Realistic

A Good Girl's Guide to Murder

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Good girl's guide
Author
Jackson, Holly
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

One of my favorite books so far. The book is full of twists and turns and one of the most gripping story. I loved most of the characters.
Every chapter showed us a new suspicious person. Every chapter changed the perspective towards each character. I loved this series. At last it's not a book of black and white, there were so much gray ...

Reviewer's Name
Subhashini

Book Review: A Breath Too Late

Author
Callen, Rocky
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

Through the eyes of a soul who hasn't left for an afterlife or complete darkness, Ellie Walker traces the days before her suicide, the day of her suicide, and the more indelible days that built her person and childhood. Chapters are written as epistolary entries, which the intended recipients—Momma, Father August, Life, and Dreams—will never get to read, as it was suppressed beneath the devastating end of a soul that didn't speak all truths while alive. She awoke with her mind, dazed and chipped of fundamental segments—abuse, friendship, love, the love of a mother, an advancing future, and more—that once conjoined her memories with coherence. The lament after death was her hand on the clock that struck a new hour as she accepted time's shadow that crept over her and swallowed, despite any interjections she could only attempt to make. Too late, Ellie Walker meandered through the gallery of her memories and realized all they meant to her and all she could become from them.

Anna, 10th Grade

Reviewer's Name
Anna

Blue Daisy

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Blue Daisy
Author
Frost, Helen
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Sam and Katie find a stray dog and impulsively paint a blue flower on it. This dog is suddenly befriended by everyone in town, even Sam’s and Katie’s arch enemies. Blue Daisy by Helen Frost is a wonderful story about community, written in alternating chapters of prose and poetry. This book can help newly fluent readers, ages 7 – 10, stretch their skills.

Reviewer's Name
Barbara

The Fault in our Stars

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The Fault in Our Stars
Author
Green, John
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

The Fault In Our Stars is a novel written by John Green, a renowned author of Young Adult fiction. The story gives an account of Hazel, who can hardly remember life without cancer and has almost given up hope in her life. She then meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor, who reads her favorite books for her and hangs out with her and this helps her to gather strength. The two of them deal with cancer and love.

The story is written in a breathtaking way which makes us become a part of the characters and feel the same emotions. Hazel and Augustus appeal to readers through their sense of humor and their courage. But behind this courage, both of them hide their pain to protect their families. John Green, through Hazel and Augustus, brings both: tears and laughter.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful novel and I would recommend it to anyone who believes in love and has the courage to fight for it. Through this book, I realized that cancer not just touches victims, but it also touches all those who love it.

Reviewer's Name
Cheyenne

The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky

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The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky
Author
Schindler, Holly
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

When the house Auggie Jones lives in with her grandpa Gus is deemed "in violation" by the new House Beautification Committee, she sets to work renovating it with the help of her grandpa and local community. It starts small, with replacing the boring, clear glass in Auggie's windows with colorful stained glass that had once been part of the nearby church. Soon, though, the project expands to creating sculptures out of materials like toasters and curling irons that grandpa Gus found while working as a trash hauler. What was once junk is turned into masterpieces that redefine the town's idea of beauty.

The book's cover was what first drew me in, as it reminded me of how I like to make things out of up-cycled materials. I love the story this book tells and the characters present in it. One of my favorite things about The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky is the vivid imagery the author uses literally from the first sentence, where she describes how grandpa Gus's truck "shimmies like she's dancing the jitterbug." Although it was written for children, this is a wonderful book for readers of any age to enjoy. The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky challenges the reader's ideas of beauty and serves as a reminder that there's always more to something, or someone, than meets the eye.

Reviewer's Name
Jacie

Counting Thyme

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Counting Thyme
Author
Conklin, Melanie
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

This book is the kind of book that touches your heart and leaves an imprint. Counting Thyme is an amazing book for all grades! It tells a story with everyday problems, implied ones, and the ones that stare you in the face with seemingly no solution. Thyme, an everyday middle schooler who just moved to NYC, doesn't really know how to fit in. She isn't happy with the move, but her brother is sick. Really sick, and she would do anything, even move into a small apartment across the country. As she tries to find her place in this big city, with all kinds of people, her journey is one of understanding. Thyme meets a grumpy old man, tries to reconcile with her sister, and so much more, all while struggling to get enough 'Thyme (Time)' to fly back home to California for a week for her birthday.
Would I recommend this book? Absolutely!
This read will be worth your Thyme, and I hope you enjoy it!

Reviewer's Name
Sharvari

Book Review: Some Other Now

Author
Everett, Sarah
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

Some Other Now is about a girl torn between two summers, two brothers, the mistake that will destroy them all, and what it's going to take for her to move forward.
This book is pretty solid, very emotional, has some good characters, and doesn't do much else. I did like reading it, but it was a very typical story. Some of the tropes seemed played out and overly dramatic, especially in the romantic scenarios. But the things it does well, it does very well. I really liked the contrast between the narrator in the first summer and the narrator in the second summer, and how it showed her guilt and grief. I liked the complexity of her family structure, both chosen and biological, and how it weighed on her. The main character overall is very well developed, with a lot of complexity and flaws and inherent kindness that makes her very easy to root for. I honestly didn't like either brother that much, but that's to be expected. The story does a great job of exploring depression and grief and guilt and mistakes that we can't take back, making it very relatable.
All in all, it's a very typical story, but done very well, and I don't have much to say about it. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a sad story, some drama, and good characters!

Reviewer Grade: 12

Reviewer's Name
Eve

Book Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

Author
Han, Jenny
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

This was so cute and comforting. I could relate to the main character Belly in many ways which made this book really enjoyable to read. The summer I turned pretty made me laugh, cry, and even made me frustrated at times. I usually don’t like reading books with love triangles but this one was an exception. I love the way Jenny Han wrote it. She keeps you guessing. At some points in the book I thought it would be Conrad and others I thought it was Jeremiah. This book was really sad at some points with Susanna having cancer and belly not knowing. It just added to the emotion of the story. Overall I really enjoyed reading this book and I’m really excited to find out what happens next in book!
11th grade

Reviewer's Name
Megan
Awards

Book Review: Roller Girl

Author
Jamieson, Victoria
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

This graphic novel has lovely art and an even better storyline. Astrid is a middle-schooler who has a tough time doing roller derby without knowing anyone on the team. She has to learn how to hold her own and find her place doing a sport she loves. I liked how the author depicted Astrid's friendship with Nicole and they were able to learn from each other despite not being on the same path anymore. It was also cool to see Astrid's character development as she gained confidence and found her identity. The dedication it took to do that is a great lesson for anyone!
Grade 12

Reviewer's Name
Maggie

Book Review: Radio Silence

Author
Oseman, Alice
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

If I had to convince you to read this book in one sentence it would be this. Multiple times I had to stop reading, set down my book, and contemplate if Alice Oseman was in my head. If there is one thing Alice Oseman can do it is write relatable characters. This book follows Frances, a straight-A student whose heart is set on getting into Cambridge, and Aled, a quiet boy who is secretly the creator of a hit fantasy podcast. Brought together through art/media, Frances and Aled become close friends and tackle life changes, emotionally abusive people, mental health, censorship, and just being teenagers. This book perfectly describes the life of a teen going through high school and showed pure friendships based on a mutual love for something. This was extremely captivating and it helped me get out of a reading slump instantly. If you are looking for a book with characters you can relate to, diversity, true depictions of mental health, or just something exciting to read, I would recommend this over and over.
Reviewer grade: 11

Reviewer's Name
Keira
Awards