Teen and Staff Reviews

Teen Review
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen

By Victoria Aveyard
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Anonymous
Aug 9, 2024

Mare is a seventeen year old Red with a spark. Uncommon for the low-level Reds who live to serve their higher Silver blooded counterparts, ones gifted with supernatural powers. When Mare discovers the supposed impossible existence of her own power, she must lay low in order to keep her life. When the king finds her out during a rebel operation, he betroths her to his son in order to cover up her ability. As Mare battles with her growing feelings for the prince and the cunning king, she also must assist the Scarlet Guard in their rebellion against the kingdom from the inside.

Teen Review
Life as We Knew it by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Life As We Knew It

By Susan Beth Pfeffer
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

Life As We Knew It follows Miranda, a high school girl, as she lives through a world without the moon. As the world discovers a meteor is on a collision course with the moon, everyone watches with interest, but little concern. In a split second everything falls apart as the moon is unpredictably knocked out of orbit. When the world falls into chaos and the planet begins to crumble, Miranda struggles with guilt, responsibility, and hope as she navigates the new world she must survive in.

Teen Review
The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern

The Meaning of Maggie

By Megan Jean Sovern
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

The Meaning Of Maggie follows 11 year old gifted child Maggie as she discovers the meaning of growing up and the struggle that comes with it. Maggie knows almost everything, but can’t seem to figure out why her cool dad’s legs are falling asleep, or why her mom is working double shifts. Maggie is a science fair winner, novice stock investor and future president, so she’s sure she can fix whatever is wrong. Maggie has to fight her middle school fears and work harder than ever to keep her family one loving unit.

Teen Review
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

By Ann Brashares
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants follows four high school girls and their journey through a summer of discovery, excitement and friendship. Carmen, Tibby, Lena and Bridget have been friends forever, and this summer is the first they will spend apart. As the group celebrates their last night together they discover "The Pants," a pair of magical jeans that somehow fit each of them. The pants help create their sisterhood. With ten rules and a declaration of self love, a special bond is created.

Teen Review
The War I Finally Won by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

The War I Finally Won

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

The War I Finally Won is the sequel to the Newbery Honor winning book The War That Saved My Life. This is a WWII novel following 11 year old Ada as she receives surgery for her clubfoot and learns who she wants to be in a world immersed in war. Ada was always told she was damaged, but since moving in with Susan she’s discovered she can be as capable as anyone.

Teen Review
The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell

The Lamplighter

By Crystal J. Bell
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
SM
Aug 9, 2024

The Lamplighter by Crystal J. Bell is a fiction fantasy book and is a very good read. The main character Temperance takes on the job of a lamplighter, lighting the way in the fog, after her father dies to honor his memory. She financially supports her sisters and mother and takes on the burden of work herself. As she works as a lamplighter, mysterious things start to happen when the fog rolls in. She gets suspicious of her dad's warning to stay away from a certain person.

Teen Review
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Project Hail Mary

By Andy Weir
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Theresa Korte
Aug 9, 2024

Project Hail Mary is the story of Ryland Grace, a middle school science teacher and the sole survivor on a last chance mission to save the earth. Told from his perspective, Ryland struggles to remember how he ended up on a spaceship million of miles from earth and what he is there to solve. His crewmates are dead, his ship is faulty and he has to stop an extinction level threat from decimating the earth.

Teen Review
I Must Betray You

I Must Betray You

By Ruta Sepetys
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Aisha
Aug 9, 2024

It’s 1989 and Christian Florescu lives in Romania under the dictatorship of Nicolae Ceaușescu. After the secret police blackmails Christian to be an informer and spy on Americans. In a society built by fear and mistrust, Christian wants to save his grandfather and wants to stay out of trouble so he agrees. Christian uses his connections with the Americans to spread the truth about Ceaușescu and shed light on Romanians living under his harsh rule. When the time to fight comes, Christian is one of the firsts to stand up.

Teen Review
The Hunger Between Us by Marina Scott

The Hunger Between Us

By Marina Scott
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Aisha
Aug 9, 2024

It’s the summer of 1942 and Liza Kaganova more than anything, wants her best friend Aka to come home. Liza's searched all over Leningrad, Russia, even the headquarters of the militia. However, after a messy run in with the militia, Liza can’t go back to there. She runs into two former classmates, one of which is now working for the militia and another who lives in the tunnels. Liza attempts to get them help her. In all the desperation, Liza doesn’t think to look at what is right in front of her. 

Teen Review

Becoming

By Michelle Obama
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Fathia Rahman
Aug 9, 2024

The life of a First Lady might seem like a dream, but Michelle Obama's memoir, Becoming, reveals the complexities behind the role. Through this deeply emotional and insightful book, Obama chronicles her journey from a racially segregated childhood to becoming one of the most influential women of our time. As the first African American First Lady, she transformed the White House into a beacon of inclusivity and championed causes for women and girls both in the U.S. and globally.

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