Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

By Malinda Lo
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Palak P.
Apr 2, 2022

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a historical fiction novel set in San Francisco in the 1950’s, where high-schooler Lily Hu goes through her queer awakening. Lily Hu is the “model” Chinese-American daughter, who gradually comes to realize her sense of identity as she befriends her math classmate and heads off towards a lesbian bar. Caught in the overwhelming feelings of confusion and exhilaration, the threat of risking old friendships and even her father’s deportation looms over her.

Teen Review
American Royals by Katharine McGee

American Royals

By Katharine McGee
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Jillian K.
Apr 2, 2022

Beatrice, Samantha, and Jefferson Washington are all the children of King George and their family is the current rulers of America. America was kept as a monarchy rather than turned into a democracy, and Beatrice is to be the new queen when she succeeds her father. Their stories become wrapped up when Samantha and Beatrice want the same man, Samantha’s best friend, Nina, falls in love with her twin Jefferson, and Jefferson’s ex-girlfriend, Daphne, is still obsessed with Jefferson.

Teen Review
Live in Infamy by Caroline Tung Richmon

Live in Infamy

By Caroline Tung Richmond
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Jillian K.
Apr 2, 2022

In an alternate reality where the Axis powers won World War Two, current day United States has been taken over by Japanese forces and Europe by the Nazis. Ren Cabot is living in what would be California with only his father, bitter that the government killed his mother after she committed treason. The government is controlling of its people, and is only benefiting those in power, so there are many groups trying to undermine them. Mr.

Teen Review
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha

By Herman Hesse
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Kayla F.
Apr 2, 2022

Siddhartha is a philosophical book by Herman Hesse that is centered around the rise of Buddhism.  It follows Siddhartha on his search for enlightenment and the benefits of teachers.  I think that Hesse brings up important topics and there is a lot to discuss from this book. However I find Siddhartha as a character to be obnoxious, self-centered, and rude which makes it hard to enjoy a book with a main character that you don’t enjoy.

Teen Review
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club

By Malinda Lo
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Tyler H.
Apr 2, 2022

Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a story about Lily Hu in 1954 Chinatown. She’s stuck between complications with Red-Scare paranoia affecting her family, and her friend Shirley trying to set her up with Will, a boy from school that she has zero interest in. But everything gets turned upside down when Lily meets Kathleen Miller and realizes that there’s an obvious reason why she isn’t interested in Will.

Teen Review
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins

Gregor the Overlander

By Suzanne Collins
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Mar 31, 2022

Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, the bestselling author of the Hunger Games, is a children’s fantasy story about a young boy and his baby sister who fall from their New York City home into an underworld infested by massive bats, rats, and insects, as well as humans with nearly transparent skin.

Teen Review
Supernova by Marissa Meyer

Supernova

By Marissa Meyer
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Jillian K.
Mar 31, 2022

The last book of the Renegades series finishes off the trilogy with a final battle between the Renegades and the Anarchists. With Ace Anarchy captured by the Renegades and the use of Agent N to take away super powers, time is of the essence for Nova and her friends to figure out how to help her uncle before his power is taken away from him. Nova has become close friends with Ruby, Oscar, and especially Adrian but must turn against them to make her family happy.

Teen Review
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

Archenemies

By Marissa Meyer
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Jillian K.
Mar 31, 2022

Archenemies, the second book in the Renegades series, is a continuation of Nova Artino’s double life as Insomnia and Nightmare. Now knowing that her uncle is alive rather than killed as she thought him to be, Nova has become a part of a plan that has been hatched for Ace Anarchy and the Anarchists to come to power again.

Teen Review
These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

These Violent Delights

By Chloe Gong
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Mar 30, 2022

These Violent Delights is the first novel in Chloe Gong's historical fiction series of the same name. Set in 1926 Shanghai, a blood feud between two rival gangs tears the city apart until they lose control. When a contagious sickness runs rampant through Shanghai and turns the population mad, the teenage heirs of the two gangs must work together to save their city. Gong's retelling of Romeo and Juliet is unique and well-done.

Teen Review
Bravely by Maggie Stiefvater

Bravely

By Maggie Stiefvater
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anon-A-Miss
Mar 30, 2022

This book appears to be the sequel to the Disney movie Brave. And it is an excellent one. We see Merida come back from a journey, and she realizes that nothing has changed. On Christmas, she meets two gods. One, who goes by the name of Feradach, is the god of ruin, and his next job is to ruin her beloved DunBroch. And the other is the god of renewal, named the Cailleach. Merida makes a bargain to save her family and home. The catch? She has just one year to change her family, or she must submit to Feradach’s ruin.

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