Pasadena Public Library
review by Jacob Chon, age 16 Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich with Steve Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul It is every teenager’s dream to be popular; but, it’s every teenager’s nightmare for it to unravel. Evan only knew Connor a bit before he killed himself, but because of a small brush […]
review by Nina Dinan, age 15 Jazz Owls: A Novel of the Zoot Suit Riots by Margarita Engle This gripping verse novel, written by Young People’s Poet Laureate Margarita Engle, tells the story of a Mexican-American family living in Los Angeles during the Zoot Suit Riots. Marisela and Lorena are sisters, laboring daily […]
review by John Chon, age 16 Moonrise by Sarah Crossan Moonrise, by Sarah Crossan, is a very gripping and depressing novel about a boy who grows up under the shadow of his older brother. Joe Moon is seventeen years old with a brother, Ed, convicted of murder. Joe comes to the small Texan […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 16 Dive Smack by Demetra Brodsky Like every high school student looking for a good college, Theo Mackey has his gimmick that will hopefully make him stand out. As the captain of his school’s well-respected dive team, he hopes that his athletic status will help him get recruited […]
review by Ashley Zhang, age 13 Love Me, Love Me Not by S.M. Koz Hailey Brown, a teenage girl, is put in foster care after being removed from her home because of her abusive mother. She goes through many homes, her boyfriend Chase messing it up for her every time. After being […]
review by Nina Dinan, age 15 Voices in the Air: Poems for Listeners by Naomi Shihab Nye In this lovely collection of free verse poems written in a serene, contemplative tone, Naomi Shihab Nye explores a variety of subjects. Her poems include wistful exaltations of nature, laments written for Palestine, and soaring […]
review by Kira Toal, age 17 Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy Ramona Blue is a girl-vs-the-world contemporary romance novel. Its protagonist, a 6’3, blue-haired teenager named Ramona, lives in a trailer park in Eulogy, Mississippi with her father and pregnant older sister. The book follows her struggles to navigate various obstacles in her […]
review by John Chon, age 16 The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano The Glass Spare, by Lauren DeStefano, has the interesting premise of the observation of a character set in the Middle Ages. Wil Heidle, daughter of a king with empire-building dreams, is hidden away from the kingdom, unlike her siblings. She […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 16 Orphan Monster Spy by Matt Killeen All Sarah has ever wanted was a simple life. However, destiny did not decide it to be that way. Thrust into one of the worst governments in human history, and cursed with a Jewish bloodline that marks her for death, Sarah […]
review by Aminda Zou, age 14 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo The Poet X is a marvelous novel told in poetry form where Elizabeth Acevedo narrates the story of a silenced young woman, Xiomara Batista. This novel addresses the issues of racism, sexism, and the importance of self-defense and having a voice. […]