Monday, May 6, 2013

The Sky is Everywhere Book Review

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson
                The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson is an emotional and honest story of a girl, Lennie Walker, coming to terms with her older sister’s sudden death. The story follows Lennie from the stages of grief and sadness to the possibility of happiness in her life again. Lennie finds solace in her sister’s boyfriend, Toby, who shares her burden with her. But, she is intrigued and relieved by the new boy in town, Joe, who shares her love of music. Lennie’s journey is not an easy one, it is filled with ups and downs, but her narration is honest and true throughout it all.
                Nelson writes in a style that flows smoothly and is a pleasure to read. The book is interspersed with poems that Lennie wrote. These poems are poignant, insightful, and beautiful, although usually somber and sad. These poems fit nicely into the frame of the story, and adds depth to the story as well. Nelson’s fluid style keeps the reader captivated, and makes it almost impossible to put the book down.
                Readers who are interested in music may enjoy this novel because music is an integral part of Lennie’s journey. Nelson portrays music in a way that anyone can understand, but only musicians can truly connect to. This aspect of music, and the meaning and impact of music adds another dimension to the novel, and makes Lennie’s story more relatable and more meaningful. Dwiju H.; Teen Reviewer

Anna and the French Kiss Book Review

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
                Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins is an incredible tale about a girl forcibly sent to a boarding school in France for her Senior Year of High School. At the American School of Paris she learns that there’s a lot more meaning to life than she had previously imagined back home in Atlanta. Although homesick at first, Anna explores Paris with her new friends, and finds she likes Paris more than she thought she would. This may possibly be because of Etienne St. Clair, a boy that is strictly off limits, but who may like Anna too. But, there is a lot standing in the way of any possible relationship with him.
                The author, Perkins, is able to tell Anna’s story with language that is easy to understand, and reflects how many teenagers truly speak. It is casual and comfortable to read. The story is well told and captivating, keeping the reader interested in the storyline. The story is not predictable, making it more interesting for the reader.
                Teens who are interested in boarding schools or studying abroad may find this book especially interesting because Anna visits many historical sites in Paris and gives an honest description of what it is like to live in a boarding school. Also, high school students may be more interested in the book because Anna is a high school senior applying to college, which is relatable and relevant to high school students. However, this is a book that can appeal to almost anyone, with its captivating storyline. Dwiju H.; Teen Reviewer

Friday, May 3, 2013

Perks of Being a Wallflower Book Review


Perks of Being a Wallflower

            Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is a book that most teenagers can relate to.  This book dealt with a group of teenagers with different personalities who were all friends with things they have in common, but each special in their own way.  You are introduced to the protagonist whose name is Charlie. Charlie has a hard time fitting in in school, he has recently lost his best friend Mike and to top it off he also has anxiety. He feels as if his family doesn’t understand him and how different he is and the only person who did which was his aunt Helen has passed away from a car accident. In high school Charlie meets his two best friends. They are step siblings and both seniors. Patrick and Sam show Charlie the real world and how to enjoy life to the fullest. They get Charlie into doing various types of drugs and Charlie is soon enough an addict to smoking cigarettes. These two people in a way have helped Charlie open up and grow up. There is another person in Charlie’s life that helped show him how special he is. Charlie’s freshman English teacher named Bill. He asks Charlie to read difficult books and write essays on them to show Charlie how special and talented he is. Throughout the whole book Charlie writes anonymous letters to someone telling them of what has happened throughout his freshman year. At the end of the book Charlie has landed in the hospital due to a traumatic secret. Patrick and Sam and along with all of his friends graduate that year and Charlie is once again left alone and faces the problem of being isolated.
            Stephen Chbosky does a fabulous job writing this book. He makes the whole book in letter form which makes it really easy to follow and understand what’s going on in the book. He also doesn’t use that much sophisticated language so even the average teenager isn’t confused about anything. The book flows very nicely because of the way it’s written and the letters are in chronological order.  As said before this book is very helpful to those teenagers in high school who could relate to any of the characters in this book. In every high school there is a person who feels isolated, does drugs, feels like they don’t belong, and the popular one and so on and this book has one of each person. This book was also turned into a movie which I haven’t seen yet but I hope it’s as great as the book. This book has wanting me to read more books by the author and hopefully find another book that I love so much. I would defiantly recommend this book to teenagers especially those who are sixteen to eighteen. I would also recommend this book to young adults due to maybe something they went through when they were younger and know that they weren’t the only ones. The book is defiantly worth having in the library collection because of how popular it is amongst teens and the effect it has on you after reading it. It makes you feel like you were a part of Charlie’s experience even if you don’t do the same things he does. Crystal G.; Teen Reviewer

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Survive Book Review



Survive by Alex Morel 

A girl named Jane decided to visit her mother in New Jersey. She was able to visit her mother, because it was the holidays and the mental hospital which she lived in approved her to go. Jane didn’t want to see her mother, but she intended to kill herself with pills in the plane bathroom instead. When she was about to kill herself, the plane crashed onto a mountain. She then woke up and saw the plane destroyed with bodies and wreckages around the crashed plane. She then found a boy named Paul, who sat next to her on the plane. They then walk the mountain to reach the top, to see the bottom or some planes. When they reached the top they realized the blizzard covered everything. Since they were alone together, they started to have feelings for each other and Jane realized that she didn’t want to die. They then walk and crawl for days, until Jane found a secret book Paul was hiding. When Paul disappeared to look for something, Jane decided to read the book. She then realized it was a note for Paul from his dead brother. Paul then found out that Jane read the book and was angry at her. While they were walking Paul fell off a cliff with some broken bones. They then decided to go down a little further down the mountain, until Paul told Jane that he couldn’t go anymore.  Paul knew he would slow them down and he also knew he would die soon. Then, Jane finally left Paul in a cave and walked down the mountain. She then jumped off a cliff in order to go down the mountain. She woke up and saw that something manmade was ahead of her; she then walked a few more and passed out. 6 months later Jane realized a man saw her on the road and saved her. She dealt with many visitors and reporters from how she survived the crash. Finally, Jane received a mail from Paul’s dad which had Paul’s book. Paul had written to Jane to survive and live for him right before he died.
            The book Survive is by Alex Morel which was written in 1st person and the authors writing style was easy to understand. This book would be interested for teens any age. Also, this book would be interested in for teens who love adventure, survival, and suspense.  Janine K.; Teen Reviewer