Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows takes place in Ketterdam, home of the Dregs. The Dregs are one of the many gangs in the Barrel. 17-year old Kaz Brekker, a member of the gang, is known to be the most ruthless. Someone offers to hire him for a very dangerous heist, for a very large sum of money. With money as his motive, Kaz decides to gather a crew for the heist. A thief, a Heartrender, a gambler, a runaway, a traitor, and a girl known as the Wraith. They’re all in it for the cash prize, but will they live to claim it?

One thing I loved about the book was all the characters. They were all very complex, with their own motives and backstories. This made their relationships and interactions with the other characters very intriguing. Something that I wasn’t a fan of was how confusing it was. After page 400, the plot and the plan for the heist became extremely confusing, and I wasn’t really sure what was happening anymore.     

I still very strongly recommend this book to people who like the “found family” trope. It’s amazing how you see the characters build stronger relationships and how much they all care about each other. I also recommend Six of Crows to people who like mystery books because there are a few twists in the book, and it’s a page-turner that keeps you wanting to know what changes were made to the plan and what their next move is. The only trigger warning I can think of for this book is mentions of sexual abuse, genocide, and a few violent scenes.

– Tanvi Madavarapu, Brambleton Library

Road Trip by Gary & Jim Paulson

The Road Trip is a book about a dad and his son, Ben, who decided to take a road trip to rescue a dog from a homeless shelter. During this trip, they face various challenges and meet friends. For instance, some friends they meet on this trip include Mia, Theo, and Gus. On the other hand, a challenge that they face is when the truck breaks down. To fix this, the mechanic they meet offers his bus and also wants to join them on the road trip. Another issue they come across is Ben’s dad speeding. This delays the trip even more but the officer does not give him a ticket and lets him off with a warning. After what feels like an eternity they finally get the puppy and return home safely.

Something I liked about this book was how the author incorporated the obstacles at the right places. On the other hand, something I disliked was how abruptly the author ended the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone between the ages of nine to thirteen because it is a quick and easy read. This book does not have any content or trigger warnings, and if I were to rate this book out of 10 I would give it an 8.5.

– Adhithya Shankar, Brambleton Library

Legend by Marie Lu

Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, 15 year old June is a prodigy destined for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. On the other hand there’s 15 year old Day, born into the slums, and is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as terrible as they seem.

Something that I like about this book is the way Marie Lu writes. She writes in amazing detail and it seems like I’m there with June and Day. Also, the way she writes two sides of the same story. You think something happens, but then you read the other side of the story and it’s not what it seems.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy books and that like the enemies to lovers trope except it’s not quite enemies to lovers, but more strangers to lovers to enemies then back to lovers.  A trigger warning that I think this book should have is loss of parent and a loss of a sibling. Another trigger warning this book should have is violence, as there is a lot of it, mostly because this is a fantasy book and many fantasy books do have quite a bit of violence.

– Inej S., Brambleton Library

The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

This book is about entrepreneurship principles and how you can use them to increase profit as well as productivity. Furthermore, the author uses anecdotes that he has been through to help the reader understand his views. Additionally, the author does a deep dive into prominent businesses around the world to highlight how they use entrepreneurship principles to generate profit.

One thing I like in this book is the amount of detail this author went into when writing his anecdotes. Additionally, I like how he acknowledged mistakes that he had made with his own businesses. One thing I dislike in the book is the author’s weak vocabulary. I feel that at times the word choice was a bit bland.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in starting their own business as this book goes into
full depth about what to do and how to grow as quickly as possible. This book does not have any content warnings and if I were to give this book a rating out of 10 I would give it a 9.5.

– Adhithya Shankar, Brambleton Library

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Scythe follows the two characters Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch in a world where humanity has overcome death. In order to keep a steady population, scythes are the only ones who can end a human life. When Citra and Rowan are selected to become scythe apprentices, they must become experts in taking lives, while fearing that the punishment for the failure to do so could be right around the corner. There are some scythes that are causing chaos in their perfect world, and Citra and Rowan are determined to stop them before their world falls.

I absolutely loved this book. The author created a novel that, for all we know, could be a possible future. The plot was very exciting but when it slowed down in parts and the read got boring, Shusterman came back with an electrifying event that sent a shiver down my spine. My favorite part about this book was the references to the past when the scythes would recall learning about the Age of Mortality- the time period when humans were mortal. They would compare mortality with immortality and then express their opinions on how mortals must have had more meaning in life because they knew it wasn’t infinite. The characters in Scythe made it even more thrilling to read. Citra’s intelligence and attentiveness helped her escape dangers and get through difficult scythe meetings. Rowan’s stubbornness and determination paved the way for realization on what he needed to do to prevent corruption in the scythedom. I recommend this book to dystopian sci-fi lovers, people who like thrillers, and readers searching for an exhilarating, fast-paced story. The world is not as perfect as it seems…

Saayli Patwardhan

(Gum Spring Library)

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

 Scythe was one of the most engrossing books I have ever read. It is about a world in which there are no problems, such as hunger, pain, disease, war, and so much more. However, there had to be a way to keep the population standard. To do that there are scythes, and scythes are looked at as a devious thing. When Citra and Rowan are chosen to be apprentices, you see how they handle it and realize what a scythe really is.

I really enjoyed this book because there were many obstacles the two had to face. It also showed a lot of character development in the characters, in bad ways and good. One part I didn’t like about it was how dragged on it was towards the end, but it was still interesting. You will adore this book if you love being intrigued, and enjoy action. The book contains seeing things from a different perspective which is very important. I totally recommend reading it.

