Reviewed by Student: Jolleen M.
I would say to a friend that Spin of Fate is a vivid and dynamic world. If you’re into fantasy or science fiction, then I definitely recommend it. In my opinion, I feel like it was a good read, the story isn’t too complex and doesn’t have an overwhelming exposition.
Review by student: Akela B.
Edie is a gymnast and dancer who lives in a house with her family. Because they are Jewish, during WWII they are sent to the camps; she is separated from her first love, her boyfriend. While in Auschwitz, Edie dreams of seeing her boyfriend again. In the camp dormitory, the camp director is a creepy lurch who has Edie dance for him in exchange for a whole loaf of bread. When they are liberated, Edie and her sister, Magda, find out who made it out of the camps and who didn’t. They have to create a new life after the war.
I like the book because it goes into detail about life after the war and their recovery. I like this book because I knew it was the author’s life.
Review by student: Jolleen M.
Los Angeles Cuban Community: Clary, 17, takes great pride in her family florist. Her childhood nemesis, Emilio, would rather run away from his family bike repair business. Opposites attract, and they’re stronger together.This was a fun read about strengthening the Cuban community in Los Angeles, especially in light of the recent, devastating fires in Los Angeles and because I lived in Los Angeles. I could totally picture Echo Park and the sultry summer days.
The book was well paced and characters were easy to relate to. I like the switching narratives between Clary and Emilio. I think the author nailed the meddling Cuban family. I loved all the references to flowers and food and Cuban culture.
I feel like the romance between Clary and Emilio could have been a little more mysterious. It was an obvious romance. There seemed to be a competing storyline for Clary and her family drama, but Emilio does help her through it. They are a good couple.
Review by student: Jolleen M.
Theo is a sweet, sometimes naive, 16 year old boy who is mourning the loss of the life he loved and adjusting to his new life. He broke his leg and is adjusting his plans for the summer. He works as a prep chef under a high-end french restaurant and meets a girl named Julia who he falls in love with.
I would definitely recommend this book to a friend who is into drama and romance. At least for me, it was quick and easy to read because I do enjoy a good romance book. It’s nothing too complicated to understand. I feel like it’s a good book to read if you’re into romance and drama or even maybe a little bit of culinary.
I really liked Theo’s character development throughout the story and that it takes place in the 80’s. I don’t have any suggestions. I quite enjoyed this book.
By Scott Reintgen
A little bit How to Train Your Dragon and a little bit Ender’s Game, this compelling story of Lunar Jones, orphan living on Mars, and his newly developed connection with a hidden dragon, Dread, throws him and all who have been keeping Dread a secret into a series of complications. Because Dread is being hunted by other powerful celestial dragons, he has been kept a secret and trained with many humans hoping to bond with him. When Lunar is the one Dread chooses, even though they’ve just met, the secret gets out and they must flee to find protection from an all-powerful dragon of Jupiter. The rag-tag collection of crew that accompany Lunar and Dread learn even more secrets of the past. This is the first of a new series, and I, for one, am anxious for the next book in the series to be completed! I think this will be a big hit with fans of Ender’s Game. I also love the paper edges of the hardback copy I have because it is covered with dragon scales. The idea that dragons are the magical spaceships to travel the universe as well as the guardians of planets and moons is a unique and intriguing concept. I don’t see a book 2 out yet, but I hope we don’t have to wait too long.
Written like lyrics with rhythm and rhythm, Bridges Instead of Walls is Mavis Staples memoir of growing up in a musical family and going on to successful performance career. Each part of Mavis’s life is treated as almost its own song, reinforcing the musical theme in her life. The Staple Singers, Mavis’s family’s performing group started as gospel group and eventually expanded to add message music that supported the Civil Rights Movement.
Mavis sees her life as a series of bridges, many of which were built from the music in her life. Born in Chicago to a poor black family that moved north during the Great Migration, Mavis met Elvis, Dr King, and Prince; she sang for presidents and princes; and earned accolades and awards for her music. Recommended for collections looking for books on music in the Civil Rights Movement.
The book includes a recommended listening list, recommended viewing list, and a timeline.
In the Terezin ghetto where Jewish people were confined during World War II, survival was not guaranteed. A teacher named Irma Lauscher asked a fellow prisoner to risk his life to smuggle in a sapling to help the children celebrate Tu BiShavat, the New Year of the Trees. This sapling planted in a pot then later in the ground. Water was scarce, so the children shared a few drops of their water every day. It became known as Etz Chaim, The Tree of Life. The tree survived, but many of the residents of Terezin did not. Many died in the ghetto and many others were shipped off to concentration camps. The horrors of the Holocaust is summed up in the books words, “The children were the future of the Jewish people. And the Nazis wanted a future without Jewish people.” The tree survived and after the war, Irma saw that seeds from the tree were planted all over the world in memory of the children in the ghetto. In 2007, the tree died after taking flood damage, but it’s 600 descendants around the world thrive.
The Tree of Life focuses the story on life, hope, and strength in unity during a truly horrific time in history. Pair with This Very Tree: A Story of 9/11, Resilience, and Regrowth by Sean Rubin.
As the conflict that became the Korean War was erupting, many people were forced to flee from the violence. In The House Before Falling into the Sea, a young girl’s family welcomes one group after another to shelter in their home at the base of the Korean peninsula. The sacrifices she is asked to make and the disruptions to her life at times grate on her. With the help of her parents, she accepts that its okay to be scared and that as a group they can hold each other up.
The image a rock reappears throughout the story; from the travelers looking like stones, suseok (stone art), the stony beach, and finally the stone commemorating the generosity of the Tak family in welcoming those displaced by war. In the words of Umma, “Our visitors are not stones we can toss to the sea.”
A gently told story of time and place not often seen in picture books. Use when teaching about the Korean War, displaced people, or on a unit on kindness and compassion.
Beautiful illustrations show dark and light, the fear and the peace of a home that stood as a refuge for family and friends fleeing south.
Reviewed by OHS Student, Kloie P.
The Mayweathers and Hunts all officially meet each other in Cancún for an engagement party. However, old problems arise and relationships become tense, with the breaking point of someone mysteriously dying. This book has plenty of suspense- since the first page, tidbits of information is given of a murder that happens further along the two families week-long vacation in Cancún. In between, events leading up to the death explain backstory, as well as more side stories that account for certain distasteful relationships between characters.
This book keeps you guessing; you think you know everything, and think that you can probably draw a good conclusion, except more information is constantly revealed and keeps you pretty hooked. It also had some representation, which is always nice. However, I feel like the way the author portrayed how teenagers act is how they acted in 2005-2015 (and caused me to cringe a couple times). The vocabulary is also not that advanced. The latter kept me from finishing this book as quickly as I usually would, as it just felt somewhat bland to me.
I think anyone could read this book if they enjoy thriller (and are above maybe 5th grade?), and the vocabulary doesn’t have too many fancy words.
Jun moves to America from Hong Kong. She only knows a handful of words and they are written on her hand. School feels isolating and very scary. Her lunchbox is filled with familiar comforting things from home and leads the way to new friendships.
The book is mostly wordless and the only text is speech bubbles and a few pages. The illustrations of school are dark and you can feel Jun’s sadness, but when Jun opens her lunchbox, joy and color burst forth. The end of the book includes the English and Cantonese translations of the few words that Jun knows, as well as a description of the things in her lunchbox.