Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

By Jennifer Niven
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jul 3, 2023

All the Bright Places, written by Jennifer Niven, is a novel where Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who badly want to escape from their small Indiana town of Bartlett. Violet is a popular girl who is secretly dealing with survivor's remorse, and Finch is a boy obsessed with death, labeled a freak by his peers. What ways will they try to find relief in their dark lives? 

Teen Review
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jul 3, 2023

I Know Why the Caged Birds Sing, a novel written by Maya Angelou, accounts her life from age 3 through age 16, narrating an unsettled and traumatic childhood that included rape and racism. Maya Angelou describes her coming of age as an intelligent but insecure Black girl in the American South during the 1930s, and subsequently in California during the 1940s. 

Teen Review
Pillow Thoughts

Pillow Thoughts

By Courtney Peppernell
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jul 3, 2023

Pillow Thoughts is a poetry book written by Courtney Peppernell that shows raw emotions through prose of writing. She writes about heartbreak, love, and raw emotions. 

This is one of my favorite poetry books that I own. The way Peppernell expresses her mindset through writing. I rate this 5 out of 5 because of her artistic writing style and the content she writes about.

Teen Review
The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jul 3, 2023

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a story about a group of high class, wealthy people who live in Long Island, New York. Nick Carraway moves there to learn more about bond business. His next-door neighbor, Jay Gatsby, is a mysterious man who throws parties every Saturday night.  Mr. Gatsby has feelings for Daisy Buchanan, Nick’s cousin. Daisy and Gatsby have a history, but now she is married. Gatsby will do anything in his power to get her back. 

Teen Review
Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesdays With Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson

By Mitch Albom
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jul 3, 2023

Tuesdays with Morrie is the story about one man and one professor. Mitch Albom was once a student of Morrie Schwartz, a professor at Brandeis University in 1979. Mitch, 16 years later, reconnects with Morrie about life lessons. 

This was one of my favorite books I’ve ever read. I would recommend this book to people who need essential life advice from a wise soul!! I liked the parts that Morrie talked about being in love, and love is something that shouldn’t be rushed. It was very eye opening to me.

Teen Review
The Crossover

The Crossover

By Kwame Alexander
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Jeli N.
Jul 3, 2023

Josh and Jordan Bell “JB”, the twins of a famous former NBA player, strive to be the best on the court. But as time goes on, the two are met with an even bigger opponent -- life. Although the boys’ close relationship may help them in some cases, a spark of change could ultimately change their relationship for good or worse. 

Teen Review
The Calling

The Calling

By James Frey
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Jul 3, 2023

The Calling is the first book in the Endgame series by James Frey and Nils Johnson-Shelton. Set in a dystopian world, the story follows a high-stakes competition called Endgame, where twelve ancient bloodlines, represented by their skilled players, compete in a battle for survival. The Players must solve a series of global clues in a race against time, with the fate of their bloodlines and the world at stake.

Teen Review
The Twisted Ones

The Twisted Ones

By Scott Cawthon
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Jul 3, 2023

The Twisted Ones by Scott Cawthon is a gripping horror novel that follows the story of Charlotte, the daughter of the protagonist from the previous book, The Silver Eyes. After inheriting her late father's estate, she reluctantly returns to her childhood town, haunted by memories of terrifying animatronic creatures from her father's past.

Teen Review
Hoot

Hoot

By Carl Hiaasen
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Owen C.
Jul 3, 2023

Hoot is very well written by Carl Hiaasen. Roy Eberhardt moves to Florida, is the new kid at school, and meets a strange kid named Mullet Fingers. At school he gets bullied and learns about the burrowing owls that would get destroyed if the new Pancake House gets built. During the course of the school year Roy learns new things about himself. 

Teen Review
To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

By Harper Lee
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Ken
Jun 30, 2023

To Kill a Mockingbird is about the Finch family who live in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Scout, the main character, must navigate her way through the racist society she was born in. Her father, Atticus, stands up for a black man in court who was falsely accused of harming a white woman. 

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