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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)