We Were Liars
Plot Summary:
Cadence's family, the Sinclairs, always spend the summers on their private island off the coast of Massachusetts. Cadence and her cousins have all sorts of adventures, as many as they can before the end of summer, then put it all on hold until the next year. During her fifteenth summer, Cadence has an accident that messes with her memory. She can't remember how the accident happened, or much else about the summer. As Cadence investigates the events of her fifteenth summer, she must decipher what is reality and her mind's own imagination.What did you think about the book?:
I enjoyed this book, even though it is not something I would typically read. I thought the author had a fantastic writing style that really pulls the reader in. I especially liked that the reader doesn't know if Cadence's memories are real or fake. By doing this, the author brings the reader right into Cadence's mind and makes it impossible to tell the difference between reality and fiction. This makes the story even more engaging and has the reader constantly questioning what has really happened in the story and what will happen next.
The Siren
Plot Summary:
When the Ocean's favorite Siren, Kahlen, falls in love with a human, problems are inevitable. Kahlen cannot stay away from her love, but it's difficult to sneak away without the Ocean finding out. A mysterious, deadly illness never thought possible by Sirens or humans caused the Ocean to need to make a choice: should she let Kahlen go to save her and Akinli, or should she keep her for longer, until her and Akinli both die?What did you think about the book?:
I enjoyed this book and found that it had the perfect mix of peace and chaos, joy and devastation. The book was a beautiful fantasy, however, it included important lessons about love and friendship. I found it to be a very exciting novel, leaving readers completely curious about what would happen next, and completely excited to find out.
You Will Get Through This Night
Plot Summary:
This is a self-help book that is written from the perspective of a renowned entertainer, Daniel Howell, who has openly struggled with mental health issues throughout his life. He splits the book into three sections: the first being titled This Night; describing how to get through sudden issues and problems day by day. The next section, Tomorrow, gives advice on small steps that one can take to improve their life and wellbeing, without it being overwhelming. The final section, titled The Days After, suggests methods on looking after oneself in the long term, and truly enjoying life. Howell worked with a psychologist in order to write this book, and used many personal anecdotes and humor to convey his points about mental health.What did you think about the book?:
I really enjoyed this book and thought Howell gave very good advice, especially to teens and young adults who are struggling with their identities. Growing up is very difficult, and everyone can use some advice about how to face both external and internal issues, and this is perfectly described in the book. Howell tells stories about growing up gay and in the closet, and allows people to relate through his tough times and realize that they too can come out of them. Being both helpful and humorous, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone at all, as it gives great advice whether you're in a bad place or a good one.
Brave New World
Plot Summary:
John the Savage, one of the main male characters, holds so much affection for the female lead, Lenina Crowne. Lenina does not understand that love does not immediately start with sleeping with John since Lenina was taught to not feel love at all. The two of them break into an argument and John despises Lenina hereafter. In addition, John receives news that his mother is about to die from soma overdose. Lenina, on the other hand, starts to show signs of making mistakes while working and is not effective to society. Eventually John leaves the World State and isolates himself from the rest of the society.What did you think about the book?:
"Brave New World" is one the best dystopian novel I have read so far. The nature of this book makes you curious about what is going to happen next and how different or similar it is to our own society. The book explains the scary effects of advanced technology taking over our typical lives (and I am not talking about robots). For example, what would happen if we took a pill that makes us feel happy and calm every time we are sad and angry? You would think that this pill might be the best thing anyone could ask for but what is the purpose of humanity if we just get rid of our emotions? We can't feel true love, sadness, or true happiness!
Sunkissed
Plot Summary:
After getting betrayed by her best friend Shay, Avery and her family go on their last family vacation together before Avery goes back to college. They decided to stay at the Bear Meadow Camp for two months. At the camp she meets a few workers named Brooks, and Kai, who are part of a band and meets Maricela, who later becomes her friend.Avery tries to find new hobbies and helps Brooks write lyrics for a music festival that Brooks was going to audition for. They found out that Avery is a good singer, and replaced Avery as the lead singer for the music festival because their lead singer Ian was out due to an accident.
The day of the audition, Maricela helps Avery get ready and they end up winning and get the opportunity to be in the finals. She hadn’t told her parents about any of this so when they found out, they ground her and her sister Lauren. Lauren convinces her parents to let her sing and as they go to tell the band the good news, they see that Brooks replaced her with Ian, and they are going to play in the festival together without Avery.
She goes to the festival to watch the band play even though she thinks she deserves to sing with them. She sees the band and explains to them that she should be the one who sings, and the band agrees. They play the first song together as a band, and for the second one, Avery sings and Brooks plays the guitar. They end up winning the whole competition and a few days after Avery and her family leave the camp.
What did you think about the book?:
I think this is an amazing book with a sweet love story. The characters have their ups and downs, but it all works out in the end. There were many plot twists and suspense which led to the happy ending.
