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Teen Book ReviewsClick on title for availability |
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Auggie & me : three Wonder stories by R. J PalacioAuggie and Me is a spin-off of the popular book Wonder that contains the stories of the main antagonist and two side characters. It goes into depth of each character’s lives from the beginning to the end of the year. We can see Julian’s internal turmoil, Pluto’s past relationship with Auggie, and Charlotte’s social struggle. I love both books equally and the creative writing structure of switching between P.OVs. The insight into every character’s mind on the main “issue”. It’s a book perfect for all ages and portrays a realistic school environment for a kid who’s different from the rest. Although the ages seem a bit scuffed, the whole story would make more sense in a higher grade. The social hierarchy and behavior does not befit children in the 5th grade. However I still recommend this to any Wonder enjoyer, and I also recommend the original book, Wonder, to anyone who’s looking for an immersive story/plot.
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The burning maze
by Rick Riordan
Apollo has been changed into a mortal because his father Zeus blames him for the war with Gaea. Now as a punishment he must free the five oracles from a trio of 3 emperors. Now he must go through the labyrinth to find the third emperor. Also, Lester is fearing that he is growing weaker by the day. He needs help from Jason and his girlfriend Piper. Will they succeed.
This book was very good. It was a page turner and had a lot of adventure and crazy parts. Like how Commodus was in a ball of fire from his car wreck and still lived. It was not inappropriate and good for all ages. I would recommend this book to anyone. Lester is very funny and a great friend and character in this book. It has a very good story around it too. It makes the whole book worth reading.
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Dune by Frank HerbertThe son of a Duke Leto, Paul, is moving to Arrakis. It’s a plan set by the Emperor and the Baron. Due to financial problems, Paul is forced to move there. Paul manages to escape capture and once he does, he escapes and joins the planet’s natives. He then manages to gain a religious following, becomes a legendary prophet, topples the government, and becomes the Emperor. Although the summary might not say so, Dune is a solid book. It’s highly descriptive, has a good plot, has a lot of world-building, is paced nicely, is a long read, and rivals many other well-known series’. It rivals books like “The Lord of the Rings” and the Harry Potter series. It goes in the other characters' perspectives and knows when to increase/decrease the suspense. The story has many good things about it. However, the book has a few problems. The main problem being, the book is too long. Although the “being too long” part is a given considering the amount of description, it doesn’t change that it took a week to finish the book. Also, the story is really slow.In all, Dune is a book that I’d recommend to people who like long and descriptive stories. |
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Greetings from witness protection!
by Jake Burt
The Book Greetings From Witness Protection by Jake Burt is a captivating story about a girl whose life changes forever after Marshals shows up at her foster home. They need the reader, strong willed, dreamer, and really good pick-pocket; Nikki Demere to help them. Her job is to be a part of a family in the Witness Protection Program. The infamous criminals are looking for a family of three, not four. Now, not only is Nikki going to be watching out for criminals that want to murder her and her "family," but she also needs to go to a new school, and town, with a new identity. Middle School alone is a challenge. Will she be able to pull it off? Or, will her world crumble at her feet?
This book had me at the edge of my seat. I was crying and laughing along with the characters. Readers should try this book because you will instantly be in love with the characters and the plot. Greetings From Witness Protection shows that its ok to have insecurities. At the same time the book is well written and heart warming in a 'sitting on the edge of your seat' sort of way. This book is great for 5th to 8th grade readers.
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The Hammer of Thor
by Rick Riordan
Magnus has only been able to relax for a few weeks from defeating Fenris Wolf. Now him and all of his crew have to go get Thor’s hammer from an earth giant. This is really bad because that hammer is the only thing keeping the giants from invading Midgard. The giants are on to Thor’s hammer so at tops they only have a few weeks. He gets some training from Percy Jackson who is Annabeth Chase’s girlfriend and Annabeth is Magnus’s cousin. The fate of the world is in his hands again. If he doesn’t succeed Ragnarök will start and will wipe out all of mankind.
This book was very good. This is my second favorite series by Rick Riordan. It is full of adventure and thrilling and a twist at every corner. It is a book for all ages. It has a great sense of humor and I would recommend this book to anyone.
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Horimiya also known as "Hori-san and Miyamura-kun" is a comedy and sweet romance manga where the two protagonists, Kyouko Hori and Izumi Miyamura, attend the same high school; however both have a different side to them outside of school. Hori is smart, social, and pretty in school, but when outside of school she has to look after her little brother and do housework. On the other hand, Miyamura is antisocial, quiet, and boring in school, but he has multiple tattoos and piercings she shows outside of school. They happen to encounter each other after school and become friends. They realize they have more in common then they originally thought. I enjoyed watching the characters and their friendship develop. I feel that most people can relate to one of the characters, such as Hori having to look after her brother while her mother works. I'm sure there are a lot of teens who can relate to this. I thought the illustrations is this manga complimented this story. The artwork was simple, but added just the right amount of interest to the story. I think readers would enjoy this because it is a feel good story that is fun and interesting. |
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Just one day
by Gayle Forman
Just One Day is a romance novel following the story of Allyson Healey, who was in Europe on a tour with her best friend Melanie. The story begins at the last destination of the trip, Stratford-Upon-Avon where they end up watching the play, “Twelfth Night”. Allyson gets caught up with an actor involved, A Dutch 20 year old named Willem, against her usual nature, she agrees to join him on a one day trip to Paris. Willem suddenly disappears after spending the night with her. Allyson then tracks down and travels across Europe to find Willem again. When she finally finds him, the story ends abruptly.
