Contemporary

I Crawl Through It is about four traumatized teenagers trying to escape the crushing anxieties of everyday life. Stanzi refuses to stop wearing her lab coat. Gustav is building an invisible helicopter that you can only see once a week. China turned herself inside out. Lansdale's hair won't stop growing, and she won't stop lying. Through the course of the novel, they'll learn that escaping life isn't an escape at all, and that the only way to get through the tribulations of life is to crawl straight through it.
This is easily one of the most metaphorical and twisting books I've ever read. The book makes no distinction between reality and metaphor, which is definitely a very interesting mode of writing. When the books says people turn themselves inside out or build invisible helicopters, it commits to that. The blurring of reality is definitely intentional, and really brings across the character's traumas and struggles. The book is still strangely realistic despite fantastical occurrences. It does a magnificent job of not romanticizing mental illness or trauma, as the aftereffects and the circumstances themselves are described as gritty, horrible facts of life. The book sidesteps the photogenic, dramatic, gently sad depictions of mental illness and instead hits you with the ugly, gut-wrenching truth. The prose, as in most A.S. King books, is still phenomenal, and creates a strange, unsettling emotion that perfectly reflects the tone of the book. However, this book can be disturbing or confusing at some points, and while it is interesting, I wouldn't call it a fun read.
All in all, this book is a strange experience. The mix of metaphor and fantasy with the realities of mental illness and trauma create a story unlike any I've read before. I'd recommend it to people interested in unorthodox plotlines, strange writing styles, and invisible helicopters.
Review Grade: 11

Admission is a book about the life of a Princeton admission officer Portia Nathan, who struggles to juggle the life changing impact of college decisions with old regrets, new beginnings, and constant change.
That's all I can really write for the summary of this book, since anything more would perhaps spoil the entire book. The story starts with an admissions officer: a simple yet captivating protagonist, not only through the controversy of her position but through the personality in her words. From the beginning we know she's hiding something from us, but it isn't so vague as to be annoying or so pressing as to be overwhelming. It shows how she views her secrets as simply things from her past that are occasionally a blip on her radar, then disappear beneath the waves yet again. Soon, the story begins to spiral into different directions, showing us more of her life as it begins to fall apart. One thing this book does excellently is show the struggle of college admissions alongside the details of Portia's life, often intertwining and combating the two ideas. They contrast brilliantly: young, fervent minds struggling to make their impact against the stark background of a middle-aged woman's fight for purpose. Another thing I find fascinating and amusing is how this book goes in so many different directions and yet holds the exact same tone, making for a roller coaster of a novel that still feels consistent and grounding. For example, the nameless secret we're told about from the beginning is finally revealed (of course) and despite the groundbreaking discovery and impact that ought to change the book from a distant examination of a woman's life to a fraught soap opera, the book still makes it known that the story, as a whole, hasn't changed. Despite seemingly dramatic or strange occurrences, everything is still realistic, showing how ridiculous things often happen to seemingly ordinary people.
This book was entrancing to me. Despite my usual near-hatred of realistic adult novels, this book stood out for a variety of reasons. First, it had real heart. The characters felt real, their mistakes felt earned, their gains were uplifting, and their motives were stark. I never met a single character in this novel that I didn't feel could walk out of the pages and shake my hand. Secondly, the prose is beautiful, and displays sordid emotion. One thing I often critique in adult realistic fiction is the lack of prose as an attempt to drive home the meaninglessness of adult life. This novel was willing to show its protagonist genuinely struggle with heartache and depression and nostalgia through gripping, raw language. It was also willing to be funny at parts, to show how, even when life is at its worst, there is often so much to laugh about. Finally, the ending was simple, yet so fitting and beautiful. It really encompassed everything the character had gone through, and made me feel hopeful for their future and respectful of their past. All in all, I believe this book is excellent for any seeking books about college admissions, raw and real characters, stunning prose, witty humor, and stunning writing.
Reviewer Grade: 11

