What really is Romance anyway? - A book review by Anthony Rodriguez

What really is Romance anyway?

Written by: Anthony Rodriguez

Guy in Real Life

By: Steve Brezenoff

     Haven't you ever just been knocked off your bike in the middle of the night by a extremely drunk teenager? I thought not. In the book Guy in Real Life, there are two different perspective of the same story line. One is of a young man named Lesh, who is into metal, wears all black, and has some issues expressing his social side, and the other is of a young woman, Svetlana (or just Lana) who is into Björk and Berlioz, likes to knit/work on her own art, and who has a problem with a young man named Fry. These two have their first exchange at two-thirty in the morning, when a drunken Lesh bumps into a sober and bike-riding Lana, and after having a small confrontation, one would simply think that they'd never meet again. They (in their own lifes) have some of their own problems to deal with, friends, parents, various situations, but little do they know that they go to the same school. After these two meet again (which was in the cafeteria in their school) they develop a  weird kind of relationship, not exactly friends but not exactly acquaintances. To me, this book is a romance gone wrong, but not wrong in a bad way. It is its own kind of wrong, the kind that I enjoy, the kind that you may enjoy. The book has its own way of expressing emotions and expressing various situations in a way that one wouldn't normally think about. Just because people read the title and the genre, that doesn't do the book any justice. The core principal of the book is to show that love always isn't always make believe, fairy tail junk. It shows that just because you may have flaws and imperfections (not just yourself but in a relationship), that things can't be good, because they can. Some ways that the author shows that these two have a "weird relationship, not exactly friends but not exactly acquaintances" is by writing, "' Don't worry,' she says. 'I'm not going to make a big thing of it. I meant to. I put it in my bag this morning with the intention of shoving it in your face.' 'So what's stopping you?' I ask all casual, but inside I'm anything but casual because that means that Svetlana, first thing this morning, was thinking about sitting at lunch with me" (96). The people I'd recommend this book to is to those looking for something different in the Romance genre. I'd also recommend it to anyone who's open to reading new genres, because I didn't think I'd like this book (because I don't normally read Romance) but I have ended up enjoying it. If you're open to new ideas, themes, and may also be into romance, I'd recommend this book to you, purely based on the fact that it isn't the same old same old.

THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE BOOK REVIEW BY JAKOB

JAKOB BAILEY

11/4/16

DJ

THE BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE REVIEW

During this time at school, I have been reading a book called "The Book of a General Ignorance" by . In this book, they correct popular beliefs that people have, some of which are extremely interesting. Some of which include the infamous number "666", the number of legs on a centipede, and what metal is the best conductor. I would highly recommend this book to people who have some time to waste. One quote is from a fact about hailstorms. "The Western Highlands of Kenya, in Africa. " I find this extremely interesting, as Africa is hot, and I would not expect ice to naturally for, there. But, after reading more, it makes sense because the ice forms in the clouds and then the heat throws it back up, the process repeating after. This next fact is about the driest place on earth. If you were expecting some desert, think again. According to the book, "Antarctica. Part of the continent has not seen rain in two million years." Two percent of Antarctica has no rain or snow, and it never ever rains there. The final fact is about the Ice Age. According to the book, "We're still in it." This may seem odd at first, but when the book explain it, it makes a lot of sense. According to Geographers, an Ice Age is a period of where polar ice caps exist. I would definitely recommend this book to people who have some free time or wants to start an interesting conversation.

Yuli Cardona-Book Review- The Black Book Of secrets

For money, would you ever let someone pluck one of your teeth out?


 In the novel The Black Book Of Secrets by F.E Higgins a boy is abused and treated bad by his parents who all they want is to get money so that they can drink and by their addictions. Joe the protagonist of the story is waken up one day and sees that the doctor is there with all of his tools to take out one of his teeth. He immediately escapes and leaves to a new town where he meets this other boy who is homeless and together they work to survive.


This book is very interesting, I'm not that type of person that reads a lot so I only read books that are actually really good. It has a lot of suspense and situations that happen in real life so it's not all that fiction which is good. Joes parents taught him to steal on street plazas and then they would make him give them the money.
I would really recommend this book because it shows sord of like  a lesson that if your parents teach you to be some way but your personality is another then you can definitely change for the good.

Prodigy
By Marie Lu

      Have you ever heard of a criminal that stole just to save his family? Have you ever seen a military Major fall in love with the most wanted criminal? STOP! IF YOU HAVENT READ THE FIRST BOOK THEN GO AND READ IT THEN COME BACK! Day is the most wanted criminal in Los Angeles who escaped from all of the crimes he made without killing or hurting anyone. No one has seen his face or has been able to go near or hurt him. Continuing from the first book, June helped Day escape from him execution and they ran away to Las Vegas to team up and get help from the Patriots. On their way to the Patriots, the Elector died and his son, Anden, became Elector. When June and Day got to the Patriots, they already planned for them to assassinate the new Elector. June got arrested on purpose inorder to get close with the Elector. June and the new Elector got to have dinner with each other and Anden confessed to June that he has liked her ever since they were in school together. June uses this as an advantage to assassinate the Elector but once she gets to know more about Anden and his secrets, she starts to feel like she shouldn't kill him. Day heard about this and got jealous becuase June and him are already in a relationship together. Tess grew up with Day and they are very close and she joined the Patriots to be with Day because she likes him. Will Day and June stay with each other? Or will June go to Anden? Or will Day go to Tess? I 100 percent recommend this book to anyone. But first read the first book of the series. In the beginning of the book, it grabs your attention immediately. The way how the author writes tell you a lot that's going on but in a short passage. And while you read through the book your interest grows bigger and bigger. The book get really intense and heated up by the romance the author described about the characters and what they are doing. It gets really intense because Day is dangerous but kind character and June is one of those "Ms. Perfect" characters so in the book when they interact with each other it gets heated up and intense at the same time. I recommend this book to anyone who likes adventure and dangerous romance. But you don't spefically have to like those genres this book if for anyone.

