Testimony by Anita Shreve is about a scandal at a local college-prep called Avery. It takes us through the events that led up to the scandal in an intriguing and intense way. The characters are beautifully written, which makes this book all the more tragic. Shreve takes an inhuman event an connects us to it through lovable characters, many different perspectives, and tough ethical dilemmas. Though this book is heart-wrenching, I strongly recommend it for Shreve's lucid writing.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Less than Zero is a 1985 book that reveals the reality and hardships of being a teenager in Los Angeles. Though the majority of the kids in this book are filthy rich and spoiled, their lives are quite depressing.
This book is not for the faint of heart. However, it is extremely well-written and very evocative. Ellis does not hold anything back in writing this, which is part of my appreciation for it. The characters are hauntingly complex yet dry, which serves this book perfectly. I recommend Less than Zero because it feels real, and the bleak tone is very thought-provoking.
This is an amazing book. So stark and unforgiving, written exactly like Siberia and the arctic circle. This isn't an autobiography but it sounds like it could be. I have no doubt that Lina's circumstances happened to thousands during Stalin's reign. The writing was so realistic I could feel the wind and the cold and every terrible thing that came with it.
At first, Raesha thinks she is an ordinary girl. She has a sweet, affectionate boyfriend and her best friend Asia. She loves horses, just like her mother did, before she passed away due to cancer. Everything seems normal until one day, a new girl moves into town, accidentally hurts Raesha's dog, flirts with her boyfriend, and steals her best friend! She suddenly fills with hatred and jealousy towards the new girl and the rest of her friends.
Then, having no one to support her, she starts despising herself until she does the unthinkable.
This story is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. The characters are very well developed and makes you attached to each and every one of them.
I was definitely able to relate to the main character, and many readers might relate with some situations in the book. I especially enjoyed the poetic style of the author, giving the story a nicer flow. I highly recommend you read this book. You won't regret it.
The First Four Years is the last book in the Little House series. It does not read like a Little House Book. The style is completely different, which is probably because it was an unfinished manuscript which Rose, Laura’s daughter, never edited. A notable difference is that Laura never refers to Almanzo by his name; instead, she affectionately calls him “Manly.” Another thing that differs vastly here from the rest of the Little House books is the sheer amount of tragedy and hardship. At the end of the book everything goes wrong in a cascade of unfortunate tragedies. This book reminded me of Laura’s The Long Winter but without the rewarding change in fortune. The very end manages to be optimistic, but in real life things did not immediately get any better for Laura. However, if you are at all interested in the life of the remarkable Mrs. Wilder, this book is worth the read. I would recommend it not as a Little House book, but as more of an autobiography of the real Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Reviewer Grade: 9
Jason Reynolds (author) + Guy Lockhard* (narrator) = Magic
Castle Cranshaw, aka Ghost, has been running from things his whole life: his violent father, the consequences of altercations at school with a bully, and most of all, the anger that's been building up inside him. So Ghost has a ton of natural talent, which he puts to use when he inadvertently impresses the coach of a local track team. After the coach begs him to join, and Ghost reluctantly agrees, he begins to see that he might be happier if he runs towards something instead of away from everything.
I listened to this audiobook, and it was excellent. I really struggle with middle grade fiction, as I oftentimes have trouble identifying with the characters (I mean, middle school was a loooooooong time ago), but Reynolds took me right back to the thick of it. In a good way. The day-making/ruining things your classmates would say, interactions with adults in positions of authority, and not really being sure about who you are and what you want in life - Reynolds nails it all. Moreover, Ghost is just a straight up likable character, even as he makes poor decision after poor decision. We really get to see him grow over the course of the novel, and even as he does the wrong thing, his heart is usually in the right place. I loved his relationship with his mother, and later, with Coach. There aren't always positive adult relationships in fiction for young people, and so it was nice that Ghost had so many adults that he could turn to. The secondary characters were just as dynamic, and also had very serious problems of their own to deal with. I'd read a book about any of them. Shoot, I wanted to adopt most of them. As a runner myself (although I'm not competitive and do longer distances), I really liked that the book was about track as it's not a sport we read or hear a lot about. There's a bit about fartleks that was pretty hilarious, and I think runners (Land Sharks, anyone?) will find a lot to love here.
