The Bungalow Mystery by Carolyn Keene

This mystery novel is the third book in the Nancy Drew series. It tells the story of an eighteen-year-old detective, Nancy Drew, and a very mysterious case. Nancy and her friend, Helen Corning, meet a girl named Laura Pendelton. Laura just moved in with her new guardians after her mother’s death. But Nancy detects something very strange about these guardians. Laura says that they mistreat her all the time, and seem to be after a jewelry collection of Laura’s.  Nancy does some sleuthing around, trying to find a clue to her suspicions of Laura’s guardians. Will Nancy figure out and solve this case to help Laura?

I really liked this book and would recommend it to anyone that loves a mystery book. This book left me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t stop reading it. I would rate this book a 9/10, because it was very interesting, and would leave you hanging at the end of every chapter.

-Briana Shehu (Ashburn Library)

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

This mystery novel is the second book in the Nancy Drew series. It tells the story of an eighteen-year-old detective, Nancy Drew, and how she solves the mystery of the “haunted” house. There’s supposedly a ghost who is haunting an old family mansion. Nancy is determined to find who this ghost is, and why he is trying to scare the owners of the mansion. Meanwhile, Nancy’s father hasn’t come back from his business trip, and a mysterious man warned Nancy that her father was in grave danger. Nancy’s first impression of this man’s warning wasn’t taken seriously. But soon Nancy realizes that maybe her father is in danger, and that may be the reason why he hasn’t come back from his business trip. What can Nancy Drew do to solve the case of the haunted house and the case of why her father is being threatened?

This mystery and thriller novel is very intriguing. Every chapter ends with a clue of some sort, a discovery of Nancy’s, and even a thought that might lead to solving the mystery. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves reading mystery books. I would rate this book an 8/10.

-Briana Shehu (Ashburn Library)

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

We Were Liars is a book written by E. Lockhart. It is about a 17 year old girl named Cadence Sinclair. Every summer, Cadence and her cousins, who call themselves The Liars, go to their grandparents private island. Cadence, who now had amnesia, tries to piece together the tragedy that happened two years before. This was a good book because it has so many plot twists and was really interesting. I would give it a 9/10. I would recommend this book to teenagers who like mystery and romance books.

Smrithi Ramesh (Gum Spring)

Grenade by: Alan Gratz

Grenade is a great book that gives you both points of view of America’s invasion of the Japanese island of Okinawa. This book tells you about how Hideki a young boy is forced to go out of school and fight for the Japanese army. Even though Hideki doesn’t want to fight it is not his choice and his commander gives him a grenade and tells him “Don’t come back until you have killed an American soldier.” It also shows how a young American Marine just arrived at the bloody battlefield of Okinawa and it is his first battle.

I really liked this book because it shows both points of view and it shows you how differently people can think or have been taught. It shows you that you are not always right with your assumptions. This book is also filled with nonstop action and sad drama. I would give this book a 10/10.

By: Jorik Shehu (Ashburn Library)

 

Speak: By Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak is a realistic fiction novel that encompasses the real-life struggles that a victim of abuse faces. The main character, Melinda Sordino, was sexually assaulted at a party the summer before her freshman year by IT (Andy). However, the trauma she faced causes her an inability to speak about the incident, so no one, not even her best friend, knows what happened that night. Out of shock, Melinda called the cops at the end of the party, resulting in her freshman year being filled with bullying and an extreme loss of friends. Throughout the year, she has trouble coping with grades, friends, the trauma, and honestly just the stress of a high-schooler. Will she tell anyone what happened? Will her life turn around?

Anderson’s novel uses a multitude of figurative language such as similes, metaphors, and personification to convey Melinda’s inner thoughts. These literary devices make up for her lack of dialogue and provide readers with Mel’s perspective of high school. I would rate this book an 8/10 due to the immense, effective word usage and important message. However, the plot slowed down in some parts of the story. I highly recommend this book to high schoolers because the message of speaking up about assault is essential.

