Pasadena Public Library
Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 16 Private Label by Kelly Yang Serene Li longs to design her own couture dresses, but she’s stuck working as an intern for her mom’s fashion brand. After her mother is diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, Serene’s jolted into leadership of the company, where she faces […]
Reviewed by Samuel Redfearn, age 16 Sense and Second Degree Murder by Tirzah Price The Dashwood sisters each harbor somewhat peculiar interests. Elinor, the eldest, enjoys chemistry; Marianne, slightly younger than Elinor, works alongside her father in his detective business; and Margaret, the youngest, is a budding novelist at only […]
Reviewed by Giselle Carlos, age 17 This Place is Still Beautiful by Xixi Tian Annalie and Margaret Flannagen have conflicting feelings toward their childhood home. Seventeen-year-old Annalie savors the Midwest—the small-town closeness of it all—while Margaret feels suffocated and claustrophobic. When Margaret moves to college at NYU, Annalie breathes a […]
Reviewed by Samuel Redfearn, age 16 Rise of the Vicious Princess by C.J Redwine Rise of the Vicious Princess tells the tale of Charis Willowthorn, heir to the throne of the kingdom of Calera. Her mother, the queen, has raised her to be vicious, cutthroat, unfeeling in her personal life, […]
Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 16 How to Live Without You by Sarah Everett When Emmy’s older sister Rose goes missing, everyone dismisses it as another case of teenage rebellion, but Emmy thinks otherwise. How could her closest confidante just up and leave without even telling her? To find answers, […]
Reviewed by Hailey Chen, age 14 Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick Nora Grey is not someone who would be described as living in the spotlight. In fact, she didn’t even crave that type of attention, content with just her best friend and widowed mom. However, this all changes drastically when […]
Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 16 A Clash of Steel: A Treasure Island Remix by C. B Lee The tale of Zheng Yi Sao is renowned all across the South China Sea—a tale of a woman pirate, her legendary Dragon Fleet, and a famous lost treasure. It’s just one of […]
Reviewed by Jasmine Sov, age 16 A Thousand Steps into Night by Traci Chee Otori Miuko is just a simple innkeeper’s daughter—average in every way, meant to be gentle and demure and bear fat, healthy sons for a future husband. The problem is, she isn’t gentle and demure—her loudness is […]
Reviewed by Giselle Carlos, age 16 The Passing Playbook by Isaac Fitzsimons Spencer Harris is ready for a new start. While weary of the burden of going into a private school, fifteen-year-old Spencer is determined to ease his parent’s nervous minds and make this year great, and most importantly, lay […]
Reviewed by Amber Elias, age 15 Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth Dispite how rough Aideen’s home life was, along with the father who was married to another woman with a completely different family, and her mother who let that wretched man use her over and over while struggling with […]