Fiction
Nonfiction
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the fun adventures of Harry and his friends. I believe it is fun for most kids, and can be fun for young adults as well. It follows the adventure of Harry as he figures out the
mystery of the hidden chamber, and figures out how to defeat whatever may come at him. I recommend this book, as well as all of the other Harry Potter books in the series to read, from kids to young adults. If you like adventure and fictional books, then this would definitely be the book, and book series, for you!
This book has a lot of problems between characters. Best friends, billionaire friend, and parents all have a part in the story more than you can think. Aza Holmes, the protagonist, knows shes crazy, but this is the world she lives in. A billionaire goes missing, and Aza reunites with her old friend. The issues between the family of the billionaire is heart breaking. In the end there is a happy ending. The story is a great mystery.
(Very immersive story) Rocket Boys is a book that shows the struggles of boys trying to break the tradition of a stereotypical miner town, dubbed Coalwood. I love how the descriptions bring light to the conditions of mining, and the towns surrounding the mine. It also brings light to the uproar that the Space Race caused, especially Sputnik. As the boys slowly figured out the basics of rocketry, it got more and more into the detail on how hard it was to create rockets when you live in a small town like that. As a footer, I just want to say that the boy’s determination to create those rockets was well shown.
This book takes place in a world of super-humans where people are born with unique abilities called quirks. The main protagonist in this story is Midorya Izuku, a teenage boy who looks up to a superhero named All Might. Midorya’s dream is to become a strong hero like All-Might, but he becomes discouraged when he is told it is impossible because he was born with no quirk.
This is the first book of the Gallagher Girls series. It is about a girl who goes to a special school for girls. The only thing is that this school has a big secret. The main character Cammie is a student at the school and her mother is the Headmistress. She has many secrets throughout her Sophomore year. A new girl comes and there is a certain someone that she hasn't told the truth about.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a must-read for every teenager. Sean Covey's 7 habits touch on a variety of subjects and will help you in every aspect of your life. This book has something in it for everyone and really shows how you can live up to your potential. Sean Covey gives small, simple steps that will make a big difference so that you can become a balanced, well-rounded individual. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is full of humor, relatable stories, and great advice. I highly recommend this book for every teenager.
I read ‘Into the Wild’ by Jon Krakauer in my sophomore year for extra credit in my English class. The book is about a young man that did live a privileged life but saw the world as that you don’t need money or materialistic things to live. I believed that his view on the world was ignorant and innocent because how he was brought up in life with money and never having to worry about anything, there was no struggle. For me what he ended up doing just seem very disrespectful to his parents, up and leaving them without saying anything. Into the Wild is just an amazing book with a very sad and devastating ending. Although it most of it did make me a little upset, I would read it again.
Lovely War by Julie Berry is such a wonderful book about two couples in the tragic and terrible days of WWI as narrated by the Greek Gods. I chose Lovely War because of my interest in historical fiction, especially historical
romances, and was not disappointed by this amazing story. The book centers on four young people who's path's cross during WWI-- British Hazel Windicott, a pianist, and James Alderidge, a would-be architect shipped off to war, Colette Fournier, a Belgian singer who lost her family at the hands of the Germans, and Aubrey Edwards, a black American solider in a jazz military band in a time of military prejudice and racial discrimination. Hazel and James meet and fall in love days before he is shipped off to the Front to face deadly combat in the WWI trenches. Distraught over the fate of James, Hazel, eager to help the war effort, enlists as a pianist at a volunteer job and meets Colette, a fellow volunteer. They become very close friends, and Colette begins to fall in love with charismatic Aubrey, who's jazz is redefining the world of music. What follows is a beautifully written novel about these four characters, their hardships, and loves.