Harshitha Kapa

(Gum Spring Library) 

From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon

Twinkle Mehra has the talent and the stories. However, she doesn’t have the confidence to tell them. Twinkle is afraid to address any of the problems going on in her life. She considers herself to be a well-known “groundling”, otherwise known as a not-so-popular person. On one hand, she is barely in touch with Maddie, her best friend who is like a sister. Maddie became a silky feathered hat or one of the most popular girls in the school. On the other hand, she does not know how to propose to her long-time crush, Neil Roy. He is practically the coolest boy in the entire school. If she can get to be the girlfriend of Neil Roy, she can become a silky feathered hat and win back Maddie. Then, her life will be back on track. Twinkle Mehra also has one more dream. She wants to become a world-renowned female director, but she can’t even confront a fellow groundling. Just like she always wanted, her crush’s twin brother, Sahil Roy asks Twinkle Mehra to direct a film for an upcoming art festival, she couldn’t say no. She thought that this would give her everything she wanted.

Suddenly, a mystery admirer of Twinkle Mehra, “N”, starts to e-mail her. It was obvious for Twinkle that it had to be Neil Roy. Who else, right? Having said that, Twinkle had a small problem. She started to fall in love with Sahil. Through all of these obstacles, Twinkle still needed to find a good solution to all of them and create a hit movie. If you want to find out what happens, read From Twinkle, with Love by Sandhya Menon.

Personally, in this book, I liked that everything was well put together and there were many cliff-hangers that intrigued me to keep reading. Sandhya Menon also did an amazing job making the book very relatable. I could always imagine and explore the world of Twinkle Mehra. Consequently, I did not love how some chapters were unneeded to the story. I believe without the chapters, I could have answered the mysteries even faster. I can assure you that those who love romantic comedies, will fall in love with Twinkle Mehra and Sahil Roy!

Ovyaswastika Sundaram

(Gum Spring Library)

The Magnolia Sword: A Ballad of Mulan by Sherry Thomas

Hua Mulan is a girl dressed up as a boy, a necessary disguise for society to accept her training. Rather than becoming a soldier overnight, Mulan has been training her whole life. Her father’s strictness is a result of their family’s and another’s feud. The generational duel for a treasured pair of swords has loomed over Mulan since she was young. But just as the date of the duel gets closer, duty calls. A conscription troubles her Northern village, and one man from every family is to go fight. The odds aren’t looking too good for her family, as her father is disabled. Upon arrival at the camp, she quickly finds herself in a group with the princeling, who seems strangely familiar. Mulan sets off on an arduous journey a few days later and quickly learns that there are traitors among them. As the group finds out new information, her role becomes very important in protecting the empire. The big question is, will Mulan keep her identity hidden long enough for her to survive?

I like that this author is forward and straight to the point with the side details. This version of Mulan’s tale focuses more on the political side; it’s more historically accurate than the others. My rating would be around 4/5 because the plot is woven together nicely. However, I was kind of disappointed the sword wasn’t as important as the title claimed it was. The lexile level is a bit higher, so I recommend that whoever reads this book be prepared for more vocabulary. Fans of war and adventure would like this novel.

-Melody Guo

Cascades Library

Dark Star by Bethany Frenette

In the Twin Cities of Minneapolis, Audrey Whitticomb lives a comfortable life with a superhero mom. Her mother Morning Star and sidekick disappear at night and Audrey assumes that they’re fighting regular, bad guys. That all changes when she encounters a Harrower, a deadly creature and Morning Star’s real enemy. The Harrowers, she learns, are after the Kin, people who have power like Audrey and her Knowing. In recent years, they have grown bolder in their hunt for a prophesied human, with a power they desperately want. She wants to help but can she unlock the full potential of her power before time runs out?

As the first book in a series, I’d say Dark Star laid down the foundation pretty well. There is a clear setting, description of characters, and the story has little plot holes. It would’ve been better if there was more information about their previous fights with the enemy. I think this is a great book for middle schoolers, especially those who love teenage superhero stories.

-Melody Guo

Cascades Library

Becoming A Marine Biologist by Virginia Morell

In this book, Virginia Morell describes what it’s like to be a marine biologist. Morell gives a brief but thorough and rich history of marine biology, showing how technology has greatly enhanced the accuracy of this branch of science. Although the book sometimes seems to spread away to different branches of marine biology, it always comes back to Robin Baird and his personal journey into the realm of marine biology, which started as a childhood interest in whales, then birdwatching; and when he chose the marine biology path in college, he gathered data on all the cetaceans he would see while out on the water -as well the food that they ate-  in various parts of the world, which greatly helped him on future assignments. She also includes testimonials from other marine biologists, in Finland, the Bahamas, and other places.

With plenty of interviews and detailed information, This book is easy to read with smooth sentences, and any hard vocabulary  has its definition given. The historical view of marine biology was also really nice and detailed.  The only negative aspect would be that there are few drawings/photographs, so this is probably not a great book for people who enjoy diagrams and visual data. 3rd graders and older will understand this book, and it brings different types of knowledge to each age group. Children will find it interesting for its varied information about marine life and marine biology, and those who are older will find it a good book for seeing if marine biology really is a good path for them to take in the future.

-Soraya Lahlou-Pinaud

Cascades Library