picks, Catniss volunteers as tribute to spare her sister. She has always had talent with a bow and arrow for hunting for food to provide dinner for her family. Catniss uses her skill to win the Hunger Games and eventually eliminate President Snow, the background of the merciless games. I loved the intelligence put into the book of the making of the games. Because of the fighting, there is some violence and gore, but it’s still family-friendly and can be read comfortably. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves quick thinking and thought-out mystery. Hunger Games is intriguing, well-planned, and is an all-time favorite for my family.
Neil Gaiman has written a lot of different books. His writing has been hit-or-miss for me, but nothing that's truly middle-of-the-road average. That was until I listened to Neverwhere. I appreciate how Gaiman narrates most of the audiobooks of his works that I've listened to so far, and Neverwhere was in line with the narration quality I expect from him. However, the content felt so mediocre that I honestly wouldn't have been surprised if it came from any other different British authors like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams (both of which are talented writers, mind you).
There's a distinct flavor of British comedy that comes through in the absurdist naming of characters and places in Neverwhere. Perhaps it's why I felt this book was so generic. It's your classic "Institutionalized" story where a man has (what seems to him) a stable life, only to have this life upended by a fantastical parallel world introduced by a character he eventually ends up falling in love with. While his interaction with this "London Below" made the main character invisible to his old life, he takes far too long to realize that the status quo he seeks is no longer desirable to him.
Maybe it's that I don't connect with these kinds of stories. They just seem so "meh" with bland characters trying to go back to their bland lives that it's always so obvious to the reader their life would be so much better in this new reality. Of course, I probably wouldn't pursue this fantastical new reality given the choice in my own life, but that's beside the point. Neverwhere contains all the trappings of this type of story, which is certainly entertaining for a bit but gets annoying the longer the main character refuses to change into their new selves.
An average institutionalized story with average British humor, I give Neverwhere 3.5 stars out of 5.
I'm glad Ender Wiggin's crewmates had this side series to explore their identities. While most of these characters were in the background of the Shadow series until now, Shadow of the Giant finally gives them time to shine on their own. After all, after three books focusing on Bean, it's nice to see the geopolitical drama unfold between these young tactical geniuses. I can definitely appreciate the storytelling that fills in the gaps between Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead .
With Achilles being killed off in the previous book, Shadow Puppets , the principal antagonist of the series left a vacuum on the world stage that was inevitably going to be filled by Ender's Jeesh. And while these individuals had aged to the point of young adulthood, I can't deny the clever game they played with entire nations so they could position themselves in stations of power. It's entertaining to read about these military and political maneuvers in a fictional context, mostly because things would probably play out similarly in the real world if the situations presented themselves.
Still, Shadow of the Giant needs to include a side-plot with Bean. There's not much to say here other than it was an adequate stringing along that left room to conclude the series in the next two books. That being said, everything else about this series was so well wrapped up by the end of this volume that I'm sure Shadows in Flight won't have the same feel as the previous entries in this series without including Ender's Jeesh and Peter Wiggin's rule as Hegemon. If you want to stop reading the series here, I wouldn't blame you.
A great wrap-up of global affairs with room to continue Bean's story, I give Shadow of the Giant 4.0 stars out of 5.
The Inheritance Games is about a 17 year old named Avery who mysteriously is put into someones will and inherits billions of dollars. But, she has to live in the owner of the will's house for a year with his four grandsons. Within the year, Avery goes through a series of riddles to figure out why she was the random person chosen to inherit this mans fortunes. He could have chosen any of his family members, but he chose her. Battling some hate and jealousy, Avery works with the boys to figure why it was Avery and not the family.
I loved this book! It was such an amazing book! The mystery of what would happen next kept me intrigued the whole time. I could not put down the book! I reccomend this book to anyone and everyone who can read!
The main plot of Homecoming begins when Dicey, Maybeth, James, and Sammy Tillerman are abandoned by their mother at a mall parking lot in the town of Peewauket for unclear reasons. Their father had already left them previously, so after many financial difficulties they were forced to take a trip to receive aid from their Great Aunt Cilla in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They were left with limited money, not enough for a bus, to somehow make their way to Bridgeport. Led by 13-year-old sister Dicey, they must rely on their wits and survival skills to pave the way to their home. Upon arrival, they hit roadblocks. Despite this, they are able to make more money and discover the valuable information their grandmother lives in the small town of Crisfield, Maryland. They are unsure whether or not she is safe because of the instability that runs in the family. Without anything to lose, they decide to make their way to Crisfield in a second attempt to find their home.
I really enjoyed this book because of how they hooked me in really well by creating an atmosphere of desperation and mystery. For example, "why did their father leave?" or, "was their grandmother crazy?" The even better part about this is at the end of the book, it spun up the story very well for a book in a series. Most books in a series, in my opinion, leave you wanting too much at the end of a book. This one just left us with a few key questions left to answer. One of the characters that I felt like I related to, or rather that I hope to relate to, was a character named Windy. Windy was a student at college who took the Tillerman's in when they needed him the most. He was extremely kind towards them and better yet, he did it in a humble way. I hope I can be like this character so I can shine brightness into someone's life that needs it someday. I believe, even though the year is young, that this will be one of the best books I will have read this year. This book was an amazing tale, which I would recommend to anyone in eighth grade or higher.
I would highly recommend "Here in the Real World" to any introvert looking for a lighthearted weekend read. When Ware's parents want him to be a more "normal" boy, they send him off to a summer camp, hoping he'll learn to like social interaction if he gives it a try. But instead of actually attending the camp each day, Ware hides out with a girl he meets named Jolene.
