Teen Book Reviews

After Adena’s best friend Paedyn Gray unexpectedly leaves to compete in Ilya’s annual Purging Trials, she is thrown into the mess that is the real world: constant hunger, eerie men, and lonely nights. That is, until she meets Mak, a serious boy with a troubling past. They are complete opposites, but they discover there is something they can do for each other.

This fast-paced novella had me so hooked, I read it in one sitting. The way that Roberts creates her characters amazes me. You may expect the novella to be less exciting than the main novels, but in this case, you would be greatly mistaken. Adena and Mak’s relationship starts off rocky, but slowly progresses into something nobody could have expected. The deaths in this book were so heartbreaking I shed real tears. Mak’s progression of put-together and stern to happy to completely broken was very well-written. Overall, this book was one of the best I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants a story full of love, loss, and plot twists!

The main characters are the Pye family and Pinky the kitten. The Pyes went to Fire Island to research birds. They found Pinky, and the Pyes adopted her. Pinky could use a typewriter and box with Ginger the dog. Bennie caught locusts and kept them in the alcoves. Then a storm came and suddenly all the locusts disappeared. Mr. Bish came and he said he lost his pygmy owl, which they found in the alcoves.

I recommend this book because of many reasons. First, it is a funny book that is very attention grabbing and funny as the people do a lot of silly stuff. Second, it is a good book for kids that like cats as it is all about a cat. Finally, it is a good mystery book as they struggled to figure out what made the locusts disappear. That is why I think this is a good book to read.

Nora is a girl whose mom had died during her birthday. This caused her to be depressed. For her next birthday she went to a canyon in the middle of nowhere with nobody there. While she was in this canyon a flash flood separated her from her dad. So she tried to find him by moving through the canyon to find him. Then finally, they found each other and got rescued from the canyon.

I would recommend this book. I thought this book was very good with many plot twists and exciting moments. Throughout the book I wanted to keep on reading because of how many cliffhangers and exciting moments there were. As a person who doesn’t often read or like books, this book was certainly one of my favorites, and you should definitely read it.

This story takes place in Denmark, Europe during World War II. The author presents the situation of civilians during the Nazi occupation and capturing of Danish Jews. We can see the history of events from the perspective of 10-year-old Annemarie Yohansen, who learns about the harshness of the war when her family must protect her best friend Ellen and her family because they are Jewish. This story is about her breathtaking, suspenseful adventure and hardships during her time. Number the Stars teaches the lesson of hope. No matter the challenges people face, there is always hope for the future. Finally, one should learn from the lesson of Number the Stars, which is to believe in humanity and to help one another during difficult times.

I would recommend young readers to read this book. It teaches basic morals such as having hope and appreciation. Some positive messages from this book are bravery, perseverance, and empathy. These tragic events in history also teach readers to treat everyone equally. Overall I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5. It was a real adventure to read.

Rachael Vincent’s Every Single Lie is a novel about junior, Beckett Burgen. Beckett dumped her boyfriend, Jake, due to suspicions of him cheating on her. Then, she found a baby in his duffel bag furthering her theory. However, people suspect her of giving birth and abandoning the baby and she is bullied relentlessly, both online and at school. By responding to these rumors, she finds out about others, leading her to question everyone she loves.

Yes, I would 100% recommend this book. It is an easy read with a complex theme. The themes in this book are love and trust. Her father, a veteran from Afghanistan, died after overdosing on painkillers. After his death, Beckett finds out later there were ugly rumors spread about him marketing drugs as well as cheating. Beckett has to figure out if these rumors are true or just gossip. She questions the actions of her late father, someone she used to look up to until now. Beckett also questions her boyfriend, Jake, of cheating on her and impregnating another girl, seeing as the baby was found in his duffel. Reading this book made me reflect on the meaning of a relationship and how trust is the most important factor in keeping a relationship healthy. Rachael Vincent wrote a story with elaborate plot twists, making it engaging and impossible to put down.