If you are into the outdoors, especially fly fishing, you'll love the book Trout Bum by John Gierach. It is a compolation of short stories and insightful fly fishing advice. I definitely recommend this book. One of my favorite stories is when he explains how he used inner tubes to catch monster late summer bass. Also as you read you really get a sense of how much the author knows about fishing and how involved he is in the fishing community. You definitely get a feel of how much he loves fishing and how invested his life is in the sport. As I read i could see similarities between my outdoor experiences  and his which made the read much more enjoyable for me.

Magical Pants
Caroline Crowley

The Third Summer
By Ann Brashares

         Did you know that a pair of jeans could forever change a friendship? In The Third Summer by Ann Brashares, Bridget, Lena, Tibby, and Carmen are friends who all experience many life changing events that affect who they originally were. These changes could have been as simple as getting a summer job... or as complicated as having a new baby brother. These four girls have many ups and downs throughout the book and are riding an emotional roller coaster as it is their last summer together before they all go off to different colleges and start a new chapter of their lives. This is a good book to read for many reasons The book has many great life lessons to it. I think the main life lesson in this book is that it's not about the big things that we think should make us happy in life. It's about the little things that we should enjoy in life and make us happy everyday such as doing a good deed, spending time with your loved ones, or practicing until you get something right. You don't need to go over the edge to make yourself happy or be the best. It's the simple things that make us happy in our everyday lives. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys books where there is more than one setting. I would also recommend this book to anyone who likes books where there are a few different stories all combined together to create one unique book. I hope you go out and read this book!

Every Day I Fight Book Review

Jake Gustafson
11/16/16

                                                             Every Day I Fight Book Review
   
 Cancer is a touchy subject but I feel this book dealt with it good. In Every Day I Fight by Stuart Scott it is pretty much Stuart Scott's life being a SportCenter anchor dealing with cancer. Stuart Scott is loving and happy father of his two daughter ,but is distraught by the horrible disease called cancer. Stuart is not brought down by cancer though. Stuart lives life to the fullest. Overall I think this book is decent. I liked the beginning of the book when Stuart talks about his cancer. However, if you get deeper into the book things can get a tad bit boring. It wasn't the most interesting when he talks about his past. I still think you should get this book however. It's a good read. I would recommend this to people who watch sports center when he was on or people who like sports in general. I recommend this book because of the characters. Stuart is a very complex and friendly character pretty much you want to know his story. He gives off this vibe that just makes you want to hear his story. Another reason you should read this book is the theme. The theme of living life to its fullest really brought me in and I think it'll do the same for you. The theme is really relatable because people want to live life to the fullest. The last reason why you should is the context. The context is about cancer which is a really current topic and it interests me and I think it will be the same for others. So all in all, Stuart Scott's Every Day I Fight is a good read and you should read it

Leah Jones:  Opposites don't always attract (by: Rainbow Rowell)
   
     Cath and Wren thought they knew each other like the back of one another's hand, but that all changed. Cath, short for Catherine is the polar opposite of her twin sister Wren. She's in love with reading and writing Fanfictions. She is an online author that wrote a Fanfiction called "Carry On" which is really popular online. Wren on the other hand has grown away from all the Fanfictions she's into partying, getting drunk, hanging out with new friends, and just being a social butterfly. Cath and Wren were growing apart quickly; (“She and Wren weren’t even talking much, let alone fighting” 9). Back at home before college came around, the two high school twins were like two peas in a pod. Cath and Wren were inseparable back then, they lived in the same room all their lives, and wrote chapters of Fanfictions late at night together. Sister goals you say? I thought so too until the fall semester at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln hit. Cath thought that college was going to be a blast just her and her twin sister making new memories and laughs together. Until Wren asked for a different roommate, Cath's whole world changed! Cath is now on her own and is completely out of her comfort zone. Wren believes that this will be good for them both in the long run. Cath is nervous about living with a stranger because she's always lived with Wren her whole life. The question is how will Cath survive? By living off of protein bars ("She grabbed another protein bar." 28) because she wants to avoid eating in the dining hall! How will she make it without Wren holding her hand all the way? Is she ready  to move on and live her own life? It's up to you to find out how this crazy college experience will end...I recommend this book to boys and girls starting at the age of 13 years old, simply because there is some difficult vocabulary and some inappropriate word choices. The book has some humor to it too. I love the book overall, it leaves you wanting to know what's going to happen in the next chapters! This book is also very relatable to our age group because during middle school, high school, and college people do change and grow apart. The genre is realistic fiction.

When friends lead you to suicide

When friends lead you to suicide

Dominique Edwards

Thirteen Reasons Why

Jay Asher 

What would you do if you were the cause of your friends suicide? Thirteen Reasons Why is a book about a boy named Clay Jensen who receives a package of tapes from a girl named Hannah Baker who committed suicide shortly before. Each tape is about a specific person who had been a cause to her committing suicide. The overall genre of this book is more mystery because it is very suspenseful as Clay has to listen to each tape and wondering if his will be next and why he was even included. 

