The House on Mango Street is the coming of age story of a young Latina girl named Esperanza as she grows up with her family in a predominantly white Chicago. We get to see her struggles with friends, family, school, money, racism, and much more. What I love about this story is that it is told in vignettes. Each vignette is a unique portion of Esperanza’s childhood, each with its own lesson and message that can be applied to the lives of the reader.
A story that takes place in New York City in the 1920’s of the narrator, Nick Carraway, as he befriends the wealthy and mysterious Jay Gatsby and helps him try and reunite with his former girlfriend. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this book. On the surface level, it is a very simple and straightforward read. Only 9 chapters, easy to follow, not a very complicated vocabulary. But what I enjoyed about this story was how there were so many aspects with hidden, deeper meanings. This is what really made the story worth reading for me.
The Prestige tells the story of two rivaling magicians, Angier and Borden, both trying to outsmart and outwit the other one, and ultimately attain more fame than the other. Although I really enjoyed the concept of the story, I didn’t care too much for how the author went about telling the story. There were multiple timeline jumps, and most of the story was told through the perspective of the magicians’ ancestors.
After moving to London, Dorian Gray befriends an artist named Basil Hallward who paints him a portrait. After living with the painting, Dorian soon agonizes over the fact that he will be aging while the painting of himself will stay youthful forever. Dorian will go to great lengths to prevent himself from becoming a different man than the one in the painting.
Delirium is the story about a dystopian society where love is a disease and people are forced to take the “cure” when they turn 18 in order to be unable to fall in love. Lena is very excited to get the cure until she falls in love with a boy named Alex only a few months before her 18th birthday. The concept of the book alone was enough to make me love it. I love dystopian stories, and Delirium was a super fascinating take on totalitarianism.
Navigating Early is a story about two boys who meet at a boarding school and decide to go on an adventure through the Appalachian Trail in hopes to heal from past issues. This book was a beautiful read. If you like hearing people engage in deep conversations about any subject under the moon, you will enjoy this. I know I did for sure.
The Color of Lies is a mind-bending story that will keep you hanging by the edge of your seat. When the main character, Ella, meets the mysterious Alec, her world gets turned upside down. Together they will unleash deep family secrets that will change Ella’s life forever. The imagery the book possessed was surreal, it really felt like I was living inside the story.
Me (Moth) is a coming of age story told in verse by Amber McBride. Moth lost her family in a tragic accident; she feels alone, scared to take up space. Enter Sani, a depressed boy looking for a place filled with constant love. The two take a road trip together, trying to outrun the feelings that weigh them down; maybe Sani can make Moth feel alive, and she can bring him happiness. I’m not usually a fan of poetry or stories told in verse, but McBride’s writing is absolutely brilliant.
The Canyon’s Edge is a kind of boring and an emotional realistic fiction novel by Dusti Bowling. This book is about a girl named Elenor. Ever since the shooting that killed her mom, she and her dad have isolated themselves from the world. After a year Elenor and her dad go to a canyon where no one goes. Elenor’s dad feels a canyon flood and pushes Elenor to safety, but he gets carried away by it, now Elenor has to find and rescue her dad.
Nate, president of the robotics team, wants the school funding to focus on their needs. Charlie, the captain of the basketball team, wants the school funding to go towards getting the cheerleaders new clothes. Both parties decide to enter a robot battle competition to win $10,000, which will be able fund both clubs. What happens next? Read more to find out!
