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Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Riggs, Ransom
Reviewed: March 16, 2022
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children is the first in a series of novels in which Jacob Portman embarks on a journey to find Miss Peregrine and solve the mysteries of his grandfather’s past. Jacob ends up in a special home for peculiar children and learns about every person there and what their abilities are. He soon realizes that he has a unique ability, just like them—and he learns about what he can do with this. Jacob also learns about a girl named Emma who was in love with his grandfather, and why he abandoned these children after growing up with them. The reader learns... Read Full Review
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The Giver
Lowry, Lois
Reviewed: March 16, 2022
The Giver by Lois Lowry focuses on 11-year-old Jonas who lives in a “Utopian” society where everyone follows strict rules in order maintain their society. Everyone in this society is given a job or “life assignment” by the elders and is expected to take orders and do the job. They are given their jobs at a ceremony after they turn 12 years old. When Jonas turns 12 he is invited to the ceremony where it is revealed to Jonas what his “life assignment” is: the Receiver of Memory. He is confused at first about his assignment but eventually starts working with the current Receiver, an... Read Full Review
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Speak
Anderson, Laurie Halse
Reviewed: March 9, 2022
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a young adult fiction book about a girl named Melinda and an event that happened to her in the summer before starting high school. Melinda Sordino is a thirteen-year-old girl who becomes closed off to everyone and has a hard time communicating with others. Throughout the book we learn more about her, and what really happened during that summer and caused her to become this way. Melinda begins to try and go back to living her normal life like before, and she learns new things about herself. She is able to accept herself, even after what happened to... Read Full Review
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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Stevenson, Bryan
Reviewed: February 23, 2022
This book really got to me! I originally watched the movie first and then read the book but either way I loved this book. It is a true story novel about a man who was falsely accused of murder. His lawyer was Bryan Stevenson (also the author) and he tries everything to get him out of prison. This story really got to me because especially after everything that had happened last Summer, his story really appealed to me. This book is also part of the reason why I found my passion in life which is becoming a lawyer. He made me want to pursue something that can really help the world. 10... Read Full Review
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It Ends With Us
Hoover, Colleen
Reviewed: February 23, 2022
It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover is a contemporary romance novel that follows the life of the main character named Lily Bloom. Lily never had an easy life growing up in a toxic household, but she never gave up and worked hard. She came from a small town, but moved away and allowed herself to grow—she never gave up on her dreams and was able to achieve them. The story takes place after her father’s funeral, and we begin to learn more about her past and how she feels about it. She is met with very complicated feelings for a guy named Ryle that she met in Boston. As Lily begins to... Read Full Review
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The Fault in Our Stars
Green, John
Reviewed: February 16, 2022
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a young adult fiction novel that narrates the story of a 16-year-old girl who is diagnosed with cancer. She joins a support group where she meets Augustus, and there is a rollercoaster of emotions throughout this novel as the relationship between Hazel and Augustus develops. Hazel and Augustus are able to find comfort in each other through the tough times and learn to lean into each other which makes them both realize that they are not alone. They find love in each other and feel hopeful for each other, also while allowing the readers to... Read Full Review
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The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
Alender, Katie
Reviewed: February 9, 2022
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall by Katie Alender is a horror-mystery book about a girl who inherits an institute for troubled females. This book follows the story of the main character Delia—named after her great-aunt Cordelia, whom she inherited the institute from. She soon learns that there are many things wrong with the house, and dark secrets lie within. She realizes that she must save her family and get them out of the house as soon as possible. Delia begins to discover many secrets during her time there and has to figure out why the house has become so evil.
This... Read Full Review
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Ramayana: Divine Loophole
Patel, Sanjay
Reviewed: February 2, 2022
Sanjay Patel retells an epic tale from ancient times which builds up around the life of Rama, a prince living in India, believed to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was raised to be a brave and honest warrior capable of vanquishing demons and expected to marry the most beautiful woman. But, the story takes a turn when Rama’s stepmother, Kaikeyi, exiles him to the forest for 14 years. There are further entanglements and tragedy when Ravana, a demonic king who wishes to control the world using terror and power, mounts trouble for Rama and his wife.
Lord Vishnu completes his task... Read Full Review
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Midnight Sun
Meyer, Stephenie
Reviewed: January 26, 2022
Midnight Sun is a young adult fiction novel written by Stephenie Meyer. This book is a companion novel for Twilight and retells the events from the young lovers' first encounter through the perspective of Edward Cullen as opposed to Isabella Swan. It takes a new and dark twisted turn on the events of Twilight. We learn of the unnerving and intriguing event of meeting Bella and many fascinating details about Edward’s complex inner thoughts and his past. We get a glimpse of his struggles with his vampire instincts and how he slowly allowed himself to become closer... Read Full Review
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Someone to Love
De la Cruz, Melissa
Reviewed: January 19, 2022
At first glance, the book might appear to be a sappy love story. However, this story delves into a much more serious topic. The novel does not focus on the love between two people, but rather on the love for one’s self. It is about Olivia Blakely’s journey of self-love.
The story shows the effects of what society’s standards can do to one’s self. A person’s yearning to be “perfect,” to be what others find appealing, can drive a person's self-esteem down to a point where they are harming themselves. This issue is shown through Olivia Blakely’s eating disorder, which comes to a point... Read Full Review
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The Cousins
McManus, Karen M.
Reviewed: January 12, 2022
The Cousins by Karen M.McManus is a book that contains a very interesting story about family secrets. The book revolves around three cousins who are suddenly invited to spend the summer working at their Grandmothers island resort. They had never known anything about their Grandmother as their parents had been disowned from their family at a very young age. They embark on this journey to try and get to know their Grandmother and reconnect with each other...only to be met with a dark and mysterious past that revolved around secrets, betrayals, vengeance, and even death. In the... Read Full Review
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The 5th Wave
Yancey, Richard
Reviewed: January 5, 2022
The 5th Wave appears to be your usual run-of-the-mill post-apocalyptic story, but the author creates a unique take on this scenario. The 5th Wave is a suspenseful Sci-Fi story with some elements of drama sprinkled throughout, written by Richard Yancey, known for his stories that revolve around suspense. The 5th Wave is the start of a trilogy that explores an alien threat to destroy human life on Earth. The novel is set in the modern world, spread across several months to highlight the aftermath of four out of the fives waves (of disasters) brought by an unknown... Read Full Review