Teen Book Reviews

Teen Book Review
Use this form to submit a review for a Young Adult book. You may earn one hour of community service for each book review; there is a limit of 4 hours per person per month.

To qualify for community service credit, reviewed books must be YA books available in the Edge print collection at the White Plains Public Library. To find out if a title qualifies, search for it in our Library catalog found here. Make sure to click on the title of the book to confirm that the record says White Plains Library AND that the shelving location is listed as YA Fiction, YA Nonfiction, or YA Graphic Novel.

The review should consist of at least five sentences, introducing the main characters and plot without giving spoilers. Your goal is to show other teens what makes this book interesting and worth reading.

Please contact YA librarian Kat at kcarroll@whiteplainslibrary.org to request documentation of your community service credit, or if you have any questions. Please specify what kind of documentation your volunteer organization requires (letter, signed form, email, etc.)

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Please check all boxes that apply to your book: * Required
If so, please list titles and authors for the other books.
*five real sentences    *introduce the premise and main characters    *no spoilers allowed

Reviews

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer   by   Rick Riordan   5 stars

Genre/s:   Adventure, Fantasy, Humor

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

Magnus Chase is a homeless teenager from Boston who ran away from his family. His cousin Anabeth and Magnus' uncle are looking for him because they want to help him but Magnus doesn’t want their help. Then Magnus finds a sword and fights a monster. The fighting went on until he died. Then Magnus wakes up in Valhalla and an adventure begins.



Submitted by:   

   March 27, 2023 at 9:12 am

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief   by   Rick Riordan   5 stars

Genre/s:   Adventure, Fantasy, Friendship

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

Percy Jackson gets his world turned upside down as he finds out the Greek gods are very real. After Percy Jackson finds out hes a demigod he is sent to camp half blood where he meets a girl named Annabeth. Percy later finds out that Zeus' lightning was stolen. Since Percy showing up was around the same time the lightning was stolen Percy is blamed for stealing it. Because of this, Percy and Annabeth set out on an adventure to retrieve Zeus' lightning.



Submitted by:   

   March 27, 2023 at 7:55 am

Their Eyes Were Watching God   by   Zora Neale Hurston   2 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction, #ownvoices (the author shares the identity of the character, and writes from their own personal experience; )

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

This book follows the story of Janie, a black women heavily based on the author living in the 1930s of America. This book was written to show the reality of what it was like to live in black America in the 1930s. In this story Janie wants to get married to a romantic and loving man she can grow old and be happy with. But her grandmother, who grew up under slavery and is aware of the unfortunate circumstances of Janie’s birth, strongly believes a good husband is strong and rich, and only meant to protect his wife. The path Janie chooses will shape the rest of her life.



Submitted by:   

   March 21, 2023 at 6:59 pm

The long way down   by   Jason reynolds   4 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction

The book reminded me of:   No it was okay

My review:   

This book was about a kid and a boy who lived a really hard life with his older brother who was currently older than him .They both grew up with problem and suffering until one day things changed when his brother who was only 19 was murdered.the boy suffered from his brother loss and wanted revenge so one day he grabbed his brother weapon who was in his brother bedroom to hunt and murder the murderer who killed his brother and he wasnt gone stop till he got his revenge for his older brother,



Submitted by:   

   January 17, 2023 at 2:58 pm

The Crossover   by   Kwame Alexander   3 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction, Romance, No Romance, Humor, #ownvoices (the author shares the identity of the character, and writes from their own personal experience; ), Family

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

The story followings two siblings whose dad is in the NBA. Their dad teaches them to play basketball and you see them getting better and better as time goes on. They struggle to earn a basketball scholarship to college so they can follow their dreams. You'll like this book, if you like sports and funny stories. I gave this book 3 stars because the story was interesting but I wish it was longer.



