Tell me three things by julie buxbaum

Name: Ruby

Grade: 10th

Title: Tell Me Three Things

Author: Julie Buxbaum

Published in: 2016

Pages: 352

Rating: 4 stars

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum tells the story of a high school teen, Jessie, who recently lost her mom. Jessie moves from Chicago to a fancy town in Los Angeles after her dad elopes with a woman he met online. She is forced to start attending a prep school in the new town where she is now living with her dad, stepmom, and stepbrother. Shortly after she starts at her new school, Jessie gets an anonymous email from Somebody/Nobody. At first, Jessie is suspicious of what Somebody/Nobody’s intentions are, but throughout the book, you get to see the development of their relationship over their emails. When reading this book, you see Jessie’s experience facing a new school, family, and peers and creating a relationship with someone she has never met before.

I personally liked this book. It seemed like the perfect length to thoroughly delve into this story without boring the reader. I loved seeing the different relationships that Jessie had and developed throughout the story of the book. The mystery of who Somebody/Nobody was, was a great plot point for this story.

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The Summer of Broken rules by k.l. walther

Name: Shion

Grade: 9th

Title: The Summer of Broken Rules

Author: K.L. Walther

Published in: 2021

Pages: 384

Rating: 4 stars

The Summer of Broken Rules by K.L. Walther is a young adult romance book with a fun summery vibe. The story centers around Meredith, a teenage girl, and her first annual family trip to Martha’s Vineyard since her sister, Claire, passed away in a car accident. For multiple years after the pass, Meredith blocked out all her friends and relatives, and she and her parents didn’t go to their usual family summer vacation. However, with her cousin, Sarah, getting married, she decides it’s finally time for her to venture into the real world. What she doesn’t expect, though, especially so soon after breaking up with her boyfriend of 4 years, is to find her perfect match. She spends the wedding time trying to carry her sister’s legacy of being an assassin champion, but when she meets a certain groomsman, she becomes distracted and risks not only losing the game but also breaking her promise.

What made this book such a good read for me was the love all the characters had for each other. There were many good examples of healthy relationships, both romantic and platonic. Meredith’s friends and family obviously care so deeply about her, as she does they. The main couple’s compassion and devotion to each other are so heartwarming, as are the newlyweds. I feel that a lot of romance novels include some toxic element, and although it can be intriguing storywise, it’s nice to be able to just read about happy relationships every once in a while. Despite her going through troubles with her friendships after blocking out so many people, throughout the course of the novel, Meredith can overcome those issues and is overall a pretty sustainable role model. All the novel’s characters are charming, charismatic, and fun to read about.

The Summer of Broken Rules is the perfect read for when you want a little more happiness in your life, especially during the summer. It will immediately transport you to a warm, sunny, summer vacation. I recommend reading this book if you are just getting into reading, are in a slump, or just want a cute and fun new read. I assure you that you’ll finish it in a pinch and be left with a warm feeling in your heart. Also, this novel includes a lot of references to Taylor Swift and her songs, so I highly recommend checking it out if you’re a fan.

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MY MONTICELLO by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

Name: Jin

Grade: 12th

Title: My Monticello

Author: Jocelyn Nicole Johnson

Published in: 2021

Pages: 224

Rating: 4.6 stars

The book, My Monticello, consists of 5 short stories that make up the book: “Control N,” “Virginia is Not Your Home,” “Something Sweet on Our Tongues,” “Buying a House Ahead of the Apocalypse,” “The King of Xandria,” and “My Monticello.” The short stories are each told from a different perspective and resonate with the theme of racism, inheritance, and community. They show the African-American community’s experiences through different lenses, each story having a powerful meaning.

This is a strong and powerful book; the fluidity and strength in each story leave the reader with a feeling that this is not just fiction. There is one specific story that can be quite controversial due to different people having different opinions on it, which is the first story in the book, “Control N.” I personally think this story is the best one out of all of them. Throughout the story, there are hints of where the author is leading the reader, but the ending may be surprising for people. Regardless, the point that the main character in the story was trying to make gets proven.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the book except for a part of the first story, but aside from that, there isn’t much to dislike about this book. This book left me with mixed emotions; it was a mix of empathy but also a feeling of strength; since this book portrays the struggles of the African-American community through powerful stories, I think it can be a bit strong for younger audiences, but each story has a deep meaning to them.

I would recommend this book because I enjoy it when books have a deeper meaning behind them rather than just being a typical story; I like when they leave you with something to think about and learn from. That said, I think people who want a deep story would also enjoy this book.

