The Selection is a book about a teen named America. She lives in a dystopian society where everyone is separated into numbered castes: she is a Five, and the only chance she has to change that is to enter the Selection. A competition where the prince of their society will choose a bride, it is every girl’s dream chance for love, riches, and power. But even though America eventually becomes one of the Selected, her heart lies somewhere else: with Aspen, a Six who she secretly meets with in her tree house at home.
This work of William Shakespeare presents the drama between two lovers in Verona, Italy. They would like to become married to one another, but their opposing families stand in their way. The name of these “star-crossed” lovers are Juliet and Romeo, hence the title of the tragic drama. They attempt to circumvent such by concocting a plan to run away, but the efficacy of such a plan is not to be discussed in this review.
Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a historical fiction book. Esperanza’s life seems perfect. She lives on a beautiful family ranch in Mexico with everything she could ever want. That is until one night her father does not return. Esperanza and her family escape to California with the hope of building a better life for themselves. The only problem is life at a Mexican farm camp during the Great Depression is nothing like Esperanza’s old life. She must
Esperanza Cordero is a young girl in a poor area in Chicago. Working towards the goal of self-empowerment and self-discovery, she finds problems with race, gender, class, and economic statuses that stand in the way of her. Short vignettes, stories, and poems provide insight into her life as she progresses towards her aspirations.
Supergifted by Gordon Korman is about Noah, who is supergifted. Finding a way out of the academy for students with high IQ’s, Noah transfers to a normal middle school that his friend Donovan attends. Soon, Noah finds a way to support his school and joins the cheerleading squad, but Hash Taggart (aka. Hashtag), an uber jock in the school, starts picking on him. Noah’s friend Donovan helps Noah and lands himself in a big fight with Hashtag. He’s told not to go anywhere near Hashtag.
Justyce McAllister is a high school senior and a passionate debater, going along with fellow student Sarah-Jane Friedman and mentor Dr. Jarius Dray. But, he is surrounded by problems in his personal life along with the major issue of racism. Along the way, He finds himself in multiple encounters with the legal system. Through it all, he reminds himself of the great Martin Luther King Jr. and his legacy, attempting to follow his example in the divided world.
Ungifted by Gordon Korman is about Donovan Curtis, who is far from anything close to gifted. When a prank goes too far, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the academy for gifted students because of a mix-up by one of the administrators. Now in the academy of scholastic distinction, Donovan has to fool all the other students with super high IQ’s in order to stay there.
An encapsulating journey that presents the dynamics of 12 men as they attempt to prove a boy “guilty” or “not guilty” for the charge of murder. All jurors must unanimously agree on whether or not the boy is responsible for the crime. Some vote based on “undeniable proof,” some on preconceived notions, and others for no certain reason. Reasonable doubt can change it all. It is captivating and intriguing to watch 12 jurors as they attempt to convince one another of the suspect’s guilt or innocence using systematic logic, or less substantial matters.
