Teen and Staff Reviews

At 10:00 a.m., the principal of Opportunity High School finishes her speech welcoming students back from winter break.
At 10:02 a.m., students get up to leave the auditorium for class.
At 10:03 a.m., the auditorium doors won't open.
At 10:05 a.m., someone starts shooting.
This story is told from 4 different perspectives over the span of 54 terrifying minutes. Fear reigns as a former student's revenge turns into a game of survival.

This book serves as both a moving memoir about the author’s relationship with her pet rat and a brilliant nonfiction book about domesticated rats in general. This book blends history and science with stories of  interesting people while at the same time sets the record straight on this amazing animal. Readers will come away with a deep appreciation and a better understanding of rats. You might even be convinced to adopt a rat after reading this wonderful book. Highly recommended for people afraid of rats!

Mattie Gokey has big dreams of one day going to college, but little chance of realizing them. She has to stay behind and protect her sisters and entire family from financial ruin. Desperate for money, she takes at the Glenmore, a hotel for high class people vacationing nearby. There, hotel guest Grace Brown entrusts her with a packet of letters to burn for her. But when Grace’s drowned body is discovered in the lake, Mattie realizes the letters could reveal the dark truth behind a murder.

In Ponyboy’s world, there are only 2 kinds of people: greasers and socs. A soc has money, power, and privilege, and can get away with practically anything. But a greaser always lives on the outside, and needs to watch his back if he doesn’t want to get beat up by a group of socs. Ponyboy is a greaser, and has always been proud of it, and fights against gangs of socs to help his fellow greasers.

This book updates the ancient story of Theseus and the Minotaur for a new generation. This retelling of Greek mythology is hilariously told in verse. It is rough, rowdy, and tells a different story than the one you are used to hearing. It explores new ideas on what actually happened in many different perspectives, from the god Poseidon to the Minotaur himself. This book will have you reevaluate this infamous monster, maybe he is not as horrifying as you think.

I loved that each of the heroes has a unique voice and form of verse. Fun and quick read.

When Griffin steals a minivan with the keys left in, he thought he got lucky. He did not bargain on 16 year old Cheyenne Wilder sleeping in the back. Now, in addition to his accidental kidnapping, he finds out she is blind and has pneumonia, and he has no idea what to do. But when his father finds out she is the daughter of the president of a powerful president of a company, there is a reason to keep her. But can she survive this real life nightmare and escape alive?

Louis Zamperini was an army air forces bomber during World War II. And before that, he was an Olympic sprinter. But now he is a captive of the Japanese forces. His plane crashed and he survived thousands of miles in the open ocean with little to no water or food. His raft eventually washed up near a Japanese base and he was sent to a POW camp. This book tells the incredible story of his survival against all odds and about the amazing life he led.

Everyone knows the story of the pied piper right? How a mysterious man came into town and lured away all the rats by playing his pipe. But the townspeople refused to pay him, so he stole away all the children that night and they were never seen again. Right? But this book tells a different story. One you never expected.

Jonny has been waiting for years to receive a heart. But when finally a donor is a found, but for Jonny's life to start, someone's has to end. That someone is Neve's brother Leo. While he was alive, Neve wanted nothing more than to be rid of him, but after his tragic crash, she has no idea how to move on. But then Jonny walks into her life looking for answers, with her brother's heart in his chest, everything starts to change.