Goodbye Stranger is a love letter to the changing points, the shaky areas of childhood that help us figure out who we are in a world that constantly wants us to change. Bridge survived a being hit by a car, currently wears cat ears, and wonders why she's still alive. Sherm writes letters to his grandfather and refuses to answer his calls. Emily and Tabitha made a pact with Bridge to never argue, but are being pulled inextricably apart by text messages and social justice clubs. An unnamed wanderer navigates a world where everything is made of lava, and best friends are replaced by horrid outsiders. As their stories collide and come apart, they'll need to figure out what to do when those they know best become strangers.
I read Rebecca Stead's "When You Reach Me" when I was in middle school, and it blew me away. I read her "Goodbye Stranger", now in high school, and found that the change in years didn't change the impact. The thing that astounded me was, despite me being well outside the age range of her characters, I found the book entrancing for all ages. The characters problems and personalities don't seem juvenile or trite. They seem human, a little heartbreaking, and highly relatable. I think the thing that makes this book are the characters. They're each as unique as a fingerprint, but they maintain their ability to sound strangely like the people you go to school with, or work with, or live with. Each of their motivations are perfectly obvious, each of their flaws on stunning display, fleshing out characters that feel like you'd see them wandering around your school on any given day. The book has a lot of heavy topics and sorrow packed into barely 300 pages, but still feels light enough that you aren't miserable the whole time. There's a lot of heart, a lot of happiness, and a lot of good changes alongside the tragedies of middle-school, or just regular, life. The book has a floating quality that makes it feel strangely detached. I can't tell you if this is a good or bad thing, but its definitely intentional, and it definitely messed with my ahead enough to make me want to keep reading. The only concrete things I can really say about this book is that the prose was excellent, the writing was accessible, the characters were interesting, the topics were thoughtful, and the ending was satisfying.
All in all, this book is really hard to describe. It's happy and sad and very realistic and very detached from reality and simplistic and strangely complex. I don't know what to call this book except a good read for those that like small stories, cat ears, friendships, broken friendships, and the infinite potential of strangers.
Reviewer Grade: 11

This book is a great way to be introduced to larger ideas while still being entertained by an athletic young adult novel. In the book, Michigan is a high school hockey player who is forced to push back against misogynistic stereotypes when she joins a boys' team. What happens when teenage boys are encouraged by (or at least not restricted from) adult role models to play into the idea that Michigan doesn't fit in? The play between unreliable adults and teenagers who make mistakes but are still doing their best is one of the most realistic and fulfilling stories. It sends a message about the athletic community as well as public schools and the way they respond to serious situations. I highly recommend this read.
Grade 11

This is one of my favorite reads, mostly because Stephanie Perkins has a way of writing a fictional universe to feel real. In the book, the main character Anna is sent to a Parisian boarding school and must learn how to adapt to a new environment- and new friendships. Anna is a relatable character- she's a perfectionist who constantly feels out of control and uses witty remarks to cope with overwhelming feelings. I love Etienne's compassionate personality, as well as the rest of Anna's friends' humor. This book is an accurate representation of dealing with a new change, like being away from home. Despite being new and even scary, so much good can come out of it.

Love & Gelato follows Lina, a high schooler who's sent to spend her summer in Italy with her father, due to her mother's dying wish. While at first Lina is apprehensive and scornful of this trip she'd reluctantly taken, and wishes to be back in America, she then finds her mother's old journal. And with the help of Ren, a local Italian boy she befriends, they recreate Lina's mother's experiences in Italy. And as Lina spends more time in Italy, she learns that her father, Italy, and Ren, may not be so bad after all.
Overall, this story was a pretty cute teen romance novel. I enjoyed reading about Lina's adventures in Italy, and seeing her get closer to Ren. However, I wouldn't say that there's anything exceptional and amazing about it, since it just seemed like a pretty average romance novel that you'd expect it to be. I would probably recommend this book if you're in a reading rut, or just want something easy and entertaining to quickly read.
Reviewer Grade: 11

Today Tonight Tomorrow is a cute and lovable YA novel, following two teens- Rowan and Neil. Two high schooler seniors, who've competed through all four years of their high school career, Rowan and Neil make a very intriguing pair. The novel begins on the last day of school for Rowan and Neil, and between the two and their constant bickering, Rowan is anxious for her future now that high school is ending. To top it all off, when Rowan learns that she lost her valedictorian spot to Neal, she's desperate for one last chance to upstage him. Thus, Rowan teams up with Neil--her supposed "arch-nemesis," for Howl, a competition their school holds for leaving seniors. Basically an intensified version of a scavenger hunt, one must collect all pictures of locations from the list the school gives them. The catch is, that each senior participating is given a name-- aka their target. The first student who collects all photographs without getting "killed," is ruled the winner. And of course, Rowan is planning to form an alliance with Neil, in hopes that they can both make it to the end, with Rowan of course, showing one last act of victory and making it to the finish line before him. However, this last-ditch effort for success backfires miserably, and as Neil and Rowan spend more time together during Howl, Rowan learns that Neil may not be the same night-marish, stuck up nerd that she'd always that he was. And so, we follow Rowan and Neil as they learn that they may not hate each other as much as they'd thought they did.
Young adult romances, while they may be cheesy and littered with cliches, I found that Today Tonight Tomorrow was the opposite of that. I loved how Rowan and Neil were not your typical love interests, and I also enjoyed that neither of them displayed any signs of toxic or unhealthy romantic behaviors, such as most romance novels tend to portray. I also enjoyed that Rowan was a POC protagonist, and liked how many things in the book broke out of common romance novel stereotypes, such as addressing issues with misogyny, and religious discrimination. Today Tonight Tomorrow, while a wholesome academic rivals to lovers story, also included many valuable lessons and shed light on other, perhaps not as conventionally "romantic" topics. I enjoyed the depth all the characters showed, and by the end of the novel, I found myself wishing the story to never end.

