Let's Talk About Books....
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In the following posts you will have the opportunity to read book reviews from VERY special guests...my 9th grade students! These students were invited to share their reviews on some of the titles they have completed as part of my FREE TO READ initiative this year. Their reviews offer an honest, well-constructed student view of a novel they chose for themselves. Grab a pen or open your Amazon Wish Lists, because you will definitely find some titles to add to your TBR (To Be Read) pile...I know I did!
Mrs. Beaudoin
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Call Me by Your Name by Andre Aciman
Reviewed by Leah Palinkas You may have heard of Call Me by Your Name as it was adapted into a movie last year that ended up getting four Oscar nominations including winning Best Adapted Screenplay. Originally it was a book published in 2007 by American author André Aciman, who has also written books such as Enigma Variations and False Papers. The story follows 17 year old American-Italian Jewish boy Elio through a life changing summer. His father invites a scholar, fellow American Jewish boy Oliver, to stay with them in their Villa for 6 weeks during the summer in the late 1980’s to work on his thesis. Elio and Oliver are immediately attracted to each other but their relationship takes a very long time to progress as they are conflicted on whether or not to act on their feelings for each other. Eventually, one of them will find the confidence to make a move and begin an unforgettable romance. The book is almost idyllic in that despite it being set in the 80’s, which was a very dangerous time to be lgbt, they experience almost no discrimination. I would give the book a 4.5 rating because of the following reasons. I find the writing style to be very unique, I have yet to come across a book similar to the way it's written. It is written 100% in Elios point of view from the future as he's retelling the events of the summer. However, his memory of the summer is somewhat vague and there are many details he can't remember so the book doesn't focus much on every detail. Rather, it focuses on the things Elio finds most significant. You learn very little about Oliver despite him being the other main character. In fact, there is only one sentence in the entire book that talks about his family and almost nothing is learnt about his personal life or feelings. I actually enjoyed this because it almost seemed like Oliver was intended to be kept a mystery that you know as little about as Elio does. André Aciman is able to convey human emotion in a way I've seen no other author do. Despite the fact that I have never been in love and I am not a Jewish American-Italian bisexual boy, Aciman was able to make feel like I related to Elio. For instance, without giving too much away, with the line “Time makes us sentimental. Perhaps, in the end, it is because of time that we suffer”. I found little to no flaws with the book at all and there is only one scene that I don't like. Call Me by Your Name may have faced some controversy surrounding the age gap (the characters are 17 and 24 which is completely legal in Italy) by Americans who don't know that the laws are different in Italy but most people I've found who have read it or seen the movie have absolutely fallen in love with the story. André Aciman was able to create a whole universe set in Northern Italy and two people who seem real in the space of only 256 pages. Read this book and you are sure to find yourself completely immersed in the gorgeous Italian summer of the 1980’s and the lives of two young men discovering themselves and each other. Holding Smoke by Elle Cosimano
Reviewed by Saphie Niane John Conlan, also nicknamed as Smoke, is staying in a dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado called the Y. The reason why he’s there isn’t very simple, he was accused for two murders, but only one he didn’t commit. If the mysterious hooded man hadn’t killed his English teacher then John wouldn’t have had killed the only other witness to the murder, Cameron Walsh. Being at the wrong place at the wrong time caused John to end up at the Y, at home he thinks he deserves to live in. After John’s near-death experience caused by his father, he acquired the power to leave his body at will while he sleeps, therefor giving him the name Smoke. While all his inmates are stuck inside the Y after Lights-Out, John can leave the walls of the center and go off into the outside world, but his “threads” are becoming thin. One day Smoke might not be able to make it back to his body, someday he might… die, but Smoke doesn't care until he meets a girl he named Pink. Pink is a tough and sassy girl who surprisingly can see him. With her help Smoke might be able to find the true killer of his English teacher, but as they get farther into their search the more dangerous it becomes. Holding Smoke is an action-packed, thrilling, and heart-racing story of a teenager who has been misunderstood and mistreated all his life. The author, Elle Cosimano, does an amazing job of showing how sometimes adults don’t understand teenagers and how tough the life of a kid living in a juvenile rehabilitation is. This book had many twists and turns and you never knew what was going to happen next! It always kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Holding Smoke is not only a regular teen action book, but it is also a mystery. The whole time I was reading the book, I kept looking for clues to find out who this unknown man in the hood was. I recommend this book a solid 5 out of 5 star rating for teens or adults that love action and mystery books. I would recommend this book for teens 14 years or older because of the language sometimes used in the book is not appropriate for children to hear. In conclusion I loved reading Holding Smoke. Elle Cosimano did a great job of grabbing my attention throughout the whole book. There was never a time where I wanted to stop reading. It was the best book i've read in a very long time and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Holding Smoke is a book I will always remember reading and I would definitely read it again.