-Rashmi Admala (Gum Spring)

To Kill a Mockingbird: By: Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird is a historical fiction novel that takes place in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. Two children, Jem and Scout, grow up in the simple society where they learn, play, and explore the mystery of Boo Radley. However, their southern town has a major divide between white and colored folk due to discrimination. Their father, Atticus Finch, is a lawyer who takes a case to defend a black man who is accused of raping a white woman. Against all odds, Atticus puts his best effort forward on the case to uphold his morals and set an example for Jem and Scout. Will he prevail? Will the black man be proven innocent?

Harper Lee’s novel provides both an innocent perspective through the children’s play with Boo and a mature perspective through expressing a black man’s struggle in society. This coming-of-age novel depicts Scout’s transition as she learns about her father’s case and how society truly is. The highlights of this novel include the use of figurative language as well as an interesting plot. I would recommend this novel to those in grades eight and above because there is a traumatic assault; however, the message of the story is crucial.

-Rashmi Admala (Gum Spring)

The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene

This mystery novel is the first in the Nancy Drew series. The story is about an 18-year-old girl, Nancy Drew, who is a detective and gets involved with the mystery of Josiah Crowley. She needs to find out whether or not Mr. Crowley wrote a last will before his death. Mr. Crowley had already written a will, but Nancy believes that there is another one. She wants to close this case hoping to find his last will and hoping to help a lot of families that need the money. Will she find the will, helping all the people that are in need of it, or will she figure out that she may have been wrong and there really wasn’t another will?

I really liked this book and thought that it was a very thrilling story. I would recommend it to people who really like mystery books and to ages 10 and up, not because it’s hard to read, but because it may be a bit boring in some parts of the book.

-Briana Shehu (Ashburn Library)

 

Dragon Ball Z volume 1 by Akira Toriyama

This book is very exciting and is filled with action. When an evil alien comes to earth  Goku must fight him off to protect Earth. Enemies become friends and Goku realizes he is a Saiyan but Goku finds out that there are more aliens coming to destroy Earth can he save everyone? Read the book to find out.

The story is a little weird and the storyline is not great but the book is packed with action and plot twists. I would give this book a 7/10.

-Jorik Shehu (Ashburn Library)

Daughter of the Siren Queen — Tricia Levenseller

The second book containing our favorite pirate, Alosa, begins with the capture of Vordan and the last piece of the treasure map. It’s a victory for her, but when Vordan exposes a secret about her father, the crew is pitted into a dangerous race with the wrath of the Pirate King. On the journey, she faces hard decisions, losses, and depleting resources. She is still stuck with Riden, who continues to get under her skin, and the risks are piling up. Her father is catching up to Ava-lee. With the lives of her crew in her hands, Alosa is determined to reach the treasure before the king does. And she’ll always make it through because, well, she’s the daughter of the Siren Queen.

Witty and hilarious, I’d say this book kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Warning: There may be some violent descriptions not suitable for younger children. All in all, I think the sequel to Daughter of the Pirate King is a beautifully written continuation of the series because the plot is fun and engaging.

 

Melody Guo (Cascades)

Scripted — Maya Rock

On Bliss Island, every word you say and breath you take is recorded and produced as part of a show called Blissful Days. The show is aired for people on the mainland, and they think the people of Bliss Island have perfect lives. But in reality, the Characters only face different challenges. No special features in actions or appearances means no popularity. Long-time crushes who date best friends don’t notice others. Receiving multiple low ratings leads to being cut from the set. Too bad for Nettie Starling, because she faces all of those challenges. She starts taking suggestions and her ratings grow higher with a promise of a better life. But she starts to doubt Media1, the producers of the show, when she discovers some questionable activities around the island and when the suggestions become too risky to take. Nettie is determined to uncover the secrets of the island, even if she has to figure out how to do that with her every move being watched.

This clever story shows you a behind-the-scenes-Character fighting for what’s right. This was a compelling book for me because of the realistic characteristic of this setting. In my opinion, there could’ve been more description about the places surrounding Bliss Island, such as the mainland, but other than that I would give this book a thumbs up.

 

Melody Guo (Cascades)