Book

Mena, a girl at the Innovations Academy, has her eyes opened and wants more out of life than to be stuck being a possession. She and her friends meet a boy named Jackson while out, and come up with a plan to escape from the perfection and obedience of the Academy. I love the cover because it goes to show that under a mask of perfection there is always another side hidden underneath.

The idea of having to be perfect all the time and emotionless was a strong point in this book. I feel that girls today feel that obedience and perfection is the key to being wanted in society as this...

Die Laughing

William Novak

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3

Rated by

Caitlin T.

Does anyone else remember ordering joke books in the Scholastic Book Order as a kid and eagerly gobbling up all the quips and antics, only to forget them minutes later? William Novak drew me back to this memory with his book Die Laughing: Killer Jokes for Newly Old Folks. This was a surprisingly pleasing random pickup on the heels of April Fools Day, but it’s not as the title suggests only for “newly old folks.” Anyone with a campy sense of humor about aging will find a chuckle in these pages.

The Harvey Way

Carolyn Meyer

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5

Rated by

Heather McCartin

In the late 1800s and early-mid 1900s, the Harvey Girls were considered to be elite hostesses and servers for entrepreneur and businessman Fred Harvey. Harvey developed the concept of the ‘Harvey House’ dining areas along various railways across the United States, including the Atchison, Topeka, and the Santa Fe. These hospitality restaurants worked in tandem with the railways in order to provide first class service to passengers and railroad employees. Meals were served promptly on a strict schedule and all Harvey Girls were expected to follow a strict code of conduct that included a sp

The Lady From The Black Lagoon

Mallory O'Meara

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4

Rated by

Heather C

"Never underestimate the power of nerds." Self proclaimed nerd Mallory O'Meara pours her heart and three years of her life into The Lady From The Black Lagoon, a biography to uncover the lost legacy of Milicent Patrick.

The book itself reflects the central idea of what it is like to be young and a person of color in today's world. It is a collection of stories from black and brown young people of all shapes and sizes that speak on the importance and brings awareness to the fact that there are still racial issues in one's friend group and the education system. The diversified book speaks on behalf of all young people. During the first or second chapter, they discussed the comment "you are white". Which is when a fellow black person is called white because how he or she may carry himself or talk, or what...

An engrossing story narrated by a wonderfully entertaining, snarky protagonist.

Although this book was a sequel, it draws readers in even more than its predecessor, The Cruel Prince. Characters will be faced with even more difficult decisions, alliances will be formed and broken, all while Black manages to wow the audience with an even more intriguing world than before. I really enjoyed the cover. It well reflects the tensions in this book with the main characters and the Kingdom of the Sea, and between Cardan and Jude over the crown. The most compelling aspect of this book, other than the...

If You Ask Me: Essential Advice from Eleanor Roosevelt

Eleanor Roosevelt

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3

Rated by

Melissa H-H

Eleanor Roosevelt served as her husband’s eyes and ears throughout his twelve years in office; she knew every corner of the United States from personal visits and meetings with locals without a cocoon of Secret Service protection. Starting in 1941, the very hands-on First Lady solved the personal problems of worried Americans while she traversed the continent. Ladies’ Home Journal included her first of several advice columns, entitled “If You Ask Me,” which shares both its name and content with this book.

Lena Wise is your average high school book nerd, just coasting through life until college, always looking for tomorrow to be better. Though she faces some complications in life with her dad, and beside the fact that she is in love with her best friend, Lena's life is pretty normal. That is until tragedy strikes and Lena begins to realize that for some people, there is no tomorrow.

The most compelling part of this book was the way it approaches teen drinking and survivors guilt. I was happy with the ending and the way all of the events progressed.

Dino's ex-best friend, July, just died. Or so Dino thinks. Dino's family owns a funeral home, and Dino's family tries to make dead people look like they're peacefully resting in their coffin before their burial. Dino is preparing for July's funeral, putting make-up on her, doing the usual, when suddenly, July bolts upright and starts screaming. She's not dead, but she's not quite alive, either. Dino then learns that July's awakening has made it so that nobody, and I mean nobody, is able to die anymore! This compelling, coming-of-age story about friendship will suck readers into it.

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