Paper Towns by John Green

     Paper Towns by John Green is a mystery about a teenage girl named Margo who has gone missing.  She disappears from Orlando, Florida before graduating from high school.  She leaves clues for her neighbor Quentin who goes to her school and who she has known since they were little.  They were friends when they were little, but she had never really reached out to him until one night  she arrived at his window and they went all around the city together.  The next day she was gone. And Quentin realizes that he loves her and that he has to find her.                                                      
       I would recommend this book to someone who likes mysteries and romance.  It kept my attention and I wanted to read to the end to see what happened to Margo.                                

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

            It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini is a hilarious yet touching novel. The book is about a suicidal teen named Craig who checks himself into the hospital after making a plan to kill himself. He became depressed after he was excepted to a prestigious school in NYC and the work overwhelms him. On top of that, his best friend Aaron is dating the girl he (thinks) he likes, and is also addicted to drugs. Craig doesn't tell anybody that he is depressed except for his family and Nia, Aaron's girlfriend, who is depressed as well. At the Hospital, Craig meets some very strange friends, and discovers the source of his problems.
            I would recommend this book to people who like comedy and romance. This book may be about depression, but isn't depressing in the slightest. It's actually very entertaining and is nearly impossible to put down.

Game World - CJ Farley

      Game World is the adventure of four teens, a rich girl, a smart girl, and two gamers. These four teens are brought together by a tournament of a game called Xamaica, 40 people, the game changers, are picked based on online scores, they get paired by teams of two and fight. but the prize is kept secret and as these teens discover is more of a task rather than a prize.
      If you want to enjoy a complicated fantasy that leads you through the parallel world that consists of an ocean and a geographical twin of Jamaica but is filled with the creatures from Xamaica and is about to become a tyranny.

Piecing Me Together By Renèe Watson

                     
           One of the books I read this summer was Piecing Me Together by Renèe Watson. This is by far one of the best books I have ever read. (I am now tempted to read it a second time!😆) This story is about a teenager named Jade who lives in the "dangerous" part of Portland Oregon. She has a scholarship to a not so diverse private school. And in her community, there are not many opportunities. So when an opportunity comes her way, she makes sure she takes advantage of it. However one of the opportunities she comes across is not that helpful. It's a mentorship program for non-priveleged girls. Jade feels misunderstood from her mentor Maxine because she feels that Maxine doesn't know what it's like to not have a lot of opportunities.
            I recommend this book to people who like complex characters. However, this book does not come out until February 14, 2017. (Sorry to keep you at the edge of your seats. I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy!) But be on the look out for this book in bookstores!

The End by Lemoney Snicket

         
            The book I read was The End by Lemoney Snicket. I thought that this book was an excellent ending to the long, mysterious Series Of Unfortunate Events. In this volume of the series, the three orphans, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire,  are shipwrecked on a coastal shelf (an underwater landmass which extends from a continent, resulting in an area of shallow water) after a long storm. They are soon found by the nearby islanders, and discover that the islanders have some strange customs, such as drinking fermented coconut water, all day every day. They live on the island for a short period of time and attempt to solve the unexplainable mystery that is their life. I thought the novel did a great job of summing up the 13-book series. Nearly all of the strange events that occurred in the previous books were explained, with the exception of the all- important sugar bowl. (I shall say no more!)
          I would recommend this book to mystery lovers, although I advise that you read the previous 12 books before this one. (GASP!) I know, I know, but it is completely worth it because the Baudelaire's story is not one to miss.

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

      Hyperbole and a Half is a hazardously funny variation of an auto biography that originated from a blog depicting the childhood life of Allie Brosh using downright hilarious pictures, of her design and make, and short paragraphs to show some of her funnier stories. Each narrative is a chapter in the overall book of short stories.  (Blog of one of the stories (not in book)       If your in the mood for an extremely easy read and wants to laugh then this is an amazing book for you, of course it always amazing but still (At one point I had to get out of bed and into an upright position to keep from suffocating).

Rules by Cynthia Lord

 

            The book I read is Rules by Cynthia Lord. This book is about a girl named Cathrine (probably about 11, 12 years old) who has a younger brother named David. He has a form of Autism that causes him to not pick up social skills from other people, but instead has to learn from the rules his sister writes down for him. One day, in the waiting room for the therapist's office, Cathrine decides to draw a boy on the other side of the room named Jason who is in a wheelchair. They become friends. But in the meantime, a new girl moves to the house next door and Cathrine wants to make a good impression on her, so she tries to hide her brother's autism and Jason from the new girl. Even though Cathrine seems to not really like her new friend very much, she still puts what other people think of her in front of everything else, including her own needs. The book shows her learning to accept that everyone is not as perfect as she wants them to be.

