Wednesday, December 30, 2020
Tuesday, December 29, 2020
Book Review - Let’s Call It A Doomsday
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
by Katie Henry
Ellis Kimball is a preparer; for the end of the world, that is. Her anxiety doesn't help the situation. When leaving therapy one day, she meets Hannah Marks in the waiting room. Hannah informs Ellis that they were destined to meet because Ellis fears the end of the world, and Hannah knows when it's going to happen. As doomsday draws near, the search for answers seems to lead to more questions.
Though maybe a tad longer than needed, this is an intriguing read with an excellent portrayal of mental illness. Ellis and Hannah are both white, but the rest of the cast is more racially diverse. While about the potential end of the world, there is some humor in the story and moving moments.
Friday, December 25, 2020
Wednesday, December 23, 2020
Tuesday, December 22, 2020
Book Review - Sisters of Sword and Song
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
by Rebecca Ross
When her sister Halcyon is sentenced to fifteen years for murder (and running away like a coward), Evadne offers to take half her sentence. The judge won't allow her to take half but will allow her to serve the five years of her sentence. The part Evadne takes on is the time at Halcyon's commander's home and the father of the boy she killed, working as a servant. Now Evadne finds herself not only wrapped up in her sister's sentence but the mission she had been on before her conviction.
This story is a standalone high fantasy novel that alternates between both sister's perspectives. There are many twists and turns and trying to figure out which characters were good and evil. The books include a map and a list of the magical artifacts mentioned in the book to assist readers in the story. Those looking for a great fantasy read but don't want to take on a whole series should be sure to give this a read.
Friday, December 18, 2020
Wednesday, December 16, 2020
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Book Review - Early Departures
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
by Justin A. Reynolds
Jamal’s best friend Quincy, aka Q, dies in a freak accident just to be brought back to life by a mysterious organization. The thing is, Q is just going to die again, as reanimation only gives him a limited amount of more time. Also, Q is technically Jamal’s former best friend, as the pair haven’t been friends since Jamal’s parents died, and he planned Q for what happened. With this second chance, Jamal is determined to make things right with Q, but there are complications as Jamal can’t fully explain why. Only a few people know Q is reanimated and set to die again, and Q isn’t one of them.
Though longer than it needs to be, this is still an intriguing read that will make you question how you would handle this situation if you were in it. While this book is a work of science fiction, it isn’t heavy into it beyond the reanimation itself, making it a lighter sci-fi novel. Despite the impending sadness of Q’s death, there is humor in the story, including transcripts of videos the boys made back when they were initially friends. If you can get past the slow start, this is worth the read.
Friday, December 11, 2020
Wednesday, December 9, 2020
Tuesday, December 8, 2020
Book Review - Charming as a Verb
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
by Ben Philippe
Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm anybody, except for his neighbor and classmate Corinne Troy. After uncovering Halti’s dog walking scheme, Corinne decides to blackmail him into helping her improve her image at school and getting her a better recommendation to her dream school. As the two spend time together, Halti discovers he enjoys hanging out with Corinne and that maybe she may provide a way to help him get into his own dream school.
A fun romantic comedy that starts with a nice dose of blackmail. The story is told from Halti’s point of view. Readers will get insight into what it’s like for him to be a first-generation Haitian-American looking to meet his father’s expectations. While Halti and Corinne are terrific and likable characters, Halti’s friend Ming often steals the scene or makes it better. Readers will love the authenticity of the characters and the ways they can relate to them.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Monday, December 7, 2020
Peer Reviews Wanted!
We would love to include your reviews!
Read a book you think others will enjoy?
What about one they maybe shouldn’t waste their time on?
Junior Friends will earn 2 hours of community service for each review they submit.
Books can be Fiction & Non-Fiction in any format (print, e-book, audio).
Graphic Novels, Manga & Comics can be reviewed as well.
As long as you read all of what you are reviewing, you can submit it.
Submit your review by filling out our Google Doc.
Friday, December 4, 2020
Wednesday, December 2, 2020
Tuesday, December 1, 2020
Book Review - We Are Not Free
📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖
by Traci Chee
After Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, things changed for Japanese ancestry people living in the United States. That following February, American residents of Japanese descent living on the west coast were forced to leave their homes and move to internment camps. This book is the fictional story of fourteen teens and young adults who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. Now they are among those who were relocated to Japanese Internment Camps. Throughout the years, they face many ups and downs, and they and their families are forced to make tough decisions.