This book reminded me of the book Native Son by Richard Wright; while it is an entirely different concept, the story is powerful and portrays the struggles of African-American people.

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Queen of tiles by hanna alkaf

Name: Madeleine 

Grade: 11th

Title: Queen of Tiles

Author: Hanna Alkaf

Published in: 2022

Pages: 291

Rating: 4 stars

This is a wonderful book following Najwa, a competitive Scrabble player, at her first tournament since the mysterious death of her best friend, Trina, during the final game one year before. If you like teen fiction, murder mysteries, psychology, words, Scrabble, or all of the above, I recommend this book.

Najwa, a Malaysian Muslim girl, wrestles with her grief over the loss of her friend, fighting a war in her head against her overwhelming thoughts and emotions. She struggles to focus on the game and interact with her peers and competitors in a positive way. The weekend descends into greater chaos when strange messages and events bring the circumstances of her friend’s death into question again. Najwa begins investigating and discovers surprising secrets about Trina’s last interactions, which players had kept to themselves out of guilt or shame. These new findings throw suspicion on people Najwa trusts, and she is forced to question her friends’ innocence. She must unravel hidden stories within the Scrabble games and the hearts of her peers in hopes of bringing the criminal to justice.

Besides the thrilling murder mystery, I appreciated the author’s copious use of intriguing, scrabble words. The chapters are peppered with commentary on characters and situations in the voice of a word nerd, “If Yasmin were a word, she would be COMPLAISANT: eager to please, obliging.” If you actually remembered all the unusual words used and defined in the book, your vocabulary would skyrocket. Even if you don’t, I found it to add a pleasant bit of spice to the narrative.

The book starts out slowly and can be uncomfortable to read as you feel Najwa’s internal grief. Similar to Hanna Alkaf’s other book, “The Weight of Our Sky,” about a girl with OCD, the storytelling really gets into the main character’s head as she slowly overcomes her negative thoughts and takes back control of her mind to live a happier life. I found this to be a helpful perspective to understand the frustration of someone going through such an experience.

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The genesis wars by akemi dawn bowman

Name: Aracely

Grade: 11th

Title: The Genesis Wars

Author: Akemi Dawn Bowman

Published in: 2022

Pages: 391

Rating: 3 stars

The Genesis Wars by Akemi Dawn Bowman is a book about a girl named Nami, who escapes a brutal event and trains her body and mind to help her rescued friends and look for her sister. As she goes through multiple struggles, she finds ways to team up with others in order to reach her goal. However, the person who holds all the answers is none other than the person who betrayed Nami in the past; how she will pass through these walls is up to her decision..

The book was wild and interesting. I liked how the main character, Nami, focuses on her goals and the lives of others struggling with the same issue. The series of events that pile up together make a fun riddle and mystery for the reader also to try and solve. Some of the events that happened were kind of weird, and sometimes, the characters didn’t engage well, but the theme of the book is amazing and the story was always on a constant flow, and I never felt like I was lost when reading. The theme of care and mindset really helps people who read this book to feel confident with themselves and that not everything in life must be done by themselves.

I would recommend this book if you like mystery and action. The plot is very interesting, and it will definitely make you feel confident in life. This book reminded me of Ann Fraistat’s book, What We Harvest. Overall, definitely a good book to read.

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not here to be liked by michelle quach

Name: Madeleine

Grade: 11th

Title: Not Here to Be Liked

Author: Michelle Quach

Published in: 2021

Pages: 371

Rating: 4 stars

Not Here to Be Liked follows the story of Eliza, a Chinese Vietnamese American girl who loves working for her high school newspaper, the Bugle, and is content with her unassuming social position and asphalt-gray sweater. However, her life gets a lot more complicated—and interesting—when a less qualified boy runs against her for editor-in-chief of the Bugle and, incredibly, wins. In her frustration, she writes a manifesto blaming the election on misogyny; when someone posts it publicly, the backlash shakes the whole school community, leading to the formation of a feminist movement on campus. Eliza finds herself deeply entangled in a web of confusing social dynamics: in the span of just a few days, she finds herself swinging between popular heroine to shunned disappointment as her peers judge her words, actions, and evolving relationship with Len, the boy who defeated her in the fateful election.

I found this book engaging partly due to the social drama but also based on the deeper themes of feminism, discrimination, and judgment. I found the main character to be very relatable, particularly in her adversity to dressing nicely just to please others and her dismay at obsessing over a boy. The setting is mostly realistic, although different from my high school experience. I was a bit incredulous at the extent of an improvised high school feminist movement, but it made a scintillating story all the same. I highly recommend this book—it pulled me in and kept me up reading past my bedtime.

