Book Reviews

review by John Chon, age 15 Hooper by Geoff Herbach     Hooper, by Geoff Herbach, is unique in many ways, especially in its subject matter. The book follows an awkward, young high schooler, who centers his entire life around basketball. To quote the protagonist, Adam, “Basketball is a passport.” He is very adept at […]

review by Nina Dinan, age 15 I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Welch     The story of how a middle school, pen pal assignment became a life-changing correspondence and friendship begins with two students, Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda. She […]

review by Aminda Zou, age 14 Just a Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi Summary: It’s just a normal Tuesday…until sixteen-year-old Kai finds a suicide note from her beloved older sister, Jen. Now Kai is the only child in a family reeling with grief. Unable to make sense of her sister’s choice, Kai begins to […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 The City on the Other Side by Mairghread Scott     The City on the Other Side is a short and interesting novel about a young girl thrust into a war between fairies. Isabel, a daughter of a wealthy family, must learn how to play the part of a […]

review by Kara Eng, age 19 The 13th Continuum by Jennifer Brody     The 13th Continuum is a dystopian novel where the apocalypse was predicted. It follows the story of Aero and Myra, members of colonies whose main objective is to recolonize the earth. However, it’s been 1,000 years since any of the colonies […]

review by Kara Eng, age 19 Not the Girls You’re Looking For by Aminah Mae Safi     Not the Girls You’re Looking For is a unique coming-of-age story. Our protagonist, Lulu, is a multiracial, teenage girl growing up in Texas. Despite often feeling out of place, Lulu is a strong-willed girl who takes […]

review by Kira Toal, age 16 The Awakened by Sarah Elizabeth Santana     The Awakened by Sara Elizabeth Santana follows Zoey Matthews, a teenage girl whose life is torn apart by “Z:” a virus that wipes out a third of the population within weeks, and then reanimates their corpses. The undead victims are […]

review by Kara Eng, age 19 12 Steps to Normal by Farrah Penn     12 Steps to Normal is the story of how Kira returns to Cedarville, Texas to live with her father, a recovering alcoholic. Kira wants to start right where she left off and so creates a plan to get her life […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Nothing But Sky by Amy Trueblood     In the aftermath of the First World War, many pilots from the war returned home.  Eager to continue flying, they began to perform daredevil tricks in front of crowds, and the tricks only became more insane. Nothing But Sky is […]

review by Aminda Zou, age 13 We Are All That’s Left by Carrie Arcos     In Carrie Arcos’ We Are All That’s Left, Zara struggles to get her mother to open up about her Bosnian past and her time during the war. Suddenly, a terrorist attack strikes the farmers’ market, leaving her family […]