Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
reviewed by Miranda
If you want to enjoy your precious free time, read Pride and Prejudice. It is one of the most wonderful books I have ever read in my life. It is so full of surprises: love, hate, and compassion between two people of about 24-27 years of age called Darcy and Elizabeth.
Elizabeth was a very pretty and smooth-talking girl, but full of pride and hate for men. At the beginning, Mr. Darcy loves her but he also thinks he is better than she is. Though there were so many troubles, difficulties and temptations for Darcy, he still stand firm in his love for Elizabeth. He later becames more humble and so gains her friendship and love, and they both became one. I think readers should read this book because it tells you that no matter the circumstances surrounding you in life, what will be yours will still be yours no matter what happens. You have to calm yourself down, and become humble, to truly love another. I enjoyed reading this book because it was so interesting. I would recommend it to both boys and girls of high school age.
Librarian's notes:
City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
reviewed by Chimey
City of Glass is the third book in the Mortal Instruments series by bestselling author Cassandra Clare. Loved by Stephenie Meyer and compared to the Harry Potter series, the book is a spellbinding success that strikes the competition down a handful at a time.
Clary, who lives in the human world, is a demon-hunting Nephilim, a shocking girl, and the daughter of a villain named Valentine. Clary is a disturbed child, as she has fallen in love with her brother and her mother has been kidnapped by her father. Her mother is taken to the City of Glass, a place in the Shadowhunter magical world, and Clary needs to go there to retrieve her. Her brother, Jace, in a rare moment, agrees with her Vampire friend Simon that it's not safe for her to go. But she manages to tag along with other characters Jace, Simon, Isabelle, and Alec.
Strange things are revealed, such as the fact that Clary can create runes of the Angel that can make Nephilim do extrodinary things. She also finds that by the Nephilim law, no Downworlder, which is a creature such as a Vampire or a werewolf that is not Nephilim, cannot enter the City of Glass.
Simon is put in jail, and Jace expresses such vehement anger toward Clary that she is nearly heartbroken, and becomes full of rage at the girl Aline when she is found embracing Jace one day. Then Clary meets Sebastian, the quiet, handsome brother of Aline. She finds him enthralling and continues her quest with him, her quest to free her mother and bring down Valentine, leaving Jace to amuse himself with Aline
In the end, it turns out that Sebastian is actually the brother who wants to murder her, and Jace is not related to her but to one of Clary's mother's friends, and that Valentine told Clary Jace was her brother simply to irritate her. Relieved, Clary realizes she and Jace can be together, and now they are. The story wraps up with Sebastion being overthrown by Jace, and Valentine ends up being killed by an Angel. Even though there is another book in the series, the story seems to be finished — or is it?
This book is recommended for both girls and boys ages eleven and up.
Librarian's note: Confused? You might one to start with books one and two in the series: City of Bones and City of Ashes.
Peeled by Joan Bauer
reviewed by Sarah
If you are looking for a book that is exciting, humorous, and emotional, you should read Peeled by Joan Bauer. This book is about a girl who is a high school reporter, trying to battle a rival newspaper which has been publishing false information. To do this, she must learn the true facts of the story and reveal them to the public.
The plot of Peeled is so exciting and fun to read, that I could barely put it down. My favorite thing about the book is that the author was able to write about serious topics like blackmail and death, while still being humorous. I would recommend this story for girls ages nine through fifteen, because the topics are probably too mature for someone younger than nine, and the writing is probably too easy for someone older than fifteen. I recommend this for girls because the main character is a girl and it is told from her perspective, though a boy might like it too. I really enjoyed the book, Peeled, and I look forward to reading other books by Joan Bauer.
Call of the Wild by Jack London
reviewed by Olubusayo
This book is one of my favorite books, one that I have read in middle school. The main
characters are Buck, John Thornton, Dub, a poor blundering thief who
always gets caught in his nonsense act, Hal, Charles. The setting is
Alaska and California.
This book is mainly about how a dog named Buck survived through hard times during the
California Gold Rush. Buck is a strong dog who pulls a sled through hard cold weather
conditions, the snow and rain in Alaska. Buck was trained to do this
so he understands how to survive such difficult conditions.
Back then, people were talking about the California Gold Rush, and everyone was
trying to get there to try to get rich quickly. But Buck
wasn't used to extremely hot conditions like those in California. Also,
Buck and the other dogs were treated unfairly and fed only small
amounts of food. The dogs were forced to travel from Alaska to
California, and it was a terrible journey. Some of the dogs died.
This book is mainly for people ages 12 and above because of the harsh
treatment of dogs, such as the fact that they weren't given enough
food and many subsequently died. The best thing about this book —
why I loved it — is how it teaches you the ways animals were
used as transportation. Another interesting thing is that even
though the conditions were terrible, Buck still managed
to survive. One thing I learned from the book is that you shouldn't
quit if you are facing hard times — just keep trying.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
reviewed by Carmin
If you want a sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat at all times, then The Hunger Games is the book for you.
The story is set in the future, where North America no longer exists. There are now twelve districts that surround a terrorizing, all powerful capital in its place. The story follows a teen girl named Katniss who has to compete in the hunger games, a yearly battle where two children from each of the districts compete to the death, compete until only one is left alive. It was invented to show the districts' weakness compared to the capital.
This book is great for both boys and girls. The boys (and girls, too) will love all of the action and violence that occurs during the hunger games. The girls will surely be interested in the possible romance between Katniss and her best friend, Gale. The suspense kept me guessing until the very end, with still a few unanswered questions, which is why I also highly recommend the sequel, Catching Fire. All in all, the author took a very original idea and produced an amazing book.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
reviewed by Olubusayo
There are so many books I have read, but one of my favorites is Romeo and Juliet, a play by William Shakespeare. The setting is Verona, Italy. The main characters include Romeo Montague, Juliet Capulet, Friar Laurence, The Nurse, Tybalt, the Prince, Benvolio and Mercutio. The story is about how two people fall in love with each other but their love ends in woe because the Capulets and the Montagues hate each other so much.
The story starts off when Benvolio, cousin and friend to Romeo and Mercutio, wants to take Romeo to the Capulets' party to take his mind off Rosaline, a girl Romeo loves. At the party, Romeo sees Juliet. Instantly, they both fell in love. Later on, however, Romeo and Juliet find out their love is star-crossed. The only people that know about this love, other than Romeo and Juliet themselves, are Friar Laurence and the Nurse who help them plan a secret wedding in Friar Laurence's cell.
Juliet's parents, who don't know about her love of Romeo, want Juliet to get married to Paris, a relative of the Prince of Verona, but Juliet doesn't want to do that. When Romeo hears that Juliet is supposed to marry this relative of the Prince, he becomes very unhappy. Romeo, meanwhile, has been banished from Verona for killing Tybalt, the cousin of Juliet, who killed his friend Mercutio. And from here, the story becomes very sad.
This play is interesting because it has lot of drama in it, it is well set, and the action seems like it could happen to anyone. Sometimes people do kill themselves because of love, so it seems real. The amazing thing is that their love sprung out of their families' woe. I would recommend it for boys and girls age 14 and above.