Teen and Staff Reviews

Staff Review

Tales from the Inner City

By Shaun Tan
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Chris K.
Jan 7, 2019

Magical.

Marvelous, otherworldly, enthralling, haunting, wonderful. Magical.

Working in libraries has cured my of my book-hoarding obsession. I have such easy access to nearly anything I want on a daily basis, I no longer feel much need to own the books myself. This is one of the rare exceptions. It's not enough for me to have consumed this book; I want to possess it. I want to repeatedly immerse myself in it and dwell in it. I want to become a part of it and make it a part of me.

Staff Review

The Disturbed Girl's Dictionary

By NoNieqa Ramos
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by Chris K.
Oct 29, 2018

Raw and real.

Both the contents of the story and the telling. Macy's aggressive, powerful voice assaults and engages readers immediately from the first page. By the third, her actions emerge similarly:

His nostrils twitch.

Yeah. He's pissed.

"What you're not picking up on is how much is at stake here, Macy. Nobody's gonna give you a lollipop anymore just because you throw a tantrum."

"What did you say, motherfoe?" I throw my desk.

Teen Review

The Ark Plan

By Laura Martin

Rated by
Mary from Lackman
Aug 27, 2018

Adventures with two boys a girl and a whole lot of dinosaurs. Sky and Shawn just escaped from the North Compound to find more information on Sky's dad, they meet tons of dinosaurs and a new friend Todd on the way who has been living topside since the pandemic.

The perfect book if you are into adventure and excitement.

Teen Review

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens

Rated by
Ivan
Aug 23, 2018

Pip is a young boy who lives with his older sister since both of his parents died. He is raised in a depressing and abusive manner, but seems to rub it off quite well. He has high hopes of becoming a rich gentleman and living in London, but his dreams are all crushed as his sisters husband (Joe) is only a blacksmith, and Pip by law needs to follow in his steps. This all changes when one of the most unexpected characters sponsors him, and pays for his journey to become a gentleman.

Teen Review

In Some Other Life

By Jessica Brody

Rated by
Arielle from Blue Valley Library YAAC
Aug 21, 2018

A girl named Kennedy Rhodes has an awesome teenage life- with the perfect boyfriend, an awesome best friend, and is editor of her school's awarded newspaper. All turns around when, she finds her best friend kissing her perfect boyfriend. She suddenly wishes she had had excepted the place at Windsor Academy, an elite private school. Kennedy rushes to the Academy to see if she could get her place, but than she bangs her head. She wakes up in an another life- a life where she does go to Windsor Academy.

Teen Review

Killing Mr. Griffin

By Lois Duncan

Rated by
Olivia from Leawood Pioneer Library YAAC
Aug 17, 2018

Mr. Griffin was a horrible teacher. His students only meant it as a prank. They just wanted to scare him a little bit, make him sorry. They never meant to kill him. But now he’s dead, and even the best laid plans can go wrong sometimes.

It took me a few chapters to really get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. This is an eye opening story of how peer pressure can escalate out of control. It was just fantastic and incredibly well-written. I have never read such a deep and thoughtful thriller/mystery.

Teen Review

Moonrise

By Sarah Crossman

Rated by
Olivia from Leawood Pioneer Library YAAC
Aug 15, 2018

Joe hasn't seen his brother Ed in ten years, not since he was locked up for murder. But now he's on death row, and his execution date has been set. Joe is determined to spend the last weeks with his brother, no matter if Ed committed the crime. But did he? And in the end, does it really matter? What can't be forgiven?

Teen Review

Instructions for a Secondhand Heart

By Tamsyn Murray

Rated by
Olivia from Leawood Pioneer Library YAAC
Aug 13, 2018

Jonny has been waiting for years to receive a heart. But when finally a donor is a found, but for Jonny's life to start, someone's has to end. That someone is Neve's brother Leo. While he was alive, Neve wanted nothing more than to be rid of him, but after his tragic crash, she has no idea how to move on. But then Jonny walks into her life looking for answers, with her brother's heart in his chest, everything starts to change.

Teen Review

Americanized: Rebel Without a Greencard

By Sara Saedi

Rated by
Olivia from Leawood Pioneer Library YAAC
Aug 10, 2018

Life is hard enough being a teenager. But when you and your family are secretly illegal immigrants from Iran, things can get even more complicated. Sara's parents fled Iran when she was only two years old, and she didn't learn her undocumented status until her sister tried to apply for an after-school job, but couldn't because she didn't have a social security number. This memoir follows her teenage experiences with her family and at school as well as her progress toward getting her green card.

Teen Review

Very, Very, Very Dreadful: The Influenza Pandemic of 1918

By Robert Marrin

Rated by
Olivia from Leawood Pioneer Library YAAC
Aug 8, 2018

Everyone knows about the Black Plague in Europe during the Middle Ages. But not everyone knows about the 1918 influenza pandemic. It was the worst virus that ever struck mankind. Not even the Black Death comes close to the number of lives it took. No war, natural disaster, or famine has ever claimed so many people. From 1918 to 1919, one third of the global population (500 million) became infected, with an estimated 100 million deaths. This book chronicles the cause and impact of this deadly virus throughout history.

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