Here are some reviews from our local volunteer Book Reviewers.
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Famous Last Words by Katie Alexander (2014)
Review by Aaliyah- Grade 9
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Horror
Find it Digitally:Hoopla audiobook, Cloud Library audiobook
Rating: 10 out of 10
REVIEW
Adjusting to a new place is always hard. Such as going to a new school and moving into a new house. Willa, the main character, has to deal with both of these obstacles. On top of that she also has to adjust to living with a ghost and in a city where there is a serial killer!
This is one of the best books I've read ever!
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett (2020)
Review by Ramya- Grade 10
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Find it Digitally:Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Cloud Library eBook, Cloud Library audiobook, Comics Plus eBook
Rating: 9 out of 10
REVIEW
Stella and Desiree Vignes are two twins living in the small town of Mallard in the middle of Louisiana. The town may seem perfect to outsiders and some people living in it, but to Stella and Desiree, it is nothing but a cage restricting them from being free and following their dreams. The town was founded on colorist principles and them being light-skinned blacks made them accepted by much of the town, but not all.
Made in Korea by Sarah Suk (2021)
Review by Anna- Grade 9
Genre: Realistic Fiction, Romance
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook
Rating: 6 out of 10
REVIEW
Set in the Pacific Northwest, two Korean-American teens vie for the most successful Korean beauty-product business in their high school. A 17-year-old senior at Crescent Brook High School, Valerie Kwon is a self-inspired entrepreneur. Selling merchandise out of her locker, Valerie and her cousin, Charlie, run and manage V&C K-Beauty, a Korean beauty-products business. Since sophomore year, Valerie has been saving her profit, hoping to accomplish her dream of bringing her grandmother to Paris.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever by Jeff Kinney (2012)
Review by Alexander- Grade 12
Genre: Humorous
Find it Digitally:Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Hoopla eBook, Hoopla audiobook, Cloud Library eBook, Cloud Library audiobook
Rating: 8 out of 10
REVIEW
What do you get when you mix the holiday season with Jeff Kinney's classic Diary of a Wimpy Kid series? You get Cabin Fever, the 6th entry in the series.
Lore by Alexandra Bracken (2021)
Review by Melanie- Grade 9
Genre: Fantasy, Mythology
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Hoopla eBook, Cloud Library eBook
Rating: 7 out of 10
REVIEW
"Lore" by Alexandra Bracken is a creative take on the world of Greek gods and goddesses that combines the best elements of the classic Percy Jackson series with the high stakes of the Hunger Games.
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera (2017)
Review by Jenna- Grade 10
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Cloud Library eBook, Cloud Library audiobook
Rating: 8 out of 10
REVIEW
How would you spend your last day on Earth if you knew it was your last day? This is the question Adam Silvera answers in his novel They Both Die At the End. In the book, Mateo, an introverted teen, receives a call from Death-Cast that he is going to die by the end of the day, as does Rufus, a teen across town.
Cujo by Stephen King (1981)
Review by Ava- Grade 11
Genre: Thriller, Horror, Action/Adventure
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook
Rating: 9 out of 10
REVIEW
Only Stephen King can capture the somber internal conflict of a dog. Although the book is gory, that's not nearly as unsettling as the incredible tension that builds up over the story, each character struggles and issues intertwining with one another. Even the most horrible monstrosities are described in such a way that the reader can't help but feel bad for aggressor and victim.
Cujo is an amazing book. The never-ending tension and descriptive imagery just makes you feel truly empathetic for each character, and despite the absurdity of the situations they seem so real.
Dear Martin by Nic Stone (2017)
Review by Jenna- Grade 10
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Cloud Library eBook, Cloud Library audiobook
Rating: 10 out of 10
REVIEW
Navigating your way through your teenage years can be difficult, but especially after you are placed in handcuffs when you are just trying to help a friend. Justyce McAllister is at the top of his class at his private high school, but after a police officer attempts to arrest him on a false claim that Justyce must be causing trouble because of the color of his skin, the way he perceives the world around him drastically changes.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott FItzgerald (1925)
Review by Anastasia- Grade 11
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Hoopla eBook, Hoopla audiobook, RB Digital audiobook, Cloud Library eBook, Cloud Library audiobook
Rating: 9 out of 10
REVIEW
Beginning in the Spring of 1922, The Great Gatsby is a story of rivalry between two wealthy Long Island villages: West and East Egg. The book's narrator, Nick Carraway, rents a small cottage in the west, finding himself stuck in the middle of this feud, with a foot in both the eccentric West Egg and the old-fashioned East Egg.
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