Teen and Staff Reviews

Alex & Eliza, by Melissa de la Cruz, tells the story of Alexander Hamilton and Eliza Schuyler’s

romance. Set in the late eighteenth century, Eliza is the daughter of a high standing family that

has lost most of their money. She meets Alexander, a poor young soldier from the West Indies,

at her family’s ball. The two immediately disagree and separate as enemies. As one of three

Charlie Thorne and the Lost City is about a girl named Charlie Thorne who is on the run

because she has dangerous information memorized. When she sets off on an adventure to find

Darwin’s secret discovery, she never imagined the adventures that she faces. I enjoyed this

book because it has a really smart main character and lots of unexpected challenges. My

favorite part is when Charlie gets taught how to paint her nails. I would recommend this book to

Lucy Everhart serves as the main character. On a bright day, Lucy and Fred discover a huge

white shark that the tide had brought in. They both come upon Helen's (Lucy's mother)

research papers while looking for explanations for why great white sharks show up on the

tides. Fred and Lucy are interested in learning more about the research article. Unexpectedly,

though, something happens, leaving Lucy and her father alone. She chooses to get in touch

with Helen's tutor Vernon Devine while keeping her parents, Fred, and everyone else she knew

Evil Spy School is about a boy named Ben Ripley whom currently attends the CIA’s

Academy for Espionage. When he is asked to enroll as a student at the training base for enemy

agents, Ben must stay focused on his goal of busting the criminals despite becoming friends

with one of his fellow students. I enjoyed this book because it has interesting characters such as

a angry gymnast and a nonsocial gamer. My favorite part is when Ben drives a bulldozer. I

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins is a science fiction book. In the aftermath of the 74th

annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark think they have finally found some

sort of peace. However, due to the fact that they won by defying certain rules, they are forced to

compete again in the Quarter Quells. As they make allies with the other tributes, they soon

become a full-fledged rebellion after hearing the Capitol’s true intent. Will they be victors once

Sula is the child of a small town in Ohio, of a complicated family past, of racial inequality,

of motherhood, and of a burning desire to see the world for herself. Years after an abrupt

disappearance from her childhood hometown, Sula returns and meets her former best friend -

Nel. Their lives have been so different since their separation, yet they meet once again and

immediately reconnect. However, their vastly different lives will lead to unique consequences for

The Secret Life of Bees is a domestic fiction novel set in 1964. Here we follow Lilly Owens and

her life in an unstable environment. Secrets kept from her since an early age has led Lilly

through life changing events that bring her farm from home. She starts on a path of growth and

healing that leads her to find family and hope in a world full of fear and prejudice.

Children of Blood and Bone, by Tomi Adeyemi, is a fantasy book with a gripping plot. Zélie is a

young girl living in Orïsha, a fictional country where magic exists. Zélie is a maji, a group of

outlawed people born with magic. All magic was destroyed when Zélie was just a child. For her

entire life, she has faced discrimination due to her magic. However, when runaway princess

Amari finds a magical scroll, Zélie unlocks her powers for the first time in years. Together, the

Chain of Gold, by Cassandra Clare, follows a group of shadowhunters,

descendants of angels whose main goal is to kill demons, in 1903 London. Cordelia

Carstairs is a young shadowhunter moving to England with her family. While there she

reunites with her childhood love, James Herondale, his sister and Cordelia’s best friend,

Lucie, and a host of new characters. While Cordelia gets acclimated to her new home, a

Taylor Greer has spent her entire life in her small town in rural Kentucky. Wanting

desperately to get out of her repetitive, lonely life, she leaves her mother to make a trek across

the country. As she searches for a place to call home, she comes into possession of a little girl

named Turtle. The two form an unlikely bond as they find themselves in Tucson, Arizona. While

meeting new people, such as single mother Lou Ann and her disaster prone son, Dwayne Ray,