Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Anatomy book cover

Anatomy

By Dana Schwartz
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 26, 2025

I really enjoyed Anatomy and would give it five out of five stars. It is an intriguing story about a young woman trying to make her mark in a male-dominated field. She is attempting to do the impossible and become a medical surgeon in what seems to be Old English society. The main character's complex home life allows her to get an education and explore a somewhat grotesque field. While she studies to become a surgeon, she also balances a complicated love life.

Teen Review
Nothing Like the Movies book cover

Nothing Like the Movies

By Lynn Painter
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mia M.
Feb 25, 2025

Nothing Like the Movies is a realistic fiction young adult romance novel following the destined pair, Wes and Liz. Wes and Liz weren’t like any other high school couple, they and everyone around them knew that they were absolutely perfect for each other. Unfortunately, at the start of their freshman year of college, Wes’s life turns upside down, forcing him to move back to his hometown, Omaha. After months of long-distance, they grow apart unwillingly.

Teen Review
Heart-shaped Lies book cover

Heart-shaped Lies

By Elizabeth Agyemang
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Mia M.
Feb 25, 2025

Heart-shaped Lies is a young adult mystery novel that follows three girls through a hectic trip to Florida. These three girls : Navaeh, Kiara, and Priscilla are all intertwined through the viral prank star, Tommy. When Tommy mysteriously dies after a video that exposes Tommy cheating on his girlfriend, Kiara, with Priscilla and Navaeh, a full-fledged investigation breaks loose. Who saw Tommy closest to the time of death? Was it really an accident? Or maybe it was all the alcohol he had that night?

Teen Review
Dune book cover

Dune

By Frank Herbert
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 25, 2025

Paul Atreides, heir to the house of Atreides, is a nobleman whose father was given leadership of the planet Arrakis. Arrakis is a very valuable planet due to its vast supply of melange, a spice that increases the lifespan of a human. It also creates an addiction, so people who are addicted to it are forced to continue to use it, otherwise they face a slow and painful death. Paul travels to Arrakis, but a betrayal from the Empire causes chaos, leaving Paul’s father dead and the House of Harkonnen, the previous leaders of the planet, in control.

Teen Review
Stalingrad DVD cover

Stalingrad

By Fedor Bondarchuk
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 25, 2025

Stalingrad (1993) offers a grim and unflinching look at the Battle of Stalingrad from the perspective of a group of German soldiers. The film depicts their initial optimism turning into horrific disillusionment as they become trapped in the relentless urban warfare and brutal Russian winter. Following a small platoon, the narrative showcases their descent into despair, hunger, and moral decay as they witness the systematic destruction of their comrades and the city itself.

Teen Review
Aesop's Fables book cover

Aesop's Fables

By Aesop
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Jeremy G.
Feb 25, 2025

Aesop’s Fables is a collection of short stories that teach important life lessons through animals and simple situations. These fables, believed to be from ancient Greece, explore themes like patience, honesty, and kindness. “In The Tortoise and the Hare”, a slow but determined tortoise wins a race against the boastful hare, teaching the lesson that perseverance beats arrogance.

Teen Review
Enemy at the Gates DVD cover

Enemy at the Gates

By Jean-Jacques Annaud
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 25, 2025

Enemy at the Gates plunges viewers into the brutal Battle of Stalingrad, focusing on Vasily Zaitsef, a skilled Russian sniper, and his deadly duel with German sharpshooter Major Erwin König. The film vividly portrays the harrowing conditions of the siege, showcasing the sheer desperation and carnage of urban warfare. As Vasily's reputation grows, so does the psychological tension, culminating in a tense cat-and-mouse game between the two snipers.

Teen Review
The Elephant Man DVD cover

The Elephant Man

By David Lynch
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 25, 2025

The Elephant Man is a must-watch for fans of historical fiction, socially conscious films, and films based on true stories. The film is about Joseph Merrick who is a severely deformed man who is rescued by a kind doctor, Dr. Frederick Treves. The rest of the film follows the development of Joseph Merrick as he blends in with society in the 19th century. I personally enjoyed this film because it takes place in a historical context but remains modern and understandable.

Teen Review
The Black Island book cover

The Black Island

By Hergé
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Sanay M.
Feb 25, 2025

After witnessing a horrible plane crash, Tintin attempts to investigate further and offer his help. Suddenly he is shot by an armed man who appears to have also shot down the plane. Later, he is intertwined into a crime he never committed, and Tintin finds himself being hunted by both the authorities and ruthless criminals determined to silence him once and for all. His journey will take him from land to sea, where there is conflict waiting to happen at every turn.

Teen Review
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give

By Angie Thomas
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Feb 21, 2025

The Hate U Give is a novel that illustrates racial injustice in our world. Through the eyes of Starr Carter, we see what she experiences as a young black girl in her community. Specifically, when she witnesses a police officer shoot her best friend Khalil. She did everything in her power to gain justice for Khalil. Throughout the book, she faces many challenges as she tries to avenge Khalil and cause change in her community.

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