Peer Book Review - Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey

Last Chance Books

by Kelsey Rodkey

Reviewer says: 8th grade and up
Librarian says: 9h grade and up
Madeline Moore has always had the dream of taking over her family-owned bookstore, Books & More. But when a bigger bookstore, Prologue, opens across the street, it's a threat to their business. She attempts to destroy Prologue while also dealing with their cute manager, Jasper, who continues their rivalry. I loved how the main character, Madeline, also shared my love for books. I enjoyed the cute enemies to lovers romance between Madeline and Jasper, especially with the back and forth banter. I also enjoyed how this book explored the complications of parent-child relationships and sibling relationships. This is a great story for readers looking for a cute fluffy summer romance story. Reviewed by: Kaya F.., 8th grader at Poly Prep Country Day Schoo
Interested in reading this book?
Stop by Teen Space to pick up a copy. You can check first by calling us at 516-489-2220 x218 or looking in the online catalog.
Interested in reading an e-book copy or listening on audio?
Check here for e-books and here for digital audio-books.

Peer Book Review - I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sánchez

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I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter

by Erika Sánchez

Reviewer says: 8th grade and up

Librarian says: 10th grade and up

Julia Reyes, a Mexican-American high school student, just lost her sister and it’s hitting her harder than she thought it would. Never really having a relationship with her older sister she tries to find something, anything that will tell her who her sister really was. As she embarks on this journey she navigates her way through life, trying to cope with her mental health, familial struggles, and the everyday challenges that come with being a teenage girl.

I like this book. I feel like many people will be able to resonate with it in some way. Especially the way she struggles with her self confidence, and trying to see eye to eye with her parents. Also, the fact that she never gives up on her dreams, no matter how tough life gets, can be very encouraging.

Reviewed by: V.W., 10th grader at St. Anthony's

Interested in reading this book?
Stop by Teen Space to pick up a copy. You can check first by calling us at 516-489-2220 x218 or looking in the online catalog.
Interested in reading an e-book copy or listening on audio?
Check here for e-books and here for digital audio-books.

Peer Book Review - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper

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Out Of My Mind
by Sharon M. Draper

Reviewer says: 6th grade and up

Librarian says: 6th grade and up

Melody is a girl with cerebral palsy. This can make it difficult to move and speak so therefore she has to sit in a wheelchair and have a device to help her talk. Her parents have done everything they can to help her live a normal life, but life is often difficult and frustrating. But this doesn’t let her down all of the time. Despite having this disability, she is very smart but is often doubted. 
I liked this story a lot and enjoyed it because of Melody. She is an interesting character and it’s captivating to see a look into her everyday life as a person with cerebral palsy. She persevered throughout her life facing challenges constantly but getting through it with the support of her family.
Reviewed by: Kiara M., 8th grader at THMS

Interested in reading this book?

Stop by Teen Space to pick up a copy. You can check first by calling us at 516-489-2220 x218 or looking in the online catalog.

Interested in reading an e-book copy or listening on audio?

Check here for e-books and here for digital audio-books.

Throwback Review - Let Me Hear a Rhyme

  Throwback Book Review

Miss. Amanda still thinks you should read this!

📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Let Me Hear a Rhyme

by Tiffany Jackson

            Steph is gone. Killed before he could have the music career he dreamed of, that his two best friends and sister feel he should have had. But who says the world can’t hear Steph’s music? Using tracks Steph recorded before his death, Quadir and Jarrell hatch a plan to share and promote the songs under the alias The Architect. They enlist Steph’s sister Jasmine to help and before they know it Steph’s music is circling the neighborhood. As time goes on, the three realize that keeping their secret may not be so easy.

            Set in the ’90s not long after the death of Tupac and Biggie Smalls, this book is a love letter to Brooklyn and Rap Music. The story alternates between Quadir, Jarrell, and Jasmine’s narration as well as insights from Steph’s perspective prior to his death. Readers won’t know where the story is going and what will happen with the secret our main trio is keeping. This book is a must-read for many.

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Throwback Book Review - Dear Martin

Throwback Book Review

Miss. Amanda still thinks you should read this!

 📖Recommended for Grades 9 and up📖

Dear Martin

by Nic Stone
The cop didn’t care that Justyce was a good kid and Ivy League bound. All he saw was the color of his skin, landing Justyce in handcuffs.  In order to deal with his struggles of race inequality today, Justyce turns to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., writing letters to the late activist to look for answers and explain how the events happening in the world today, are shaping him.
Wonderful and relevant, this is a book not to be missed. Justyce is a character all readers will love, admire and feel for. The supporting characters are an intriguing bunch filled with both likable and unlikable characters. The unlikable characters are supposed to be such though, and an important aspect of this story. 

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Book Review - They'll Never Catch Us

 📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

They’ll Never Catch Us

by Jessica Goodman

Cross-country runners and sisters Stella and Ellie Steckler are determined to get scholarships to help them get out of their town. After events that unfolded last season, it looks like a scholarship may be out for Stella, but Ellie still has a shot. That is until a new girl, and star runner Mia joins the team. When she disappears, all eyes are on the Steckler sisters as suspects.