Gracefully Grayson is about a boy in sixth grade who is forced to go through the struggles of transfering to a girl. In the middle of sixth grade, Grayson has the opportunity to try out for a school play. He has not done any after school, but he decided to go out on a limb and try out, but for the lead girl part. He ends up getting the part, but word spreads fast around his school, and him and his teacher, who is the play director, both get hate. While he rehearses for the play, he has to deal with bullies, the weight of thinking that he might get his teacher fired, and his aunt not supporting him fully. He also has to figure out whether he wants to show off everything he wants to wear, or stick to the boring ways boys act and what they wear.
This book was ok. It showed the pressure that LGBTQ people go through every day, but there were no huge plots. The book was boring at parts, but overall, it was a good story and book. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an easy read.

If you have already read the award-winning story Wonder, you would know the story of an ordinary boy who has a face, that is not so ordinary. August Pullman is a boy who was born with no physical disability, but a severe facial deformity. He has to make his way through middle school, his first public school experience. He has to deal with name calling and isolation, but eventually he wins over the hearts of middle school society with his wonderful inner spirit. This amazing story that has warmed so many hearts, you might think, would be ruined by the sequel Auggie & Me, as sequels usually discredit the original story, but the special thing about this sequel is it is the same story but from some different perspectives that weren't in the original book. These perspectives are from Charlotte, a girl who has always been nice to August but didn't say much in the book, Christopher, August's best friend that moved away when he was younger, and Julian, the bully. This last one is especially important because many people looked at him like a "devil child" but what many forgot to remember was that everyone has their own battle. This new perspective helps his case. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like a new perspective and a further view of the characters in the book Wonder.

I liked this book because of the fact that it gave me even more closure on an already amazing book. I picked this book because I had already read, and loved, Wonder and I wanted to see the next book from R. J. Palacio. The thing that I enjoyed most about this book, surprisingly, was the new perspective on Charlotte. In the book Wonder it said that it "was a boys war." This quote is key because with the new perspective of Charlotte, it gives us way more of the perspective the girls had and the friends that they became. I honestly didn't dislike a single bit of this book. It wasn't predictable at all, and it was able to spin a wonderful addition to an already amazing story. One character I could relate to was Christopher because he had to leave his best friend and his school and go to a new place where no one else was going. I can relate to this because when I went to middle school, I went to a middle school that no one I knew went to. This was hard for me, and I saw that with Christophers Experience as well as mine. Because of this and other reasons stated, this is 100% one of the best books I have read all year.

Reviewer Grade: 8

John Green is a powerful author, and I especially enjoyed his book "The Fault in our Stars". He has a way of coming up with stories-difficult stories, that may touch on harder topics-and making them powerful and emotional, to the point where you can't put it down, and can't wait to pick it up again.

This story is about Aza, who suffered from anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder at an extreme level. She falls down into what she calls 'thought spirals', and it is hard for her to come back. She has an inherent fear of mostly bacteria and germs or infections. To the point where she drinks hand sanitizer after kissing somebody. It is always a battle for her, between what she wants as a person, and her anxiety and thoughts keeping her from that. But one thing keeps her occupied for a little bit- the Pickett missing person case. She runs into his son, Davis, which she had met years ago, but hasn't been in contact with him since. But now his father is missing and his mom is dead, and his father's massive fortune-if found dead- is going to go to a lizard. Davis and his little brother, Noah is now alone and 'orphaned', and when Davis meets Aza, life may be a little better as long as she's around. Their relationship, along with the relationships with her friend Daisy and Mychal, is constantly strained by her condition, but you grow sympathetic to Aza when you know what is going on in her head.

This is a powerful book that really makes you attached to the characters and you are constantly rooting for them. it goes through twists and turns, and you are always hoping for the best, even if it doesn't seem plausible