Reviews by Category: Fiction

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a cozy, adventure movie full of laughter, stress and love. Mr. Fox is bored with his plain old family life much to the dismay of his wife. He’s an animal and animals need to be wild! So, he hatches a plan to steal from three of the scariest farmers in the town, Boggis, Bunce and Bean, notorious for their violent ways. He only planned to do one heist to feed his family and get that itch out of the way, but once he pulled off the perfect heist he couldn’t get enough. Mr.

Holes by Louis Sachar follows a young boy named Stanley Yelnats. Stanley Yelnats is cursed with bad luck, and his entire family has been cursed with bad luck since his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather broke his promise to Madame Zeroni. Stanley was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time and got sent to Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn’t commit.

This novel contains description of sexual assault. 

Beartown by Fredrik Backman follows high schoolers in a small Swedish town with little going for it besides their budding hockey team. The only way that the town can bring in financial opportunities is if their hockey team wins the national championship. However after Kevin, the star player of the team, assaults Maya, the daughter of the head coach of the youth hockey team, the town is ripped apart. 

Rooney is a senior in high school, but she sure doesn’t feel it. In fact her entire life has been put on hold to keep her family afloat, all thanks to The Next World Society. Rooney thinks the group is nonsense, but the idea that all the members will leave earth by November 17th is the only thing her mother believes in and her little brother is starting to fall for it too.

Harry Turtledove's The Big Switch is an action-packed alternate history anthology that explores a fascinating concept: what if historical events had taken different turns? This collection of short stories and novellas presents a variety of scenarios, each offering a unique "what if" scenario and its potential consequences. From alternate outcomes of famous battles to different paths for key historical figures, the book delves into a range of pivotal moments in history.

It's tricky to define "the best" of any author definitively, as it depends on personal preference. However, I can offer a review that touches on the breadth of Harry Turtledove's work and highlights some of his recurring strengths: Harry Turtledove is a master of alternate history, and The Best of Harry Turtledove would have to showcase his ability to craft intricate and compelling "what if" scenarios.

The book Two-Minute Drill by Mike Lupica is a sports action story. The main character, Scott Parry, was the new kid at school. He is smart, but was used to being lonely. He always ate by himself, never talked to anybody and kept out of trouble. He decides to join the football team, but isn’t the best player. However, a new friend named Chris Conlan decides to help him out. Chris is the star quarterback, but is educationally challenged.

Crooked Kingdom is the sequel to Six of Crows, the story of six teenagers with extremely different backgrounds united for a common cause: conducting a heist. After the effects of all the events that occurred in previous weeks, the crows have a lot to deal with. Despite being successful with the heist, they are all exhausted and weakened by their efforts.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is an action-packed movie, but its weak storyline held it back. The movie takes place after the events of Jurassic World, where the park is abandoned, leaving dinosaurs to roam free and live naturally. Unfortunately, a volcanic eruption on Isla Nublar threatens the lives of the dinosaurs, forcing our protagonists to save the dinosaurs and uncover a sinister operation.

Gregorio's novel None of the Above follows Kristin Lattimer, a teenage girl who has it all: many caring friends, a loving boyfriend, and a promising athletic career. That is until Kristin discovers that she is intersex, causing her to spiral into a full-blown identity crisis while she also suffering from the discrimination of her classmates. This novel contains scenes of sexual assault, and discrimination against queer identities which may be triggering for some readers.