At first, Allyson seemed like a stereotypical “good girl” afraid of change. In the end, she had taken so many risks finding answers, even if this meant disobeying her family and having to find a way out alone in an unfamiliar country. This book is the first of a trilogy. The next book in Willem’s perspective, and the last following what happened during their meeting in Amsterdam. Readers should try this book because of the emotional roller coaster throughout. My rating, 10/10
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Lolitaby Vladīmir Vladimirovich Nabokov Lolita is considered a realistic fiction novel, but I would argue that it is also a physiological book as well. The main plot is about a middle aged man who calls himself Humbert Humbert who is originally from Europe, France. This man has an obsessive taste for little girls that he calls ‘nymphets’. These nymphets, he claims, are everywhere, but he becomes obsessed with one 12-year-old girl named Dolores Hazel who lives in America with her mother. Humber Humbert, absolutely in love with this little girl, decides to do anything he possibly can to stay near her, that includes marrying her mother. The mother inevitably dies and Humbert practically kidnaps Dolores, or (her nickname) Lolita, and goes on a 2 year joy ride around the states. I am absolutely fascinated by this book and Vlamdimir’s ability to tell the story through the predator's perceptive but still make his manner seem so abnormal and insane that the reader can actually imagine what goes through a pedphiles mind and understands the abnormalities of a predator such as Humbert Humbert. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and it is now one of my favorite novels. |
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Pride & prejudice
by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice, is a romantic novel written by Jane Austen. The main character is Elizabeth Bennett, the second daughter of the wealthy Bennett family. She is intelligent, funny, clever, and lovely, some of the most desirable traits one could think of. Let alone, her honesty and virtue set her apart from the rest. But, this is a story of how she and her true love are able to overcome their challenges, and personal disappointments, and be able to persevere through, in order to find romantic contentment and companionship. It is set in rural England, in the turn of the 19th century. Elizabeth learns about judgements, and more importantly, the differences in good in people around her and in her social class.
This is a great novel because it is classic. Jane Austen does an excellent job in her depiction of the mannerisms, marriage, money, education, and social status of peoples in the Regency Era in Great Britain. This book is extremely engaging to read, and a work of literature I would simply recommend to everyone.
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Red queen by Victoria AveyardRed Queen is a fantasy dystopian book series whose central theme is on corruption of power and discrimination. This book starts off with our main character, Mare Barrow, who has red blood. To understand the confusing basics of the book, you need to understand the social structure. This book is set in a futuristic period where there are two different types of blood, silver and red. The silver blooded people have special abilities which automatically gives them superiority. Therefore there is a very dramatic racial segregation and discrimination put into this book which reflects modern day problem. This method of writing is used multiple times by Victoria which she does nicely. Continuing with the plot, Mare Barrow is a pickpocket whose pickpocketing habits get her little sister in trouble. Her sister pays the fatal price of what Mare did and Mare is left with suffocating guilt. Therefore she runs away and gets caught, once again, pickpocketing our main love interest, Cal. From then on, the reader gets pulled through a fascinating story on royalty, romance, betrayal, power, and blatant racism.
Victoria is a very talented writer as in how she interprets modern day issues into her writing, her brief brushes on how parents reject their homosexual children and how that affects them is phenomenal and beautifully written. However, the story is fast pasted which makes the novel confusing. It took me a second read to fully understand some aspects of the labyrinth-like world building. This book is for all those love triangle, royalty and betrayal story lovers.
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Salt to the sea
by Ruta Sepetys
Salt To The Sea is an amazing novel. It makes you always want to know what will happen next. It is a work of historical fiction, taking place in Winter, 1945. It tells the story of the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German ship. This ship promised protection and freedom to struggling people in World War II.
What makes this book so enticing is that it is taken from the perspective of four teenagers, who have all been affected differently from the war. All evacuating their home countries, life is as scary as you could imagine. You get to hear what is going on through their heads so you feel like you are in the moment with them. You hear from the perspective of Emilia, a teenage Polish orphan trying to get by, Florian, an artist from East Prussia, Joana, a nurse from Lithuania, and Alfred, a Nazi. This book is amazingly detailed and is a rich novel. You get to read how each person is handling all the challenges thrown at them. This makes for an extremely interesting story, making you never want to stop reading.
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