Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Splinters of Scarlet by Emily Bain Murphy

Splinters of Scarlet

By Emily Bain Murphy
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Shreya A.
Apr 29, 2022

Splinters of Scarlet is a loving and action-filled fictional novel by Emily Bain Murphy. This book is about an orphaned girl named Marit who can sew with magic. Eve, Marit’s friend, gets adopted by her idol, Helene Vestergaard. Marit befriends Liljan and her brother Jacob. Marit finds out that Philip Vestergaard is killing people for their magical blood and making the jewels instead of mining for them.

Teen Review
The Moon By Night by Madeline L'Engle

The Moon By Night

By Madeline L'Engle
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Caroline P.
Apr 29, 2022

You may have read Madeleine L’Engle’s most famous book, A Wrinkle in Time, which won the Newbery Medal and is still available almost everywhere, even 60 years after it was published in 1962. But you may not know about L’Engle’s “other” famous series, about the Austin family. The Moon by Night is the second book in the Austin family series. The book, which is not science fiction, focuses on the coming-of-age story of Vicky Austin, age 14.

Teen Review
Sundial by Catriona Ward

Sundial

By Catriona Ward
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Tyler H.
Apr 29, 2022

Rob has only ever wanted a normal life. She wants a normal husband, with normal kids, a normal house, and a normal job. Things from the past come back to haunt her family. She finds herself unable to ignore it when her daughter starts collecting bones and talking to people that aren’t there. Stuck between her want for normality, and the trauma reawakening, Rob decides to take one last trip to a place buried in her memories.

Staff Review
Book cover

Poison for Breakfast

By Lemony Snicket
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Chris K.
Apr 28, 2022

A perfect little gem of a book.

A book I quickly fell in love with. It may not be a perfect book for every reader, as we all have our different preferences. Not everyone will love it as much as I. But I love it. I find it hard to imagine a book that could be more perfect.

I rarely buy books. I work in a library, so I feel almost every day I have all the books I could ever want at my fingertips for free. I don't often feel the need to buy them for myself. Plus, buying a book means I am unlikely to read it.

Teen Review
Who Was Albert Einstein by Jess Brallier

Who Was Albert Einstein?

By Jess Brallier
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
REVIEWER4567
Apr 26, 2022

The book begins by describing Albert’s childhood and experience in school. While most kids wanted to play games outside and have fun, Albert enjoyed spending his time solving puzzles and learning about science. In school he would ask a lot of questions; in fact, he asked so many that his teachers got annoyed with him and expelled him. Albert was then forced to learn things on his own. Although it took him time to gain respect in the science community, Albert published many theories and equations which were proven correct, and he became one of the most successful scientists of all time.

Teen Review
Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

Agnes at the End of the World

By Kelly McWilliams
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Tyler H.
Apr 26, 2022

Agnes lives happily in Red Creek. She likes the people, the tasks, the Prophet, the God, everything. But Agnes is a sinner. She makes contact with the Outside to treat her little brother of his diabetes. But it’s through this contact with the Outside that Agnes realizes that Red Creek isn’t perfect. That’s when everything starts to go wrong. Stuck between a religious cult and a global pandemic Agnes must fight to stay alive.

Teen Review
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit

By J.R.R. Tolkien
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Apr 26, 2022

The Hobbit, by J. R. R. Tolkien, is a Fantasy Fiction book. Bilbo Baggins is a Hobbit. He does not like adventures, or so he believes. When Gandalf and thirteen dwarves show up at his hole, Bilbo is confused. With a lot of explaining and convincing, Bilbo finally agrees to go on the adventure. The group goes through a lot together: orcs, trolls, and wargs. What Bilbo does not know is that this adventure will change him, completely.

Teen Review
In the Ballroom with the Candlestick by Diana Peterfreund

In the Ballroom with the Candlestick

By Diana Peterfreund
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Sofia Perez G.
Apr 21, 2022

In the Ballroom with the Candlestick is the final book of the Clue Mystery trio. It picks up a little after the events inside In the Study with the Wrench with the Murder Crew at a now almost abandoned Blackbrook Academy. Following a series of murders from the previous books has driven most of the students away, and you are left with an closed circle mystery involving a small group of students composed of both victims and suspects.

Teen Review
Bad Things Happen Here by Rebecca Barrow

Bad Things Happen Here

By Rebecca Barrow
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Sofia Perez G.
Apr 21, 2022

Bad Things Happen Here is an intriguing and amazingly written YA murder mystery. It is set on an island of extremely wealthy people where horrible and unexplainable disappearances happen but the consciousness of the society sweeps it all under the rug. It is a twisted tale in both the story itself and the characters, the lead protagonist is flawed, mentally ill and haunted by loss, but yet unlike other books, this does not undermine her character, but instead strengthens Luca.

Teen Review
Not a Happy Family by Shari Lapena

Not a Happy Family

By Shari Lapena
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Tyler H.
Apr 21, 2022

Not a Happy Family is a domestic thriller full of deceit and uncertainty. One Easter dinner with a dysfunctional family has turned into a murder case with a long list of suspects. Everyone has a motive; nobody has an alibi. With inheritance being thrown around between family members the tension rises for everyone. But one question is left unanswered: Who killed them?

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