Here are some reviews from our local volunteer Book Reviewers.

To see our current volunteer opportunities, click here.


 

 Title details for James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl - Wait list

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (1996)

Review by Manpreet- Grade 11

Genre: Fantasy

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook

Rating: 9 out of 10

REVIEW:

This book shows friendship, caring, persistence, hope, fear, and more. In the book, James’ parents were eaten by rhinoceros, and he now has to live with his aunts. However, his aunts are mean, the meanest James has ever met. They treat him like a slave, that cannot do anything except listen to them. But one day, when James is walking back home, he accidentally dropped some magical crystals that were given to him by an old man.

Title details for Carrie by Stephen King - Available

Carrie by Stephen King (1974)

Review by Ava- Grade 11

Genre: Thriller, Horror

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook

Rating: 9 out of 10

REVIEW:

Carrie, by Stephen King, is a captivating and thrilling novel with a heavily emotional theme. It details the abusive and humiliative life of Carrie, who - by no fault of her own - has little-to-no experience acting or behaving around others on account of her aggressive and manic mother. The book dives into Carrie's unique mind, and how she deals with her troubles and aggressors, both of which worsen as the book continues.

 Image of item

The Dead by Charlie Higson (2010)

Review by Aidan- Grade 12

GenreThriller, Fantasy, Action/Adventure, Dystopian

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook

Rating: 7 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

This dystopian novel begins directly after “the disaster,” in which everyone over the age of 16 contracts a disease that either kills them or turns them into zombie-like creatures. In a private school in London, the students are forced to flee the school due to the zombie-like teachers. They catch a bus to the inner city, but the bus driver begins to show symptoms of the disease.

Title details for The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton - Available

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967)

Review by Stephanie- Grade 12

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Hoopla eBook

Rating: 10 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

A classic coming of age story, "The Outsiders" is told from the perspective of 14-year-old Ponyboy Curtis who lives with his two older brothers, Darry and Sodapop. The three boys are part of a gang known as the Greasers who face many conflicts with a rival gang known as the Socs. The Greasers become a second family to Ponyboy and his brothers, who became orphaned after the death of their parents.

Title details for Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng - Available

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (2017)

Review by Stephanie- Grade 12

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook

Rating: 9 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

Taking place in the author's home town of Shaker Heights, Ohio during the late 1990s, "Little Fires Everywhere" follows two families: the Richardsons and the Warrens. The Richardson family is made up of four children: Lexie, Trip, Moody, and Izzy. The Warrens are made up of a mother, Mia, and her daughter, Pearl. The wealthy, upper-class, and seemingly perfect Richardson family could not be more different from Pearl and her artistic, free-spirited mother.

Title details for The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini - Available

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (2003)

Review by Manpreet- Grade 11

Genre: Historical Fiction, Drama, Bildungsroman

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Hoopla eBook

Rating: 9 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is a bildungsroman novel that tells the story of Amir and Hassan, who are close friends and live in Afghanistan. Their town is having a local kite tournament, and Amir wants to win this competition to make his dad proud. Little do the boys know that this kite tournament is going to change their friendship forever.

Title details for I'm Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones - Available

I’m Not Dying with You Tonight by Kimberly Jones, Gilly Segal (2019)

Review by Stephanie- Grade 12

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook, Hoopla eBook

Rating: 7 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

I'm Not Dying with You Tonight follows two girls, of very different backgrounds, through one very chaotic night. The story is told from the perspective of Lena, who is black, and Campbell, who is white. After a fight breaks out at the high school football game, the girls join forces and try to return home in the midst of violent riots and destruction. The story touches on many relevant topics surrounding race while

Title details for Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear - Wait list

Atomic Habits by James Clear (2018)

Review by Stephanie- Grade 12

Genre: Self-Help

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook

Rating: 10 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

In his book "Atomic Habits", James Clear describes four easy steps to changing your life for the better by building good habits. Clear explains small changes that could be made to our every day habits that could create big impacts. The book covers each of Clear's four simple steps to self improvement by

Title details for The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls - Wait list

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (2005)

Review by Stephanie- Grade 12

GenreMemoir

Find it Digitally: Overdrive/Libby eBook, Overdrive/Libby audiobook

Rating: 9 out of 10 

REVIEW: 

The Glass Castle tells the fascinating life story of author and journalist Jeannette Walls. The story follows Walls from her action-packed, adventure-filled, and unique childhood into her vastly different life in New York. in her memoir, Walls describes her challenges of dealing with poverty and family issues while living throughout the United States.