Book Review - Speak

 📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Speak

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Reviewed by Scared Heart Academy 9th Grader Michelle V.

Melina Sordino is a high school freshman who is hated by many people. She keeps quiet because she is scared of anyone not believing her. If only they knew.

I thought this was a great book. It spread awareness of the situation. Some people don’t want to say what happened because they are afraid of no one believing them.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Peer Book Review - Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
by James Patterson
Reviewed by THMS 8th Grader Daniel P.
This is the story of a kid named Rafe. He gets into a lot of trouble in school. He does something serious and is put into jail. His mother is a great person but he lives with an irresponsible father. 

This is an okay book. Rafe isn’t a bad kid but makes bad decisions. He is a very likable person. He really makes the story although it doesn’t end well. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Peer Book Review - Holes

📖Recommend for Grades 6 and up📖

Holes

by Louis Sacher

Reviewed by 7th Grader Ashna R.

Holes is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats who is wrongfully sent to a juvenile camp for something he didn’t do. The warden makes the campers dig a hole 5 feet deep and wide. Stanley then starts to suspect that the camp is making them dig for treasure. He gets very suspicious.

This book is full of mysteries and cliffhangers. It has a great sense of humor and the story just keeps getting interesting. This book really describes how badly Stanley was treated and how he felt. It was also filled with powerful emotions.

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Book Review - Between Shades of Gray

📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

Between Shades of Gray

by Ruta Sepetys

            Jews being taken from their home in Europe and sent to Concentration Camps during World War II is no secret, but what isn’t really talked about is how they weren’t the only ones. Soviet forces show up at Lina’s house giving her, her brother and their mother little time to pack only a suitcase each. They are being taken to work camps along with hundreds of others. Her father is taken from his work and sentenced to a prison camp. Despite her harrowing journey to their location, an unsatisfactory living environment, and knowing she is sentenced to 25 years of work, Lina doesn’t give up hope.

            A heartbreaking and intriguing story about a part of history they don’t talk about. While Lina is a fictional character her story is inspired by Sepetys’ own family’s story. There is an aspect of the story’s ending that seems a little farfetched, but it doesn’t belittle the overall story as a whole. Historical fiction fans should not miss this captivating story.

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Book Review - Speak: The Graphic Novel

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Speak: The Graphic Novel

by Laurie Halse Anderson

            Everybody knows Melinda is the one who called the cops at the party over the summer, but only Melinda knows why. She didn’t want what happened between her and Andy to happen, and her attempt to call the cops on him has landed her as the school pariah. Melinda is without any friends, unless you count the clueless new girl, and only has her art as an outlet. Despite her falling grades, the images in her art, and the choice of refraining from talking nobody seems to know Melinda is actually crying out for help. Will Melinda find her voice and the courage to speak about what happened to her?

            Originally published in 1999 this is a fantastic updated version in graphic novel format. The black and white illustrations help tell Melinda’s story in a new and refreshing way. While not graphic in content, this story does deal with the topic of sexual violence and those who are uncomfortable with that for whatever reason should avoid it. For those who can handle the subject matter, it is not a story to be missed.

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Book Review - Five Feet Apart

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Five Feet Apart

by Rachael Lippincott
with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis

            Stella and Will have two things in common, they are both current patients at Saint Grace’s Hospital, and the reason for them being there is their Cystic Fibrosis. In and out of the hospital for ten years, Stella is as in control as she can be of her out of control lungs. With his eighteenth birthday right around the corner, Will is looking forward to his mother no longer being in control of his medical needs. When the pair meet during their current hospital stay, they find the other altering their course even though they can’t be closer than six feet.

            I know what you’re thinking. Why is the book called Five Feet Apart when they have to be six feet apart? I had the same thought and the book answers that question. This story will give you all the feels and be hard to put down. Stella and Will are two characters whose story is thought-provoking and not to be missed.

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio

Did You Hear?

The movie trailer for

The Sun is Also a Star

has been out for around a week.

Have you seen it yet?

It's going to be even harder to wait now knowing how good it looks.

If you haven't read the book yet check out the library's availability here.

If you prefer an e-book or want to listen to the story on your smart phone, click here.

Got a CD player? Other libraries have it as a Audio Book on CD and you can find the availability here.

Peer Book Review - Shutter Island

📖Recommended for Grade 12 ONLY 📖

Shutter Island

by Dennis Lehane

Reviewed by High School Senior Danielle P.

A man named Teddy Daniel goes to the mysterious Shutter Island for the criminally insane to find a missing patient named Rachel Solando.

This is an amazing book. The plot keeps you at the edge of your seat. You'll never know what to expect. 

Library Catalog - E-book - Downloadable Audio