Book Reviews

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 […]

review by Aminda Zou, age 13 What They Don’t Know by Nicole Maggi     Coming from an extremely traditional family, Mellie has a secret that she cannot share: she was raped in her basement and is now pregnant. She struggles to make the right choice and is stuck in a dilemma: to keep the […]

review by Nina Dinan, age 14 A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi     In this harrowing, heartbreaking, and utterly necessary tale, Atia Abawi tells the story of Tareq, a Syrian teenager who is forced to flee his country after the destruction of his home and the consequent loss of several family […]

review by John Chon, age 15 Spinning by Tillie Walden     Spinning, by Tillie Walden, is a graphic autobiography about a young figure skater who fights against prejudices to allow herself to exist. The writer recounts her young life as she grew up and includes milestones such as her figure skating, learning she […]

review by John Chon, age 15 In Real Life by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang     In Real Life, a short graphic novel by Cory Doctorow and Jen Wang, was a change of pace for me. This short book is about a girl, Anda, who starts playing online games and quickly falls into […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Among The Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz     Set in the heart of the largest conflict in human history, Among The Red Stars is a historical fiction novel with real roots in the Second World War’s Eastern Front.  Valentina Grizodubova is a young pilot with large […]

review by Nina Dinan, age 14 Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers by Deborah Heiligman     This book is a portrait in words, filled with vivid descriptions of scenes and locations that are by turns devastating and breathtakingly beautiful. This is fitting in a sweeping dual biography of two brothers who lived […]