Book Reviews

review by Alicia Zhang, age 13 Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant     In the book Zenn Diagram by Wendy Brant, the lives of two extraordinary teenagers come together to form a cohesive storyline like no other. One of these characters is seventeen-year-old Eva Walker, a math genius who can see a person’s […]

review by Nina Dinan, age 14 How Dare the Sun Rise: Memoirs of a War Child by Sandra Uwiringiyimana with Abigail Pesta     This is a story of loss and discovery, of grief and triumph, and of unflagging resilience in the face of tragedy and hardship.     Sandra Uwiringiyimana lives with her family in […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Dear Martin by Nic Stone     Justyce McAllister is a normal, African American high-school student who lives in the lower income part of town. Although his financial standing is disadvantageous, he has a scholarship to a prestigious private school. Justyce is a rising star in the debate […]

review by Kristina Yin, age 17 Black Swan Green by David Mitchell     Black Swan Green is the spiritual descendant of coming-of-age books like Catcher in the Rye and Great Expectations, but because of its modernity and realism, it is far more interesting and relatable than its ancestors. Although it is not a page-turner […]

review by John Chon, age 15 The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson Summary: When all hope is gone, how do you survive? Before the war, Eden’s life was easy—air conditioning, ice cream, long days at the beach. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed. Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Generation One by Pittacus Lore     Generation One follows Taylor, a teenage girl living in a sleepy Midwest town. She enjoys the monotony of life and plans to take over the family farm when she grows old enough. Having survived an alien invasion with minimal consequences, Taylor’s life […]

review by Alicia Zhang, age 13 Freya by Matthew Laurence     The novel Freya by Matthew Laurence is about a goddess, Freya, who, in Norse mythology, is the representation of love, beauty, and war. In this world, deities of all types exist, camouflaged into human society. They are powered and strengthened by belief, and […]

review by Jacob Chon, age 15 The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller     The Art of Starving is a novel about a young, gay man coming out of the closet.  Although at first it seems like a novel about obesity, it really is a much wider story that encompasses the social […]

review by Kira Toal, age 16 The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu     The Devonairre Street girls of Brooklyn are said to be cursed. According to local legend and the ominous admonitions of elderly female Devonairre Street residents, any boy with which a Devonairre girl falls in love […]