This book was one of my favorite reads and I never got bored with it. What really made this book interesting was the suspense, detail, and realistic events that they included. The book was about a teenage boy getting the tapes and the tapes reflected on happenings with a teenage girl so at some points I could relate and understand what was going on completely because I have seen people in the same situations and even been in some of them. I personally like suspense and wondering what happens next so this book was perfect for me. Also the book did a great job explaining who each character was when they mentioned them so it was easy to follow along. This book really had an effect on me as far as bullying comes. After reading what each tape said and what people did to this girl it shows that you always need to be sensitive around people and even though you may think what you're doing is okay you should always make sue people you're being kind and considerate of everyone's feelings. The book also showed how big of an effect being bullied has on people's lives and anyone who may possibly be bullying and doesn't realize it after reading this book will see how serious bullying really is. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in mysteries or likes suspenseful books because basically during the whole book you don't know what will happen next. The book can be sad at points especially involving suicide so anyone who enjoys sad pieces or isn't sensitive to the topic of suicide and bullying may also want to try this book.

A Batboy and legend in the making, the life of the Batboy, Brian

As a young child Brian and his father were as close as can be, but now Brian's father is nothing but a distant memory to him.  They were once always physically together and always playing baseball but everything had changed.  Brian's father was gone, he left them and the thing that brings them together, mentally, is baseball.

Brian lives with his single mother who takes care of him and supports him alone because his father left them years ago.  Brian's father was once a baseball player who would travel to many different places going to different teams, them Brian came.  Brian's mother, his fathers wife, wanted to settle down because she was now about to have a child.  Well she got was she requested for and they settled down in Detroit, home of the Tigers.  Baseball was officially out of Brian's fathers life and now it was just a small hobbie not a job or lifestyle.  Brian and his father would always go to the tiger games and it is one of the best memory's Brian has and one of the only memory's he has of his father.  A few years later when Brian grew up his father has left him and his mother, they only had each other.  Brian is only 14 and he is a huge baseball fan, especially a fan of the Tigers.  Brian's is very young and really wants to work for the Tigers but is just to young.  In this book Brian is discovering himself and understanding how truly important baseball is to him and all the significance of it to him.  He has a quite a adventure with various characters, especially his mother, but though all this he has obsticals, problems, and situations trying to take him down, what's Brian gonna do?

Brian is a intelligent teen with a true patios for baseball.  He has some true skill and he has overcome many probalems and dealt with many hard times in life with his mother.  Together Brian and his mother live a great but dfficult life and Brian attempts to live up to his dream and he surely is on his way.

The Epic Rivalry in Boston and LA

Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, When the Game Was Ours By Jackie Macmullan 

       Sports go back for numerous years which contain entertainment, talent, dreams coming true, heartbreaks, and what many people would consider the best part of all sports is the rivalries. Rivalries are what make athletes and fans so dedicated and passionate for their sports. They can be rivalries of franchises, coaches, players, fans, and some of the greatest rivalries have been a combination of all of those examples. One of the greatest rivalries of all time was the hatred yet respect between Larry Bird  and Earvin Magic Johnson of the Boston Celtics and the Los  Angeles Lakers. 

       The creator of Larry Bird, Earvin Magic Johnson, When the Game Was Ours, has combined with those two legends to explain their historic rivalry between themselves and their old teams and how them as people have become good friends after their memorable careers. So far in the book, Magic and Larry have been interviewed being asked questions about each other, their old teammates,their old teams and coaches, and their outstanding careers. In his interview, Larry Bird got asked about his past time back home in Indiana and he kept mentioning his two older brothers who were always bigger stronger and better than he was as a kid and how that motivated him to get better so he could beat his brothers in basketball. Larry had never met Magic Johnson before then, the real person that he actually had to beat. What Larry and Magic had between each other went beyond his brothers in competitive levels and sometimes even off the court. Both Magic and Larry after their careers always get asked "how is Larry (or Magic)", as if the two were on the same teams when they played. While Larry's motivation had been his brothers, Magic had a different type of motivation. His coach during high school was it. His coach had always known that he was a special player, but he would always say that "there is another player as good as him and maybe better" than him and Magic had always been on the lookout for that player. He found him once he had played Larry Bird. If you are a fan ignore basketball, sports, rivalries, or even just a good piece of non fiction literature, this is a great book for you to check out. 

The Hobbit - a Fantastic Success or a Let-Down at Best?

Emily Butler

Emily Butler
The Hobbit
By J.R.R. Tolkien

The Hobbit - a Fantastic Success or a Let-Down at Best?

Chances are, you've heard about The Hobbit - it's right up there with The Hunger Games in terms of popularity in the fantasy/fiction genre. If you haven't read it, however, you may be wondering if delving into the strange world of dwarves and elves is really worthwhile. Luckily, that can be cleared up for you right now.

