Everything Else
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants
Author: Ann Brashares
Reviewer's Age: 13
This is a once-you-pick-it-up-you-can't-stop-reading book that I highly recommend. It is the story of four girls who have a pair of pants that magically look good on each one of them. It is the story of an amazing friendship. It is a story of what the true meaning of friendship is. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is written with zest, imagination, and thrill. The plot is continuously moving and compelling. I loved the way the girls exchanged the pants, had certain rules, and no matter what, they were there for each other.
A Ring of Endless Light
Author: Madeline L'Engle
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
My all time favorite book is A Ring of Endless Light, by Madeline L'Engle. It's a moving diary about a young teenage girl finding herself, and connecting with her soul. As she overcomes the triumph of growing up and becoming a young adult, she faces many emotional challenges along the way. She has found her true soulmate, but at the same time has to care for her grandmother. She is very close to her family, and has a passionate love for her family. As she grows up, she emotionally connects with a very special friend, a dolphin. This intriguing creature helps ease the pain, and sets her mind free from the world. While reading this book I connected with her emotions and identified with the character's feelings. It's a story with everything going on in it, love, heartbreak, and self discovery, which I think all teenagers can relate to. I was indescribably moved by the emotions and feelings expressed, and touched by every word.
Chocolat
Author: Joanne Harris
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
In the face of temptation, Francis Reynaud is a weak man, much weaker than his hardened, stoic exterior intimates. When presented with stores of chocolate reserved for his town's chocolate festival, he is vulnerable. Reynaud cannot resist, and he devours the scrumptious confections with indiscriminate taste and a ferocious intensity.
So beckons Joanne Harris' Chocolat, a work seemingly part fantasy and part fairy tale, lush and laden with delicate detail and a soft touch that lures the reader into its decadent dream world. Harris weaves for us her enchanting tale of the beguiling Vianne Rocher and her daughter Anouk, their origins shrouded in mystery, who sweep into the small French town of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes and threaten to wreak havoc on people much set in their ways. Indeed, when Vianne opens a whimsical chocolate shop across from the town's church, a challenge is proclaimed against Lenten vows in the eyes of the town's devout. And, as her ability to discern a customer's troubles and ameliorate them with the perfect treat slowly coaxes the sleepy town out of hibernation, Vianne's actions also spark dissent from cure of the local parish, Francis Reynaud. Convinced only a person conspiring evil could devise such indulgence and sin, Reynaud concocts an elaborate scheme to prevent Vianne's chocolate festival on Easter Sunday and soon sparks a bitter division between those bound to tradition and those who relish their newfound taste for temptation and intrigue. Harris' savory story is beset with well-drawn characters rendered with dramatic elan and a spirited, meandering plot which captivates one's attention and refuses to let go. . . The novel is an intoxicating blend and is, on all accounts, a work of unrivalled beauty and tenderness that will leave the reader clamoring for more delectable Chocolat.
Charms for the Easy Life
Author: Kaye Gibbons
Reviewer's Age: 16
This book tells the story of a grandmother, her daughter and her granddaughter, who all end up living in the same house. They are strong, wealthy women living around the time of World War II. Each one has a talent. The grandmother works in the medical profession, her daughter is good at finding men, and her granddaughter is very smart. This is a great book. As you keep reading you become very involved and anxious to read more about each woman's life in the book. It is both happy and sad at points. It is also well written too. I advise anyone to check out this book.
The Virgin Suicides
Second place winner, Belmont Teen Read Week Book Review Contest 2001 Prize: $15 gift certificate for Newbury ComicsAuthor: Jeffrey Eugenides
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides is the poignant, gripping story of teenage conflicts. The Lisbon girls, enigmas to their small 1970's suburb, become the centers of their neighbors' interest when the youngest sister kills herself and the others are ultimately forbidden to leave the house. The dramatic yet expected end of the novel has the four other girls committing suicide jointly. While no one can deny that suicide is a dark, haunting subject for a work of fiction, Eugenides avoids making death an overarching theme and instead keeps it in the back of the reader's mind throughout. He focuses on the personalities of the girls, the town, and the boys who are enamored with them, so that the reader can really feel a part of the story. Eugenides is a skilled storyteller, and even those who have seen the movie will find the book unique and moving, despite it's disturbing theme.
Absolutely Normal Chaos
Author: Sharon Creech
Reviewer's Age: Grade 7
What do you need a journal for? Mary Lou Finney groans when her English teacher gives them a vacation assignment about what they did over the summer. Little does Mary Lou know that she is in for the summer of her life. Her best friend ends up getting angry at her, her extremely odd and boring cousin Carl Ray comes to visit and the pink-tinged Alex Cheevey starts hanging around. What could this all mean? Mary Lou learns a lot and also manages to complete her journal without any problem. Sharon Creech is an absolute genius when whipping up books. As Mary Lou gets whirled around in this fantastic tale about a thirteen-year-old girl she realizes just how hectic life can become. Absolutely Normal Chaos is wonderfully spun and recommended to everyone.
