Teen Book Reviews

Ellie, a girl from Texas, recently had her best friend Viv move away. She faces bullies at school and even at home because of her weight. Wondering how she’ll be able to survive the coming school year, face the usual torment, and survive her mother’s obsession with “fixing” her, she meets a new neighbor, Catalina. Through Catalina’s unexpected kindness, Ellie is able to embark on a journey towards accepting who she is and loving herself.

Starfish is a great book and I would definitely recommend it. I originally read it for my English class, however it’s become one of my favorite books. It’s a great story about Ellie’s journey to accepting herself that anyone can insert themselves into. I am usually not a huge fan of novels in verse, however I really enjoyed the book. It’s a great read for anyone.

Mia has a perfect life, but after an unfortunate accident, her parents are killed, and her brother is sent to the hospital. Somehow, Mia isn’t dead, but she’s not in her body -- she’s watching. Mia soon realizes that it’s up to her, whether she comes back or not. She starts to ask herself an essential question: is it worth it to be alive in a world where almost everything she cares about is gone?

I highly recommend this book. If I Stay perfectly combines the past, present, music, love, longing, and hurt. This heart wrenching story is told in alternating sections, from the present and Mia’s memories, and the combination of these two things helps you really feel for and connect to Mia’s story and her internal struggles. Every new memory only makes you more sympathetic to the main character. The way that it’s told made me fall in love with each character and I was so sad when it was over. Mia’s thoughts and conflicts made me think about what really matters in life and how you go on when you lose those things. This is definitely a must read.

“Who am I, and where am I?” Jason asked himself. In The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, the first book in The Heroes of Olympus series, Jason, a Roman demigod, is dealing with amnesia. His memory was stolen by the goddess Hera, who is trapped and appears to Jason in visions asking him to save her. Jason and his friends went on a dangerous quest to save Hera and learn about their common enemy, Gaia. There were surprising twists and deception between Jason and his friends.

I recommend this book because it’s filled with action-packed adventure and romance. I also like this book because the characters solve their problems and don’t argue when they tell each other's truth. Something I didn't like about The Lost Hero is that they didn’t reveal how Jason got on the bus; the beginning of the book remains a mystery. Readers that enjoy love stories and thrilling adventure tales would love to read this book.

Is it really so hard to live as a slave? Did kids suffer from slavery too? Isabel and her sister, Ruth were dealing with the recent death of their mother when they were sold off to the husband and wife of the Lockton family to work as slaves. A mysterious boy in a red hat and a shiny hoop earring came up to Isabel asking her to spy for information. In return, he would try to set her and her sister free. The Lockton family supported the British during the Revolutionary War, so this could land her a severe beating, or she could even be sold away from her sister. Isabel would try to do whatever she could to keep her and Ruth safe and escape the terrible household of the Lockton family.

In the book Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, I think there are valuable lessons. It teaches people about how slavery really was a terrible thing while getting readers invested in the story of Isabel and Ruth. When reading, I felt it never got boring while still staying informative. The book is based on true events and is a representation of how slavery affected the world. The plot is detailed and the descriptions of Isabel’s life are thorough, leaving no reader in the dark. Isabel expresses how she feels in a way where it seems she is a real person. She has human emotions and opinions. Although Chains is a wonderful story, I noticed it is the type of book that will include descriptions of treacherous ways of death and the main characters spend most of the book confined in the Lockton house. This means Isabel often does not leave the house unless she was told to. People in school in the grades of seventh through ninth grades would especially love this book because the main character is around that age as well. So in a way, readers can relate to her. Readers above ninth grade can also read Chains and still enjoy every part that the book has to offer.

Witch Child, by Celia Rees, follows Mary, a young witch, as she flees the witch hunts. Mary becomes part of a new town in America and helps the town and her adopted family grow. Unfortunately, a gang of malicious girls about her age guess she is a witch, and try to use her for their own goals. Mary denies them, which makes them angry. How long can Mary hide that she is a witch?

I would only recommend this book to someone who is interested in early American history and the witch hunts. This book does a good job of representing that timeframe and what life would be like for an accused witch. Unfortunately, a good setting does not make a good book. The main problem is that Mary rarely makes decisions, and mostly just lets things happen to her and follows others around. She doesn’t make the decision to go to America, her mother ships her off. The biggest choice she makes is keeping her journal after she has been told not to, and she has to do that so that the author can have their found text plotline. I understand she is a child, but the lack of meaningful agency makes her feel like a lens for us to look out of instead of a character with motivation and personality.