            

            I would recommend this book to nearly everybody who likes to read. I thought that this book was an excellent example of the struggle between making other people like you and liking yourself. I think that everybody could relate to this novel.

The Name of this Book is Secret, by Pseudonymous Bosch

One of the books I read this summer is "The Name of this Book is Secret" by Pseudonymous Bosch. It's about two friends, Cass, a survivalist, and Max-Ernest, someone who can not stop talking. After finding a dead magician's diary they later find out that his death was no accident. Together they have to hunt down an evil woman called Ms. Mauvais, and rescue a friend from school. But little do they know they are becoming closer and closer to unraveling the secret, and the key to immortality. I found this book very interesting but also thought some parts were boring and unnecessary. Especially the parts when the narrator talks to the reader too much.
This book connects to the world because it reminds you no matter how old you are, or how many wrinkles you have, you are perfect the way you are! I would recommend this book to anyone who likes complex characters. Also, anyone who likes realistic fiction, a mystery, and a page turner!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

  The title of this book is "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" and it is by J. K. Rowling. It is the 7th book of the Harry Potter series. The main storyline is about Harry and his last journey to defeat Voldemort, the evil villain. To do this, Harry and his friends, Ron and Hermione, must find parts of Voldemort's soul and destroy them. The setting is in a magical land where good and bad are at war.

  This book is filled with nonstop action and fighting. I would recommend it to anyone who has started the series before and liked it. I would not recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read any of the books in the series before because you will definitely feel lost. This is also a good book for someone who likes fantasy or someone who loves to dive deep into a whole new world. This book really reminded me of today and how people are being so racist towards different groups of people. I made this connection because in the book, Voldemort is anti "muggles" (people that are non-magical) Harry is on the side that thinks all people are equal, even if they don't do magic. I really loved this book and I think J. K. rowling did a great job summing up the whole series in this book.

Vango: Between Sky and Earth by Timothée De Fombelle translated by Sarah Aroizzone

Scarlette Hashimoto
July 8th, 2016

Vango: Between Sky and Earth is a novel by Timothée De Fombelle and translated from French by Sarah Arroizzone. It is about how a young man named Vango, who, just minutes away from becoming a priest, gets accused of murder by the police. But they aren't the only people chasing him. While being trailed by many different groups of people, he travels to Paris, Scotland, and the Mediterranean Islands where he grew up. He encounters many people from his past while also trying to figure out who he is. There is a lot about the Nazis, Soviet Union and some events that led up to WW2. There are many interesting characters, whose stories all weave together and create many conflicts that aren't all fully resolved at the end of the book.

This book does an amazing job of telling different sides of a story and showing how one event can have so many people involved. I would recommend this book to people who like reading adventure novels or books about faraway places. This book also is historical fiction (takes place between world wars, 1934-35) so if you like learning about history you may also like this book.

Dumplin' by: Julie Murphy

Mary Sperry
July fourth, 2016

Dumplin' by Julie Murphy is about a girl who might not be your average size. Her mom the towns super star. Her best friend Ellen who is always by her side. Bo her knew "boyfriend" that she doesn't want to put any labels on. But now as Bo moved into her life Willow is having second thoughts about her body and her courage. Later she makes a new set of friends, enters the pageant and has new adventures with friends, Bo and her Mom. But maybe after all willow didn't enter the pageant just to win but to find out who she truly is.

This books to the world because not everyone is perfect and the book teaches you that. Not everyone has a perfect life or looks like people in the magazine. But really we are all our own kind of perfect. I would recommend this book to someone who likes romance, a page turner and amazing characters that you fall in love with.


 

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Scarlette Hashimoto
July 1st, 2016 

The Young Elites is a fictional novel by Marie Lu about a teenager named Adelina, who survived a deadly blood fever that swept the country when she was little. Most survivors emerged with strange scars and coloring. Some were rumored to have mysterious powers like controlling fire, talking to animals and raising the dead. They were called the Young Elites. Throughout the book, Adelina struggles with controlling her own self and magical abilities, while also being used and manipulated by those around her. 

The character Adelina is very complex and often has a difficult time knowing how to think for herself and how to be loyal. I think that this book really emphasizes the fact that your actions can have big consequences and that love isn't always easy and that it can be a weakness. This book is fantasy, and I would recommend it to fans of any of Sarah J. Maas' books, like the Throne of Glass series. Also, if you like interesting characters, this book would be good because over the course of the book you get to see many sides of Adelina, both good and bad.