Summary: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is a powerful and thought-provoking young teen novel that tells the story of Starr Carter, a 16-year-old girl who witnesses the fatal shooting of her unarmed friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Starr is caught between two worlds: her predominantly Black neighborhood and her predominantly white prep school. As she grapples with grief, anger, and fear, Starr becomes an important voice for justice and racial
I originally checked out Wildblood from the library because of its pretty cover. I looked at its premise and I was intrigued. I read it and was severely disappointed. Wildblood suffered from many things, mainly the poor writing by the author, Lauren Blackwood.
Katniss, the main character, volunteers in The Hunger Games to save her sister from the same fate. The hunger games are a free for all in which all twelve districts are required to participate. One boy and one girl are randomly chosen, the winner gets rich. You really want to win because if you lose you die and if you win you get popular and have a “wonderful” life.
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins, serving as a prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy. The story is set in the Capitol of Panem during the early years of the Hunger Games, focusing on the character of Coriolanus Snow, who later becomes the ruthless President Snow. The novel explores his journey from a privileged but struggling teenager to a calculating and power-hungry young man, as he mentors a tribute from District 12 in the 10th Hunger Games.
We Deserve Monuments is a debut novel. But you wouldn’t be able to tell, it’s just that well written. A beautiful, heart-wrenching coming of age story, Jas Hammonds wove a tale of generational trauma, love, racism, homophobia, and what really matters. This was recommended to me by Goodreads because I read Pet (by Akwaeke Emezi), and I at first marked it as TBR because of the cover. Then, I read the premise.
Lennie’s’ sister is dead. Unsure of what to do in a world without her sister the The Sky is Everywhere explores Lennie’s grief and relationships that form through her grief. There’s Toby who was her sisters’ boyfriend and seems to understand how she’s feeling. Despite knowing it’s wrong she finds herself drawn to him and can’t stop finding her way back to him. The encompasses her with total guilt. Then there’s Joe. Joe is magical, he makes her feel like a new person and she feels brighter around him.
Rain Forest Relay by Kristin Earhart is about Russell Dean who has signed up with his four best friends who he plays football with (Jayden, Dallas, Damien, and Gabe. They want to participate in the Wild Life competition, which is a race in different ecosystems. They wanted to hopefully win a million dollars by following the clues about each habitat.
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a book about the rise of the Berlin Wall. At 12 years old, Greta finds her family divided in a matter of a night. Her mother, her brother, and her live on the eastern side, which is controlled by the Soviets. Her father and her other brother had gone to the west to find work, but could not return.
Help me, I’ve fallen for this book and I can’t get up.
…I’m sorry. That was cheesy. Now for the real intro: Pet was not something I was expecting to enjoy. I don’t even know where I found out about this gem of a book. I wish I did, if I’m being honest, but after all, it’s not the beginning of the journey that matters, it’s the end result. And Pet delivered.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a unique book, it is a story that addresses many real life problems such as violence and revenge. The whole book is written in prose which is easy to read, keeps things interesting and can be read in a couple of hours. We see Will, the protagonist of this story, travel down the elevator filled with past and memories. I feel bad for Will, he is stuck between following The Rules or choosing his own future.