This book is structured interestingly-- the story of these two parallel loves is narrated by the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who tells the tale years later in the days of WWII to her husband, Hephaestus, god of fire and volcanos, and a few other gods to remind them what true love is and the transcendent power of love over war. The story is funny, heartbreaking, intense, and overall, beautiful. I felt as if I knew Hazel, James, Aubrey and Colette personally by the time the story is over. Julie Berry's prose is almost poetic in it's splendor, rich with meticulous descriptions about wartime France and Britain.
This book deals with elements of WWI I did not know about-- Germany's brutal and heartbreaking invasion of Belgium, and the prejudice and racial discrimination in the U.S army during WWI. I wasn't a huge fan of the
inclusion of the Greek Gods as narrators at first-- the story is strong enough to stand without it-- and until the very end, the purpose of the Gods in the story is almost irrelevant. I would have been interested to know if Berry ever had a draft of the story sans-Gods. However, reflecting back on the book, the Gods add another tier to the rich narrative, one that is appreciated more after the novel is over. That said, I know that that
inclusion was to make the book more accessible to teenage readers. Fans of Greek epics and the Percy Jackson series will enjoy the inclusion of them Gods.
The central romance and characters in this book are Hazel and James, and their relationship and connection is deeper than Colette's and Aubrey's until the end of the story. Berry dedicates more time to the relationship of Hazel and James, and it is the best story line as a result. I wish Colette and Aubrey's story would have been given more attention, as it is truly unique and unlike anything I've read, but the last pages of the book focuses solely on them which I enjoyed.
This book never lacks action and is a very quick read. I often had to remind myself to slow down so not to rush through it! Lovely War is written for teenagers, but is just as accessible for tweens and adults, truly making it a book for all ages. Lovely War is one of those special books that you read and know that your perception of the world will be changed because of it. I cannot stress how much I recommend this beautiful book. It is a marvel of the historical fiction, romance and mythology genres that everyone should read.
This is one of my favorite books. It is about a girl named Audra who tries to help her family but soon realizes how dangerous it can be. I like this book because it shows how people can be good in difficult situations. I picked this book because I like to learn about history but it also incorporated in what a day might be like during the World War II. The thing I enjoyed most about this book is how Audra doesn't know why her parents want her to drop off this book but she does it anyway because she trusts her parents. The ending has a great surprise of Audra's decision. (Reviewer grade:8)
The brilliant adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson continue with The Sign of the Four. Holmes' deduction ability continues to amaze as he unravels mysteries as if they are elementary. Doyle's brilliant writing will keep you intrigued to the very end as his creativity is unmatched. The Sign of the Four is full of murder, thievery, romance, action, adventure, humor, and incredible solutions. This novel will challenge your detective capabilities and I highly recommend it for any reader searching for a classic mystery novel.
Wonder is a book that I would 100% recommend. The story is based off of a boy who struggles with a disease, altering his appearance. This book contains the point of view of his peers, as well as his struggles, friendships, pain, and
overcoming of Auggie. The book also tells the story of his family going through their own struggles or going through Auggie’s struggles with him. Out of the many books that I have read, this has to be one of the best and most emotional books that I have read, and would definitely be on my list of books I recommend.
Smile is one of my favorite comic books. It goes through the author's struggle with her teeth after a traumatic accident while she has other struggles in her daily life such as friends, crushes, insecurities, and fake friends. Over time, she learns to accept herself and come into her own, and smile. She grew to be a confident, happy teenager. This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone, and a book that I have and will read over and over again!
I read this book for a summer project, the summer going into my sophomore year. The book is written in Spanish but it didn’t stop me from reading it though I do kinda struggle reading in dialect. The book is about supernatural mysteries set in Barcelona. The book revolves around Marina and Oscar touching and emotional meeting. The novel is well written in
detail and description of each situation.
