Wonder - Teen Review

Teen Review

Genre: Middle Grade Book

Summary: In the beginning August had never been in a real school, he had been homeschooled. Then his parents decided he was ready to go to a school. On his first day everyone was looking at him weird because his face is deformed. Next was the middle of the year and he had more friends and not as many people were looking at him weird. Lastly, August won and award at his graduation and everyone was really happy for him.

Review: I rated this book a 4 because I really liked the book. It had a really good storyline and events. The characters were very fun to read about. This was not my favorite book. The book Wonder was awesome but not the best one I have ever read. 

People might like this book if they liked: Sad, funny, and joyful stories.

Reviewed by Glenn (7th grade)

The Book Thief - Teen Book Review

Teen Review

Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary: It is 1939, Germany, where the Nazis are at the peak of power. This story, narrated by Death, is about 10-year-old Liesel Meminger, who is sent away to live with foster parents in Molching, Germany. She begins stealing books and learns about the power of words. Liesel and her foster parents try to survive the bomb raidings, food shortages, and poverty, all while keeping a Jewish boxer named Max in their basement.

Review: I rated this book a 5 because it is a beautifully written novel about one of the most tragic events in history. The Book Thief shows how there is a good in everyone even in the toughest times.

People might like this book if they liked: Chains, Forge, Night, Diary of Anne Frank

Reviewed by Vanessa (9th grade)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: See You At Harry's

“I breath in and out through my mouth to feel the quiet. In. Out. Over and over. Until I fall asleep.”

Starting middle school brings all the usual challenges — until the unthinkable happens, and Fern and her family must find a way to heal.

Twelve-year-old Fern feels invisible. It seems as though everyone in her family has better things to do than pay attention to her: Mom (when she’s not meditating) helps Dad run the family restaurant; Sarah is taking a gap year after high school; and Holden pretends that Mom and Dad and everyone else doesn’t know he’s gay, even as he fends off bullies at school. Then there’s Charlie: three years old, a "surprise" baby, the center of everyone’s world. He’s devoted to Fern, but he’s annoying, too, always getting his way, always dirty, always commanding attention. If it wasn’t for Ran, Fern’s calm and positive best friend, there’d be nowhere to turn. Ran’s mantra, "All will be well," is soothing in a way that nothing else seems to be. And when Ran says it, Fern can almost believe it’s true. But then tragedy strikes- and Fern feels not only more alone than ever, but also responsible for the accident that has wrenched her family apart. All will not be well. Or at least all will never be the same. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Never Fall Down

“Long time I been on my own, but now really I'm alone. I survive the killing, the starving, all the hate of the Khmer Rouge, but I think maybe now I will die of this, of broken heart.”

Based on the true story of Cambodian advocate Arn Chorn-Pond, and authentically told from his point of view as a young boy, this is an achingly raw and powerful historical novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace. It includes an author's note and acknowledgments from Arn Chorn-Pond himself.

When soldiers arrive in his hometown, Arn is just a normal little boy. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children dying before his eyes. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier. (x)

Booklist: How to Survive High School

It's that time of year again... back to school season! Check out this great booklist full of teens figuring out how to survive high school & the real world, and just maybe having some fun along the way, too!

Summer Reading - Teen Reviews!

You guys wrote so many great reviews this past week, there was no way we could have fit them all on one page! Here are just a few of the books you liked best, and your reasons why. Don't forget to stop by the Teen Zone to ask for more recommendations - and ask your friends too, of course!

The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort

""This was an intriguing, entertaining, engaging, insightful, hilarious novel that is an easy read." 

                                                                             - Callie

Jackaby by William Ritter

"When Abigail Rooks arrives in New England Looking for an adventure, the last thing she expects is becoming a book keeper for a detective. But she soon finds out that her young boss, R.F. Jackaby, deals in supernatural crimes. Before she knows it, she is sucked into a murder investigation that has the whole town in panic, and one that Jackaby claims involves a nonhuman murderer. Follow Abigail and Jackaby as they uncover the supernatural creatures that live among us while trying to save the town from the monsters that hide in plain sight."

                                                                      - Patrick

The Final Four by Paul Volponi

"I thought that this book was very suspenseful and exciting, because when the game in the book got into almost five overtime it was intense. I would recommend this book."

                                                                        - Cameron

I am the Mission by Allen Zadoff

"An interesting sequel to "I am the Weapon." It was an exciting book and left me wanting for more."

                                                                  - Chance

The Tombs by Clive Cussler

"A bit of a crazy story, with an even crazier ending! A little...ridiculous in places, but I guess Bako is so rich, he has no limits, and doesn't care."

                                                                 - David

Steampunk Booklist

Stop by the library to check out any of these adventure-filled books set in Steampunk societies and filled with gadgets, fantasy, and intrigue! Stop by the teen zone for more recommendations, from Cyberpunk to Urbanpunk to Elfpunk!

Spotlight on Nutmegs: My Book of Life by Angel

the cinnamon bun smell
was Mom making them for me
and the clothing stores were my
walk-in closets
and the ice cream place was my freezer
and the bathroom was my bathroom

After her mother dies, a rudderless sixteen-year-old Angel hangs out at the mall, playing an unexpectedly poignant adolescent version of house. When Angel meets Call at the mall, he buys her meals and says he loves her, and he gives her some candy that makes her feel like she can fly. Pretty soon she's addicted to his candy, and she moves in with him. As a favor, he asks her to hook up with a couple of friends of his, and then a couple more. Now Angel is stuck working the streets at Hastings and Main, a notorious spot in Vancouver, Canada, where the girls turn tricks until they disappear without a trace, and the authorities don't care. But after her friend Serena disappears, and when Call brings home a girl who is even younger and more vulnerable than her to learn the trade, Angel knows that she and the new girl have got to find a way out. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Insignia

“Those are some of the most powerful people in the world, and you swamped them in sewage! If you had real friends, they'd have told you that you're an idiot for even thinking about doing that!"