One Of Us Is Lying
Plot Summary:
This book follows four high schoolers who were with Simon Kelleher the moment he died. In detention one day, the group of 5 seemed to be set up, with all of them having a cell phone mysteriously placed in their bags. Simon got up to get water, and instantly collapsed--he had ingested peanut oil, and this was intentional. The Bayview Four, as they were called, soon became suspects of Simon's murder, and they all had secrets of their own. After much investigation and help from characters like Janae, Simon's former best friend, the truth was discovered. Simon had committed suicide, and he wanted others to go down with him--but not in the traditional sense. Instead of directly harming others, Simon framed the Bayview Four, hoping to ruin their reputations and aspirations for the rest of their lives. In the end, the Bayview Four, although traumatized, has begun to rebuild their lives and form unlikely friendships and relationships.What did you think about the book?:
I liked this book, although I thought it was a little predictable. One of my first thoughts while reading this book was this being a suicide, so I didn't find the ending particularly remarkable. I did enjoy the book though, and the red herrings about each character was really interesting. I found myself analyzing each word the characters said, trying to find an unreliable narrator. What made the book more interesting was the fact that ALL of the characters turned out to be unreliable narrators, because of the fact that they were keeping a secret. None of the secrets were Simon's murder, but the shame and guilt that all of them expressed gave reason for readers to suspect them, which I think was a smart move from the author. I really enjoyed the romance that occurred in the book, particularly with Bronwyn and Nate. I thought the author portrayed their relationship very well, and I liked how they weren't always a perfect couple but still stayed together through thick and thin.
Speak
Plot Summary:
Speak is about a thirteen year old girl named Melinda Sordino and her struggle (physically, mentally, and socially) after she has been raped at a summer party before her freshmen year of high school. She goes into deep depression and doesn't know how to live up to life after her this trauma that has happened to her.What did you think about the book?:
I think this is a great book to give young children the message about how bad things always lead to consequences. The action rape is something serious to take action against. Learning someone's experience through a book should help realize their difficulties they had to live up to and how they got through that.
The Fault in Our Stars
Plot Summary:
The Fault in Our Stars is a Young Adult Romance book starring Hazel Grace Lancaster, an intelligent 16 year old girl who has terminal thyroid cancer, although she doesn’t like being defined by her condition. She feels that she knows she is dying, and so she stays at home reading and sleeping, until one day her mom convinces her to go to a cancer support group located at a church, which she refers to as “the literal heart of Jesus.” In this support group session, she meets a boy named Augustus Waters, who once had osteosarcoma (bone cancer) which led him to lose a leg, but was now in remission. They both click instantly, having complementary personalities and being able to easily speak their minds to each other. They especially connect over Hazel Grace’s favorite book, "An Imperial Affliction'' by Peter Van Houten. Augustus is basically the only person Hazel has shared the same feelings with over her book, and they were both determined to get on a plane to Amsterdam to visit the author in order to find out what happened to the rest of the characters after the main character presumably dies. This is a beautifully written story of young love and difficult but real situations that people can go through.What did you think about the book?:
Some of my favorite parts of the book was when Hazel and Augustus were finally able to go to Amsterdam and visit Peter Van Houten, even though they were slightly disappointed by his behavior due to his heavy drinking. It was something I wasn’t really expecting from the author after they read his letters that sounded so sophisticated, but then when they finished their meeting with him I felt bad for both Van Houten as well as Hazel. Some of the types of conversations Hazel and Gus sometimes came across as unauthentic when considering their ages. This doesn’t mean that teenagers can’t have serious conversations, I just want to point out one of my least favorite aspects of the book. Overall though, I did enjoy the book and I found Hazel Grace and Gus’ relationship really heartwarming and heartbreaking as well because of the tough situation that they have to face. Two young kids who have to face cancer head on definitely did make me feel sad but the story also felt very real, and I think the book does an excellent job of showing how despite these looming feelings of doom that might come with terminal illnesses, someone can still find joy in little things and in people.
Percy Jackson - Titan's Curse
Plot Summary:
This is the third installment of the Percy Jackson Series, in this book, Percy Jackson faces off and goes on another quest, saving Annabeth Chase, Percy's friend, and the goddess Artemis who was kidnapped by titans. We see some familiar faces, but new half bloods show up as well.What did you think about the book?:
I liked the introduction of the new characters, Bianca and Nico, I really like the relationship between Bianca and Nico as the book continues.
Revolution
Plot Summary:
"Revolution" by Deborah Wiles is a historical fiction novel set in Mississippi during the summer of 1964, a time of great turmoil and change in America. The story is narrated by Sunny, a young white girl who is initially sheltered from the racial tensions and violence that surround her. However, when her mother takes in a group of civil rights workers for the summer, Sunny begins to see the world in a different light.As the Freedom Summer unfolds, Sunny is exposed to the realities of segregation, discrimination, and violence against black Americans. She witnesses the bravery and sacrifice of civil rights activists, but also the brutality and hatred of those who oppose them. Along the way, she discovers the power of her own voice and the importance of standing up for what is right.
"Revolution" is a unique blend of fiction and non-fiction, with documentary-style images, quotes, and documents interspersed throughout the text. These elements provide a deeper understanding of the historical events and figures that shaped the Civil Rights Movement. The novel also includes a glossary, bibliography, and notes for further reading, making it a valuable educational resource.
Through the eyes of Sunny, "Revolution" offers a powerful and emotional journey of self-discovery, as she learns to confront her own biases and prejudices. The novel is a poignant reminder of the ongoing struggle for civil rights and social justice in America, and an inspiration to readers of all ages to stand up for what is right and just.