Category: YA book

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Book Review: I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

Priyanka

IT’S JUNE! You know what that means? PRIDE MONTH!! I think it’s only fitting that my first June book review be one with an LGBT+ main character. So, without further ado, I present the review for I’ll Give You The Sun: Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 15 and up This book is extraordinarily written from the perspective of a set of twins – a brother and a sister. The story goes back and forth over a 3 year period and offers a lens into each sibling’s journey through life. We see the brother as he … Continue reading Book Review: I’ll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson

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Book Review: Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Non-fiction This book is the second out of a set of four written by Bob Woodward on the Bush Presidency. It details the days from the end of 9/11 through the invasion of Iraq. The book is a result of over 75 compiled interviews with several members of the Cabinet including the President himself. In many places in the book, Woodward analyzes and often criticizes the decisions made by several cabinet members, including the President himself. He questions, and even rejects the veracity of a lot of the evidence brought to the cabinet … Continue reading Book Review: Plan of Attack by Bob Woodward

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Book Review: Numbers by Rachel Ward

Priyanka

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up In this book, the author weaves a terrifying tale of a girl who can see the date on which each person will die. A novel concept which is well-executed, this book promises to leave you on the edge of your seat. This book is written is from a young girl’s perspective. And while it is understandable that the author would want to stay in character, the writing style of this book seems a little amateur, in that it is difficult to grasp a deeper meaning from the book … Continue reading Book Review: Numbers by Rachel Ward

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Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Era: Romantic Okay, let’s be completely honest, this isn’t one of the most interesting and engaging books ever written. It is, however, a very iconic piece of literature for many reasons. First, Frankenstein was one of the first true “horror” books ever written in this time period. It focused a lot on legitimate science instead of alchemy, which was different from most books in that era. The introduction of the tabula rasa, or blank slate, is also an interesting idea about how society shapes who we are. Perhaps the most interesting aspect, however, is how this book … Continue reading Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

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Book Review: Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was not one that I could finish in one sitting, just because of the sheer density and length of the book. I felt that the author could possibly have gotten the point across in fewer pages, even though the story was unique, and different from most that I have been reading. I felt that the main character is blatantly sexist on multiple occasions, which is probably an accurate reflection of the time period this story is based in. ———————————————————————– Mahendra is a young man who refuses to marry until he … Continue reading Book Review: Chokher Bali by Rabindranath Tagore

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Book Review: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

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Rating: 4 out of 5 stars Time period: Realism This is another book that I just finished in English class. I generally would not recommend this book to people who do not like dense reading, although the book isn’t very long. Fathers and Sons was written in 1862, during the realist era, and as such, focuses a lot on science and the different philosophical ideas arising during this time. The books explores nihilist ideals as well as an increased focus on science, which seems to be a recurring theme during this time period. ———————————— Arkady and Bazarov are visiting Arkady’s father … Continue reading Book Review: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

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Book Review: La Vida es Sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

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Hey everyone! Sorry that I haven’t posted at all for a very long time but I got caught up with a lot of work and also had a lot of debate tournaments in the last few months. Here’s the next book review! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was part of a reading assignment that I had in English class recently. I enjoyed it immensely because of the way the author made the reader sympathize with the main character’s situation, even though he was portrayed in a bad light. This book … Continue reading Book Review: La Vida es Sueño by Pedro Calderón de la Barca

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Book Review: When You Never Said Goodbye by Meg Kearney

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Genre: Realistic Fiction Age Recommended: 13 and up This book was an ARC, courtesy of NetGalley I didn’t really enjoy this book, because while it was a good story and has well developed characters, I felt that the author tried too hard to drag the story out. Even though this book was the third in a series and I easily understood it without having read the first two. —————————– Liz’s adoptive father has just passed away, which is making her more eager than ever to find her birth mother. After saying goodbye to her mother after … Continue reading Book Review: When You Never Said Goodbye by Meg Kearney

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Book Review: The Celtic Dagger by Jill Patterson (A Fitzjohn Mystery)

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Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Genre: Mystery Age Recommended: 12 and up This book wasn’t very engaging, and had new characters introduced very often that didn’t always add to the book. Moreover, near the end of the book, it suddenly became very disturbing as a murderer was revealed, and I found it difficult to continue reading. —————————————- Fitzjohn is about to leave for a well-deserved break when he’s guilt-tripped into solving one more case. A man had just been murdered with two stabs to his neck and back. Moreover, the dagger that had been used to kill him had … Continue reading Book Review: The Celtic Dagger by Jill Patterson (A Fitzjohn Mystery)

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Book Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James

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Rating: 5 out of 5 stars Genre: Fiction Age Recommended: 14 and up This book was well-written but haunting. I would definitely recommend this to people who enjoy reading fantasy novels because the story was unique from the cliche plots of many other books of this genre. All in all, my expectations were high for this book, and it did not disappoint. ————————————————— Luke has just been pulled out of school to start his ten years of government service.  He’s pleased that at least his family will be together while working, but he’s torn away from that fantasy and pushed into … Continue reading Book Review: Gilded Cage by Vic James