The Fort is a superb piece of literature that tells the tale of four boys (soon to be five) who, after Hurricane Leo, go to check on the condition of their makeshift hideout. However, one of the boys, Evan, is forced by his grandmother to bring along Ricky, the new kid, who no one is very happy to hang out with. Nonetheless, Ricky is the one who finds a new hideout in an abandoned bomb shelter and so they are forced to keep hanging out with him.
Crown of Horns is a graphic novel, the ninth and final book of a 9-book series called Bone. At the end of the last book, Thorn gets arrested by the group of the Disciples of Venu who are loyal to the tyrant Tarsil. Right after, the Pawans and rat creatures’ approach Atheia in very large numbers to start battle.
All the Jingle Ladies is a realistic fiction teen romance novel that follows the fifteen-year-old, Molly, through the Christmas season. Her family is the Brussel Shouts, also known as the band, that infamously wrote the song “Love Your Elf”. As a little girl, Molly dressed up as the starring elf in her family’s music video, not knowing how much embarrassment this would cause later in life. To avoid anyone recognizing her, Molly stays far away from anything Christmas, that is, until she meets someone.
After her husband’s death, Tova Sullivan takes the night shift at Sowell Bay Aquarium, cleaning glass and mopping floors, to keep herself busy. The routine tasks help keep her distracted from her recent widowing and the disappearance of her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanishing at sea over thirty years ago. While working there, she manages to form an unlikely friendship with Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. Marcellus is far more intelligent than any of his keepers would know but doesn’t let on to anything for anyone - except for Tova.
John Green's The Fault in Our Stars is a poignant contemporary romance that follows Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old cancer survivor, as she navigates love and loss. Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a charming and witty fellow cancer survivor, at a support group, and the two quickly form a deep bond. While Hazel struggles with her fear of being a "grenade" that will hurt those she loves, Augustus is determined to live life to the fullest.
Cloud Cuckoo Land connects five main characters using a fictional Ancient Greek codex called Cloud Cuckoo Land. This story is present and plays a significant role in all of the characters’ lives. Anna, a young girl who discovers Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Omeir, a boy conscripted into the Ottoman Empire, meet in 15th century Constantinople during the Ottoman Empire’s siege of the city.
The book Shoe Dog by Phil Knight is a memoir by the great Phil Knight, in which he describes his journey as an aspiring businessman who wishes to fulfill his “Crazy Dream” of starting his own startup footwear company. Shoe Dog depicts the uncertainty in the business world, which is shown in this memoir through the adversity and triumphs in his creation of Nike.
Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, is one of the few “BookTok” books that I have truly enjoyed, let alone liked it enough for it to join the scant amount of books that, on a rating scale of five stars, would be rated above it. In essence, Six of Crows is a story about six broken people finding a family. Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Matthias Helver, Nina Zenik, Jesper Fahey, and Wylan have all found their way into the Barrel of Ketterdam through various less than ideal situations.
Stephenie Meyer's Twilight is a captivating romance set in the rainy town of Forks, Washington, where high school junior Bella Swan falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious and strikingly handsome vampire. Bella is drawn to Edward’s otherworldly allure, but their love is complicated by his dangerous nature and the constant threat his world poses to her safety.
Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games is a thrilling dystopian novel set in Panem, a society where the Capitol oppresses 12 districts through fear and the annual Hunger Games—a brutal televised competition where participants fight to the death. The story follows Katniss Everdeen, a 16-year-old from impoverished District 12, who volunteers to take her younger sister Prim’s place in the Games.
