Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
The Line Tender by Kate Allen

The Line Tender

By Kate Allen
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Shreya A.
Nov 17, 2021

The Line Tender is a sad and heartwarming fiction novel by Kate Allen. This book is about a girl named Lucy, her best friend Fred who dies in a quarry at midnight. Ever since Fred died Lucy’s been a mess, she finishes an assignment in honor of Fred and she suddenly gets interested in her mother's work. She gets her dad, her neighbor, her family friend and her mom's former colleague to help her figure out things about her mom's beloved sharks.

Teen Review
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam

Punching the Air

By Ibi Zoboi & Yusef Salaam
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Nov 7, 2021

16-year-old Amal Shahid is an artist, a poet, a son, a cousin, a student. But in the eyes of the law, he is a monster and nothing more. After a fight in a gentrified neighborhood sends a white boy to the hospital, knocked unconscious, the world turns to Amal to shoulder the blame. He didn’t do it — but to the world, that doesn’t matter. Convicted of the crime and sent to prison, Amal suddenly finds that the weight of prejudice and racism and despair and rage is unbearably suffocating.

Teen Review
Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Hamlet

By William Shakespeare
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Taylor E.
Nov 5, 2021

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a masterpiece of chaos .After Hamlet’s father is killed by his uncle, Claudius, Hamlet must try and avenge his father’s death. After several secret plots come into play, a lot more people end up dead than Claudius. No one in Hamlet makes the most straightforward choice; all of the characters make emotional, rash decisions.

Teen Review
Sidelined by Kara Bietz

Sidelined

By Kara Bietz
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 5, 2021

Julian Jackson has lived his whole life in a small town, and now, as the captain of the football team, he is pressured to get scholarships, pursue his dreams, and go to a good college. Then Elijah Vance returns to his town, Elijah was his best friend and teammate.  Will they be able to mend their friendship?

Teen Review
Time Will Tell by Barry Lyga

Time Will Tell

By Barry Lyga
Star Rating
★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 5, 2021

4 teens, Liam, Jorja, Marcie, and Elayah, find a time capsule that was buried by their parents. They were expecting cool items from the 80’s, but instead they find a bloody knife and a confession to a murder. They are left to solve the murder on their own after no one believes them.

Teen Review
Before We Disappear by Shaun David Hutchinson

Before We Disappear

By Shaun David Hutchinson
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 3, 2021

Meet two rival magician assistants, Jack and Wilhelm. Jack works for the Enchantress, and Wilhelm works for Laszlo. During the Exposition, they both cross paths and form a secret romance. Does the romance between Jack and Wilhelm keep them together? Or does it fall apart? Read more to find out!

Teen Review
The Falling Girls by Hayley Krischer

The Falling Girls

By Hayley Krischer
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 3, 2021

Shade and Jadis were inseparable best friends that shared everything. When Shade joins cheerleading without telling Jadis, Jadis feels betrayed. Shade loves being around the cheerleaders and enjoys the thought of becoming a cheerleader. Jadis doesn’t want to lose her best friend, so, she is determined to win her back over at any cost. When one of the cheerleaders goes missing, Shade immediately suspects Jadis. Is Jadis the killer? Does Jadis win Shade back? Read more to find out!

Teen Review
For All Time by Shanna Miles

For All Time

By Shanna Miles
Star Rating
★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 3, 2021

Two soulmates, Tamar and Fayard, have both lived a multitude of lives and have died together. They are tired of finding romance and losing it, so when they discover a way to break the cycle and live a long fulfilling life, they fight that chance. Will they break the cycle? Read more to find out!

Teen Review
Our Way Back to Always by Nina Moreno

Our Way Back to Always

By Nina Moreno
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 3, 2021

Luisa and Sam have been inseparable friends up until middle school. 4 years later, they live totally separate lives: Lou is introverted, and Sam is popular. Lou is set on getting accepted to major colleges, but when she finds an old bucket list that they both made together, they set off on a mission to complete the tasks. Will they complete the bucket list? Will they find romance? Read more to find out!

Teen Review
So This is Christmas by Tracy Andreen

So, This is Christmas

By Tracy Andreen
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 3, 2021

When teenager Finely Brown returns to hometown Christmas, Oklahoma for the holidays, life ends up not being what she expected. Her friend, Arthur comes to her hometown expecting an amazing holiday, he ends up feeling disappointed. So, Finely must try her best to make Arthur’s Christmas the best he ever had.

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