Alternating between Stella and Ellie’s perspectives, this book is part sports story, part mystery, and part suspense. It is also just as much about the sisters as it is about what happened to Mia. Readers aren’t likely to predict what is revealed but will have fun trying to guess. Warning, this book is a tad slow to start, but worth it in the end, if you can stick through it.

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Book Review - White Smoke

 📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

White Smoke

by Tiffany D. Jackson

Marigold’s mom has accepted a new job with a Sterling Foundation that comes with a free house in the midwestern city of Cedarville. So now the family, including Mari’s younger brother Sammy, new stepfather, and new stepsister Piper, lives in a newly renovated house, surrounded by many abandoned boarded-up houses. Mari should be excited to run from her problems back home, but this home comes with new issues. The house appears to be haunted, as many bizarre things happen. The more time the family stays in the house, the more danger they find themselves.

This story may be Jackson’s first horror novel, but it still has the same Jackson vibe. Readers will be engaged in this wild ride and have no idea what will happen next. Mari is an unreliable narrator, and that really works in this story. If you are looking to get into horror, this is an excellent place to start.

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Book Review - Instructions for Dancing

  📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Instructions for Dancing
by Nicola Yoon
After her parent's divorce, Evie Thomas no longer believes in love. However, she feels justified in her belief after the strangest thing happens one day. After seeing couples kiss, she gets visions of their relationships, leading right up to how they end. It all started when Evie found a ballroom dancing book that led her to a studio where the opportunity to take lessons occurs. Her partner is the owner's grandson, called X, and while Evie doesn't plan to fall for him, that appears to be happening.
If you're not a fan of fantasy, you're in luck because this isn't fantasy. It is magical realism, as the only unbelievable part is Evie's visions. The characters are all likable and feel real (ignoring the vision part). Evie and X's budding romance is the core of the story. Still, Evie's family drama, and her relationship with her friends, are also significant to the story. Oh, and without spoiling too much, you might want to have tissues on hand once you hit the second part of this book.

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Book Review - Feed

 📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

Feed

by M.T. Anderson

Reviewed by Scared Heart Academy 9th Grader Michelle V.

The feed is a computer chip put in your brain at a young age. Link meets a girl named Violet who soon becomes his girlfriend. She didn’t get the feed early, so it is messing with her body. As more problems unravel, she becomes less and less well.

It was good but very confusing. The feed ads kept on interfering with the actual book so I could barely tell what was real and what was an ad.

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Book Review - The Hobbit

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Hobbit

by J.R.R. Tolkien

Reviewed by Scared Heart Academy 9th Grader Michelle V.

Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf, and the dwarves set out on an adventure to get the dwarves kingdom back from an evil dragon. But they have a few problems along the way.

It was a very long book. But, it was interesting because day after day they were on that mission there was always someone standing in their way. Whether it was goblins, wolves, or a giant evil dragon they still found a way out alive.

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Book Review - The Ivies

  📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

The Ivies

by Alexa Donne

The Ivy League, also known as The Ivies, are eight prestigious universities in the North East United States. At Claflin Academy, The Ivies are also five girls who would do anything to get into an Ivy League Schools. When ringleader Avery gets rejected from Harvard, the student she believes took her spot suddenly turns up dead. Olivia is one of the Ivies and was also accepted to Harvard but knows better than to share that information. She suspects Avery and her friends may be behind the murder, and she is determined to prove whether it was them or not.

The story is told from Olivia’s point of view, and readers discover the book’s many twists and turns as she does. The characters are a mixed bag of likable and not, and Olivia is thankfully not painful to spend the whole book with. If you’re looking for a good mystery-thriller novel, this is one to highly consider.

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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.

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Book Review - Blackout

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Blackout

by Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon

Six interconnected short stories written by six talented best-selling authors. When a blackout hits New York City, black teen love starts to shine. From two teens on a long walk from Manhattan to Brooklyn to two more helping out in an elderly home, to more. Things change when the lights go out.

Dhonielle Clayton, Tiffany D. Jackson, Nic Stone, Ashley Woodfolk, Angie Thomas, and Nicola Yoon are the brilliant minds behind this book. While Clayton, Stone, Woodfolk, Thomas, and Yoon all have one-and-done short stories, Stone’s story is broken into chapters woven throughout the book, helping bring them all together. Each story is fabulous on its own, but together, they’re phenomenal. The characters in the book are all Black teens but vary in gender and sexuality. While, at its heart, the story is a romance, there is some humor thrown in. This book is one you can’t go wrong reading.

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Peer Book Review - The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

 📖Recommend for Grades 7 and up📖

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

by Avi

Reviewed by Lorymar M. High School for Community Leadership 12th Grader

This book is written from the point of view of Charlotte Doyle and what she went through as she was pushed out of her comfort zone. She learns new things every day about life aboard a ship crossing from England to America. While on that ship Charlotte is exposed to new and different things; things that she wasn't supposed to see or hear and eventually will cost her. 