If you are looking for a book to listen to or read with your kids, this is a great one. There are loads of teachable moments, and it is ultimately a heartwarming tale of self-discovery. I couldn't get enough of it - 5 stars.
*Shout out to Guy Lockhard - he narrated the other Jason Reynolds book that I've listened to (All American Boys), and he is a fantastic narrator. It seems like Reynolds thinks so as well, because it looks like Lockhard will be narrating Reynolds' recently released book about Spiderman Miles Morales. I may have just put that on hold...
I think that this book is amazing and shares a wonderful message about how a boy has always wanted hunting hound dogs and when he saw an opportunity to get one holds on and wont let go. The author shares wonderful stories of his life with the dogs and then when one dog dies the other won't eat drink or rest and sleep it uses the last of its strength to crawl up to the other dogs grave and when it dies they bury the other dog there. And red fern then grows on top of it and red fern symbolizes that an angel puts red fern on top of the special things who die. And red fern is very rare.
See, here's the problem: I wasn't that enamored with the first book in this series (Me Before You). It just didn't wow me. So with that book as a jumping-off point, this book didn't stand a chance at getting above 3 stars. Still, it was pretty good. The ending was super cheesy, though, which tempts me to give it 2 stars. But hey, I'm feeling generous, so 3 stars it is.
This is a sweet book. It's not so mind-blowing as to warrant an in-depth review, so I'll just leave it at that.
Flush, written by Carl Hiaasen was about a boy, named Noah. Noah has a father who is in jail for sinking a boat called the Coral Queen. His father has been put in jail before, and never regrets what he has done because he believes that he is responsible for his actions, and it is worth it for what he has done. Noah is used to his father doing crazy stuff like this, because when Noah's father sees something that upsets him, he will do whatever he can to stop it, especially with people hurting and damaging wildlife. The reason he got recently put in jail is because he claimed that he saw the boat putting all of their sewage into the ocean water. Even though his dad does lots of crazy and unpredictable things, Noah thinks his dad would never lie to him about what he saw. He starts to investigate and tries to prove that the Coral Queen did in fact put sewage into the ocean. This book did surprise me in some ways, and the book got more and more interesting as it went on.
Reviewer grade:
What I liked about The Secret of the fortune Wookie is that it is humorous and related to Star Wars! For those who like humor and Star Wars, you would love reading it. It is about a kid named Dwight and his friends.
Dwight makes an origami Yoda and it uses the "force". But Dwight gets suspended and his friends don't know what to do without him. Would he want to come back to school after his suspension is over? Is he still interested in origami Yoda anymore? Find out in The Secret of the Fortune Wookie!
Reviewer Grade 7
Everyone should read A Thousand Splendid Suns at one point or another. This book is about Afghanistan over the past 50 years. It follows 2 women in Afghanistan and reveals the horrors of their lives. Though fiction, A Thousand Splendid Suns is by no means exaggerated or unrealistic. Some parts of this book are heart-wrenching, gruesome, and may make you cry, but other parts will undoubtedly warm your heart and put a smile on your face. This book is extraordinarily well-written and meaningful, and I strongly recommend it.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Chomp, written by Carl Hiaasen, was a great book that I read this year. The book was about how a boy named Wahoo, who has anything but normal life. His father keeps many wild animals in their own backyard- including an alligator and large snakes. When his father gets injured by an animal falling on his head, and Wahoo's mother goes to China, he is left to take care of all the animals and his father. One day, he and his father get a phone call from a television show that wants to use their animals for their nature show. Wahoo and his father end up saying yes, and they meet the star of the show. It didn't turn out as well as expected, because the star of the show is very confident in himself, and very selfish and rude. When he tries to film for his show, the alligator ends up getting very angry at him, and starts fighting with him. He ends up surviving, but since he saw the video, he thinks he can do anything crazy with animals. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was unpredictable, funny, and interesting to read.
