Book Review: Beartown by Fredrik Backman

A Swedish town called Beartown is on the downfall.  Many people can’t find work, and the local businesses are closing.  The only hope of the town is their junior ice hockey team.  The team is going to compete in the national semifinals, and they have a real shot at winning.  The semifinal match ends up being a catalyst for a violent act against a young girl that leaves her traumatized and a town scrambling for answers.  Accusations start to be made, and they don’t leave any resident of Beartown unaffected.

You don’t have to be a sports person to enjoy this book.  Beartown explores many aspects of society that are related to us today.  It involves the hopes that unite a community, the secrets that can break it, and the courage it takes for someone to stand up against everyone else to try to make a difference.  It’s a book that will keep you thinking from beginning to end about how you are as a person, and how the community around you is.  It’s a book you won’t want to miss.

By Giovanni P.

Book review for “The distance between us” by Reyna Grande

“The distance between us” is a memoir written by Mexican-American writer Reyna Grande. In her memoir she tells about her experience growing up in an impoverished town in Mexico. She also speaks about her journey to the United States and how it created friction between members of her family. All in all, I think this is a great book. Especially for teenagers who are trying to find their way in this world. Reyna is a good example that no matter what obstacles you may encounter you can always come out on top.

Looking For Alaska

By: Armani C.

“Looking For Alaska” by John Green is about a boy named Miles that goes to boarding school and loves people’s last names. When he goes to boarding he meets these cool people named Chip and Alaska. He starts to fall in love with Alaska. But then, something really bad happens in the middle of thebook so it shows the before perspective of how they were living before this happened and the after perspective of when it did happen which was really tragic. I recommend this book to people who love suspenseful books, mystery books and comedy books.

Book Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a story about Christopher Boone, a 15 year-old who has Asperger’s syndrome and is constantly confused all of the time, but also has a brilliant mind. He is amazing at math, and questions every single thing he observes.  He finds a dead dog in his neighbor’s yard, and is accused at first for killing it. After being found innocent, he decides to investigate who is the killer and why did he do it.

After finishing this book, I never realized how much insight I would receive about the life a kid with Asperger’s syndrome. It gave me a synopsis of what it would like, they way their minds work and are able to develop new ideas. It also defines the hardships that they go through, including their parents. In Christopher’s perspective, he did not understand many things unless someone explained to him, but his intelligence still managed to supersede the fact that he has a mental disorder. Overall. the book is able bring something new and fresh to the reader, giving them more knowledge of what it is like to lead a life like this. You should definitely give this book a read.

 

 

 

-M.B

Everything, Everything

The main character, Madeline Whittier is not like every ordinary 18-year-old girl, she’s different because she can’t go out and do things like they can because she’s sick. She has no one to really accompany her, she pretty much only has  her nurse who’s too busy to watch her because she has to  keep track of Madeline’s breathing.

 

-Rosy B

Begging For Change by Sharon G. Flake

Raspberry had just suffered the loss of her hard earned money being thrown out the window. In this sequel Raspberry will slowly try to get back to her penny pinching ways to save a quick buck. These decisions however may not be smart, as Raspberry faces ridicule and other hardships by the ones she trusted most.

-Sydni Dantes

Book Review- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye, a novel so powerful that it metaphorically launched the bullet that would kill John Lennon, is both glorified and reviled for its unconventional take on teenage existence. This book represents the coming of age of a unique prodigy known as Holden Caulfield. Through Holden’s journey through the Big Apple, he is exposed to the corrupt society, which he fears, and seeks to preserve his childhood innocence. Along his journey without much purpose, he encounters several people and events which help shape his perspective on life. His struggle to attain happiness, move on from the death of his younger brother, and overcome his obsession with changing the inevitable becomes apparent as the novel progresses. By reading Holden’s story, teenagers can easily relate to his experiences and feelings. In a way, this novel is the literary equivalent of looking into a mirror; teenagers can identify with Holden’s persona. This novel  is a wake-up call to all teenagers and in a sense, is an inspiring read because it sends out the message that we should all remain hopeful and true to ourselves. Personally, I would recommend this novel to teenagers as they can relate to his outlook on life and overcome the confusion of being stuck between “two worlds”:  the innocence of childhood and the corruptness of adulthood. 

UGLY by Robert Hoge

The title itself may have you wondering whether this book is good or not. Don’t be fooled! this memoir is very inspirational and may have you in tears! UGLY explores the life of Robert. It tells of his deformities at birth and the eternal struggle for his mother’s acceptance. Overall, this book will have you thinking about the true meaning of beauty and what the power of love can do for a young boy and his family.

– Sydni Dantes

Book Review: Dictatorial Grimoire

Dictorial Grimoire by Ayumi Kanou

Hello guys I have another book review for ya. And it’s manga. This book will make you love fairy tales over again. Otogi has to control the fairy tales because they gone rouge. These aren’t the same fairy tales you knew as a child. They’re cooler than before!

-MJ

Book Review – Kamisama Kiss

With the perfect amount of comedic relief to balance serious plot development, Kamisama Kiss is a manga about a girl by the name Nanami Momozono who can no longer pay rent when her father runs away from town to escape his gambling debts. She is exiled from her apartment and decides to seek shelter in a park when she comes across a man being chased by a dog. She saves the man and the two end up discussing their current dilemmas which leads the man to offer his home to Nanami. Her having no shelter, decides to take the obvious risk of going to a random address and soon realizes that he lived in a shrine. Now Nanami must take the role of goddess of the shrine while facing the supernatural struggles she faces head on with the help of the spirits of the shrine and new found fri-enemy, fox spirit Tomoe.

Hannah C.