Teen and Staff Reviews

Lion Down is about a boy named Teddy Fitzroy who lives at a zoo called FunJungle.

When a mountain lion is accused of murdering a famous dog, Teddy has to step in and help.

With Summer McCracken’s assistance, they gather evidence and avoid trouble to prove the

lion’s innocence only to come to a disturbing conclusion. I enjoyed this book because it has lots

of animal facts and exciting adventures. My favorite part is when Teddy experiments with a fish

Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra is about a girl named Charlie Thorne who

just turned 13. She is on the run because she has the world's most valuable piece of

information memorized. A treasure from Cleopatra has Charlie on the hunt. She will face many

challenges and come in possession of many historical artifacts. I enjoyed this story because it

shows a strong female main character. Charlie is strong willed and always wants to do the right

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks is about a boy named Teddy Fitzroy who lives at a zoo called

FunJungle. One day, when a T. rex skull goes missing, Teddy must enlist help from his friend

Summer McCracken to catch the fossil thief. To complicate things further, the school bullies,

Tim and Jim, have adopted exotic pets that will cause distress if Teddy doesn’t figure out

something to do with them. I really enjoyed this book because it has lots of twists and turns that

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater tells the story of Grace and Sam, two teenagers living in the

fictional town of Mercy Falls, Minnesota. Grace is a daughter to two neglectful parents who

spends most of her time watching the local wolf population. Her fascination with the wolves has

persisted ever since one saved her when she was a small girl. However, when she meets a boy

with the same yellow eyes as the wolf who has always looked out for her, her life’s trajectory

16-year old Blue Sargent grew up with a psychic family. She’s known her entire life that

if she kisses her true love, he will die. When Blue sees the future ghost of a boy named Gansey,

she learns that he will die in a year, and that she either kills him or he is her true love. Blue then

embarks on a journey with the Raven Boys, local prep school students endeavoring to find a

dead Welsh King. Led by Blue’s future victim/true love, Gansey, a handsome and charming

The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead, is a creative imagining of the Civil

War. Whitehead takes the concept of the Underground Railroad, which is ironically visualized as

a real railroad that runs under America. The novel follows a young slave, Cora, after her

mother’s escape from their plantation. After years of torment and abuse, Cora and a new slave,

Caesar, escape the plantation and make their way North by underground trains. Throughout her

Liesel Meminger’s life changes after her brother dies and she moves in with a foster family.

This book covers her adventures with her best friend, her struggles and a secret she had to

keep. From the point of view of the narrator Death, Liesel experiences Germany during World

War II and steals books to read thus becoming “The Book Thief”.

Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie is a mystery novel. While investigating a mysterious

light coming from the sports pavilion, 2 teachers stumble upon the body of their games mistress

among the lacrosse sticks. She is shot through the heart from point blank range. When the

exclusively all-girls school is thrown into chaos and madness, they discover that a particular

student knows too much. She knows one thing. Without the aid of Hercule Poirot, she will be the

Go Ask Alice is the diary of a young drug addict. Our narrator’s life transformed from an

idyllic all-American coming of age story to a life filled with vice. It starts when she goes to a party

and ends up drinking an LSD-laced soda, and is drawn into a life of parties, dubious dealers,

and toxic relationships. Though she is supported by friends and family, she can’t seem to drag

herself out of the addiction she has fallen into, and eventually her life ends from a suspected

The Stolen Heir by Holly Black features Suren, a former Queen of the Court of Teeth of

Elfhame. After the events of The Folk of the Air series, Suren finds herself back in the mortal

world scavenging for food and secretly keeping an eye on her former foster family, longing to be

a part of them once more. She is constantly being hunted by a hag from her old court known as