5 Student Reviews

Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah 
reviewed by Tinsae 

Chinese Cinderella is a memoir about a girl named Adeline Yen Mah. After her mother dies while giving birth to Adeline her whole family stays away from her because they believe that she is bad luck. And then her father marries a woman who treats her even worse than her family already does. This story is about how Adeline fights through her stepmother's cruelty and tries to live in this cruel world.

This book is a mix of English and Chinese, but if you can't read Chinese there are translations in the prologue and in the back. I thought that this book was amazing. The author makes you understand what is happening and the story flows smoothly. I would recommend this book for anybody who likes to read non-fiction books with a lot of drama in them.

The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer 
reviewed by Tinsae 

The Book of Everything by Guus Kuijer is about Thomas and his difficult life. Thomas had an unhappy childhood. His father was abusive to him and his mother. Thomas can't protect himself and his mom from his dad's attacks. The book is written from the point of view of the adult Thomas looking back at his life. There's a lot that happens to him that involves magic, religion and even a plague of frogs. Although the book is somewhat confusing, it also interesting, especially as you can understand how Thomas feels when his dad hits him. As a reader, I was bothered by the way that Thomas' dad beats him and his mother instead of expressing his anger in words. But I have mixed feeling about the book because it also was interesting to read. So I wouldn't recommend it for every reader.

The Water Castle by Megan Frazer Blakemore 
reviewed by Bodhi 

The Water Castle is not a very good book. It is about a kid whose dad has a stroke. When he moves to the supposed location of the hidden Fountain of Youth he searches for it to cure his dad. It switches back and forth between the past and the present which is very confusing at times. I personally thought the book was okay, but going back and forth made it as if you were reading two books mixed together. If you can solve complicated puzzles you might like this book.

Bitter Melon by Chara Chow 
reviewed by Jasmine 

Bitter Melon is a book about a girl named Frances who is Asian-American and lives with her mother while she goes to high school. Her mother is very strict with her and wants her to become a doctor. Frances signs up for AP calculus but accidentally gets placed in a speech class. But after the first class she thinks that she might try it out for a few days, but a few days turn into a few months, and by then it is too late. What will she do?

Bitter Melon is a wonderful yet sad and dramatic story. The book has a melancholy feel to it throughout the story, so if you like sad dramatic books, I would recommend this one for you.

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead 
reviewed by Jake 

If you read the book, When You Reach Me, you will be confused but everything will make sense in the end.

A lot of odd things that happen. You will learn about time travel, a girl with no friends, a crazy man who is always practicing his kicks and sleeps under the mailbox.

The book says, "Why do you think he sleeps like that, with his head under the mailbox?". I recommend this book to anyone who likes to think because this book will challenge you!