Pasadena Public Library
–review by Kara, teen reviewer Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys Jo is the daughter of a prostitute who works in a successful brothel in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Jo does not want to follow in her mother’s footsteps and is struggling to get out of New […]
It’s summer! Our book discussion summer series “Claws to Read” starts off with… The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater Find it in our library: The Raven Boys Summary: Though she is from a family of clairvoyants, Blue Sargent’s only gift seems to be that she makes other people’s talents stronger, […]
–review by Kara, teen reviewer Welcome to the Dark House by Laurie Faria Stolarz Seven kids are flown out to the middle of nowhere after winning a competition to meet the infamous Justin Blake, a director whose horror films have a cult following. The weekend is designed to be a Justin […]
–review by Josh, teen reviewer Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Thought-provoking, ominous, and poignant. In a society so bizarre it is practically impossible to envision, we are left in awe at the state of this utopian world. This is not the main theme of the novel, though. On the […]
–review by Kara, teen reviewer Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige So here’s the plot. Amy, a girl who is neglected by her mother and abandoned by her father, has a sucky life. Not only has she been ostracized because she lives in a trailer park, but, after ignoring Al […]
–review by Julia, teen reviewer The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian follows Junior, a boy living on an Indian reservation, through times of loss, disappointment, success, and most importantly, hope. Junior’s character is easy to relate to as […]
–review by Kara, teen reviewer Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo ***SPOILERS for those who have not read the first two books in the series: Shadow and Bone & Siege and Storm.*** We last saw Alinas as she was going underground with the Apparat and we pick up with her being […]
May’s book discussion pick was Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo What we did Shadow and Bone author Leigh Bardugo brightened up our meeting by joining us via Skype! Each attendee asked multiple questions about the book, her ideas, and career. We also discussed her book at length […]
–review by Kara, teen reviewer Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys Lina and her family are taken during the middle of the night by the NKVD, who are known today as the KGB. Lina and her family are deported from their home country of Lithuania and charged under Soviet Penal […]
–review by Josh, teen reviewer The Stranger by Albert Camus The concept of this novel alone is thought-provoking enough to spend hours analysing. A man arrives in a city in France after his mother dies, and after killing someone in self-defense, is put on trial; the main driving force of […]