The thing I liked most about this book is that it was vividly narrated and I was able to imagine every scene in my mind. The way the author wrote this book almost made me feel like I was there. I also liked the terror and fear caused by the setting in the book. 

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Book Review - Last Chance Books

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Last Chance Books

by Kelsey Rodkey

Books & Moore has been in Madeline Moore’s family for generations, and she has dreams of taking it over from her aunt. When Prologue, a chain bookstore, opens up across the street, the fate of Books & Moore is put in jeopardy. It also doesn’t help that Madeline is also dealing with family drama. Then there’s Jasper Hamada, the cute customer who turns out to be the son of the family who owns Prologue. The two find themselves in a prank war that turns out to be less harmless than they thought.

Told entirely from Madeline’s point of view, this is a fun story with lots of drama. Madeline herself can be a tad annoying at times, but she often comes from a good place. While it takes place in the summer after Madeline’s senior year of high school, it doesn’t feel like a typical summer story. The dynamic between Madeline and Jasper is excellent, and readers will enjoy following them throughout the book.

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Book Review - Night

📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Night

by Elie Wiesel 

Reviewed by High School for Community Leadership 12th Grader Lorymar M.

Night is a memoir of a young Jewish boy and what he experienced during the Holocaust. The book first stated out in a small town that Wiesel lived with his family. Later on his family and other Jews in town are picked up by Nazi officers without knowing what was coming to them.

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust and who wants to learn more on the topic. Having this book be written by someone who experienced such tragic things makes you feel some type of way. Personally it made me want to read more and educate myself on this topic.

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Book Review - The Box in the Woods

 📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

The Box in the Woods

by Maureen Johnson

Stevie Bell is back solving another mystery. Gaining fame for solving the Ellingham mystery at her boarding school last year, Stevie is asked to solve another case. The new owner of Camp Wonder Falls has asked Stevie to come to the camp and help the “Box in the Woods” murders that occurred years ago. So with her best friends Janelle and Nate along, Stevie is off to see if she can be the one to crack the case.

Stevie solved the Ellingham mystery over the course of three books, but readers will find out by the end of this one if she solves it and how. If readers haven’t read the three previous books, they won’t be lost, as this book can stand on its own. There are some returning faces, but readers will also meet several new characters. The story alternates between the present time and also the time of the murders. Readers will enjoy trying to solve the mystery with Stevie and may not see how the ending coming.

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Book Review - Fat Chance Charlie Vega

  📖Recommend for Grades 9 and up📖

Fat Chance Charlie Vega

by Crystal Maldonado

Charlie Vega is a fat brown girl in a predominantly white suburban town. Everyone seems to have an opinion on how she should look, including her mom, who constantly leaves her weight loss shakes. It doesn’t help that her best friend Amelia is gorgeous, and people often overlook Charlie for her. When Charlie starts spending time with her classmate and co-worker Brian, things begin to look up. However, when Charlie learns that Brian asked Amelia out first, she can’t help but wonder what it means.

Charlie is a great role model because she tries to love her body and herself for who she is. However, she is still human and does have plenty of doubts as well. Brian is a swoon-worthy book boyfriend that readers may find themselves wishing to be real. While a romance, this is also a story of self-love, friendship, and mother-daughter relationships.

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Book Review - This is Not the Jess Show

  📖Recommend for Grades 8 and up📖

This is Not the Jess Show

by Anna Carey

It's 1998, and Jess Flynn is trying to get through junior year without drama, but it keeps finding her. Her parents are overprotective, her sister's health condition is getting worse, and she is developing a crush on her childhood friend. Add in the fact that her town of Swickley seems to get weirder by the day, and not just because half the town seems to have come down with the flu. Jess begins to question her town, especially after a strange rectangular device falls out of her friend's bag.

If you think this is historical fiction, you're wrong. It's actually a thriller/suspense novel. There are several twists and turns, most of which you won't see coming. When it comes to the characters, they are a mix of likable and not. A fun and enjoyable read.

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Book Review - Little & Lion

 📖Recommend for Grades 10 and up📖

Little & Lion

by Brandy Colbert

Suzette returns home to L.A. after spending the year at boarding school in New England. Between the fact that L.A. is where her friends and family are and an incident that occurred right before heading home, she isn't sure she wants to return to boarding school in the fall. Her stepbrother Lionel also needs her support, having been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Things get complicated when Suzette finds herself not only crushing on her old friend Emil but on this new girl she met. This girl is the same one who Lionel is also crushing on.

Little and Lion is an excellent portrayal of how mental health often affects a person's living life and their loved ones. This book covers many aspects of diversity regarding race, religion, ability, and sexual orientation. While's mental illness is a significant plot point, the other is Suzette coming to terms with her sexual identity. The story's main plot takes place over the summer, but there are flashback chapters included that are important to the story.

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