Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
You Can Go Your Own Way by Eric Smith

You Can Go Your Own Way

By Eric Smith
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Nov 2, 2021

Meet Adam, the son of an arcade owner, and Whitney, the daughter of an e-sport café owner. Tensions rise between them as their rivalries increase, but when a snowstorm suddenly traps them in the arcade, they are forced to mend their broken relationship.

Teen Review
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

The Shadows Between Us

By Tricia Levenseller
Star Rating
★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Nov 2, 2021

The only reason Alessandra attends the Shadow King’s ball is to win his heart — and to kill him once he makes her his queen. She’s selfish, manipulative, and murderous. After all, she did kill her first love after he broke her heart. Alessandra has been cast aside all her life, the spotlight focused on her foolish, naive older sister, Chrysantha. She’s tired of being powerless and ignored, she knows what she wants, and she isn’t afraid to do what it takes to achieve it. There’s just one obstacle that she didn’t anticipate — her heart.

Teen Review
The Inquisitor's Tale by Hatem Aly

The Inquisitor's Tale

By Hatem Aly
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Caroline P.
Nov 2, 2021

Run, don’t walk, to pick up a copy of Adam Gidwitz’s unbelievably great book, The Inquisitor’s Tale! A blend of medieval history, myth, commentary, fantasy, comedy, and drama (and probably a bunch of other genres too), The Inquisitor’s Tale, or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog, is so different from most books in the library.

Teen Review
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl

By Gillian Flynn
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Nov 2, 2021

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn follows a married couple living in Missouri into a world of darkness and terror when Nick’s wife, Amy, suddenly disappears. When Amy does not show up for a couple of days, police begin to suspect that Nick caused the murder. Within the book, told from Nick's perspective, a few excerpts from Amy’s diary appear, which reveal the truth about her marriage with Nick.

Teen Review
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone

By Leigh Bardugo
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Oct 27, 2021

Shadow and Bone is a fantasy YA novel by Leigh Bardugo. The book centers around the main protagonist, Alina, as she discovers who she is and who she can trust. During her childhood, she lived in an orphanage with her best friend, Mal. As she’s tasked to cross the Fold with her group, she discovers something about herself that could potentially change the entire fate of the kingdom, for better or worse.

Teen Review
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime

By Trevor Noah
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Oct 27, 2021

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is an autobiography that sheds light on the systematic issues within South Africa. The book centers around Trevor’s childhood and the way he was raised. The story ranges from going to church, his relationship with his mom, and even finding a sweetheart for a dance. Additionally, Born a Crime brings attention to heavy issues such as apartheid and domestic abuse.

Teen Review
Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Daisy Jones and the Six

By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Oct 26, 2021

Everyone wants to be Daisy Jones. She has it all — talent, beauty, charisma. Meanwhile, Billy Dunne’s band, The Six, are so close to fame — they just need something extraordinary to push them across the threshold. That something extraordinary, a producer realizes, is Daisy Jones. Nobody knows what it is, but when they’re all together, they make magic. Their first album, Aurora, rocks the country, propelling them to the top of the music scene. But behind the curtain, nothing is as it seems.

Teen Review
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom

By Leigh Bardugo
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Isabella W.
Oct 21, 2021

Crooked Kingdom is #2 of the Six of Crows duology. It’s about an impossible heist completed by six unlikely friends that become family. The goal of the heist is to become incredibly rich, but the goal gets side-tracked as their story progresses.

Teen Review
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

The Things They Carried

By Tim O'Brien

Rated by
Taylor E.
Oct 21, 2021

The Things They Carried is a work of fiction; however, it was based on actual events from the author, Tim O’Brien’s time in Vietnam. In a collection of short stories about soldiers in the Vietnam War, O’Brien tells a story that reveals Vietnam’s effects. The best thing about this novel is the author’s writing style; he writes like he’s sharing memories. There are time jumps and events that take place out of order to convey this unique type of storytelling.

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