Reviewer grade: 8
The Fault in Our Stars, written by John Green, is a very good novel that I have read this year. The main character in the book, is named Hazel Lancaster. Hazel has had a lung cancer that left her to have to use an oxygen tank every day. She thinks that she has a boring life, because she reads her favorite book over and over again, she stays at home every day, besides going to the support group for other people similar to her who have had cancer before. When she goes to this support group one day, she meets someone names Augustus Waters, and they become friends. He was at the support group because he had osteosarcoma and lost a leg. She tells him the favorite book she reads every day, and he decides to read it and, and ends up loving it.
Augustus surprises Hazel, and tells her that he hasn't used his "wish" yet- what cancer patients get when they may not live much longer. He told Hazel that he wants to go to Amsterdam and meet the author of Hazel's favorite author together. After a long time with doctors deciding if it is okay and safe if they can go, they finally are able to go to Amsterdam. This book was not predictable, and I enjoyed reading it a lot. The book had lots of parts in it that were funny, and sad. This book is one of the best ones I have read this year.
Reviewer grade: 8
Even though Save Me A Seat is a Children's book, I ABSOLUTELY loved it. A really wonderful story told by Joe and Ravi. Both boys are "different". Joe has a sensitivity to noise (auditory processing disorder), while Ravi is the new kid in school as his family has moved from India. Both Joe and Ravi have challenges in the classroom, with their classmates, and even at home. But they both work at facing their challenges and in the end become friends. A really great story and read, no matter what age you are!
Although it was a little hard for me to get into this book, once I did I was hooked. This book is about Scout, a 7 year old girl who is dealing with the hardship of her father having to defend a black man of rape in the 1940's. Along the way, Scout and her brother Jem meet Dill and they spend their summers together. Dill wants to get Boo Radley to come out of his house, and in the end, he does. With this book is the message to put yourself into others shoes to see how they feel. A classic book, great for anyone.
The novel “To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee may strike your perception as a seemingly uninteresting story. The book tells the tale of two young children in a sleepy Alabama town, and at face-value, the plot does not garner much intrigue. However, I was in the same situation when I was required to read this book in the spring of my freshman year at high school.
Indeed, while at first the story seemed boring, as I continued to carry on with reading, every turn of the page immersed me ever further into Lee’s timeless story.
As a reader, you share the emotions felt by Jem and Scout, two young siblings, as they learn the nuances of life in the prejudiced American South during the early 1900s. Not only was their community weakened by the economic collapse of the Great Depression, but also sickened by the bitter contempt felt among whites and blacks.
In the beginning of the novel, Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and her brother Jem innocently play games with their friend “Dill” and enjoy life in Maycomb with their father, Atticus. During this time, they have little to no apprehension of the racial tension hanging in their society, but when their father, Atticus Finch, who works as lawyer, openly chooses to defend an African American in court, trouble arises.
Jem and Scout undergo a number of personal developments during the course of the novel. While at first, they carry with them a genuine and child-like innocence, the court trial their father has taken on exposes them to the racist indignity felt by their fellow community members. Jem and Scout struggle to balance their conflict between the social norms of Maycomb and the morals their father has instilled in them. With the trial’s end, Jem and Scout are lead to discover the imperfections of their society, and the ways with which they are forced to deal with them. As the reader follows along, they not only watch Jem and Scout change, but they too themselves are shaped through Lee’s captivating story.
Overall, I enjoyed most aspects of the book. Although some scenes I felt were a bit plain and unprogressive, these minor flaws were overshadowed by the powerful themes Lee expresses through the story. If you haven’t already read To Kill a Mockingbird, I would certainly give the novel a try. If not for the genuine enjoyment of reading the story, try this novel to feel the powerful emotions stirred from Lee’s literary masterpiece.
Reviewer Grade: 10
I love Stef's unique point of view and how her dad named their truck "Tia Perla". It taught me a little bit more Spanish, and I love the out-of-the-ordinary sort of feel with the different culture. I would say it was definitely one of the best books I've read.
The moment the best friends saw each other Bean and Ivy knew they would never be friends but when Ivy finally came to Bean's house, they become friends. I liked this book because it teaches us how to become friends.
Best book ever