Catching Fire is an amazing second book in The Hunger Games series. It shows Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark’s victory tour and their struggles with being a “fake couple” for the media. It shows them returning to their homes in District Twelve. Katniss later has a forced meeting with President Snow. He says he doesn’t like the trick she pulled with the berries to show her defiance from the Capitol, and it’s starting an uprising.
It is 2011, and the Syrian Revolution is at its peak, a fueled fire between the Assad Dictatorship and the Free Syrian Army. Salaama Kassab has seen the death and destruction firsthand, working as a surgeon in her town, Homs. Desperate to escape the danger and the constant fear, Salaama and her closest friend Layla, who is pregnant, dream of escaping the war. Under the constant stress of the hospital and bearing the loss of her parents and brother, Khawf, who haunts her, becomes a figment of her imagination.
Hardscrabble by Sandra Dallas is a historical fiction book set during the Homestead Act in 1910. The Homestead Act was signed by Abraham Lincoln and it was an act that stated that anybody who is the head of a house can get 150 acres of land for free. The main character's name is Belle Martin and it follows her and her family's struggle as new homesteaders in Colorado. This is a story that shows the struggle of dry farming, sicknesses and weather issues.
The Outsiders is set in 1965 Oklahoma, centering on two different gangs. This book was loosely based on how life could be during this time and the author wrote this for her friends that were considered the version of greasers in her town. A greaser is a teenager that is considered a delinquent, does not have much money, and is known for their trademark long greasy hair. The gang opposing the greasers is the soc gang. A soc is a rich, socialite privileged person with nice cars, clothes and hair.
Mark Watney became the first person to walk on Mars. But now, it looks like he’ll be the first person to stay there. After Mark gets stranded without his crew and supplies, he is determined to stay alive, even with the unforgiving Mars atmosphere. As he draws upon his past experiences and engineering skills, he successfully is able to communicate with NASA and alert his friends and family that he is still alive. But disaster strikes, and communication is cut once again.
All of Us Villains is book one in the fantasy series written by Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman. Seven of the most influential families in Ilvernath, a small town with a secret to hide, send one champion, a teenager, into a death tournament every twenty years. The families are competing for high magic, the most powerful and uncommon resource left in the world. For hundreds of generations, these families have kept much of the truth of the tournament a secret.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic dystopian book. The story occurs sometime in the future, during the next world war. A plane of young British boys crashes on a small island. With minimal resources from the outside world, the boys try to find ways to survive. Some are focused on getting rescued, while others just want to have some fun. Ralph, originally the boy placed in charge, struggles to maintain order among the boys, especially against Jack, who is leading the boys down a dangerous path.
All of Us Villains by authors Amanda Foody and C.L. Herman is about seven teenagers picked as champions in a tournament occurring each generation, where only one can reclaim ancient magic for their families. Now exposed to the world, the Blood Moon Curse tournament is being watched and followed by everyone in the city of Ilvernath. The story follows the perspectives of four champions and their internal battle to choose between supplying their family with glory or rewriting the rules of their predicament.
Salama was once a pre-medical student living a normal life with a bright future ahead of her. Suddenly, when war breaks out in Syria, her life is uprooted, and she watches her brother and father taken away to fight at war. Later, her mom is lost in another fight near her neighborhood. Now, the only person Salama has left is Layla, her sister-in-law, who is carrying her brother’s child. Salama feels heartbroken that her brother won’t be there during the birth of his baby, or to support Layla, but she promises that she will keep Layla safe at any cost.
Dune by Frank Herbert is an interstellar tale set on the inhospitable desert planet of Arrakis (Dune), a place that holds a substance called the “spice” melange. This substance is highly coveted due to its magical properties, and as a result, many wars have been waged over it. The story follows the young heir of Arrakis, Paul Atreides, after his house is betrayed and his father killed.
