Teen and Staff Reviews

The Hate You Give is a book, but it feels like an experience. What’s the definition of normal? It could be different for me than it is for you. The author knows this and purposefully plays with the word. The main character, Starr Carter, is African American. Starr is discombobulated about her entire life, especially since she's coping with the deaths of her close friends, hurtful stereotypes about her race, and the neg1ative aspects of her community. Starr's normal is abnormal, and she knows this.

First, the readers are introduced to the author by another source, Abraham Verghese, who admits to only knowing Paul Kalanithi after his death. This meant that readers knew the end of the book before it even began. Verghese explains the importance of the book and sets high expectations for the readers as they flip the pages and move on to the prologue. As Kalanithi introduces himself, his audience is drawn to learn more about his life. The book's first part shows his passion for writing and calling toward a medical degree.

The Silence That Binds Us is a story of protest and tragedy. At the start of her junior

year, May is still grappling with the suicide of her brother, Danny several months ago. At her

California school’s Junior Jam a parent stands up to blame her Asian parents and other

immigrants for what happened to Danny and several other teens, saying they create a

high-pressure environment and lead to these tragedies. Infuriated by these accusations about

Crave is a tale of coldness and unknowns, but also warmth from the strangest of places.

Grace’s parents died under mysterious circumstances, and without any other family in her native

San Diego, her uncle takes her in. He’s the head of a prestigious boarding school in the middle

of nowhere, Alaska. From the moment she arrives, Grace senses something strange under the

surface - and it’s not just the odd system of subterranean tunnels beneath the school. The

Aristotle has never had any real friends - maybe he’s too lost in his thoughts on his

brother in prison, his complicated Mexican heritage, his distant father. But when another boy

with a similarly named after a philosopher, Dante, offers to teach him to swim, a bond is quickly

forged between the two. However, a tragic accident and moves and love and heartbreak begin

to warp their relationship - but hopefully, Dante will be able to breach the high walls around

Dante’s heart.

Fox is the well-known playboy of a small West Coast fishing town, traveling up to Seattle for

short flings every weekend - except he hasn’t for the last seven months, ever since he walked

his best friend Brandon’s playful and music-loving sister-in-law, Hannah to a record store.

However, his reputation remains and he can’t seem to rid himself of the image that others see -

even Brandon makes him swear to stay away from Hannah. Telling himself that he doesn’t want

Piper is the ultimate “It Girl”, with an exceedingly wealthy stepfather, a glamorous life in

Hollywood, and parties and boyfriends and Instagram followers galore. But after a breakup and

some bad decisions, she finds herself back in the small fishing town where she was born, forced

to completely take care of herself for the first time. And to make matters worse, a surly local

fisherman, Brendon, seems to hate her from first sight. But it’s a small place, and through

The precursor to a film of the same name, The Princess Bride is a story

about a story - a fairy tale told to a young boy by his father. Of course,

not without lots of editing to ensure that only the good parts are left

in. The reader is left with a tale of swordplay, true love, evil men,

escape from death, and plenty of humor. The story starts with a young

bride whisked away by assassins that plan to kill her and pin her death on

Rowan and Neil have always been pitted against each other, locked in a fierce battle for

the ultimate honor: valedictorian. As their high school reaches its culmination and a

long-awaited game of Howl begins, they find themselves in the strange position to overcome

their hate for each other. Newly allies in this traditional seniors-only Seattle-based scavenger

hunt/manhunt, they begin to discover they have more in common than they thought. Though

We often have heard or seen war through a different lens, and most of us haven’t ever actually

been in one. However, soldiers are the ones who, by default, experience war firsthand. Every war

noted in history is concerned about the outcomes, what major authority figures think, or the

events throughout the war; however, the individuality, emotions, and existence of soldiers

themselves are often looked upon. Ironically, they are the ones who go through the most trauma,