Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
The Dare

The Dare

By Hannah Jayne
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Mar 18, 2024

The Dare by Hannah Jayne is a gripping thriller centered around three best friends, Brynn, Mia, and Charlotte, whose friendship is tested when they receive a mysterious invitation to participate in a dangerous game. The game, orchestrated by an anonymous sender known only as "Daredevil," forces the girls to complete increasingly risky challenges in exchange for money. As the dares escalate, the girls find themselves trapped in a web of secrets, lies, and betrayal, with their lives hanging in the balance.

Teen Review
Son

Son

By Lois Lowry
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

Son by Lois Lowry is the final book in the Giver series. The book is about Claire, a young woman who lives in a seemingly perfect place called "The 4errtcv er Community". However, when Claire's son is taken from her shortly after his birth, she becomes determined to find him and sets out on a dangerous journey to do so. Along the way, she discovers the true nature of The Community and the sinister forces that run it.

Teen Review
Messenger

Messenger

By Lois Lowry
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

Messenger by Lois Lowry is the third book in the dystopia Giver series. The community is known for its hospitality and generosity, but it is also surrounded by a dangerous forest that is a mystery. Matty is a messenger who is tasked with delivering important messages between Village and other nearby communities.

Teen Review
The Last Mapmaker

The Last Mapmaker

By Christina Soontornvat
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat is a fantasy book with inspirations of Thai culture. In this book, Sai plays the role of a perfect girl working to provide herself with a future by assisting a mapmaker in Mangkon. When Sai is given the opportunity to chart the southern seas, she hopes to use the expedition to rid herself of her family secrets and make a name for herself on her own.

Teen Review
The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

By John Boyne
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne is a historical fiction book that takes place during World War II. After his mother’s death in 1935, Pierrot is now an orphan. He feels alone until he discovers that his Aunt Beatrix is arranging for him to live with her. Aunt Beatrix works as a servant in Aldolf Hitler’s home located on top of a German mountain. As Pierrot begins to adapt to his new life, he and Hitler form an unusual relationship.

Teen Review
National Treasure: Book of Secrets

National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets

Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

National Treasure: Book of Secrets by Jon Turteltaub is a historical adventure movie that is a sequel to National Treasure. The movie is about Benjamin Gates and his friends Riley and Abigail as he sets out to clear his family's name by uncovering the truth behind the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Along with his team, Gates travels around the world to decipher clues and solve puzzles that lead them to a hidden city of gold.

Teen Review
National Treasure

National Treasure

Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Victoria O.
Mar 15, 2024

National Treasure by Jon Turteltaub is a historical adventure movie. Benjamin Gates is a historian and code-breaker that sets out with his friend Riley to steal the Declaration of Independence. They are trying to protect the Declaration from being taken by other treasure hunters who want to take the Gates’ family treasure for themselves. Ben and Riley, with other historians that join them along the way, they work together to decipher historical clues that will eventually lead to the treasure.

Teen Review
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice

By Jane Austen
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mahad Z.
Mar 14, 2024

Summary: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen follows the lives of the Bennet family, particularly the second eldest daughter, Elizabeth Bennet, as they navigate the social norms and expectations of 19th-century England. The novel explores themes of marriage, class, and gender roles. The arrival of the wealthy Mr. Darcy in the neighborhood sparks both attraction and disdain, leading to a series of misunderstandings and romantic entanglements.

Teen Review

Uglies

By Scott Westerfeld
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Aditi R.
Mar 14, 2024

Summary: A dystopian novel set in a future society where everyone undergoes a surgery at the age of 16 to become “pretty” and move on to live in a perfect world. Tally Youngblood, the protagonist, can’t wait to turn 16 and become pretty until she meets a girl, Shay, who wants to remain “ugly” and live outside the city. Shay runs away before her surgery, forcing Tally to find her and bring her back to the city. During her journey, Tally discovers the truth about the surgery and the dark secrets that the government has hidden.

Teen Review
1984 book cover

1984

By George Orwell
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Aditi R.
Mar 14, 2024

Summary: In the gripping novel, 1984, we meet a future totalitarian society where the government, known as the Party, controls every aspect of people's lives. The protagonist and member of the Party, Winston Smith, begins to question the authority of the Party and its leader, Big Brother. Winston's rebellion against the Party leads him to a forbidden love affair and a dangerous journey to uncover the truth about the Party and their methods of control.

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