Yeah, you've heard about the book, but what really is it? Well, to be completely honest, J.R.R. Tolkien manages, in a decent 300 pages, to string together a story in which a group of man-creature-things walk a bit, screw things up, and walk some more. But don't worry, it's intense walking. Seriously - as simple as that may sound, the author manages to really make something out of a plot that initially seems bland and repetitive. The repetitive aspect actually becomes an ironic symbol of our protagonist's constant treachery while out of his comfort zone. We start off reading about a world where wizards, goblins, and many other creatures - including humans - live in tense conditions cause by ancient grudges. Bilbo Baggins is our hobbit, a tiny man-like creature with a fear of adventure that is ignored by a group of dwarves and a strange wizard, who wish to whisk him away and set off on the biggest adventure possible - defeating the all-powerful and terrible dragon, Smaug. Throughout their journey, they make both allies and enemies while undergoing development as characters and as friends.

Let's start with the positive here - what does this story do well? For starters, character development is both noticeable and real, specifically Bilbo's Tolkien seems to have created a relatable character,
discovering himself and his potential, out of an impossible creature. As a reader, you'll find yourself laughing at Bilbo's cowardice and sometimes raising your eyebrows when he proves himself to be
much more useful than it initially seems. The other characters are affected by Bilbo's change and their friendship is constantly changing and growing. Overall, the characters are peculiar and memorable - they're everything you'd want out of a fantasy novel.

Not only that, but the style of writing is one that is unique. Each character's dialogue is written in a way that is specific to themselves. The author manages to write in such a way that the book isn't    (despite its acclaim) thrown into the generic group of fantasy that all just sounds the same. Are Katniss Everdeen and Tris Prior even different people? That's beside the point, but this book does manage to surpise the reader - I genuinely expected something more mainstream than what I was actually reading. The main idea and kinds of creatures are quite familiar to us book lovers, but it's what Tolkien manages to teach and how he teaches it that separates The Hobbit from the rest. The words are different than what books present nowadays, and the phrasing has an aura of ancient lore. It's pretty effective, as well as quite satisfying.

No book is perfect though, which means we sadly must come to the bad part.

The main issue I have with this book is that, to be honest, it's too lucky. I know. That makes no sense.
Let me try to explain without sounding the dreaded spoiler alert! Without revealing too much, I'll say that the story can sometimes be just a bit… coincidental. There are multiple "barely escaped, but made it out safe yet again" moments. If you're not the type for improbable and fairy-tale like victories  - maybe you like something a bit darker - it'll be hard to get through this book.

Overall, this is definitely a book I'd consider to read over holiday break. Although it was published 79 years ago, it's always bringing something to the table by teaching us readers that we have so much more potential than we think. It has its quirks, but The Hobbit is a must-have for young adults who love the fantasy genre but want something deeper and with more authenticity. Winter's approaching, so be ready to sit by the fire all day with this captivating novel!

The Lost Hero Neil Patel

The Lost Hero book review
Neil Patel

The Lost Hero
By: Rick Riordan

One of the famous author, Rick Riordan, made a whole new series named The Heroes Of Olympus. The new series was made right after one of the best series. Percy Jackson. The first book in the The Heroes Of Olympus is called The Lost Hero. The book stars this kid named Jason. He does not know where he is. Has no idea where in the world he is. He doesn't know anyone around him. He even does not know who he is. He is on a bus with other students from his private school. There is a girl next to him named Piper. She is so called Jason girlfriend. Jason doesn't recognize her. Leo, which is Jason best friend, interrupts the conversation thinking that Jason is joking around. Once they reach the location, Grand Canyon, one of the student started to bully Piper. His name is Dylan. He starts to fight Jason. Dylan eventually disappeared in the sky. A girl named Annabeth came to pick up Jason, Piper, and Leo. And asked if they saw her boyfriend named Percy. Will they find him? Read the book to find out.

I really like this book. I would give it a 9/10. One of the reason is cause it give a lot of detail. Those people who like books that have a lot of detail this book is a fantastic book for you. Like in the beginning of the book when the kid Jason did not know anything. The author made it feel like you were Jason. "He didn't know his own age." This is one of the quotes that shows how the author describe the story. If you have a real hard time understanding the book you won't with this book. This is easy understanding book because of the first reason. It give a lot of detail so you could understand the book. The last reason I like this book is because of the word choice. The author make the story more interesting with the word choice. If you are a Harry Potter fan or a Percy Jackson fan you will love this book. It is amazing. Maybe after you read the book you will try and recommend this book to other. Thanks for reading this. Hope you enjoy the book.

Into the Abyss of Eldritch Horrors from Beyond

Rachel Boudreau

Great Tales of Horror

By H.P. Lovecraft

The world and stories of H.P. Lovecraft are not for the weak or faint of heart, proceed with caution if you think ye fit to journey into a world of madness and horrors too great for the mortal mind to bear.

So please continue if you dare……. 

“Do not think from my slavery to morphine that I am a weakling or degenerate. When you have read these hastily scrawled pages you may guess, though never fully realize, why I must have forgetfulness or death” (Lovecraft,73) 

This book is a collection of stories from H.P. Lovecraft over the years. It has many of his popular stories including but not limited too, Call of CThulhu, The Colour out of Space, and The Lurking Fear. Each story has a paragraph explaining when and why it was written. It has a total of 20 stories ranging from pages to chapters in length and each is unique in its own way. By the end of this book you will be more paranoid than you think but in a good way. 

When I first began reading this book I was a little hesitant but as soon as I became adapted to the writing style I soon enjoying the full extent of the stories. There were a vast amount large words and many mentions of drugs, graphic violence/descriptions, suicide and mental illness. My overall opinion of the book is it's a great book but as I said before not for the faint of heart or easily scared. It is for those curious about the unknown and are okay with reading a bit of classic horror. 