The House on Mango Street
Author: Sandra Cisneros
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
The House on Mango Street is a great book for a young mind. It shows the struggles, courage, and ideas of a little girl. Despite the fact that she has to overcome problems over her neighborhood, friends, and her nationality, she is a good role model. She puts the importance of life in front of her troubles, and always looks for a better brighter future.
My Father's Scar
First place winner, Belmont Teen Read Week Book Review Contest 2000 Prize: $25 gift certificate for Newbury Comics
Author: Michael Cart
Reviewer's Age: Grade 7
Everyone has a secret, some keep it locked and others tell others. We are all real people who deal with real life situations; unfortunately there are times in our lives when we deal with some devastating situations. The main character of My Father's Scar is gay. How can he tell his parents that he is someone that they disapprove of? He knows that his father will not accept him, but he also knows that he has to tell his parents. After telling his parents that he is gay, how can he tell them that he is also in a relationship? This book really makes a person feel the emotion. When a friend of his is beaten up for coming out of the closet, it is as if you can feel the blows. It is really depressing when once his secret is told how he is shut off from the world. To find out how he handles the situation, get it from your local library.
Breakfast at Tiffany's
Author: Truman Capote
Reviewer's Age: 12
Possibly one of THE best books written. Paul (his name in the movie but his name in the book never comes up), a starving writer, meets Holly Golightly, society playgirl. She visits Sally Tomato at Sing Sing once a week, is unknowingly caught up in a drug ring, gets $50 for a trip to the powder room, and ran away from home at fourteen from her more or less 40 year old husband, her brother, and her children (not HER children technically). Her future is a total blank. She steals her best friend's boyfriend. She doesn't belong to anybody, not even to her one-eyed ragbag of a cat. Her favorite place in the world is Tiffany's, and spends most of her life searching for a place that makes her feel the way Tiffany's makes her feel. Until then, she's travelling.
Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Hansen, and Kimberly Kirberger, editors
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
This is a very touching book. It seems the stories share a common boundary with the things that have happened in our lives. Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul is a collection of stories by teenagers around America and by celebrities when they were teenagers. The chapters are divided into sections like Family, Relationships, Friendships, and various other categories. Like the real chicken soup it is a home remedy for the common cold. However, the book Chicken Soup is a remedy for teenage problems. The reader gets pulled into the story like we are actually experiencing what is happening. It will make you laugh and cry.
What Hearts
Author: Bruce c
Reviewer's Age: Grade 8
The book What Hearts is about a boy named Asa who lives a miserable life. His life is miserable because he often moves from house to house. He moves because his mother divorces and doesn't settle with the right man, till she finally meets the one. I liked the way Asa faced all the little problems that he had. I didn't like the way he never tried to contact his old friends.
The Circle of Gold
Author: Candy D. Boyd
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
The book The Circle of Gold is a book that everyone can enjoy. This book demonstrates the struggle of a single mother with twins and the ability for a family to stick together. In the book, the father of the twins just died so the mother was left to care for her son and daughter by herself. Fortunately, she has very responsible kids. When Maggie and her brother come home from school, they clean the house, complete homework, and they prepare a meal before their mother gets home from work. Mother's Day is coming and as a token of love and appreciation, Maggie decides she wants to purchase a gold pin that she saw. Unfortunately, she does not have the money to purchase the pin. Read this book to find out the measures that Maggie takes to buy this piece of jewelry.
Stargirl
Author: Jerry Spinelli
Reviewer's Age: Grade 9
Love and Other Four Letter Words
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Reviewer's Age: Grade 11
Love and Other Four Letter Words is the story of a 16-year-old girl who is uprooted from her suburban upstate New York life to move to New York City with her mother after her parents separate. Sammie Davis is frustrated, no matter where she is. She doesn’t feel like she fits in at Ithaca or certainly not in the Big Apple. Her “perfect” best friend Kitty is slowly drifting away to the snob group of “beautiful people”, and Sammie is lacking experience in the romance department. To Sammie, her life goes from bad to worse with the separation, and their family trip to California becomes her father’s getaway trip. Once in the city, Sammie plans to spend a lonely summer by herself while her mother spends her time at job interviews or reading a self help book. However, things change quickly when Sammie’s mom Davis’s reunites with an old city friend and her two children and Sammie finds friendship at a nearby dog park. Although all seems well, Sammie has anger towards her parents and eventually it all spills out. However, in the end it seems to turn out okay. I liked this book because it was a page-turner: I couldn’t put it down! However, Sammie narrates in the angsty, satirical tone that many teens use. She has problems that most girls can relate to: the looks problem, the guy problem, the best friend problem; all of which we can’t wait to here more about. Another plus to this story is all the interesting characters Sammie meets along the way, such as J.D., the Johnny Depp look-alike who thinks her name is Sara; Jenna, a sarcastic girl who is supposed to feel “threatened” by Sammie, and Phoebe, the unlikely friend.
