Tag Archives: Friendship

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With The Fire On High (review by Anya W. ’20)

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With the Fire on HighWith the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Ever since she got pregnant with babygirl, Emoni’s life has been about deciding right: she knows better than to mess around, because she’s got babygirl to look after and money to save. College, mistakes like boys, and even the new cooking course that could let her pursue her dreams as a chef seem so far beyond her reach.

The snappy dialogue of Emoni’s internal monologue is easily matched by the well-crafted plot and brilliant characterization of the novel. Acevedo spins a fun, thought provoking tale of hope, responsibility, success, and picking yourself back up after you fall down. The romance is better handled in than many other books I have read in the genre, and the author does a stellar job of handling difficult topics. While the novel my be a little more mature than most YA works, it is still accessible enough to resonate with teen readers and honestly better written than many a YA beach reads.

With the Fire on High is a stunning piece, just as good if not better than Acevedo’s earlier work on The Poet X. Her characters are realistic, complex, and likable, and while I can see her writing style developing in some similarities in her protagonists, Acevedo has clearly proven she is not a one trick pony. -Anya W. ’20

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The Birds, The Bees, and You and Me (review by Anya W. ’20)

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The Birds, The Bees, and You and MeThe Birds, The Bees, and You and Me by Olivia Hinebaugh

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

WARNING: Opinions presented herein may be skewed by the fact that I was reading this book at two in the morning.

While not the most memorable book I’ve ever read, Hinebaugh’s novel is founded upon a strong premise: when a school’s curriculum is misinforming students to a level of danger to their safety, what’s a girl with the know-how to do? Of course, then people come and just make things more complicated.

In a tale of secrets, friendship, and self discovery, Hinebaugh uses a compelling premise to clearly send her messages. While the romance seems at times an easily shed distraction from the drama, it is well written enough not to disappoint fans of romance. The drama is on point, the injustice enough to move hearts and the writing clear enough to read but complex enough to enjoy, even while sleep deprived. -Anya W. ’20

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Emergency Contact (review by Ms. Pelman)

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Emergency ContactEmergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Told in alternating points-of-view: Penny, a college freshman and Sam a drop-out who works at a coffee shop. Penny is navigating her first year away from her mom (it’s just the two of them, and their relationship is close, but rocky), and chasing her dream of becoming a writer. Sam is nursing a broken-heart, while trying to make ends meet. In fact, his life is kind of a mess and he’s just trying to keep it together. The two are introduced by Penny’s roommate because the two have a complicated family history. When Penny finds Sam on the street during an awkward and distressing moment, she helps him out. From then on Penny becomes Sam’s “emergency contact” and their ’round-the-clock text conversations will alter their lives forever.

Funny and heartfelt; engaging and entertaining, Emergency Contact will appeal to readers who enjoy the snappy, witty dialogue found in John Green novels, and the characters you come to love in Rainbow Rowell books.

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Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen (review by Anya W. ’20)

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Lovely, Dark, and DeepLovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Viola Li has a Plan. After the end of her first trip with her aunt, to Africa, she’s working on several more bake sales to raise money for the causes she’s written about. A few more of her scheduled vacations, and she’ll have just the right resume for acceptance as a journalism major to her dream school in Dubai.
Except, as it turns out, sometimes the malaria vaccine can give you extreme, permanent, photosensitivity. Thanks to her professional disaster manager parents, Viola’s entire life and all her plans for the future are permanently deconstructed within a week. All that’s left now is figuring out how to cope.

Chen’s novel is a good beach read, and typical YA. The romance, while not badly-written, is not particularly epic-it would have had the same impact as a friendship. However, her writing is excellent at evoking empathy within the reader, and breathes life into her main characters.
-Anya W. ’20

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The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (review by Anya W. ’20)

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The Poet XThe Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What’s a girl to do when she’s got too much to say and no one to pour it out to? Fill journal after journal with words turned into verse, spilling her story across pages for no eyes but her own. A diary of free verse is an indulgence Xiomara can allow, one not banned by the strict rules of her cold home, but what about a poetry club? A boyfriend? A crisis of faith? Covering for her brother? As the walls close in, Xiomara has to grow up and decide what’s important, and how far she’s willing to go to keep it.

Acevedo’s freeform masterpiece is a touching and realistic portrayal of adolescence. She perfectly captures the mindset of someone on the verge of adulthood–the contrast between affection and suffocation day in and day out. -Anya W. ’20

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Shine by Lauren Myracle (review by Anya W. ’20)

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ShineShine by Lauren Myracle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Victim:
Patrick — Cat’s ex-best friend, currently in a coma the hospital after being found beaten at the gas station where he works, the victim of a hate crime against gay people.

The Investigators:
The sheriff — says it’s probably some out of towners from a nearby college. Case closed.
Cat — has her own ideas about it. After all, the sheriff can’t exactly implicate the son of the man who funds his campaign in a hate crime.

