Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Cover photo of the book The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games

By Suzanne Collins
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Jun 12, 2021

Suzanne Collins’ YA dystopian novel, The Hunger Games, is absolutely perfect. Panem, future ruins of North America, is ruled by the rich in the Capitol and split into twelve districts. Each year, two tributes of ages ranging from twelve to eighteen years old, from each district are forced to compete in a deadly competition known as the Hunger Games.

Teen Review
Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Deep and Dark and Dangerous

By Mary Downing Hahn
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Saathwika A.
Jun 10, 2021

Ali and her cousin, Emma, visit their mothers’ childhood home. On their vacation, Emma decides to make friends with people. Both the girls go looking around Maine for a child around Emma’s age. One day, they meet a girl named Sissy. She spoils Emma and scares her by telling her about a murder. Even though the girls are frightened, they ask their aunt more about the story. As the story goes on, Ali and Emma realize that Sissy is not who she says she is.

Teen Review
Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill

Meant to Be

By Lauren Morrill
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Jun 9, 2021

Lauren Morrill’s Meant to Be is a contemporary young adult romance. In this book, Julia, a stereotypical nerd, lives out her dream of going to London when her class takes a school trip. Instead of following her carefully planned itinerary, Julia is forced to pair up with Jason, whose main goal in life is to have fun and break all of the rules while doing so.

Teen Review
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

One of Us is Lying

By Karen M. McManus
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Saathwika A.
Jun 8, 2021

One of Using Is Lying, by Karen M. McManus, is a Mystery/Thriller novel. The story unfolds around four teens after their classmate, Simon Kellhelro, dies. Brownyn, Nate, Addy, and Cooper become suspects in the murder. The four suspects each had a motive to kill Simon. Slowly by slowly, the supposed murder reveals the secrets of the four students. The four suspects become closer and vouch for each other.

Teen Review
How to Avoid a Climate Disaster by Bill Gates

How to Avoid a Climate Disaster

By Bill Gates
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Zoe D.
Jun 7, 2021

In How to Avoid a Climate Disaster, Bill Gates discusses how at this point, climate change is unavoidable; too much time was not used to solve the climate change crisis, so wildfires, rising sea levels, increased storms for some and droughts for others are inevitable now and in the future.  However, the worst consequences of climate change are avoidable, just so long as every country can achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.  Although the world is far from net-zero emissions, Gates mentions the current t

Teen Review
Smile by Raina Telgemeier

Smile

By Raina Telgemeier
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Sriha P.
Jun 6, 2021

In the graphic novel Smile, Raina finds out that she needs braces, and she is scared. She does not want braces, but her friend, who has braces, comforts her and tells her everything will be fine. Well, turns out everything was fine until that night at the Girls Scout meeting. Raina raced to the car, but fell and broke her two front teeth. I guess she will be needing braces after all. Raina goes through a lot in this book and it is filled with twists and turns and ups and downs.

Teen Review
Auggie and Me by R. J. Palacio

Auggie and Me

By R. J. Palacio
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Sriha P.
Jun 5, 2021

We all know about Auggie in the book Wonder, but R.J. Palacio made another book about other people’s point of view from Auggie’s time. Auggie and Me features Charlotte, Julian and Auggie’s friend Christopher’s view during Auggie’s time and a little after as well. This book is a good book if you want to see the bullying of Auggie from Julian’s point of view.

Teen Review
Alanna The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

Alanna: The First Adventure

By Tamora Pierce
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Micaela R.
Jun 4, 2021

10-year-old Alanna of Trebond wants to be a knight. Unfortunately, in the land of Tortall, girls of noble birth are sent to the convent to learn the skills they will need as the wives of knights and lords. Her twin brother, Thom, wants to learn to use the powerful magic that they were both born with, but as the only son of the fief of Trebond, Thom must become a knight of the realm. Alanna and Thom trade places, so that Alanna, disguised as a boy, can travel to Corus to become a great knight and Thom can travel to the City of the Gods to study magic.

Teen Review
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

By J. K. Rowling
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Sriha P.
Jun 3, 2021

You-Know-Who is back. Harry did not think he would return, but he did. Harry has to go back to Hogwarts, thankfully, and has protection from his professors. Until he doesn’t. A new professor has joined the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, where Harry learns all about new spells and new techniques to defend himself from Voldemort. But, this professor is not a good one. She teaches in the “safety” of her classroom. The pink might look like she is friendly, but trust me, she is not.

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