TEEN BOOK REVIEW: Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff

Amazon Summary:

Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent’s pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he's not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is. 


If only Trent could make that fresh start happen.


It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious scar across her face—that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren’t always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it.

Book Review:

Lost in the Sun, written by Lisa Graff, is a story about Trent, a young boy in the 6^th grade, who accidentally killed someone. The book revolves around his life after he was affected by this incident. Things such as, friends leaving him, siblings of the victim scolding him and Trent himself, having trouble getting past this tragic event.

I found this book very interesting. The characters seemed realistic and alive, expressing believable  emotions for the appropriate moment. Trent himself felt so real because of the emotions and thoughts he expresses. Also, throughout the story, Trent really only has one friend, Fallon. She too is going through troubles in life because of a scar across her forehead. I enjoyed how they both kept each other at bay because of their similar situations, with Trent being hated by almost everyone and Fallon being made fun of because of a scar across her face.

The story was also quite nice; the tale of a boy who just wants to live a normal life, but because of a tragic event, almost everyone around him dislikes or is even scared of him. I also enjoyed how Trent had to fix issues with friends and even family because of the “event”. It made me happy to see all these characters slowly getting along.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I regularly read it and it was hard for me to put it down. In short, the characters were amazing and realistic; the story kept me at the edge of my seat and the whole atmosphere was fantastic. Overall, I give this book an 8.5/10.

Michael C. (Teen Reviewer)

TEEN BOOK REVIEW: Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman

SPOILER ALERT!!!  This review may contain spoilers!!

Amazon Summary

Caden Bosch is on a ship that's headed for the deepest point on Earth: Challenger Deep, the southern part of the Marianas Trench.

Caden Bosch is a brilliant high school student whose friends are starting to notice his odd behavior.

Caden Bosch is designated the ship's artist in residence, to document the journey with images.

Caden Bosch pretends to join the school track team but spends his days walking for miles, absorbed by the thoughts in his head.

Caden Bosch is split between his allegiance to the captain and the allure of mutiny.
Caden Bosch is torn.

A captivating and powerful novel that lingers long beyond the last page, Challenger Deep is a heartfelt tour de force by one of today's most admired writers for teens.

Book Review

Challenger Deep is a fascinating novel focusing on the life of 15 year old Caden who suffers from a mental illness.  His story takes a series of twists and turns as his perception of normal life mixes with illusions of make believe. 

Caden believes that he is on a boat ride to the Marianas Trench, ultimately ending up in a dark and foreboding place called Challenger Deep. But in reality, Caden has been placed in a psychiatric facility due to his erratic behaviour.  Even under the treatment of psychiatrists and medication Caden continues to struggle with his own inner demons and sanity. 

Through his travels within his mind, Caden eventually has an epiphany that allows him to escape from his trip. This brings a sense of calmness and enlightenment to Caden allowing him to move forward and return home. 

This book had a much darker aspect then I originally expected at the onset. I found Caden to be an interesting character and his experiences insightful. I would recommend this book as I enjoyed reading Challenger Deep. I would rate this novel a four out of five.

Joshua (Teen Reviewer)

Teen Book Review: Finding Paris by Joy Preble

Amazon Summary:

An evocative and compelling story of two sisters who would do anything for each other-perfect for fans of Thirteen Reasons Why and Speak. Joy Preble's stirring new novel explores the lengths to which sisters go to protect each other, and the winding road that brings two strangers into each other's lives.

Sisters Leo and Paris Hollings have only ever had each other to rely on. They can't trust their mother, who hops from city to city and from guy to guy, or their gambler stepfather, who's moved them all to Las Vegas. It's just the two of them: Paris, who's always been the dreamer, and Leo, who has a real future in mind-going to Stanford, becoming a doctor, falling in love. But Leo isn't going anywhere right now, except driving around Vegas all night with her sister.

Until Paris ditches Leo at the Heartbreak Hotel Diner, where moments before they had been talking with physics student Max Sullivan. Outside, Leo finds a cryptic note from Paris-a clue. Is it some kind of game? Where is Paris, and why has she disappeared? When Leo reluctantly accepts Max's offer of help, the two find themselves following a string of clues through Vegas and beyond. But the search for the truth is not a straight line. And neither is the path to secrets Leo and Max hold inside.

Teen Review:

Finding Paris is about two sisters, Leo and Paris, driving around Las Vegas to Heartbreaker's diner. All is well until Paris abandons Leo at the diner with a stranger. What started out as a casual drive to a diner, turned into a scavenger hunt with Paris leaving clues around Las Vegas, claiming she's being forced to do all these things. Leo and the stranger, Mack Sullivan, drive around and around to different clues that lead them all the way to California. With not so caring parents Leo is left scared and wondering if her sister was really kidnapped or is this just some sick joke.

An unbelievable journey with a twist ending leaving you wanting more. I really enjoyed this book. It was adventurous, suspicious, and keeps you at the edge of your seat the whole way through.  I found this book was medium pace but it was perfect for me.