The Suspects, according to Cat:
College Boy — out of towner college boy who mocked Patrick at the gas station before the incident.
Tommy — the richest kid in town. For all that they hung out, he never stopped bullying Patrick. He was present at the party where Patrick was last seen conscious. Also, as Cat can attest, he likes to molest 13 year old girls.

The Witnesses
Beef: Cat’s surrogate older brother, who drove everyone home and isn’t talking.
Bailee-Ann: Beef’s girlfriend.
Robert: Bailee-Ann’s 11 year old brother with fetal alcohol syndrome who was there to watch his sister come home.
Christian: Cat’s older brother. Even if he was willing to talk about what he knew, Cat knows better than to believe in him.

Myracle writes a gritty portrait of small town life. Even her side characters are multifaceted and capable of growth. Shine is well paced and satisfying, with the right number of twists and an ending that is not too neat. Definitely a lovely reason to read away a day. – Anya W. ’20

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The Other F-Word by Natasha Friend (review by Anya W. ’20)

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The Other F-WordThe Other F-Word by Natasha Friend
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well it’s about to get weird cuz I have something to tell u.

Ok.

R u ready?
I’ve decided to find r sperm donor

When Hollis Darby-Barns gets an email via her dead mother’s account from Milo Robinson-Clark, the half- brother she has met exactly once, she’s most certainly not interested in tracking down their donor. Even using the Donor Progeny Project to see if they can contact any of their other half-siblings is a bit of a stretch . . . so why is she agreeing to all of this?
A unique, heartfelt story about two teens trying to find their place in the world by learning more about their past, and by extension themselves, The Other F-word by Natasha Friend has it all. From family dysfunction to forgiveness, from romance to friendship, Friend handles it all spectacularly. Honestly, my only complaint is that I want more. I want to see the characters interacting and growing and achieving their goals. The open ending left a lot to the imagination and hope. I want more. –Anya W. ‘20

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Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (review by Sachi B. ’21)

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Of Mice and MenOf Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Written by John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men, is a heartwarming novella about two men working to achieve their dream of having their own farm. The novel revolves around the Lennie and George, the protagonists who are complete opposites. George, a smart and caring man, acts as a protector for Lennie, a hard-working man with the mind of a child. The duo work and travel together as migrant workers in California during the Great Depression. Though George sometimes criticizes Lennie for being an extra burden for him, deep down he knows that he can never abandon him. Both Lennie and George have absolutely no family; they only have each other. These two men work in a farm, dreaming of the day to have sufficient money to buy their own land. While the novel is mostly light-hearted, it takes a massive turn towards the end, which made me give it four stars due to the extremely depressing ending. Despite the climax of the novel, this book showcased the importance of friendship and how one always needs another human by their side. I would definitely recommend this short but sweet novel that teaches the important message of friendship. – Sachi B. ’21

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Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling (review by Anika B. ’18)

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Harry Potter and the Cursed ChildHarry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

By the operationalization of the star rating system, five stars means Harry Potter. Although this book, or play rather, was faced with high expectations, it was everything I hoped it to be and more. This story takes place 19 years after the Battle of Hogwarts, and it follows the adventures of Harry and Ginny’s son, Albus, and Draco Malfoy’s son Scorpius. Plagued by troubled relationships with their respective fathers, Albus and Scorpius use a stolen time turner to prevent the death of Cedric Diggory, leading to huge complications.

Due to its structure as a play, the book lacked J.K. Rowling’s signature descriptions, but the dialogue was very smooth and well written. The plot was brilliantly delivered, and there was never a dull moment. The new characters were well developed and the dynamic relationships held the perfect degree of depth. Finally, by taking readers back in time, the book referred to moments from the earlier Harry Potter books in ways that would have made any Potter fan feel nostalgic.

Once I picked up the book, I could not put it down. Although Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was not a traditional Harry Potter book, it did not disappoint.

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We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (review by Anika B. ’18)

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We Were LiarsWe Were Liars by E. Lockhart
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

E. Lockhart’s We Were Liars follows a member of the distinguished Sinclair family, Cadence Sinclair Eastman, who is recovering from a brain injury she received in an accident that she cannot remember. As she recalls more about the accident, she begins to question her family’s ideals and develops her own identity. For me, the strongest element of this novel was the addition of various stories about a king and his three daughters being told in parallel to the main plotline. These short stories created an interesting structure and served as perfect transitions between sections. However, besides the protagonist, most characters were very black-and-white, and lacked the dynamic personalities needed for an effective story. Cadence remembers the majority of the details involving her accident quite suddenly towards the end of the book. Spreading out the realizations and starting them earlier in the book might have resulted in a stronger, more engaging novel. Most fans of this book believe the ending to be stunning, but I found it incredibly disappointing, as it seemed to contradict much of what had occurred earlier. Overall, the book had an impressive structure, but the one-dimensional characters and ending diminished its overall efficacy.

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