A large theme of the book was fear of the unknown and madness. Many of the stories deal with people trying to cope with the horrors they have uncovered/seen/summoned. Another  large theme is the unknown, it is used by not revealing the monster until the end of the story but only catching glimpses or flashes of the true horror. It keeps the reader on their toes and makes them keep reading. 

I recommend this book to horror lovers. People who love to read people like Stephen King or fans of the podcast Welcome to Night Vale. It mixes the frightening aspect of both making it a great read. 

“Loathsomeness waits and dreams deep, and decay spreads over the tottering cities of men. A time will come—but I must not and cannot think! Let me pray that, if I do not survive this manuscript, my executioners may put caution before audacity and see that it meets no other eye” (Lovecraft 25) 

The Kite Runner Chases Important Topics and a Great Story

Nick Perez

The Kite Runner  

Books are very rare to tackle challenging topics, but when they do, it can be a mixed bag of results. Some come off as preachy, and some don't include enough of the topic to make it a real statement, and it often gets lost in the storyline. However, in The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, we find a happy medium, balancing the difficult topics and a great and compelling storyline. The story follows Amir, a small boy living in Afghanistan with his father, his servant and the servant's son Hassan, who is Amir's best friend. When a tragic incident occurs involving Hassan, Amir's whole life is changed, and The Kite Runner revolves around how that incident will affect the rest of Amir's life. The challenging topics range from the setting, which is the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, a very dark time in the countries history, to how one event can change the rest of someone's life, and people whose lives are around them. By encompassing these difficult topics with compelling characters, a great storyline, and an interesting setting, The Kite Runner captures your attention, and doesn't let it go until the last sentence. 

In my opinion, The Kite Runner is a very good novel, and one that is definetly worth a read. One of the main reasons is the compelling characters that are encompassed in the novel. Amir, the main character of the story has a very interesting backstory, with his fall from being very rich in Kabul to being a middle class citizen in the United States, as well as the relationship between him and Hassan, and how it is strained by the traumatic experience that Hassan experiences which affects their relationship in many ways. Another interesting character is Amir's father, and how his relationship with his son grows and changes throughout Amir's life. Many things change this relationship and it becomes strained as Amir grows and his intrests and what he finds important in his life. The character of Amir's father and the relationship between him and Amir provide interesting and compelling. Another thing that makes this story so interesting and great in my opinion is that is the setting (location and time) of the story. The setting of the story is during the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan,  a truly dark time in Afghanistan's history, and a period that is seldom talked about in stories, particularly ones that achieve critical acclaim and mainstream success. The setting provides this novel with an even more reason to care about the characters, as they are seperated from their families and forced through strenuous situations that no one should ever go through. This invests you in the characters, thus investing you in the book. Finally, the biggest reason I think this book is great is the storyline. It explores themes of friendship, family, actions and consequences, as well as changing to new environments and the struggle that can create, especially involving immigration. These themes with great characters, believable actions and motivations for these actions, and a great setting, creates a great storyline, and a great novel. I would recommend this book to nearly anyone who just enjoys reading, and is interested in a great story that you won't forget anytime soon.

The Unfiltered Version of A Teen's Life

Kyleigh Hairston

Looking for Alaska
By John Green

Looking for Alaska is like an unfiltered version of a teens life. Most young adult novels written that follow the life of a teen are filtered and written in a PG form. Being a 15 year old, you feel like nobody really understands you except you. Reading a novel about a 15 year old who wants to find a purpose in the world makes you feel like you can fully relate to and understand the character. It is a great refresher, since most young adult books are about teens with cookie cutter lives. When i first opened the book and found out that Pudge wanted to leave home to find his Great Perhaps, I knew I instantly connected with him. There were times when I would ask my mom if I could go to a boarding school or if we could move away so I could figure out who I am and what my purpose in life is.

Although I have only read about half of the novel, so far I can tell you that it follows Miles "Pudge" Halter, a skinny and extremely bright kid as he searches for his "Great Perhaps" at a boarding school called Culver Creek. Pudge has a gift unlike many others. He memorizes the last words of famous figures. At Culver Creek Pudge meets Chip "The Colonel" Martin, his vigorous roommate, who soon introduces him to Alaska Young, the mysterious girl down the hall. Throughout the first half of this novel Pudge and his group of friends do what any group of mischievous teens would do when parents are not around like: smoking, harassing others, drinking in their dorm rooms, getting kicked out of basketball games and much more.

John Green so far has done a marvelous job at writing this. The way the chapters are split into days, and the way they speak will make you feel like you're not reading a book. I recommend this novel if you like surprises and a jaw dropping climax.

Peter Pan Must Die: Drop Dead Incredible? Or Does it Make You Want To Drop Dead?

Danielle Pouliot

Peter Pan Must Die

By John Verdon 

Typically, most people flash through channels with breaking headlines. But you don't want to miss this headline. A woman is arrested for shooting her husband at his mother's funeral. But, a recent reopened case might tip the scale and prove her innocence. Maybe you should keep this channel on.

Peter Pan Must Die takes place in Upstate New York. This suspense-filled mystery is focuses on a very gruesome topic, murder. Carl Spalter was about to give his eulogy at his mother's funeral, but supposedly tripped over the carpet. That carpet filled with blood, and Carl had been shot. He was put in a wheelchair, and later died. Kay Spalter, Carl's wife, was accused of shooting Carl from an apartment in a building that is owned by Spalter Reality. Kay was arrested, and the trial was closed.

