The 5th Wave

I'm sure most of us have seen the movie the 5th Wave, or atleast of heard of it. It is a movie based on a book that drastically differs from the events. Whitch do I like better? It's hard to say with the two different intracut styles. The movie focuses on Cassie only, and the book has more to it than that.

In this book the writing switches between a girl named Cassie and a guy named Ben. It switches between there points of views. I dislike this, due to personal opinion, though if you love reading the first person this is the book for you. The book accurately capture the personalities in the writing of the first persons and is very believable that they are actually the ones telling the story. My favorite writing was Cassie's. To me she was the most relatable character in the book. Ben on the other hand wasn't as relatable. His connections with the people around him are very brief. I wish the story dived more upon this. Along with this I feel like they only brushed upon the activities that they did daily in the camp.

The plot of the story is the best part of the story. The idea in general, aliens taking over, isn't the most creative but the way they did take over is. Most people would imagine that aliens would go into complete war being a superior species. In this the species isn't superior, but their technology is. Along with the fact that also the aliens in this book are lazy in a way. Instead of fighting till all humans die they force the hope out of humans. They let the humans destroy themselves. I think this is the best part of the book.

Even though this part is pretty great the characters motives are very unoriginal and at times very boring. I wish the author gave more thought to the characters in the book almost. Along with this focus more on the little boy.  

In general, I think I would be neutral as if to recommend this book to a friend. It has some great parts yes, but it also has some parts that I am honestly not a fan of. I didn't hate the book but at the same time I didn't love it.

World War Z

By Josh M.

For quite some time zombies have been considered a tired concept, I’ve never agreed with this sentiment, nor has Max Brooks the author of World War Z and many other zombie stories. So, What sets this apart from the admittedly overflooded market of zombie stories? Well, it isn’t the zombies themselves, they’ve stuck to the formula for the most part, shambling corpses that can only be taken out by destroying the brain. Alright, so the zombies are what they’ve always been, does that mean it follows every other zombie story cliche? No, quite the opposite in fact.

The Amazing Screw-One Head

by Josh M.


When first picking it up I wasn’t sure whether to take the book seriously or do the complete opposite, the dark and brooding artstyle alongside the often ridiculous storylines made it a hard choice to make. Through some questioning about the book I was made aware the author, Mike Mignola prefers to write in a very weird style that should never be taken that seriously, one of the most famous examples of this being his critically acclaimed series Hellboy.

The Last Policeman

By Josh M.

I didn’t find exactly what I was originally looking for in this book, but I found a great story nonetheless. I was handed this book when I mentioned I enjoyed world building over character driven stories. I had assumed this story would be similar to the story that originally peaked this interest (World War Z) in that their wouldn’t be a main character but many characters experiencing different parts of the world. Instead the story centers around one character, Detective Henry Palace in a world with one foot in the grave.

Our Faulting Stars

By Kaylee V

Not only is John Green one of the creators of the infamous Crash Course but he's also the author of The Fault In Our Stars. In this story we follow the life of Hazel Grace, a teenage girl whom was diagnosed with Stage 4 Thyroid cancer. Growing up she had her number of scares with her life, after assurinance her life had at least a few weeks longer she decides to use her Make A Wish on disney world which later arouses conflicts when Hazel wants to go to Amsterdam to meet her favorite author, if it wasn't for Augustus Waters she would have never went.

The best book review by SOMEONE WHO WILL NOT GET A GRADE

Eternal Victim

Eternal Victim by Dexter Morgenstern is an amazing short horror story that will send chills down the spine of all readers.This is a book about a woman with unusual and dangerous nightmares. But the mystery is her past and why she is haunted by images of vicious serial killers. I would recommend this short story to anyone who likes a scary book and enjoys a good plot twist.

It’s a “Lot” to Read But It is Worthwhile

By Andres H.

Salem's Lot deals with author, Ben Mears, returning to the town where he lived as a teenager and had the most horrific experience of his life…that is up until his return to Jerusalem's Lot, or Salem's Lot.  He's come back to write a new novel about the haunted Marsten House that overlooks the small community from a hill. The timing for Ben couldn't have been more perfect because two other visitors have also just moved there, buying the Marsten House and opening an antique furniture store in town.