Tom bristled, indignant. "My friends do tell me I'm an idiot. All the time!”

The earth is in the middle of WWIII in Insignia, the first entry in S. J. Kincaid's fast-paced sci-fi adventure trilogy perfect for fans of Ender's Game.
The planet's natural resources are almost gone, and war is being fought to control the assets of the solar system. The enemy is winning. The salvation may be Tom Raines. Tom doesn't seem like a hero. He's a short fourteen-year-old with bad skin. But he has the virtual-reality gaming skills that make him a phenom behind the controls of the battle drones.

As a new member of the Intrasolar Forces, Tom's life completely changes. Suddenly, he's someone important. He has new opportunities, friends, and a shot at having a girlfriend. But there's a price to pay... (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: The False Prince

“A person can be educated and still be stupid, and a wise man can have no education at all.”

In a discontent kingdom, civil war is brewing. To unify the divided people, Conner, a nobleman of the court, devises a cunning plan to find an impersonator of the king's long-lost son and install him as a puppet prince. Four orphans are recruited to compete for the role, including a defiant boy named Sage. Sage knows that Conner's motives are more than questionable, yet his life balances on a sword's point -- he must be chosen to play the prince or he will certainly be killed. But Sage's rivals have their own agendas as well.

As Sage moves from a rundown orphanage to Conner's sumptuous palace, layer upon layer of treachery and deceit unfold, until finally, a truth is revealed that, in the end, may very well prove more dangerous than all of the lies taken together.

An extraordinary adventure filled with danger and action, lies and deadly truths that will have readers clinging to the edge of their seats. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: The Diviners

"“You can’t blame a fella for kissing the prettiest girl in New York, can you, sister?” Sam’s grin was anything but apologetic. 

Evie brought up her knee quickly and decisively, and he dropped to the floor like a grain sack. “You can’t blame a girl for her quick reflexes now, can you, pal?”"

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened. (x)

Physics Booklist

Check out this book list full of death defying stunts, with teens who are free-runners, masters of parkour - and, sometimes, can even fly! Not all of these heroes have actual superpowers, but all of them are normal kids just like you - with a couple unusual twists and turns thrown in for good measure.

Summer Reading - Teen Reviews!

Take a look at what your friends are reading - and then stop by the Teen Zone for new recommendations and interesting new books to read, today!

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Guitar Notes

“Maybe it explains the reason why one person likes another. It's because their souls both thrum at the same frequency.”

On odd days, loner Tripp Broody uses a practice room to let loose on the guitar he’s borrowed from the school after his mom took his own away. On even days, Lyla Marks uses the same practice room. To Tripp, she’s trying to become even more perfect–she’s already a straight-A student and an award-winning cellist. But when Lyla begins leaving notes for him in between the strings of his guitar, his life intersects with hers in a way he never expected. Challenging each other to write songs, they begin to connect, even though circumstances threaten to tear them apart. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Every Day

“This is what love does: It makes you want to rewrite the world. It makes you want to choose the characters, build the scenery, guide the plot. The person you love sits across from you, and you want to do everything in your power to make it possible, endlessly possible. And when it’s just the two of you, alone in a room, you can pretend that this is how it is, this is how it will be.”

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. (x)

Mad Science Booklist

Our Mad Scientist Party is happening tomorrow - stop by at 5:00 p.m. for fun games, wacky science experiments, cool demonstrations, and food & dessert of course! In the meantime, here are some teen reads that focus on mad scientists, an evil genius or two, and everything creepy in-between!

Summer Reading - Teen Reviews!

Take a look at what your friends are reading - and then stop by the Teen Zone for new recommendations and interesting new books to read, today!

Spotlight on Nutmegs: The Final Four

"'I've failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.' - Michael Jordan, considered by many to be the greatest basketball player of all time, despite being cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore."

Four players with one thing in common: the will to win

Malcolm wants to get to the NBA ASAP. Roko wants to be the pride of his native Croatia. Crispin wants the girl of his dreams. M.J. just wants a chance.

March Madness is in full swing, and there are only four teams left in the NCAA basketball championship. The heavily favored Michigan Spartans and the underdog Troy Trojans meet in the first game in the semifinals, and it's there that the fates of Malcolm, Roko, Crispin, and M.J. intertwine. As the last moments tick down on the game clock, you'll learn how each player went from being a kid who loved to shoot hoops to a powerful force in one of the most important games of the year. Which team will leave the Superdome victorious? In the end it will come down to which players have the most skill, the most drive, and the most heart. (x)

Spotlight on Nutmegs: Graffiti Moon

“Did you know that we're made up of the same matter as stars? We are nuclear energy exploding.”

Lucy is in love with Shadow, a mysterious graffiti artist.

Ed thought he was in love with Lucy, until she broke his nose.

Dylan loves Daisy, but throwing eggs at her probably wasn't the best way to show it.

Jazz and Leo are slowly encircling each other.

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes. (x)

They've Got Chemistry!

This week at the library we're all about science and chemistry! Stop by the teen zone and check out one of these books about relationships and undeniable chemistry - between two people.