A few months after the trial, retired NYPD deceive Dave Gurney was living his typical life, but then his former coworker Jack Hardwick showed up at his door. Jack announced that he reopened the trial, and that Gurney was going to help find the truth. At first, Gurney is hesitant but soon decides to help Jack.

Gurney begins interviewing people close to Carl and visits where he was shot. He then realizes that the case is completly different then he imagined. Gurney goes to the apartment where the gun was supposedly fired to seek more information. What he realizes is that someone falsified evidence. While realizing this, "The apartment where Gurney now stood, mystified." (102). After looking around the apartment building and talking to the security monitor, Gurney finally finds someone, a resident in the apartment called Bolo, who knows what happened. Bolo explains to Gurney that he has some information that Gurney might want to have.

I would absolutly recommend this book. If you are a fan of mysteries, this book is defiantly for you. The plot twists and turns with a new suppose every chapter. Someone who doesn't like mysteries will also like this book. The suspense carries through the whole book and it will automatically hook the reader in. The suspense, plot, and the relatable characters/setting really make this book one that you should read. People who enjoy reading gruesome stories will also like this book because it deals with a horrific topic, murder. Death is a very interesting subject, so why not read about it?

The characters in this book are extremely relatable and can easily be seen in your life. Gurney is a man who misses the adventure and thrill in his life. Madeleine , his wife, is just like everyone's mother. She's concerned for her loved ones and always finds random activities to do. Jack is the crazy friend that someone either loves or hates. The characters are also a part of all of us. Gurney is the little kid inside of us who craves adventure, Madeleine is the person inside of who always wants to keep our loved ones safe, and Jack is the crazy side of everybody. Just like how someone jokes around with their friends, Jack," had a way of getting under Gurney's skin." (9). Everyone is a pain to their friends at sometime, or all the time in Jack's case.

I'm not going to force you to get up and buy this book right now. But, I highly recommend it. This book is relatable and will not bore you. It's one that you should defiantly consider having on your shelf. You won't die of boredom, you'll drop dead from the shocking plot in this story.

The Rivalry of the decade

Cullen Millerick

Brady vs. Manning
By Gary Myers

  Are you a witness to the greatest rivalry in sports history since Larry Bird and Magic Johnson? If you read this book you will become one.

      Two of the greatest quarterbacks to ever live happen to play in the NFL in the same era and the rivalry it creates is EPIC. Both of them fierce competitors that feed off of each other's talent, both trying to one-up each other as they strive for greatness. The two quarterbacks eventually rely on each other to push them to become better that's what's special about rivalries, if they didn't have each other then they wouldn't be what they are now (both debatably the best quarterbacks to ever live). This book gives a behind the scenes look at this rivalry and really shows all the respect and hatrid the two players have for each other.

     I strongly recommend reading this novel, it is stupendous. It is interesting and extremely informational and has excitement throughout. The book covers everything even when the two quarterbacks aren't facing off agianst each other they are trying to beat one another. The epic rivalry never ends, whether on the scoreboard or on the stat sheet these two players are trying to be on top. Growing up in New England I saw this rivalry but never like this, the book doesn't leave out a single detail. Also being a sports fanatic this book is just plain intriguing it isn't that type of novel that will help you fall asleep, but the type of novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. So if your a sports enthusiast, a New Englander or someone from Colorado,  like me, or even just looking to find a good read then this one is definitely for you.

Which Way Home?!?

Ethan Morales

This Way Home
By Wes Moore


Have you ever thought of a start to a basketball career, but the area you live in keeps you from doing so?

Set the scene, Elijah Thomas who is very talented at basketball and wants to continue his career into college and hopefully the NBA. Elijah in his neighborhood that he calls the Battleground is a top player who is known by everyone to be very good at basketball. But when you live in a neighborhood that is in a very dangerous part of town, as well as many gang related ideals take place on every corner. How can Elijah continue to strive in basketball if all around him everything is bringing him down? How will Elijah deal with these issues? Read This Way Home  By, Wes Moore to find out.

If you enjoy realistic fiction books that are based around real life settings and social problems this book is for you! This book is an amazingly published book as it compares and contrasts your personality with the main character. The theme the author sets is a very realistic setting that is based in the "hood" (or a neighborhood struggling through poverty). As the main character progresses through the book he encounters a lot of gang violence and gang related ideals. The main character Elijah spoke to me because of how the other created his character as a boy who loves basketball and is a hard worker. Also, how he is reapectful and gets things done.

An issue with this book I feel is that the chapters may seem to short for the average reader and for that a problem occurs because when a new chapter starts it is basically a new story of the main characters life. That is the only issue I have found with this book.

I recommend this book to all teenagers as it can relate to your life in many certain and spectacular
ways. Also, if you have read All American Boys you would like this book because it is a very similar style of writing.

The Book With The Dying Girl

Mariana Fry
Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
By: Jesse Andrews


             No, this not your typical Cinderella story. This is real life, and happily ever afters rarely exist. Now don't be fooled by my title, I will not explain what happens to the girl. I will not tell you if she lives or not, that's for you to confirm when you read this book. Yes the girl is dying, but that does not mean she dies. There is more to the story.
          