Joy Preble is an exceptional author in the adventure genre. I rate this book 4.5/5 and would recommend this book to book lovers that liked the book Looking For Alaska and/or Paper Towns.

Cassidy (Teen Reviewer)

Teen Book Review: The Promise of Amazing by Robin Constantine

Amazon Summary:

Wren Caswell is average. Ranked in the middle of her class at Sacred Heart, she's not popular, not a social misfit. Wren is the quiet good girl who's always done what she's supposed to-only now, in her junior year, this passive strategy is backfiring. She wants to change but doesn't know how.

Grayson Barrett was the king of St. Gabe's: star of the lacrosse team, top of his class, and on the fast track to a brilliant future-until he was expelled for being a "term-paper pimp." Now Gray is in a downward spiral and needs to change but doesn't know how.

One fateful night, their paths cross at Wren's family's Arthurian-themed catering hall. What follows is the complicated, awkward, hilarious, and tender tale of two teens shedding their pasts, figuring out who they are-and falling in love.

Book Review:

Wren Caswell doesn’t like being told what she can and can’t do. Maybe that’s what caused the profoundly attractive, Grayson Barrett, to seek out the seemingly average girl also known as Wren. Or maybe it’s because she saved his life.

Wren Caswell has always been comfortable with being the quiet one, until it no longer proved to be beneficial. Grayson Barrett was a little too confident at times, but together they were just what the other needed. I enjoyed this book quite a lot. And the fact that I enjoyed it quite a lot surprised me because I’m not usually a fan of realistic fiction however, I found myself unable to put the book down.

I fell in love with the characters after every new page as I watched them develop throughout the entire novel. I fell in love with Wren’s character especially because she became so confident and so strong! This book portrays love, friendship, loyalty and strength. If you love the realistic fiction genre and don’t know what to read next, this should definitely be your next read!

Enjoy!
Rachel (Teen Reviewer)

Teen Book Review: Uncertain Soldier by Karen Bass

Amazon Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Erich is a prisoner of war working at a northern Alberta logging camp. Twelve-year-old Max goes to school—reluctantly—in the nearby town. The two would be unlikely friends, except that neither has anyone else to turn to. At the height of World War II, nobody wants to befriend a German. It doesn’t matter that Erich was forced into the military by his father, or that Max was proudly born in Canada. They are both easy targets for the locals’ grief and anger against the Nazis.

The other prisoners are no more welcoming, distrustful of Erich’s perfect English and his dislike for Nazism. Still, when a series of accidents shake the logging camp, they pressure Erich to question the Canadians and find the saboteur—even if his questions get him into trouble. Caught between angry prisoners and suspicious captors, Erich is afraid to take any action at all. It is only when Max’s schoolyard tormentors cross a dangerous line that Erich realizes that his real loyalties lie not with a regime or a country, but with his friend.

Teen Review:

Uncertain Soldier by Karen Bass is an exciting story that gives insight to what it was like in a Canadian prisoner of war camp during World War 2 as shown from a local boy and a German prisoner’s point of view. Daily struggles and conflicted viewpoints are shown from both prisoners and civilians, accurately portraying people from either side of the war.

I really enjoyed this book. There are some books I’ve read that have fulfilled the saying “I can’t put this book down”, and this was definitely one of them. The storyline constantly progressed, and it was entertaining. The story was easy to follow and I got a sense for the characters as I read because there was the switching viewpoint. It was realistic too, events in the book did or could’ve happened.

I found the characters relatable too, I could understand where they were coming from with their actions and feelings. It was also nice how it shows that not all the Germans were evil, some were just fighting for their country or forced to fight. I would recommend this especially to those who likes mystery stories or World War 2, but to anyone since it was a good book.

Ian (Teen Reviewer)

Teen Book Review: Fairest (Lunar Chronicles Series) by Marissa Meyer

Goodreads Summary:

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now.

Marissa Meyer spins yet another unforgettable tale about love and war, deceit and death. This extraordinary book includes full-color art and an excerpt from Winter, the next book in the Lunar Chronicles series.

Review:

“Fairest” a novel from The Lunar Chronicles series. This novel will never fail to leave the reader guessing, with all it’s plot twist, tragedies and heart shattering moments. This fantasy romance novel will pull on your heart strings at one moment and in a flash turn your mood from angry to content. With Marissa Meyer writing you’ll have to expect a twist upon any of her novels.

The main character Levana is a young determined princess, who shadows her sister Channary. Channary is soon to be queen, she doesn’t like all the politics and the problems of war with the land. She would rather be out partying, unlike Levana. Levana wishes to rule but will never rule due to being the second born. Levana has been through a lot, whether it was the bullying from her sister or the fear of what happened to her years ago in the accident. Levana’s problems are far vast. She’s falling for a man she barely knows personally, but one thing she does know is he’s married. What will she do?

This dark and deep novel will make your jaw drop, at every problem encountered. This crazy story will end with a grand finale but will keep you stuck staring at the last words wishing it wasn’t over. The story was extremely well written and is simply marvelous! I recommend this novel to anyone who likes a fantasy romance read.

Anissa (Teen Reviewer)