Pasadena Public Library
Review by Isabella Henriquez, 16 Felix Ever After By Kacen Callender Though his name means “lucky” in Latin, Felix feels far from being lucky at all. He thinks that he has one too many minority labels. Not only is he black and queer, but also transgender. He often struggles with […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 15 Red Hood By Elana K. Arnold On homecoming night, Bisou Martel is with her boyfriend on the dance floor when another boy, Tucker, gets in the way to try to dance with her instead. After standing up to Tucker, Bisou later has an intimate moment […]
Review by Genevieve Harvey, 17 Splinters of Scarlet By Emily Bain Murphey The story begins with a subtle elucidation to the complications and disappointments that come from orphanage life. Agnes and Marit, two females who grew out of the Mill orphanage and currently work at Thorsen’s, are anticipating the arrival […]
Review by Genevieve Harvey, 17 The Infinite Noise By Laura Shippen (Trigger Warning: Self Harm) In The Infinite Noise, Lauren Shippen writes about the impractical expectations of how to “perfectly” manage teenage life – the balance between academic rigor, athletics, and socializing – as well as noting the salutary benefits […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 The Empire of Dreams By Rae Carson Precocious, magic-touched Red Sparkle Stone has been running all her life—from monsters, evil sorcerers, and the trauma that weighs her down. Now, she’s about to be adopted by the royal family, a sweet ending to the suffering she’s […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 Kingdom of Souls By Rena Barron Arrah, unlike many other people her age, does not yet possess magic. Despite her father’s reassurances that her magic will come, she’s losing hope. After all, her high-ranking priestess mother already all but shuns her. That surely means that […]
Review by Nina Dinan, 17 The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton By Edith Wharton Edith Wharton, renowned Gilded Age novelist and interior designer, was sometimes so disturbed by ghostly books that she was compelled to burned them. Luckily, this profound fear did not stop her from lending her own pen […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 Rules for Being a Girl By Candace Bushnell and Katie Cotugno There’s a whole set of unspoken rules in society just for girls, and Marin knows how to follow them perfectly. A stellar student and school newspaper editor with a dream to get into Brown University, […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 Spin the Dawn By Elizabeth Lim Maia Tamarin has always been an excellent tailor, following in her father’s footsteps with thread and needle. But while her aspirations reach sky-high, her reality is potentially having to marry the loathsome son of a baker in order to […]
Review by Jasmine Sov, 14 The Meaning of Birds By Jaye Robin Brown Jessica Perez’s girlfriend means everything to her. Vivi’s the one who drives Jess to pursue her love of drawing and makes her strive to be better about her anger issues. To Jess, the future suddenly holds countless […]