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better than the movies by lynn painter

Name: Shion

Grade: 9th

Title: Better than the Movies

Author: Lynn Painter

Published in: 2021

Pages: 349

Rating: 4 stars

Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter is a YA romance novel revolving around Elizabeth Buxbaum, a senior in high school. When her crush since childhood, Michael, moves back to town, she resorts to asking her next-door neighbor and childhood frenemy, Wes Bennett, to help her get with him. However, as Liz becomes closer to Wes, she notices all the perks of him- how kind he is, how attractive he is, and how much she enjoys being around him. Despite having always wanted to be with Michael and thinking Wes was the typical “bad boy” she should never be around, she finds herself falling for her neighbor and has to rethink who “Happily Ever After” truly is for her.

All the characters in this cute and “fluffy” story were so fun to observe. Each of them was compelling and funny, yet so different from one another. Despite the amount of cliché, I found myself constantly wanting to turn to the next page. It was just the right amount of reality and typical romance cringe. I think any reader would immediately fall in love with the kindness of Wes Bennet and Liz’s ability and desire to be her complete self. Throughout the novel, you can see all the characters supporting one another with utmost genuineness. From Liz’s step-mom Helena trying to provide her with another mother-like figure to look up to after her mother’s death to Wes constantly putting in a good word for Liz, they all have her back. I often found myself unable to put the book down, wondering when Liz would finally realize the affection Wes had for her. Each character has an important role in the storytelling, and none of them felt unnecessary. The lightheartedness of the novel is balanced out by the sad backstory Liz and her father have. On top of that, there are so many wonderful quotes and references from classic rom-com that just added another flavor to this novel.

If you are looking for the perfect cute YA romance novel, I highly recommend giving this book a read. After reading a scary thriller or sad classic, this will surely lighten up your mood and make you smile. Better than the Movies would be a great option for a romcom-loving teen who just wants to have a fun time reading.

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malibu rising by taylor jenkins reid

Name: Ellie

Grade: 7th

Title: Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

Published in: 2021

Pages: 400

Rating: 5 stars

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is a story about the Riva family’s struggles. The story begins by telling us about a fire that happened at Nina Riva’s house after her house party ended, but who started it?

Four siblings, Nina, Kit, Jay, and Hud, are the children of Mick Riva and June Costas. Mick and June met when they were just teenagers. Soon after they met, they fell in love and decided to spend the rest of their lives together. Mick promised June that he would give her everything she desired. They had three beautiful children together. Mick would always come back to see his family as soon as possible until he didn’t. June had to raise her children by herself while working to make money to feed and clothe them. They all grew up to be amazing surfers and extremely famous individuals due to their father’s popularity.

This book got me out of a reading slump. It entertained me from beginning to end with all the plot twists and character development. I loved that Taylor added flashbacks to Mick and June every few chapters to remind us of their story and how they raised their children. Each child had their own struggles and difficulties in life, which really helped me put into perspective that other people’s lives may not be as good as it seems. This story was also really wholesome because of how the siblings were constantly looking out for each other and supporting each other no matter what.

I recommend this to teens that enjoy reading stories with drama and romance. I think teens would like this book because it will always keep you entertained and wanting more. I hope whoever reads this will enjoy it as much as I did.

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project hail mary by andy weir

Name: Ain

Grade: 10th

Title: Project Hail Mary

Author: Andy Weir

Published in: 2021

Pages: 496

Rating: 5 stars

Set in the near future, Project Hail Mary is a hard sci-fi thriller about a scientist named Ryland Grace, who wakes up from a coma light years away from Earth and finds that Earth is in the midst of a global dimming event due to the exponentially dimming Sun, which is caused by alien microbes. One star, Tau Ceti, is mysteriously more resistant than other stars. Being the sole survivor on the starship, it is up to Grace alone to solve this scientific mystery and save humanity from extinction. Or is it?

Project Hail Mary is a first-person survival narrative written in a parallel narrative structure.

This book is amazing and was an exciting read. I liked the characterization. Grace’s perspective helps the reader understand the complex scientific concepts introduced and adds humor to the narration. The author did a great job with foreshadowing and pacing to create a suspenseful, interesting story. Overall, the story is well-written, with the aspects of the book well-connected.

I would recommend Project Hail Mary to all teens, even if you don’t normally read science fiction. It’s a little longer than the average novel, but it’s a great read. Andy Weir is also the author of other sci-fi books such as The Martian and Artemis.

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