Jazz: Pain, and Healing

By Kayla W.

Toni Morrison, Pulitzer prize winner and Nobel Laureate for literature, is by no means obscure or uncelebrated. However, that doesn't mean her works, most notably Jazz, don't have a special, almost secret, glow to it.

First and What

by Maddie S.

An easy read, but sort of complex. First and Then was what it sounded like, a love story. However, unlike most, the main character was more repulsive than anything. Throughout the book, Devin finds new challenges in her life when her awkward cousin, Foster, comes to live with them. She tries her best to ignore him and his every movement, but it is kind of hard when he becomes one of the most popular kids in school. She also is at a loss with her best friend/love interest, Cas, when he moves on from her. This leaves Devin, in gym class, with Ezra.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

by Stav A.

The Call of the Wild by Jack London, is told from Buck, a four-year-old, 140 pound, St. Bernard shepherd dog. This book is for any dog loving teenager that loves an inspirational story. It is about Buck's owner, who is a judge who loves hunting. Manuel, who is the judge's personal gardener and one who is obsessed with the lottery, can't help his family on his little earnings. So he must find a way to feed his terrible addiction. He comes up with the novel idea of selling Buck for 50$.

Book Review: Warriors

By Antonio A.

Warriors

By: Erin Hunter

     The book Warriors is about 4 clans that consist of cats in a shared forest. When the warrior code is threatened by a series of unfortunate events and deaths in the clans, a cat named Rusty who could potentially be the best fighter amongst them.

     I liked the book a lot because of the way Erin Hunter allows the cats to be more human like with their emotions and the awesome fight scenes in the book between the clans.

   I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy, action and or adventure.

A Story That Will Haunt You (In The Best Way Possible)

By Katie H.

Shadowland, the first book in Meg Cabot's Mediator series, is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. It has a fairly mundane beginning -- Suze is new to California, moving into an old house fixed up by her new stepfather. She tries to make the best of the situation, as anyone else would, and it's not until she sees the dead guy in her bedroom that the reader realizes she's not as ordinary as she seems. She's a mediator; one of the living but able to speak to the dead. Usually, the ghosts she meets use her to pass over to whatever afterlife comes next, but her new roommate, Jesse, has no interest in that, and neither, it seems, does the ghost at her school -- the one hellbent on revenge.

A Guide to a Good Read

By Matthew B.

Written by Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, is apart of a six book series, but is the most noticeable out of them.  With it's odd characters and storyline, this book as a whole provides an interesting adventure into the world of sci-fi, in a funky way.

The short way to a great book

By Jackie E

"No good can come from a species at war with itself". The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet  by Becky Chambers is a relatively new Sci-fi novel set far into the future. So far, In fact, that the war-torn Earth has been destroyed, and its inhabitants forced to flee to space. Most humans have either taken to living on Mars, or are spaceborn, living within one of millions of multi-species colonies floating in space. This story follows Rosemary, a Mars born and raised human, and her brand new crew throughout galaxies to finish a job their captain signed them up for. Rosemary is a clerk fresh out of college. The job she had studied year for included taking care of a crew's paperwork and helping with inter-species relations. Something that seems easy enough in a controlled environment while in school, but entirely something else when you're thrown out into space. Ashby, her new captain, hired her mostly to comply with new industry standards. After all, they got by just fine without one. But as she starts her new job on the Wayfarer, its became clear now much he had been missing without one. With his new crew member, the GC finds it fitting to offer Ashby a new job. A job that pays more than everything he signed up for last year combined. He was finally able to pay his crew what he believed they deserved. The only downside is they'd be on this work train non stop for a year, at least.

A Crazy Good Book

By Colby M.

Young adult fiction writer, Han Nolan, takes you on a crazy, emotional ride from the perspective of troubled teen, Jason Papadopoulos. After Jason's mother passes away, his life changes dramatically, in a way most could never understand. With help from both real friends and imaginary voices, Jason works to overcome the adversity in his life and make the best of it. Crazy will generate laughter, fear, anger, and sadness, while bringing you along on Jason's journey.