"Oryx and Crake" follows the character Snowman who is seemingly the last surviving human on Earth as he recounts the events that led up to his dystopian present. In this speculative fiction novel, animals are genetically modified to harvest organs for human transplant and spliced together to create fantastical hybrids like “rakunks” that are part racoon and part skunk. In addition, a new human breed is created to be physically flawless and void of normal human characteristics like envy or jealousy. This incredibly thought-provoking book challenges the reader to think about our present, and the choices we make that may lead us down a similar apocalyptic path. For example, it forces us to question how far are we willing to go with genetic modification. Although Atwood deals with serious topics in this book, she addresses them with such humor and over-the-top situations that the book is remarkably enjoyable. Furthermore, the characters of Oryx and Crake are some of my favorite literary characters.
The book 'My Fairy Godmother is a Drag Queen' by David Clawson is a funny LGBT version of Cinderella. The main character Chris lives with his step-mother, step-sister, and step-brother who have recently lost their family wealth. The family wants to keep up with their rich lifestyle, and the best way to do that is to try to find his step-sister a wealthy boyfriend to marry, which they will do by attending a fancy ball. Chris's family does not buy him a ticket to the ball, but he meets a drag queen who helps him get into the ball. What happens when Chris meets the richest boy in the state and falls head over heels for him?
I thought this book was absolutely amazing! I would definitely give it five stars. It is very funny and entertaining, I spent hours reading this book without even moving because it was so captivating.
This book 'The Upside of Unrequited' is by the popular author Becky Albertalli, who also wrote 'Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. This book follows Molly, a hopeless romantic who has never even had a boyfriend. When Molly introduces her twin sister, Cassie, to a new girl who Cassie may be developing a crush on, Molly realizes that she and her sister may be growing apart. This book goes through the journey where Molly struggles between her two new crushes, Will and Reid. The boys are very different... who will she end up with?
This book was absolutely amazing! A must-read for fans of 'Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda'. This book easily earns five stars.
I have just re-read 'the Lightning Thief' by Rick Riordan for probably the twentieth time because it is so amazing.
In this book, Percy Jackson starts to notice strange things happening in his life at boarding school. When he gets kicked out of the boarding school he starts to notice weird things are happening in his life. Things start to get even stranger on his beach trip with his mom. Percy soon finds himself face to face with the real-life Minotaur. What will he do when the monster captures his mother?
I would give this book 6 stars out of 5. Truly worth the read.. and the several re-reads after that. The beginning of a lovely series for any age.
My cousin recommended this book and at first I was really skeptical because i felt that it’s typically more something a girl would read but it is a really good book. After is a book about starting new beginnings in life. Tessa the main character who has always been the good girl and always had followed her mother’s rules, she then met Hardin the bad boy and they made an instant connection. Meeting Hardin is when things started to take a turn, they fell in love but by doing so her wild side was instantly switched around. Although the love is real and pure It did start off a dare. The way the book was written in such detail, describing each emotion such as heartbreaks, humiliations, and disappointment really made feel as if I was the character in the book. 10 out of 10 recommended.
The Hate U Give is about a 16 year old black girl raised in a fictional poor community of garden height who goes to a private school on the other side of town. The main problem in this book is when Starr the main character’s best friend Khalid, who gets pulled over from leaving a party and sadly gets shot by a white police officer. The book contains some sensitive topic about black oppression and police brutality. Although it does talk about cop brutality it isn’t a police- bashing book. The book's intention is to spread awareness on the deep conflict with in poor black communities in our nation. I highly recommend this book 10 out of 10.
I read this book in my eighth grade L.A. class and surprisingly it stuck even though I thought it was boring and had a hard time comprehending most things. The book does have a PG-13 vibe where it does carry some “sexual content”, but it’s basically about a really strict and emotionless society. A society where everyone was equal which sound really boring. I’m not going to lie that this was the most boring part in the book, learning about how strict it is and how love is forbidden kinda lame. The only interesting parts were when the main character would rebel against the society’s values by expressing his emotions, finding love and most importantly running away so he could give baby Gabriel a less uncompromising and more unconfined life. The most annoying part of the book is the ending not knowing what happens to Jonás and Gabriel. (The movie was better)