Jolene has been inhabiting a local church over the summer, and growing a small garden there. Since she's not willing to move, Ware begins helping with the garden every day, and a friendship blossoms between the two. However, trouble emerges once again when the two hear of city plans to demolish the rundown church. It's up to the two kids to save their garden - and the environment - before it's too late.
I found this story to be reminiscent of "Hoot" by Carl Hiassen, and think anyone who likes realistic fiction should give it a read. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I thought the low level of supervision the children had was a bit unreasonable and not realistic in today's society. But other than that, it's a superb book.
The story follows Jesse and his friend Bob as they try to escape from a preview of a game called Full Blast. I chose this book because I love playing video games, and this seemed like the perfect book for me. I enjoyed when the pair fought their hunter, using the one weapon he was not immune to. The book was mostly predictable, but in a video-game-like way, like you sort of know what's next, but you can never by quite sure. I can relate to the video-game-loving Bob, who always wants to show off his new creation or game. This is one of my favorite books, and I've read it probably way to many times. :) This is the first book in the series and they just get better from here!
The Someday Suitcase has become my favorite book. It is about two best friends named Clover and Danny. Danny later comes down with an unknown health issue. However, Clover learns that he is fine only when she is around. Clover does everything in her power to help him out. This story is an example of what a true friendship is. It also teaches you about love and loss. I highly recommend this book!
The Phantom of Opera by Gaston Leroux is actually a simple classic novel that is really beautiful yet an extremely compelling story in itself. As the very name suggests the book is about a Parisian Opera (Opera in Paris), that is apparently Haunted by an alluring and a mysterious Phantom.
The worst part is that the Phantom eventually falls in love with a soprano Christine Daaè which in the end causes a lot of trouble for the Parisian Opera House.
Anyhow let's get back to this book review. Though the story is actually all about romance and mystery it is also full of obsession and suspense. The book is a classic literature and a bit Broadway musical genre, it is perhaps not bad to say that the book is filled with a lot of suspense and almost an indefinite thought provoking moments that some would find very interesting, when some would find it awkward.
Even though the story itself does go deep into the Christine's childhood and the Phantoms backstory what we really enjoyed is the psychological aspect and angle of it. So, a lot of thrilling moments that will literally nail you to your stool or a bed while you read it.
"Scary Stories for Young Foxes" is an enchanting fantasy read involving several talking foxes. When two of them are separated from their families and meet each other under odd circumstances, they quickly bond and become good friends. They've both already had their share of scary experiences, so they find comfort in having a friend. That is, until they encounter more spooky sites, such as a monster who lurks in the pond nearby, and a lady who wants to trap them for good. What I enjoyed most about this story was the unpredictable plot twists. It had a fast pace, and never left me bored. The author has a way of smoothly transitioning from event to event without any hiccups or plot holes. I also enjoyed watching the two young foxes bond, fight, and bond again. And watch out for the plot twist at the end! The only reason I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars was because I was hoping for a slightly scarier story. At times, the monsters got a little too silly, which made it difficult to put myself in the shoes of the characters. Don't be fooled; this is certainly not a horror novel, and best for ages 11-14.
Reviewer's Grade: 8
Fablehaven is an easy read for a fantasy lover who wants an engaging story but doesn't want a hard read. Fablehaven reverts back to the original fantasy- fairies and giants, witches and demons. The types of creatures aren't hard to follow. therefore making more space for character development. You become rather attached to Kendra, and her reckless brother Seth.
Kendra is the oldest in their family of 4, and Grandma just died. Her last act was to give her parents a free cruise with the rest of the family, NO KIDS ALLOWED. That leaves Dad's side of the family to watch them. And that leaves the grandparents that they have never met. When they leave, Grandpa sets down one rule: Don't go into the woods. Then he leaves them with the rest of the property to explore. But, of course, Kendra's rambunctious brother Seth ONLY wants to go in the woods now. So when he claims to have found a witch after exploring the only forbidden area, they are set on an adventure that changes her perspective of her grandparents forever.
Seth has been given an entire mansion, almost. Nothing here is dangerous. And when Grandpa here bans an entire chunk of his property because of lice, Seth smells a secret. He grabs his survival kit, and goes to explore, despite Kendra's warnings. When he discovers a witch who has some obsession with knots or something, he cant wait to share! But those discovery means far more than he realized, and Grandma and Grandpa are far more than he realized.
Fablehaven is a twisty book with a great plotlines, and an easy to read but still engaging book. I recommend this to someone who just wants to relax and enjoy a book after a long day. Great fantasy novel, and would even work for a read aloud for younger siblings!
Reviewer Grade: 8
I picked this because the plot seemed very captivating, and it turns out it was! I also picked this because it was a different genre than what I normally read. The book kept me very hooked and contained many plot twists. Divergent has easily become one of my favorite books of all time.
The setting is a dystopian setting, in a post-apocalyptic era in Chicago. Society is divided into factions, which members stay in their whole lives after the Choosing Ceremony. Depending on which faction you are in, you abide by different rules. Tris Prior got an unusual result from her aptitude test, a dangerous result called Divergent. This means that she doesn’t belong to one faction. She transfers factions and does her best to keep her Divergence a secret, all the while making friends, and enemies, in her new faction. And then war breaks out, and suddenly, her Divergence comes in handy.
This book is absolutely amazing and kept me hooked the entire time. I was actually disappointed when I finished it because I wanted to keep reading, but it is one of the best books I have ever read.
Reviewer Grade: 8.