The Cellar by Natasha Preston
Reviewed by Jaiden Miller The book The Cellar By Natasha Preston is a thrilling, agony filled novel, packed with plenty of suspense and a roller coaster of varying emotions. This book is about Summer Robinson, a young sixteen year old girl, mainly in present day, but a few past memories come up. Summer had lived a pretty normal life in her home town of Longthorpe, England. She has two loving parents, an irritating ,but caring, older brother. She has her wonderful, affectionate boyfriend Lewis and her many friends. She did all the things that most normal teenagers do; she went to parties, hung out with friends, got into fights with her brother and just tried living life to the fullest. Her life was going great up until the day she was kidnaped. As she was on her way to a party a man she has never seen before, later known as Clover or Colin, comes up to her, he grabs her arm and muffled her screams. She is then forcefully thrown into the back of his van. When she regains consciousness she sees that she's in a fully furnished room that seems to be some type of cellar, she is with three other girls, although later on many others come and go at the hand of Clover. For months Summers family desperately searches for her but they come up with nothing. I absolutely loved this book. I found it extremely enthralling and I didn't want to put it down. At first every chapter is told only in first person, by Summer, but as the book progresses perspective changes. During some parts of the book Summer’s boyfriend, Luis tells the story, and in other parts Colin (Clover) tells it. He tells his version of the story, his way of seeing things. I really liked how the author does this because it gives you a little bit more background information. It gives you a little bit of an insight on how the other characters think and feel, which I feel is very helpful and informative. It’s cool to see things through the eyes of someone else. Colin is a very twisted and perverted person, he feels that what he is doing is ok, he thinks that he's doing the right thing and that he's helping make the world better by taking the law into his own hands because according to him the police don't do a good enough job. Although it is all extremely disturbing it is very fascinating to see the way he thinks. If you are interested in strange, creepy, twisted things than you would almost definitely enjoy this book. It crosses some lines and is all just crazy but interesting. I give this book a 4.5 star rating and the only reason I didn't give it a 5 was because I wish it was just a little longer. I would have liked more of a conclusion. I liked learning about Colins past and what had caused him to be as messed up as he turned out to be, saying that I was really hoping for a little bit more. A little bit extra on his childhood, and his family life. Just a little bit more, and I feel that if the author had done that I definitely would have given the book a 5 star rating. Even though this wasn't in the book I still greatly enjoyed it and it is now probably one of my new favorite books. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki
Reviewed by Jordan Davidson Awago. The place of friendship. The place of freedom. The place of discovery. Awago is the setting of the book This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki. Rose, the main character, goes there every summer to forget her problems and reunite with her best friend Windy. Rose has been going to this cottage for as long as she can remember. Rose and Windy would go to the beach and walk along the sand and rent scary movies but this year somehow was different. In this book Rose is faced with many obstacles. Her parents won't stop fighting and her mom seems depressed. She acts as if even Roses presence annoys her. But the biggest obstacle she has to face is teenhood. Windy still being a child is trying hard to understand her but she just doesn't get it. While Rose is enthralled by the teen drama going on around her, Windy just seems uninterested. Parents fighting, an annoyed mother, and a non understanding child is the perfect mix for a moody teen. I very much enjoyed this book, a timeless tale of a misunderstood teen trying to find her way. I would rate this book a 4.5 stars. I felt that the book being a graphic novel had some amazing illustrations, done by Jillian Tamaki, and a striking story line with relatable and lovable characters. The only thing I would change about this story would be actually make it longer. I would want more details about all the different characters. There was a few parts I felt were just glazed over and I had to go back and reread to fully understand what was happening. I feel like if those parts had a little bit more explanation I would have enjoyed the book a bit more. I would definitely recommend this book to teens on the younger side or incoming teens due to the plot and characters. Awago isn't just a place to get away, it is a