Pasadena Public Library
review by Kara Eng, age 18 A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas Summary: Though Feyre now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, but as she navigates the feared Night Court’s dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms–and […]
Book Club recap by McKenna Blackshire, grade 8 Summary: “In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (‘gleaned’) by professional reapers (‘scythes’). Two teens must compete with each other to become a scythe–a position neither of them wants. The one who […]
Book Club recap by Kara Eng, Grade 12 Crooked Kingdom For February, YA Book Club read Crooked Kingdom, the sequel to Six of Crows, which we read in November 2015. Previously, Six of Crows was our highest rated book, but Crooked Kingdom has now taken that spot. Many thought that Crooked […]
Review by Jacob Chon, grade 9 An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir Summary: Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. […]
Review by Kristina Yin, grade 11 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern The plot of The Night Circus, the debut novel of Erin Morgenstern, is extraordinarily hard to explain; particularly because it is everything happening at once. One can view it as a story of star-crossed lovers who are manipulated […]
Review by Alaina Joby, grade 9 Blood, Bullets, and Bones by Bridget Heos Interested in all things murder and mystery? Curious to know how murders are analyzed? Are murder mysteries really part of everyday life? This book is for you. Though, the concept of forensic science seems modern and complicated, […]
Book Club recap by McKenna Blackshire, grade 8 Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson Summary: Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary men and women extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics. But Epics are no friends of man. With incredible gifts […]
Book Club recap by Kara Eng, Grade 12 We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach Summary: Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel. They always say that high school is the best time of […]
Review by Kara Eng, grade 12 Arcana Rising by Kresley Cole Arcana Rising is the fourth book in the Arcana series. It picks up right where the last one left off. I’ve really enjoyed reading the other books in this series and this latest installment was not a disappointment (except […]
Review by Kristina Yin, grade 11 The Martian by Andy Weir Summary: “Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he’s sure he’ll be the first person to die there. After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew […]