Reviews by Category: Teens

A gorgeously written yet slightly disappointing horror story, Ryan La

Sala’s The Honeys excels at prose and descriptive language but falls

flat at pacing. Mars is a genderfluid teenager who is trying to cope with

the terrifying death of their twin sister, Caroline. In an attempt to

decipher the circumstances around her death, Mars decides to return to

Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy, a beautiful summer camp with a group of

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a classic dystopian book. Jonas receives the Assignment or job of

Receiver of Memory. The old Receiver of Memory, otherwise known as the Giver, is giving

Jonas the memories of the world. The Giver begins by giving Jonas happy memories.

Memories of sledding and sunshine. But, the Giver must also give Jonas the memories of pain,

memories of war, starvation, and death. Jonas knows that there are many things wrong with his

Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young is a fantasy book. Nathan is spending the summer

with Nali, his grandma. During the summers, Nali lives in her mobile home in the desert. When

Uncle Jet comes to live with Nathan something weird comes with him. Nathan isn't entirely sure

what it is, but he knows Uncle Jet will need help. A few weeks later, Nathan meets Pond, a sick

Water Monster. The Holy Beings trust Nathan to save Pond, but that is not an easy task. Pond

Counting By 7’s by Holly Goldberg Sloan is a realistic fiction book. Willow is incredibly smart

and counts by 7’s to calm and comfort herself. She struggles with making friends, but she has

her parents, which is all she needs to survive. One day, after going to a counseling session with

the school counselor, Dell, she discovers that both her parents have died in a terrible car

accident. After the accident, Willow feels lost and alone. But, slowly, she begins to make new

I Am Malala is an autobiography written by Malala Yousafzai. The book follows the life of

Malala and her family. Malala was born in Swat Valley, Pakistan. As the Taliban begins to

invade Pakistan, they take rights from women and girls. When the Taliban tried to take away

girls’ rights to education, Malala and her father began to speak out. She became an important

figure and activist in girl’s rights, so much so that the Taliban shot her to silence her. Malala’s

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani is a historical fiction book. The story takes place in 1947.

India has just freed itself from British rule and the country has been split into two countries, India

and Pakistan. The Hindu went to India and the Muslim went to Pakistan. Nisha and her twin

brother are half-Muslim and half-Hindu. Their Papa decides they must become refugees

because they are no longer safe in Pakistan. Nisha lost her mother as a baby, and now as she

Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed is a realistic fiction book that takes place in Pakistan. Amal

loves to learn and wants to be a teacher, but being the oldest child means she is responsible for

caring for her siblings instead of receiving an education. Amal works hard and goes to school

whenever she can, but one day everything changes. Amal accidentally runs into the richest

man in the village and angers him. She is forced to be one of his servants, at one of his private

It Looks Like Us by Alison Ames is a modern retelling of the horror

classic, The Thing, yet it still manages to feel as fresh and biting as

its predecessors. The story, similar to the 1982 film, takes place in the

Antarctic and is centered around a research team who come in contact with

a shapeshifting, otherworldly monster. A group consisting of five

I have never been a big fan of war movies, so I expected to spend an unpleasant two-and-a-half hour watching a boring movie centered around politics. Surprisingly, this was not the case with Lincoln. The movie takes place mainly in the year 1865, during President Abraham Lincoln's second term. Along with managing all the stresses in his life and in society during this time period, he was also figuring out how to successfully pass the 13th amendment.

The Hate You Give is a book, but it feels like an experience. What’s the definition of normal? It could be different for me than it is for you. The author knows this and purposefully plays with the word. The main character, Starr Carter, is African American. Starr is discombobulated about her entire life, especially since she's coping with the deaths of her close friends, hurtful stereotypes about her race, and the neg1ative aspects of her community. Starr's normal is abnormal, and she knows this.