READING
FIND YOUR NEXT GOOD READ
STUDENT REVIEWS
EL DEAFO
by cece bell
GENRE: GRAPHIC NOVEL
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The story is so cute. The author was able to put her readers into the shoes of a little girl just trying to fit in even though that's not possible. The journey to find quality friends can be a difficult one and Bell shows that really well through engaging comic strips. I would definitely recommend it!
- Nora
Find it here.
BROWN GIRL DREAMING
by jacqueline woodson
GENRE: POETRY MEMOIR
The verses were so smooth that it didn't even feel like poetry, but yet it did because Jacqueline had powerful emphasis on certain lines. It read like a normal novel in the way the plot moved. I feel like this text is worth reading because of the perspective of a girl who is dealing with her race and how it affects her day-to-day life whether she chooses to or not. There is also a really relatable part of the text: that she doesn't quite ever feel like home. She eventually finds her home in her writing, in her telling her story even though she is made fun of for it. She even struggles with reading, but she finds comfort in a new blank notebook.
- Bailey
Find it here.
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HOW I LIVE NOW
by meg rosoff
GENRE: DISTOPIA FICTION
I think Rosoff held very realistic elements of an apocalyptic book. It didn't seem to be dramatized or sensitized either. There was an eating disorder and brutal outcomes from a war. The text was insightful because Daisy comes to a lot of realizations about herself and why she wants to take care of others. There was a comparison between the invisible war in the US and the visible war in England. Its complexity is exciting and it will be on my bookshelf waiting to be read again.
- Jake
Find it here.
ROLL OF THUNDER, HEAR MY CRY
by mildred taylor
GENRE: HISTORICAL FICTION
What a great book for reading about that time period; there's not a lot of ways to be in the shoes of those who were constantly being reminded that they had been slaves only a "little" while ago. I think this book does a great job for adolescents to understand the true complex and nonsensical racism plays a role in people's lives. Do I think the writer could have delved deeper into these issues and actually elongated the novel to play out the part with TJ? Yeah, but then we probably would be more hesitant to read since the length would be super long.
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- Jaqueem
Find it here.
Realistic Fiction
PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER
by stephen chbosky
Perks hits your heart hard--in a good way if that's possible. It really shows us a slice of humanity that isn't always told, but definitely exists in all of us. Aren't we all wallflowers at some point in our lives? Chbosky made it really feel like you were alongside the main character all along, feeling what he was feeling because the text is like a stream of consciousness almost. I think it also sheds a new and authentic light on what friendship can be, both in a good and bad way. Take the time to pick up this book so you can understand yourself more.
Find it here.
Kayla
Contemporary Fiction
EVERY DAY
by david levithan
There are so many voices in this novel that there's no way you won't feel some sort of connection to it. The book thrives off of unique love and relationship. You need to think of being human in this way which isn't usually presented to us. Besides, Everyday is a one of a kind book that you can't pass up because you'll never get this chance again to empathize with so many different stories, all while wrapping your head around a creative concept.
Find it here.
Jasmine
Realistic Fiction
SPEAK
by laurie halse anderson
I love the way this book is bluntly real. You can't escape the signs of sadness in here because it perpetually exists in the main character's life. While going along the plotline, the reader is just taking it moment by moment because you can't see the past, kind of like being an outsider in the situation itself. But then you start to realize bits and pieces and it's devastingly understable why Melinda is struggling. We never truly know what is going on in other people's lives, but we have to give them the space to speak. We have to listen and we have to speak.
Find it here.
Mike
Realistic Fiction
THE HATE U GIVE
by angie thomas
You won't regret reading this book!!! It kind of tears your heart a little bit, but it's necessary to hear this story because it's not often told. I'm definitely going to go watch the movie now because reading it wasn't enough. I want to see how identity affects the main character's daily life depending on the context. Inequality is very prevalent and this book gives justice to those who are misunderstood.
Find it here.
Melissa
Historical Fiction
BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY
by ruta sepetys
I'm a huge historical fiction fan so this book was right up my alley. I would probably read this book again in ten years because of how humbling it was. It changes your outlook on life. It really does. Being thankful is an understatement. Reading the horrors of genocide doesn't get jaded, in fact it amplifies the truth which is unbelievably impactful. I think there were some elements to the story that seemed unlikely, but overall it's a page turner since it's all about survival. Would you have the will to survive? That's something I always ask myself.
Find it here.
Nala
Realistic Fiction
AMERICAN STREET
by ibi zoboi
This text was especially special to me because of the setting: Detroit, my former home. It's not common you get the perspective of people living in urban areas since the countryside is a lot more romantic. American Street is brutal in its truth, but touching in its story. We can't sugarcoat the cities or immigration or gangs or drugs or domestic abuse, but we can keep supporting one another. That's this book: how does Fabiola naviagate her loyalty in troubled waters?
Find it here.
Ian