Alaskan Smoke

By Aby H.

John Green never fails to impress readers with his novels. He's written at least 9 books, consisting of The Fault In Our Stars, Will Grayson Will Grayson, An Abundance of Katherines, and each one is seemingly better than the last. However, Looking For Alaska is one of his most captivating pieces. It's a beautiful work of realistic fiction that manages to get your heart racing, make tears come out of your eyes, and make you laugh within its 221 pages.

A Book That Should be Left Behind

By Jasper M

Left Behind is a fundamentalist Evangelical propaganda book written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, and is one of 16 books of a series. The book and its continuing series focus on the Rapture and the Book of Revelations in the Bible, which is the end of the world. It focuses on a journalist named Buck in a year where the Middle East is at peace, and Israel has healing soil that can change the world. That is, until the world starts falling apart and people disappear into thin air without warning, as God's wrath is being unleashed.

A Decent Geek Love

By Jasper M

Geek Love is surely a story you have never read before. Written by Katherine Dunn, it is a novel about a crazy-geek circus family and their horrific, beast-like children. The first few pages will confuse, stun, and surprise you- but Katherine pulls the reader in and want to find out what happens next. The book makes you change views on characters, not based on their freakish appearances, but what is inside them. It is horrific but terribly intriguing.

Into the Wild and Into Your Library

Into the Wild and Into your Library

By Jasper M

Into the Wild, written by mountaineer and adventurer Jon Krakauer, is a unique story that is a mix of a speculative biography and autobiography tells the true story of a young man out of college and trying to take on the Alaskan wilderness with only ten pounds of rice in April 1992. Jon Krakauer sees himself in the young man, Christopher McCandless, and incorporates his own narratives to connect to the man who died while trying to invent a new life for himself in the dangerous wilderness. It is an interesting combination of different types of writing, both telling the story of a man who gave up everything and how his story affects the lives of others.

A Fine Addition

By Joshua G. M.

In my last review, I dissected Ellen Hopkins' novel Identical, and due to how much I enjoyed it I decided to invest in another one of her works. This time around, the text I chose to read was one of her most well-known pieces, Impulse. Much like Identical, this story is primarily aimed towards young adult audiences. However, the story takes a different approach, and instead of revolving around the life of two sisters, Impulse observes the lives of three troubled individuals, all of which are dealing with their own demons.

A Fellowship of Courage

By Makayla S.

Taking place in a mythical land of magic, monsters, and mayhem, The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien is a captivating story. As the First book of the trilogy, the setting starts in the Shire. Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey are familiar characters from Tolkien's previous award winning novel, The Hobbit. The Fellowship of the Ring introduces several more diverse characters and creatures, as well as an even more exciting new plot full of adventure. When a hobbit - named Frodo - is put in the middle of a highly unlikely situation, his courage is put to the ultimate test. Once in possession of an evil ring, he is responsible for the fate of the world against the dark lord Sauron of Mordor. He begins his long perilous journey to destroy the ring with his best friend Sam, and the help of several other unique companions.

Tell Me Again Why I Chose this Book

By Emma Dunne

With two girls on the cover of a book titled "Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel," the surge of excitement rushed through my body like a firecracker: a lesbian romance story! I immediately checked the back of Sara Farizan's book and was interested by the short summary talking about a high school girl struggling with her sexuality after meeting an exciting new student. This seemed like a short, sweet, and cheesy teenage novel about two girls falling in love and I was here for it.

No title

by Antonio A

       The novel of Going Vintage is by Lindsey Leavitt. The story is about a girl named Mallory gets cheated on by her boyfriend Jeremy with his anime girl dating simulator. She tries to de-Jeremy her life by also de-modernizing her life by following a list of activities her grandmother did when she was a teenager back in 1962. Such activities include running for pep-squad secretary, host a fancy dinner party, create a homemade dress for homecoming, find a steady and do something edgy and dangerous. Despite this things start to get complicated and Mallory starts to wonder if going vintage is to far.