           This book is about a kid named Greg and his friend Earl. Earl and Greg are two high school students who enjoy making short films with no purpose for fun. One day they came across a girl named Rachel suffering from leukemia. They end up spending everyday with her and becoming close friends. Because of the frequent company, the boys make their most recent movie about her. The book is mostly spent with the boys visiting Rachel at her house because she no longer attends school. 
         
          Because this book is about high school students, I feel that kids my age can relate to it most because they have a better understanding of the slang and attitude towards everything in this book rather than adults or children. More specifically, I'd say teenage girls would like this book at most because it's a dramatic love story. Along with the love, it can also be sad at times to help balance out the mood and keep you on your toes. Personally, this book wasn't for me. Every once in a while I want to pick up a book that is a sad chick flick, but this one just didn't pull me in. If you're looking for a sad love story, pick up The Faults In Our Stars before reading this one. Because the main character was a boy and a film maker, it was hard to make connections with him. On the other hand, I could better relate to Rachel because she is outgoing, but knows wen to keep things to herself. She also speaks her mind, and trusts little to no people. However because the book didn't interest me, I couldn't relate too much to any character.

A Novel Incorporating Video Games? Yes Please!

By Justin Loc

"Ready Player One"
By Ernest Cline

          The novel "Ready Player One" is one of the many dystopian science-fiction novels of our generation, yet it is one of the most favorited. Our protagonist and narrator, Wade Watts, is a normal teenager in the year 2044, a time where the world is in crisis and most of the population spends their lives in a virtual reality called the OASIS. Many people spend a large amount of their lives to using the OASIS, since it gives them an educational system, allows people to change their appearances as they wish, and makes life easier in a countless number of ways. Wade is a student in the OASIS, but he is also an egg hunter in his free-time. Egg hunters, also known as "gunters", are people that are participating in the Hunt, a search started by the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, the richest man to ever live. The Hunt is the search of a chain of Easter eggs placed inside the OASIS by Halliday himself, and it began right after his death. The Easter eggs were based off of video games that inspired Halliday growing up. Whoever finds the final Easter egg will claim all of Halliday’s wealth. His fortune contains over two hundred and forty billion dollars. Many people attempted to find them, but almost no one knew where to start. Halliday only left a few clues behind to find it. But, maybe all of this could change. Wade Watts holds an extraordinary knowledge of video game history and Halliday's entire life. He seems to know nearly everything about video games and technology, but he has two problems. He has to stay on his school planet so he doesn't risk getting expelled from his educational system, and he is a very low-leveled OASIS player. This makes hunting for the Easter eggs much more complicated and tough for Wade, as if it wasn't hard enough.
          Now, I have only read around half of this book, but I can tell you already, it is amazing. I've heard many great opinions on it, and I'll say it right now. You have to read this book eventually! I'm not saying you should go and read this book right now, but definitely consider reading it in your free time at some point. Many readers can relate to Wade, due to his tough life where and when he lives: “I had to move in with my mom’s sister, Alice. Aunt Alice didn't take me in out of kindness or familial responsibility. She did it to get extra food vouchers from the government every month. Most of the time, I had to find food on my own” (19). Wade’s parents are dead, so he lives in poverty in a trailer with his cruel aunt, where they struggle to pay for rent. I personally love in this book so far on how realistic this novel is, and how Ernest Cline was able to integrate so many video games into it- around 15! Although this novel might seem appealing only to video game enthusiasts, any teenager can find this book spectacular and interesting. As I was reading this, I found the book to be very realistic, relatable, and overall amazing. I also found Wade’s narration and the dialogue extremely natural. Lines in the novel like “That story you heard? About how we were all created by a super-powerful dude named God...Total bullsh*t...We made it all up” (17), definitely prove how his narration is like he is having a normal conversation with the reader. I could definitely see myself as Wade in this story, as we have similar personalities, and even the speech throughout the characters was similar to my own conversations with my friends. It definitely opens up many of the readers’ minds to imagine new worlds like Wade’s.
          So, I recommend this book to everyone, but especially teenagers. Anyways, have fun reading this novel, because I sure am! I doubt anyone could regret reading this!

Boston can finally breath

Michael Vital
Reversing  the Curse
By: Dan Shaughnessy


  Can you ever imagine, a baseball team that has been around for 103 years and has not won a championship for over 86 years. The Red Sox were that team. Constant historical battles with the Yankees of  New York lead to much disappointment. But in 2004, that all changed. The Red Sox are a professional baseball franchise out of  Boston. Starting play in the year of 1901, the Red Sox had won a championship two years later in 1903. The franchises championship in 1912, was the last the Red Sox had won. Plenty of  times this team had an opportunity to win. But in some cases, you could say they gave up, or even chocked. Trade after trade left the franchise in pieces. The biggest trade that was made was the trade of  Babe Ruth. After being traded the Great Bambino had sworn that the Sox would never win a World Series again. It looked true. The Red Sox could never seam to catch a break. They made constant efforts to last in the playoffs, but lost to their rivals, the Yankees almost every time.
   In my opinion this book was a very interesting read. It was very historical in the sense that you could not even believe the amount of years it took them to finally break the curse of  the Bambino. This book made me feel inspired to be able to overcome hardship. I could connect to all the language and terminology as most of it had to do with sports and athletics. I truly recommend this book because of  its historical means. The Red Sox are the oldest team in Major League Baseball, and also Boston's oldest sports franchise. The main theme of this book was hope and relentlessness. A team that had gone through so much suffering did not want to live another year without a championship for Boston. The characters in this book are very admirable. Many of them had done great things to help the Sox convey in the 2004 World Series. " Matt Damon, or should I call him God." The author expresses one of the characters as a God. Reviling that this player played a huge role in the 2004 championship win. "This series win meant more to the people of  Boston, than it did to the players in the game." The fans had waited too long and could finally stop waiting  as the day that many thought could never come, actually came.
  To conclude, I recommend this book to all lovers of sports. Especially ones who support the Boston teams. Also, any readers who are interested in history could also be  interested in this book as every chapter reviles an important and significant historical event.

