Teen Book Review: D-Frag by Tomoya Haruno

Summary:

 

"D-Frag " is a new ongoing manga series that parodies high school clubs, nerd culture, and the slice-of-life genre in a side-splittingly hilarious storyline. For fans of manga series about otaku-centric high school clubs like "Haganai: I Don't Have Many Friends, Genshiken," or "The""Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, ""D-Frag " has the last laugh, as it satirizes the genre like never before.

Kazama Kenji thinks he's a delinquent. He's got the look, the style and the attitude to match--he even has a second-rate entourage of sorts. Deep down, however, Kazama is a good-hearted kid who finds himself and his loyal gang in over their heads when they stumble upon the Game Creation Club. The club's formidable members, Chitose, Sakura, Minami, and Roka, are four girls who he might actually be attracted to if they weren't so freaking weird.

The girls claim to have otherworldly powers which they use to defeat Kazama's gang and force him to join their offbeat club. Can Kazama resist the girls' bizarre charms and return to some semblance of a normal, everyday life...or is it "game over" for our hapless hero?

 

Teen Review:

 

D-Frag is an excellent manga series and you should read it. Why? Because the characters, story and adventure in the first volume alone will leave you wanting more. In the first book an upcoming gang at a Japanese high school enter the Game Dev. Club looking to swipe some games. This does not go well for them and their leader is sucked into a world of gaming and make-believe. If you are a fan of manga or are looking to get into it D-Frag is the one for you.

Carson

Geek Out: 30 Books That Are Out of This World

It's that time of year again!  Registration has begun for our teen summer reading program. This summer read what you want, when you want!  The Orillia Public Library's Teen Summer Reading Club; Geek Out: 30 Books That Are Out of This World is all about celebrating reading.  Thirty exciting, "Out of This World" titles have been chosen from a variety of genres.  We are challenging Orillia youth ages 12-19 to collectively read 150, 000 minutes between June 27th and September 6th! In addition to a library wide reading goal we are challenging each of you to read for over 2500 minutes this summer.  Meet your goal and win a prize!  You can earn additional points throughout the summer by participating in programs, writing book reviews, and playing our Teen Scene Summer BINGO!  Click here for more details.

 

 

Book Review: Schizo by Nic Sheff

 

Summary:

Miles’s little brother Teddy is missing. The police believe he drowned at the beach—the very same day Miles had his first schizophrenic episode. But Miles knows better—Teddy is alive. Kidnapped. There was even a witness! Fueled by guilt, Miles sets off to rescue Teddy.

There is so much to overcome, though. The endless pills he must take. The girl who steals his heart and plays with it. The black crows that follow him.

As seen through Miles’s distorted perception, his world closes around him as he pushes to keep it open. What you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, though, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling.

The New York Times bestselling author of Tweak offers a fascinating and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen’s downward spiral into mental illness.

My Review:

  Schizo is written by the New York Times best-selling author Nick Sheff of Tweak.  This fascinating and engaging story follows Miles's diagnosis and his point of view of life.    Miles thinks he's recovering well but in reality he's becoming a lot worse.

  Schizo is a story about a Schizophrenic teen name Miles.  He is a junior at a private school in San Francisco.  Miles feels guilty when his little brother Teddy goes missing.  A few months later he decides to go on a mission to find him because Miles believes Teddy is still alive.  The shocking story has Miles searching for clues to find his little brother Teddy until Eliza, a close childhood friend was or was not romantically interfering with his plan. With school and friends distracting him, Miles is chasing shadows in a cave closing in on him fast.

  Schizo is a fascinating and shocking book.  It is a book that teaches you to never give up no matter what tries to stop you.  Nic Sheff wrote this book from Miles's perspective and the other characters are left up in the air. Miles's character is very engaging but for him, he seems more confused and painful.  This book was pretty well paced, except for near the end it seems more fast-paced just to get it over with.  Overall, I write this book 3 out of 5 stars.

  "What you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, though, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling."

Cassidy
OPL Teen Reviewer