Reviews by Category: Fiction

The Outsiders by Francis Ford Coppola is a classic coming-of-age movie. In this movie,

Ponyboy finds himself caught up in the middle of a few too many conflicts. Ponyboy is a

greaser, and being a greaser isn’t easy. He knows he can depend on his brothers, Darry and

Sodapop, and the gang. He also knows not to trust the socs. When Ponyboy’s friend, Johnny,

kills a soc in self-defense, the two boys are forced to go on the run with the help of Dally. Being

Divergent is about a girl named Betrice Prior who lives in a society made up of 5

groups that will determine which group she will be apart of for the rest of her life.

Beatrice learns she is classified as Divergent, but she cannot tell anyone. She joins a

group but only the top 10 can stay. Tris (later on changing her name as well) realizes

there are many challenges to face, and that she must obey to keep herself alive.

The Selection is about a teenager named America Singer who is entered into a

contest to see which girl can become the prince’s bride. But America wants nothing to

do with it, she wants to be with her love, Aspen, who cannot provide for her. He is a

caste lower than her and is worried she needs someone else who can take care of her.

America is sad but as she meets Prince Maxwell, she starts falling in love with him. He

Monday’s Not Coming is about Claudia, a girl who is the only one who cares about

where her best friend, Monday, disappeared. Claudia, coming back from summer break,

was looking forward to seeing Monday, but Monday never shows up. School, church,

her own home, nowhere to be seen. Whenever Claudia asks for answers, no one

seems concerned and tells her to mind her own business. But Claudia is concerned that

Unleashed, by Sophie Jordan, is a novel about a girl named Davy Hamilton, who is

diagnosed with HTS, Homicidal Tendency Syndrome. Everyone ghosts her; her family,

boyfriend, and even her best friend. Davy is unsure of who she is anymore even when

she is shipped off to a place with teens just like her. She and her friends, Sean, Sabine,

and Gil, attempt to escape to find a better life. But then she gets separated from them

Cast Away is a great movie about a plane crash that leaves Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks)

stranded on an island, fighting for his survival. I think Tom Hanks was perfect for this role and

delivered an excellent performance, making it feel as if he really was alone on an island. The

progression of his loneliness was also very well portrayed, making for a dramatic scene when

the water pulls Wilson, the volleyball, out to sea. Besides a few gruesome scenes, I would say it

Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings is an excellent book for adolescents about friendship and

trust-- for when thirteen-year-old Brady and his best friends J.T. and Digger get entwined in a

tragedy, Brady has to decide between company and right and wrong. I love this book because it

teaches kids to do the right thing and to tell the truth no matter what. I also enjoyed this book

because of its surprising twists and turns, keeping the reader on their toes.

1984, George Orwell, Realistic Fiction

In the book called Rated, by Melissa Grey, it is set in a dystopian society where people

survive based off of their ratings. This rating system keeps people in order and it ranks the

society for value. The higher score you have the more value you keep to the society and lower

you have will mean less value and harder work you have to do to then increase rating. At a

school called Maplethorpe Academy, EVERYTHING the people do counts to their ratings.

Bella Kirkwood is on the case again, this time after finding a woman with a sword

through her heart at the circus. Bella can’t help trying to solve the case with her

editor Luke Sullivan, however Luke seems to be distracted by Ashley Timmons, the

new girl in town. Bella’s dad is about to get married and she thinks there is something

fishy about this marriage and she needs to find out before her life is ruined by

Christina, her dad’s fiance. Bella puts herself in danger once again to solve the