       I liked the book because it helped give you a feel for the what teenagers in a simpler time did for activities in high school and it was a funny teenage drama read.

       If you like teenage drama and the ideas of a simpler time, I would highly suggest you read it.

super cool book review

Desert Darkness is about a woman who goes to the Anza-Borrego Desert with her son and other tourists. They hike in 105 degree weather, Ride military jeeps, tent out and learn about the stars. Her soul purpose for this mission was to witness true darkness. Because of light pollution, Anza-Borrego Desert is one of the only places on Earth where true darkness can be seen.

Broken and Not

By Maddie S.

In a slow start, but a fast-paced book, Rainbow Rowell explores two high school

students’ love story in Eleanor and Park. Eleanor has just moved back home after her step-father

kicked her out a year ago. She is now in a new house, in a new town, with no friends. Park lives

happily with his parents and younger brother and all the things he could possibly hope for in the

world.

True Grit

By Blue S.

 One of America's foremost comic writers, Charles Portis published an outstanding novel in 1968 titled True Grit. The story is told from fourteen year-old Mattie Ross's point of view, in past tense. The setting begins on a train headed to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Mattie recalls a time in her life when she avenged the death of her father, who was killed by a bandit named Tom Chaney. She follows danger into the Indian territory after convincing the meanest U.S marshall - one-eye Rooster Cogburn - to tag along, with persuasion skills far beyond her years. The outlaws and other unfortunate events do not tire Mattie out, they only act as the fire to her flame as she threatens one of the toughest gangs in the south. She is cunning and intelligent, and she does not return home the same.

Wasn't as Swaggy as I thought

By Andres H.

Jonas Dolan is a basketball prodigy who moved from Redwood City, California to Seattle, Washington due to his father being fired from his work. Jonas wants to get a basketball scholarship, but in order to do that, he needs to keep up his grades up and play good basketball. Unfortunately, at this new school he is having a very tough time doing so.

The Misadventures of Next Generation Hogwartees

The Misadventures of Next Generation Hogwartees

By Jasminn N.

An interesting spin-off to the award winning series Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a screenplay written by Jack Thorne, takes readers through a touching journey of parenthood, bullying, and friendship. The book begins with a scene of Harry and his family sending off their son Albus on platform nine and three quarters. The family faces the long awaited verdict of which house Albus will be sorted into. Funnily enough, against their wishes, he was sorted into Slytherin. On the train ride, Albus meets a new friend, Scorpius  Malfoy. Overhearing of the dark secrets of their fathers pasts, the two boys go on a quest to change the past for the better- but things don't turn out quite like expected.

Will She Stay

By Kaylee V.

If I Stay is a heart wrenching story that is almost guaranteed a few tears. Gayle Forman writes a story that follows along the life of Mia Hall. The story starts off on a normal family snow day. The Hall family decided to visit some friends on their free time, unfortunately on the ride there a snow plow crashes into their vehicle killing almost the entire family on impact. The protagonist Mia Hall faces an outer body experience where it seems as if it's her decision if she wants to stay in the real world, an orphan and accepted Juilliard musician or go into the after life and join her family in the grave.

Darkest Minds

By Hailey L.

The book the Darkest Minds is a future holocaust with kids who have powers as victims. After a bad illness, IANN, infected many kids killing most, and leaving others with powers, the government was in shambles. There was one solution to this, they placed any kid they found out had powers into concentration camps. Ruby was one of these kids, and the story tells her experience. Written by Alexandra Bracken, it does not stand alone. This book is one of a trilogy. The other two books is Never Fade and The After Light.

Stav's book review

By Stav A.

Payback time written by, Carl Deuker has a lot to do with athletics and talent yet still have other features. The Novel is based on a secret. In this book, Daniel nicknamed Mitch is the protagonist. He is moving on in life but comes to on unearthing the biggest secret of his life in his last year of school.