Intriguing and eye-opening, this is a wonderfully written book and portrayal of Japanese-American experience during World War II. The author pulled from the stories of family members who went through this experience. The story is told from fourteen different perspectives that follow each other in chronological order. Except for one character, each view occurs just once in the book. We Are Not Free is not an easy story to read as the character’s experience and witness many emotional and difficult situations. Readers who feel they can handle the topic, especially if they are Historical Fiction fans, should give this book a read.
Monday, November 30, 2020
Friday, November 27, 2020
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
Book Review - A Place at the Table
📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖
by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
In many ways, sixth-graders Sara, a Pakistani American, and Elizabeth, a Jewish girl, are different. When the two end up kitchen partners in a South Asian cooking class taught by Sara's mom, a friendship takes form. Despite their cultural differences, the girls learn that they do have similarities, such as both their mothers being immigrants. Together they face the challenges the world throws at them all while trying to come up with an award-winning recipe.
A wonderfully written story about two young girls and how they can find similarities and form a friendship despite their different cultural backgrounds. The book alternates between both girl's perspectives giving intriguing insights into both their thoughts and feelings. There is some anti-Semitism in this book, but it is handled in an age appropriate manner. The story involves the girls have to create a recipe, and it is included in the back for readers to try for themselves.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Friday, November 20, 2020
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Book Review - Girl, Unframed
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
Even before she got on the plane, Sydney had a bad feeling about heading to San Francisco to spend the summer with her mother. It doesn't help that her mother is a famous actress Lila Shore. Meeting Lila's new boyfriend, Jake, doesn't ease Sydney's worries. Jake's an art dealer who seems nice, except when he's not.
"Girl, Unframed" is a fantastic YA thriller that will keep you hooked. Sydney is not the most likable character, but readers are likely to feel for her and her situation. Honestly, the only appealing character is the dog, Max. Readers know some crime has been committed and will have to figure out what happened as Sydney unravels her tale. There are fun hints at the start of each chapter in the form of notes of the evidence exhibits.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Friday, November 13, 2020
Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Book Review - A Danger to Herself and Others
📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖
by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Hannah has found herself institutionalized after her summer program roommate falls out of their dorm room window. Nobody knows what happened that night, but she is considered “a danger to herself and others.” Hannah is determined to do what she has to return home. After all, she says what happened wasn’t her fault. Enter Lucy, she may have her baggage of her own, but she also may be the only person who can help Hannah work through everything that’s happened.
If you’ve ever heard the term unreliable narrator before and didn’t get what it meant, this book will help you understand that. We are getting the story from Hannah’s point of view and how she perceives everything that happened. Hannah has lives life with at least one mental illness though we are never told what exactly it is. While the ending could have been better, the overall story is intriguing and will leave readers guessing how it all plays out.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Monday, November 9, 2020
Friday, November 6, 2020
Wednesday, November 4, 2020
Tuesday, November 3, 2020
Book Review - Class Act
📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖
by Jerry Craft
Drew is in the minority at his prestigious school, both racially and economically. It doesn't help his good friend Liam is one of those privileged kids and realizing it causes Drew to start to feel weird around him. The boy's mutual friend Jordan hopes to keep the friends together, but he just isn't sure how. Can Drew learn to accept his friends and himself?
If you loved New Kid, you need to read Class Act. If you haven't read New Kid, read that then Class Act. This book isn't a sequel per se. Still, it is a companion novel, and readers will better appreciate the story having read the first book. The story is superb, and the illustrations are beautiful. Readers are likely to either empathize or sympathize with Drew and his story. This book does tackle race and racial injustice but does so in a way suitable for the age group.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Monday, November 2, 2020
Peer Reviews Wanted!
We would love to include your reviews!
Read a book you think others will enjoy?
What about one they maybe shouldn’t waste their time on?
Junior Friends will earn 2 hours of community service for each review they submit.
Books can be Fiction & Non-Fiction in any format (print, e-book, audio).
Graphic Novels, Manga & Comics can be reviewed as well.
As long as you read all of what you are reviewing, you can submit it.