Submitted by:   

   November 17, 2022 at 7:42 pm

The Hate U Give   by   Angie Thomas   4 stars

Genre/s:   Adventure, Realistic Fiction, #ownvoices (the author shares the identity of the character, and writes from their own personal experience; )

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

The Hate U Give is a book revolving around social, and racial issues that many people experience today. Starr, the main character, is a young female African American teen, going to an all white school. One tragic night, her friend and her are driving and end up pulled over on the side of the road. Starr knows this is not something to joke about, and tells her friend to do whatever the police officer says. Though, Starr's friend begins to mock the situation, knowing he hadn't done anything wrong, and thinking it didn't matter. The police officer asks Starr's friend to get out of the car and put his hands on the car. When he does this, the police officer walks back over to his car, and as the police officer is away, Starr's friend reaches for a hair brush in the car, which the police mistakes for a fire arm. This ends in the killing of Starr's friend, and sparks a series of events and protests in the all white community Starr is living in. She deals with discrimination in her all white school, and her all white friends, and even with her all white boyfriend. I personally liked this book because of how inspiring it was. I believe the book is going to help teach and influence teens and younger minds.



Submitted by:   

   November 9, 2022 at 10:50 am

The Perks of Being a Wallflower   by   Stephen Chbosky   4 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction, Family, Friendship

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

The perks of being a wallflower is a great coming of age story. The story is told through a series of letters that are written by Charlie to someone he considers his “friend”, though it is unknown whether he is an actual person or just Charlie's imagination. Recently, Charlie is grieving his middle school best friend's suicide. Now going into high school, he goes through a series of events, and the ups and downs of friendships. I really enjoyed how the book was written, and the many topics discussed. It highlighted on subjects that many authors and people with a voice are afraid to speak out about. I give this book a four out of ten, and definitely believe it should be directed at a more mature audience, instead of teenagers.



Submitted by:   

   November 9, 2022 at 10:43 am

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children   by   Tim Burton   4 stars

Genre/s:   Adventure, Fantasy, Mystery, Romance, Family, Friendship

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

Jake, a young boy with a peculiar grandfather, is shocked one night when he comes to find that his deceased grandfather in the woods, without any eyes. This sets Jake to continue his father's research, where he finds himself on a remote island off the coast of Wales. He discovers an abandoned orphanage, and the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its ruins, it becomes clear that these children weren't just peculiar. They may have alone on this island, for good reason. In my own personal opinion, I would say this book was really good. I really enjoyed the mystery filled thriller, and suspense. It kept me wanting to read more, and discover the answers to the book.



Submitted by:   

   November 3, 2022 at 11:00 am

Holding up the universe   by   Jennifer Niven   2 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction, Romance, Friendship

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

Libby Strout, a young girl who’s ready for the ups and downs of high school after her dealing with the grief of her mom’s death and her heartbroken father. Libby decides that she wants to be the girl that can do anything after the previous label of ”Americas fattest teen”. Jack Masselin, a swagger boy who knows how to give people what they want. Though what people don’t see is that jack can’t recognize faces. The people closest to him like his own brothers are now strangers. Having the ability to rebuild anything he wants, jack struggles to figure out what’s going on with the inner workings of his brain. So, he abides by his own strict rules to stay charming to always smile and to not get to close with anyone. Though that all changes once jack meets Libby. Finding themselves both in a group counseling, Libby and Jack are surprised the more time they spend together on how close they feel.

I like the way this book started but after getting into it with me and my class group, I noticed I didn’t like the way the author was continuing the story line. If I had to rate this book I would give it a 2/5. One thing that sticks out to me is the way that the author discusses teenage struggles in modern day society.



Submitted by:   

   November 1, 2022 at 9:25 pm

Speak   by   Laurie Halse Anderson   4 stars

Genre/s:   Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novel

The book reminded me of:   

My review:   

In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, outcast freshmen Melinda finds herself alone. All because she busted this summer party by calling the cops, causing nobody to speak to her. Though what those kids don't know, is why she had called those cops, and they definitely will not listen to her if she tried to tell them. She becomes an isolated, reserved girl, and only finds comfort in her art class, where she eventually allows herself to come to terms with what happened. In this powerful novel, Melinda was raped by an upperclassmen boy at the summer party, someone who still goes to school with her. Throughout her healing, she runs into that boy once again, and is met by violence. Though, this time she doesn't allow herself to be fearful, instead she stands up for herself and speaks against it.



Submitted by:   

   October 28, 2022 at 11:51 am