The Magic of The Magicians

By Jackie E

"If there's a single lesson that life teaches us, it's that wishing doesn't make it so." The Magicians by Lev Grossman is touted about as adult take on Harry Potter, and for good reason. Written in a third-person limited narration, the story follows a boy named Quentin, and his life. A boy who has a large disdain for life, and used his love of fantasy (A children's book called Fillory, to be exact. Which itself is a darker take on Narnia) to escape his miserably mundane life, or rather, as a hope that if he could, despite all reason, get to Fillory, it would fix his life. He had an unreasonable belief that one day he would be whisked away into the magical world he loved, and that everything in life would be fixed just like in the books. He clings onto this hope whenever something doesn't go his way, believing he wasn't born into the right world.

A Million Little Pieces All The Same

By Matthew B.

As a book that can be related to many others, A Million Little Pieces, written by James Frey, is portrayed as a memoir but is actually semi-fictional.  This book focuses on Frey, a former drug addict and alcoholic.

You Need To Read This Book

By Colby M

I need concert tickets. I need jewelry. I need a new phone. Joelle Charbonneau, New York Times best selling author of The Testing trilogy, follows the lives of several members of the the newest social networking website for Nottawa High School students, known as NEED. This site guarantees to fulfill anyone's "need" in exchange for completing seemingly harmless tasks. While emphasizing the distinct differences between a want and a need, Charbonneau, tells the fiction story of the extent high school students will go to receive the things they think they need.

Putting This Book Down Will be the Bane of your Existence

By Katie H.

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson, and Sarah Rees Brennan is easily one of the best books I have ever read. A spinoff of the Shadowhunter chronicles, also written by Clare, this collection of short stories will keep you up all night. They all focus on warlock Magnus Bane's many adventures over the last few centuries, from the many reasons he should have been banned from Peru to meeting and befriending a vampire.

More Than What Meets the Eye

Who Wrote This?

Ellen Hopkins is a writer of many stories, the majority of them aimed toward young adult audiences. As someone who is not a follower of this genre, I surprisingly found myself rather delighted while reading her novel, Identical. The story centers around two twin sisters, Raeanne and Kaeleigh, and the problems that they find themselves faced with. Whether it be drugs, boys, or a deeply disturbing family life, these two personalities are explored in vivid fashion.

Who Is Alice?

Who is the Author of this Book Review?

Sometimes it can be almost thrilling to read a book and have no idea who the author is. With Go Ask Alice, that statement couldn't be more true. This book is a diary belonging to a 15 year old girl. The girl's name is unknown, but her journey through life becomes the exact opposite. At the beginning of the book, it starts off much like how you would expect any normal 15 year old girl's diary to start off. However, things quickly take a turn for the worse and it somehow continues to go downhill just when you think it's not possible for her life to go any lower. It's all very intriguing to really see through the eyes of someone who doesn't live a very ordinary or healthy lifestyle.

It's The 100 Day 21

By Kaylee V.

The 100 Day 21 is a perfect sequel from the 4 book series by Kass Morgan. Kass Morgan isn't a well known author, her first book being the beginning of The 100 book series. The book itself became so popular it became a well known televised show on The CW. The show already working on it's 5th season (possibility of a 5th book). A lot of questions were stirring after the ending of the first book, every single one addressed. Though at the end of this book more and more questions arise.

The main question was the major cliffhanger at the end of the series, they weren't alone on the ground. The delinquent teens thought it was just themselves on the radioactive earth but it turned out people must've survived the catalyst. It didn't seem as if the 'grounders' were friendly, our first encounter with them was a brutal murder of Asher (one of the tougher boys from the Ark). Another question still remained, where is Octavia? This question also goes along with the new conflict with the grounders. As the story progresses we learn that the grounders are split up. Some believe that the newly arrived Arkanians are friends while the other group visualize them as foe. The small group of angry grounders take one life and kidnap another.

Back on the failing Ark more and more conflict emerges. We get more background on Luke and Glass's history and even a heart wrenching confession that may cost them their relationship.

Like any good book series after the ending of one there's always a question needing to be answered. In this case we're all waiting to see what happens when the Ark comes to the ground. Though since 2 more books have officially been released you can find out yourself just what happens to our favorite characters and how they might interact with their new challenges.