Teen and Staff Reviews

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie is a mystery novel. Set in the English

countryside, the case of Emily Inglethorp, the wealthy mistress of Styles Court, is a peculiar one.

At a party with friends and family, Mrs. Inglethorp is found in her bedroom poisoned. The list of

suspects is extensive, but fortunately, it includes the famous Belgian detective we all love. Will

Spy Ski School is about a boy named Ben Ripely that is currently training to be a spy.

One day, he gets activated by the CIA to befriend a girl named Jessica Shang at ski school

whose father is suspected of criminal activity. When things take a turn, Ben must rely on his

friends to save the entire state of Colorado and survive things such as avalanches. I like this

book because it is fun trying to piece together the mystery before the characters figure it out. My

Big Game is about a boy named Teddy Fitzroy who lives at a zoo called FunJungle.

When someone tries to shoot at a special rhino, Teddy and his friend Summer McCracken try to

solve the case. Against the will of FunJungle’s head of Security, they come to a shocking

conclusion. I enjoyed this book because it was exciting, suspenseful, and funny. My favorite part

is when Summer almost falls into a crocodile pit. This book is full of funny comments and

Lion Down is about a boy named Teddy Fitzroy who lives at a zoo called FunJungle.

When a mountain lion is accused of murdering a famous dog, Teddy has to step in and help.

With Summer McCracken’s assistance, they gather evidence and avoid trouble to prove the

lion’s innocence only to come to a disturbing conclusion. I enjoyed this book because it has lots

of animal facts and exciting adventures. My favorite part is when Teddy experiments with a fish

Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra is about a girl named Charlie Thorne who

just turned 13. She is on the run because she has the world's most valuable piece of

information memorized. A treasure from Cleopatra has Charlie on the hunt. She will face many

challenges and come in possession of many historical artifacts. I enjoyed this story because it

shows a strong female main character. Charlie is strong willed and always wants to do the right

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks is about a boy named Teddy Fitzroy who lives at a zoo called

FunJungle. One day, when a T. rex skull goes missing, Teddy must enlist help from his friend

Summer McCracken to catch the fossil thief. To complicate things further, the school bullies,

Tim and Jim, have adopted exotic pets that will cause distress if Teddy doesn’t figure out

something to do with them. I really enjoyed this book because it has lots of twists and turns that

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater tells the story of Grace and Sam, two teenagers living in the

fictional town of Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Grace is a daughter to two neglectful parents who

spends most of her time watching the local wolf population. Her fascination with the wolves has

persisted ever since one saved her when she was a small girl. However, when she meets a boy

with the same yellow eyes as the wolf who has always looked out for her, her life’s trajectory

16-year old Blue Sargent grew up with a psychic family. She’s known her entire life that

if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue sees the future ghost of a boy named Gansey,

she learns that he will die in a year, and that she either kills him or he is her true love. Blue then

embarks on a journey with the Raven Boys, local prep school students endeavoring to find a

dead Welsh King. Led by Blue’s future victim/true love, Gansey, a handsome and charming

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead, is a creative imagining of the Civil

War. Whitehead takes the concept of the Underground Railroad, which is ironically visualized as

a real railroad that runs under America. The novel follows a young slave, Cora, after her

mother’s escape from their plantation. After years of torment and abuse, Cora and a new slave,

Caesar, escape the plantation and make their way North by underground trains. Throughout her

Liesel Meminger’s life changes after her brother dies and she moves in with a foster family.

This book covers her adventures with her best friend, her struggles and a secret she had to

keep. From the point of view of the narrator Death, Liesel experiences Germany during World

War II and steals books to read thus becoming “The Book Thief”.