Pasadena Public Library
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 […]
review by John Chon, age 15 Boy Meets Depression by Kevin Breel Summary: Kevin Breel burst into the public’s awareness when at 19 his TED talk became a worldwide phenomenon. Star athlete, ace student, and life of the party: in short, he was every parent’s dream. From the outside his life looked […]
review by Sylvie Bower, age 16 The Arsonist by Stephanie Oakes The Arsonist is the story of Ava, Molly, and Pepper. Ava Dreyman is a world-famous martyr of the Cold War, whose life and possibly death are memorialized in her diary. Molly Mavity is the daughter of a murder-arsonist about to be executed, […]
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 John Chon, age 15 Midnight at the Electric was an electrifying book. It took me through three different timelines as the main character explores them all through a series of letters she receives. Adri, our protagonist, is chosen to live on Mars with others already there. She is […]
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 […]