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn, written by authors Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian, is an unnerving book that will leave you feeling stunned at how high school seniors take on different hardships in their everyday lives. At this point in time, I don't really know what my opinion of the book would be at the end of it, versus now(in the middle).


So far in the book, so many different mysteries have started to unfold. We have Mary, who came back to her hometown to face the boy that used to bully her everyday. She came to tell him that he can't control her life and do what he wants to do with it, but that she will write her own story. Lillia, on the other hand, is busy keeping an eye on her younger sister Nadia, who just started high school. But with friends like Rennie and Alex, who can sometimes go a little too far, it's hard to make the right decisions. Kat, Lillia's former friend, tries dealing with depression and stress every single day. Lillia's friend Rennie and Kat are two very violent people when brought together. They fight as if they were animals, and not human beings, by spitting in each other's faces. Can Mary, Lillia, and Kat pull it all together and face their hardships, or will they run away from them and hide?



Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian both do a great job of telling this story so that readers can see what goes on in the lives of high schoolers, typically seniors. We get to see how they deal with their problems and whether or not they're taking the right decisions or making the right choices. I personally recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about other people's problems and then connect to their own. The plot of this book is very good that it will keep you wanting to read more. It is always very hard for me to put the book down once I start reading it, and I look forward to reading it, as it is so interesting. Burn for Burn is a book that you won't regret reading.

Queer Literature: Is It Always As Revolutionary As It Sounds?

Ray Tate

I Am J
By Cris Beam

With all of the LGBT activism cropping up around the world within the past five or six years, it's only natural that the topic has begun appearing in literature with increasing frequency as well. One of the more unique books of its kind, I Am J follows J Silver, a transgender teenage boy discovering and going through the steps he needs to take in order to transition. Through photography and a series of ups and downs with the relationships of people he's close with, J makes his way down the bumpy road to finding his true self while trying to maintain his connections with the people around him.

Being transgender myself, it's always nice to get recommended a book with a transgender character. Much less often, a transgender main character. And even less often, transgender male main characters; I can think of maybe two off of the top of my head that meet this standard. Then, only once in a blood moon, it has a transgender male main character of color. I Am J brings all of these minorities to the table like no other predecessor has done before, and that's cool! That's great! More authors should do that in order to better represent the demographics of the queer community! But even with all of that going for it, this book still brings over-used tropes in LGBT (especially the T) literature that make it frustrating for me, personally, to read-- the whole "I always knew" point of view, for one. It's a perfectly valid way to feel, but in my experience, more often than not, queer people aren't solid in their identity since elementary school or prior. I only started considering gender shortly after I turned thirteen and came out six months later; many queer people don't even question their identities until well into their late teenage years or twenties. It would have been nice if this book addressed that as well, but alas, that's not the case; even three-year-old J forswore femininity before he even knew what that was.

In addition to all of the queer cliches that only queer people are familiar with, J, as a character, has many moments throughout the book where he has made some characteristically misogynistic and homophobic comments that can make him actually pretty unlikable-- for the sake of spoilers, I'll leave out the details on certain key plot points, but on more than one occasion he says some rather hateful things towards lesbians as a whole group. He doesn't really go through any character development through the entire story in regards to that or generally; if you were to ask yourself, "What has J learned through the events in this book?" when you reach the end of the story, you'll be grasping at straws to find anything of any substance.

Now, don't get me wrong with all of the trash that I'm talking; I believe wholeheartedly in including minorities in fiction even if the author themselves isn't a member of that minority, and this book does take a stab at that, but I do also believe that they should leave stories about the minority experience to people who have experienced them. Beam is a prime example of this; she is not transgender and commits the cardinal sin of reducing J to just "transgender," rather than giving him anything of a personality or weaving him into a believable human being. Even though J and I both share the trait as being transgender guys, I find it extremely hard to connect with him emotionally due to his severe lack of an ability to self-reflect; so much stuff happens to him in such a short amount of time, but he never changes as a person! So, if I can't connect with him, then I ask myself, who is there? Nine times out of ten, the supporting characters in this story are either not realistic, centered on one trait (gimmicky or "quirky"), or just completely transparent and robotic in their actions, so I'm left at a dead-end for any way to project myself into this kid's journey.

All in all, I think that this story, as a story, is subpar at best, and that's not really anything new for LGBT literature, if I'm being honest. The characters aren't too great, and the plot is bland and drags on for too long with how little it's based on. However, I will admit that in terms of being a podium for educating people on transgender politics, I think I Am J would be an okay place to start for those who want to learn about transgender terminology and transition without being bogged down by all of the conflicting ideas and opinions in today's social media platforms. Just don't expect it to be integrated too well into the story; everything about hormone replacement treatment sounds as if it was ripped straight from a Wikipedia article and slapped right into the dialogue without a whole lot of thought put into it.