I would recommend this book as a quick but lively and fun read, taking on a speeding ride through the midst of the teen years.
The View from Saturday
Author: E. L. Konigsburg
Reviewer's Age: Grade 9
The View from Saturday is an exciting book that teaches many lessons. It’s about how several students from the same school are in an educational competition. Not only are they learning more knowledge wise, but are learning more about each other. However, all of the students are somehow related. Each Saturday they have a tea party and quiz each other and their teacher also helps them prepare by having practices. The book is taken from a different perspective because with each chapter the narrator changes. That way, you can see each person’s feelings and emotions. The View from Saturday is a short novel, but reveals many hidden themes throughout the book. If you’re looking for a short, but thorough book The View from Saturday may be what you’re looking for.
Joy Luck Club
Author: Amy Tan
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
Amy Tan has written one of the best Asian-American literature in the novel Joy Luck Club. This book is so moving because it is so real, so human, and Tan's voices reach out to your spirits. Amy Tan's Joy Luck Club is a collection of vignettes from two generations of Chinese-American women. The mothers who have dealt with struggles during World War II in China and their daughters who dealt with lingering ghosts from their childhood and their marriage problems of today. Open-mindedly showing the differences between a generation gap and strengthening the bond between mother and daughter. With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connections between mothers and daughters. Joy Luck Club is a magical book, it casts a spell and enchants you until the very last word. The book has made a tremendous impact on my life, especially the relationship between my mother and I.
West Side Story
Author: Irving Shulman (novelization)
Reviewer's Age: 12
Based on the Bard's play, "Romeo and Juliet". The Jets and the Sharks are two gangs in a gang-war thing with each other. Maria, sister of the gang leader dude, falls in love with Tony, the other gang leader's best friend, which obviously causes some problems among the gang people and stuff. So if you've read Romeo and Juliet, you basically know what to expect since, well, West Side Story was based on it.
Once a Runner
Author: John L. Parker Jr.
Reviewer's Age: Grade 10
This book is the best running novel that I ever read. The book is about a collegiate runner called Quentin Cassidy whose dream is to break the four-minute mile. To do this, he will have to practice hard and work with an Olympic champion named Bruce Denton. This book is the best because it is so realistic. When you read it you can feel the pain or the joy that the character has, and you know that when you are running you have those same feelings. Also I liked it because Quentin realizes his dream. That means everyone who tries to make a goal come true, can make it with practice, practice and dedication. You should read this book. You will learn a lot about what a runner feels when he is racing.
Alice Alone
Author: Phyllis Naylor
Reviewer's Age: Grade 9
Alice experiences what high school is like when she starts high school in this book. She learns that things can't always be how she wants. She and her boyfriend had been together for a long time, but she doesn't know what to do when her boyfriend starts to get along with a new girl in town.
A Step From Heaven
Author: An Na
Reviewer's Age: Grade 9
Young Ju narrates this amazing semi-autobiographical story about a lower-class Korean family living in America. She deals with all the ordinary pains and hardships of all ordinary American kids, like school, siblings, and friends, and some maybe not-so-ordinary things, like an abusive father. She's constantly reminded that she's different, not like the rest, maybe not as good as everyone else, especially having a rich white girl as a best friend. But young Ju has a remarkable strength in her that enables her to survive everything. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get confused by the half-Korean half-English language, but it'll all be worth it, because you won't be able to put it down
Babyface
Author: Norma Fox Mazer
Reviewer's Age: Grade 7
This book is about two best friends. They deal with change and growing up. But their friendship gets ripped apart by parent actions. Their lives get turned upside down. The book was so life like. It dealt with normal problems and normal consequences. The book has wonderful intense writing. I ended up crying.
California Diaries - Sunny
Author: Ann. M. Martin
Reviewer's Age: 12
California Diaries- Sunny is the diary of a teenage girl named Sunny who has a mother with cancer and hates her life. I enjoyed this book because you can get inside Sunny's head and find out all her thoughts and feelings. I didn't like the book because you couldn't find out what Sunny's friends feel about her actions.
The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt
First place winner, Belmont Teen Read Week Book Review Contest 2001 Prize: $25 gift certificate for Newbury Comics
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Reviewer's Age: Grade 7
"Fact and fiction are different truths" is a quote tacked over Minna's mother's typewriter, and it drives Minna crazy with confusion. She just can't figure out what it means.
If you read this book, you will meet many fascinating characters like Lucas, who has twenty or so frogs in his room... And his parents don't know a thing! Emily Parmalee, who wears the earrings her great-aunt died wearing. Willie, who plays violin to earn the money to visit Mama. Twig, a "brisk" driver. And McGrew, who sings newspaper headlines like, "Pinching your nose increases your IQ." You will also get a new view on vocabulary words, Mozart, dinner conversations, beaver teeth, letter writing, vibratos, and baseball. Finally, in reading this book, you will find facts and fictions everywhere from cellos to names. So curl up in your favorite chair, get a mug of hot chocolate, and read this wonderful book.