Pasadena Public Library
review by John Chon, age 15 The First Time She Drowned by Kerry Kletter Summary: Cassie O’Malley has been trying to keep her head above water—literally and metaphorically—since birth. It’s been two and a half years since Cassie’s mother dumped her in a mental institution against her will, and now, at eighteen, Cassie […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Madness by Zac Brewer What is madness if it is not doing something many times, each time expecting a different result? And who is Brooke, if she is not a girl who goes to therapy many times, each time expecting a different result? As a young […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 15 The Closest I’ve Come by Fred Aceves Marcos Rivas is like any other high school student. He simply wants to be loved. From his basketball games with other guys from the hood, to his abusive stepfather, Marcos’s life is not giving him that. All he gets are […]
review by Sylvie Bower, age 16 That Thing We Call a Heart by Sheba Karim That Thing We Call a Heart is the story of Shabnam, a Pakistani-American girl, during her last summer in New Jersey before going to Penn. She isn’t speaking to her best friend, who’s recently started wearing a hijab, […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 15 There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins Summary: Love hurts… Makani Young thought she’d left her dark past behind her in Hawaii, settling in with her grandmother in landlocked Nebraska. She’s found new friends and has even started to fall for mysterious outsider Ollie Larsson. But […]
review by John Chon, age 15 Blight by Alexandra Duncan Summary: Seventeen-year-old Tempest Torres has lived on the AgraStar farm north of Atlanta since she was found outside the gates at the age of five. Now she’s part of the security force guarding the fence and watching for scavengers—people who would rather steal […]
review by Kira Toal, age 16 Neighborhood Girls by Jessie Ann Foley Wendy Boychuck has had a difficult junior year. Her series of unfortunate events begins when her father, a former Chicago cop, is arrested for his brutal treatment of prisoners. The Boychuck family becomes ostracized (even hated in some instances) by their […]
review by John Chon, age 15 Jane, Unlimited by Kristin Cashore Jane, Unlimited is a book with limitless possibilities. Jane, an orphan, has recently been invited to a mansion by her old tutor, an offer she was told to never refuse by her late aunt. She goes to the mansion, and her […]
review by Jacob Chon, age 15 Eight Days on Planet Earth by Cat Jordan Summary: How long does it take to travel 13 light-years to Earth? How long does it take to fall in love? To the universe, eight days is a mere blip—but to Matty Jones, it may be just enough time to […]
review by Nina Dinan, age 14 Chasing King’s Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Assassin by James L. Swanson In this dynamic, engrossing narrative, James L. Swanson recounts the life, times, and death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and leads the reader through the furious pursuit of the man who […]