place to find yourself. Aquarium by: David Vann Reviewed by Shayla Comfort Do you love fish? Well, 12 year old Caitlyn sure loves fish a lot . In fact, she loves fish so much that she visits her local aquarium almost every day after school. Her Mom works very long hours so Caitlyn stays at the aquarium until her Mom comes and picks her up. She starts to become friends with a old man she meets at the aquarium. From there, things start to get a little strange. He starts to ask her if she wants to go on a trip with him. She tells her Mom about what has been happening and her Mom thinks it sounds a little suspicious. When Caitlyn’s Mom comes to pick up Caitlyn after work, she sees the man with Caitlyn and recognizes him. Come to find out, Caitlyn has opened a very dark family secret and all goes downhill from there. Her and her mother’s relationship starts to deteriorate. Nothing will be the same between the two of them now that this secret has been revealed. Caitlyn has a choice now. Will she keep going to the aquarium after school and risk her Mom finding out or will she just give up something she loves to please her Mom? Caitlyn feels very conflicted about what she is going to do in this situation. Meanwhile, her relationship with her mother gets worse. Caitlyn has to deal with this on her own since it is a very deep secret. She can’t ask her friends or teachers for help. She has to grow up quickly in a way and deal with this situation maturely. As Caitlyn is going through all of her things, she notices she doesn’t have many items at all and she notices she hasn’t really done any sports or played any instruments or anything like that and this makes her realize she has kind of been all on her own all of these years and she kind of had to mature and grow up very fast because her mom wasn't really mentally there for her and wasn’t the best mom and didn’t sign her up for things because she didn’t have money and Caitlyn just feels like she missed out on her childhood and she wants to gain it back while she can. If I had to rate the book, Aquarium, I would would have to give it a four. I gave it a four because not only is it a very dark and mature book, but it makes you think, wow my life could be a lot more difficult than it really is because I think we have all had moments when we just sit and sulk and just want to feel bad for ourselves but the truth of the matter is there is always someone out there who has it worse than you. This book is fictional. I think the most appropriate age group to be reading this book would probably be teenagers. In my opinion, I think this book is better suited for boys because they talk about fish a lot in the book and describes different types of fish so I feel like boys would take a little more interest in that. I think the author did a very good job of putting detail into this book to show the struggle Caitlyn is going through and how she tries to overcome it. I think pretty much everyone can relate to this book in a way, since we have all gone through tough times in our lives and we have overcome them and we are stronger than we think we are. In my opinion, this book is so important because it teaches you to never give up when things get tough and to not run away from conflict in a way, but face it head on. Everything You Want Me To Be - Mindy Mejia
Reviewed by Caroline Emond Hattie Hoffman is a high school-hating, drama-loving girl whose biggest dream is to go to New York and perform on Broadway. From the title, you might think this book is about a girl trying to change everything about her to get a guy’s attention, or maybe even vice-versa. Well if you do, you’re totally wrong. This book is really about Hattie Hoffman’s unexpected murder. Mr. Hoffman’s good friend Del, who's also the chief of police is on the case. Him and his crew keep finding more and more about Hattie no one had ever known before. I really liked this book and I would rate it 4 out of 5 stars. At some points, it was a little hard to focus and keep track of who was talking because each chapter, a different person, related to Hattie or not, would have essentially their own chapter. The times also change so you need to make sure you read the title of each chapter because you can go from April 12, 2008 to September 8, 2007. What I loved about this book was how it all came together and even if it was a little hard to keep track of, I really like how each person in the story got their own chapter instead of just having Hattie or Del narrate the book. The genre of this book is realistic fiction/ thriller. The book and the characters are very appropriate to its genre because it’s very relatable to something that would and and could actually happen and keeps you on your toes. The author, Mindy Mejia, has also written Leave No Trace, The Dragon Keeper, and The Last Act Of Hattie Hoffman. I loved her writing style and the way she had a different character tell a chapter. I also, like I said before, I liked how everything came together at certain parts of the book and how some of the characters knew her when they were younger and are in the book maybe two or three years older. A Review of The Odyssey by Emmerson Fitts