Submit your review by filling out our Google Doc.
Friday, October 30, 2020
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Tuesday, October 27, 2020
Book Review - A Song Below Water
📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖
by Bethany C. Morrow
Tavia and Effie are like sisters, and each has secrets and challenges they must face. Tavia is a siren, but she has to keep her powers a secret as most people do not like sirens. Effie faces demons from her past and isn't sure what she is, just that she might not be merely human. When a siren is murdered, and the trial rocks the nation, their world begins to unravel.
In Tavia and Effie's alternate narratives, this story takes on real-world discrimination but as fantastical elements in an interesting way. There are different mythical creatures in this book. Some are basically celebrated, some tolerated, and others discriminated against, such as sirens, which are exclusively Black females. Warning, though, these groups may be a little hard to keep track of while reading. Readers will enjoy figuring out what happened too Effie in the past and what her story is. As for Tavia, readers will be intrigued by her story as well.
Friday, October 23, 2020
Wednesday, October 21, 2020
Tuesday, October 20, 2020
Book Review - Punching the Air
📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖
by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Sixteen-year-old Amal is an artist and poet. One day, he is found guilty of a crime he didn’t commit because of a biased system. Now he’s another Black teen in prison, and he’s angry. Thankfully he has his words and art to turn to for help.
Written in-verse by the talented Ibi Zoboi and Exonerated Five member Yusef Salaam this book is an absolute must-read. This book is timely, controversial, power, and will make you think and feel. It is not Yusef’s story, but the character of Amal is inspired by him. Yusef is also an artist and poet, and some of the poetry he wrote while incarcerated can be found in this book.
Oh, and fun fact, the narrator of the audiobook is Ethan Herisse. He is also the actor who played Yusef Salaam in the movie When They See Us, which tells the story of The Central Park Five—now known as the Exonerated Five.
Friday, October 16, 2020
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Peer Reviews Wanted!
We would love to include your reviews!
Read a book you think others will enjoy?
What about one they maybe shouldn’t waste their time on?
Junior Friends will
earn 2 hours of community service for each review they submit.
Books can be Fiction & Non-Fiction in any format (print, e-book, audio).
Graphic Novels, Manga & Comics can be reviewed as well.
As long as you read all of what you are reviewing, you can submit it.
Submit your review by filling out our Google Doc.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Book Review - They Wish They Were Us
📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖
by Jessica Goodman
In a fictional community on Long Island, everything looks perfect, but that isn't the case. Jill Newman is determined to make her senior year the best ever; she's one of the Players after all. The Players are a not-so-secret society at Gold Coast Prep, and being one is supposed to make things easy. However, three years ago, her best friend Shalia Arnold was killed by her boyfriend, Graham, during a Player task. Now, Graham's saying he's innocent, and it's Jill who his sister texts asking for help to prove it.
This story is a fantastic mystery that is great for fans of One of Us is Lying and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder. Though predictable at times, the story will still keep you on your toes. The book's events and the characters may be out there, but that's what makes it all the more fun.
Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio
Friday, October 9, 2020
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Book Review - Darius the Great Deserves Better
📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖
Darius the Great Deserves Better
by Adib Khorram
Darius Kellner from Darius is the Great Is Not Okay is back in Darius the Great Deserves Better. A lot has changed since returning from his trip to Iran, and it’s all looking good. But is it really? Darius soon finds that not everything is what he thought. His dad is traveling for work resulting in his grandmothers coming to stay. His relationship with Landon is getting complicated, and his friendship with Chip may have something to do with it.
Though a sequel, this book can also stand on its own if you’re not interested in its predecessor. The first title is more about Darius and his dealings with his mental health, cultural identity, and family relationships. While the second also deals with family relationships, it also focuses more on his sexual identity and romantic relationship. Oh, and both books have a heavy focus on his love of tea. Most of the characters from the first are back in the sequel and some great, and so no great additions.
Friday, October 2, 2020
Wednesday, September 30, 2020
Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Not a Book Review
📖Recommend for ALL📖
You're probably looking for this week's book review right now.
Well, this week is Banned Books Week which celebrates the freedom to read.
I wanted to not include a review this week to show to you what it would be like if the book I was going to review was challenged and maybe even banned from the library.
So instead of a review, check out some information
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