The Odyssey is one of Homer’s epic poems, and is studied by historians and linguistics majors globally, so you may realize that I feel unqualified to be doing a report on it, but nevertheless here is my youthful take on the novel: The Odyssey is a story about Ulysses (Also known as Odysseus), king of Ithaca, and his return home from the trojan war. The story takes place about 10 years after the end of the war and in the novel Ulysses manages to take 10 years to complete a journey that should have been only a matter of weeks long. There are two main conflicts in the story, the intertwined issues of Penelope’s suitors and Ulysses’s inability to come home. Ulysses has been presumed dead after 20 years of failing to return home like the rest of the soldiers who survived the war, but his wife Penelope refuses to believe he is dead. Many suitors, both local and foreign, come for the beautiful widow’s hand in marriage, and so Penelope stalls them for as long as she can, but the suitors are drinking all of the family’s wine and eating all of their stores, so her son grows angry at the suitors and hopeless that he may help his mother out of this situation. Ulysses meets many supernatural conflicts on his journey home, almost dying multiple times but surviving due to the goddess Athene favoring him. Ulysses lies throughout the whole book, mostly about who he is, and where he’s from, even to his own family until he reveals himself in the most dramatic way possible. The Odyssey is a fantasy unlike any I’ve ever read, probably due to the fact that it was written in Greece in the 8th century BCE. It is considered the second extant work of Homer, the follow up to “The Iliad” but features a different main character. The version of The Odyssey I read was first published in 1906 by The Macmillan Company, to be later reprinted as a new edition in 1932 and is titled The Odyssey for Boys and Girls. It is a simplification and if you are just beginning to read epic poems it would be a good choice to start with. Ulysses’ story is enthralling and captivated my mind while I read it, proving even ancient fiction can compete with modern literature. I wouldn't say The Odyssey is my new favorite book, but it did have its moments. I would encourage anyone to read this novel as it is a grand piece of human and literary history, and a famous story to begin with. I would give this a three and a half out of five stars if it were modern, however since it is so old and there are so many versions of the story out there, I would give it an extra star for variety. This book has earned 4 and a half stars out of five, and will continue to live on as a famous piece of literature for many generations to come. Lucky Broken Girl By: Ruth Behar Lucky Broken Girl is about a young Cuban little girl who finds herself in an awful car crash that makes her feel like a shell of a person. Along the way she meets new people, makes friends, and find out who her true friends are. She grows up so much and quickly learns what it’s like to feel broken at such a young age. While reading this book you’ll laugh at all the jokes this family of Cubans make that are just trying to make it in the new world, cry for this little girl who goes through all this and maybe relate to her in some way. The genre of this book would be non-fiction because it is actually based off a incident in the author's childhood. The characters in the book fit it very well, reading all about this melting pot of people together in this small apartment complex becoming a family. Some other books Ruth Behar has written are, “Traveling Heavy: A Memoir in Between Journeys”, “An Island Called Home”, and many more. I felt this book had a lot of strengths, talking about all the different cultures that young Ruth learned about. Grasping what she remembered as a child while this was happening. I truly felt like I was reading from a child's perspective. And it had Spanish in it, not a lot but it had enough to make sure you knew this family was from another country. I could relate with this part because when I was younger and today I listen to my mother and vovo talk back and forth in Portuguese. Some weaknesses in this book were that I felt it got super fast towards the end about everything. I would have enjoyed if it were slower getting to the ending. I would recommend this book to females in the young adult age group who want to read a true story that isn't depressing. Out of five stars I would give this book a 4 out of five because i could relate to the whole part of having a foreign family in this new country and the part of feeling alone and a shell of a person. |
AuthorMrs. Beaudoin, Teacher, Reader. Here's my thoughts on what I am reading and thinking about.
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