Call it What You Want by Brigid Kemmerer

Last year, Rob Lachlan ruled the school and the lacrosse field, and had all of the money he could dream of. But when his dad is caught by the FBI for embezzling millions of dollars from his classmates parents’, his social status tanks and everyone at school thinks Rob helped his father. Life gets even worse for Rob when a failed suicide attempt from his dad gets him stuck in a wheelchair and reliant on Rob and Rob’s mom. Maegan Day is the class nerd. High weighted GPA and crazy smart. But her sister, Samantha, gets all of the fame due to her full-ride to Duke. With all of this unbearable pressure, Maegan steeps low, and cheats on the SAT. But the unlikely duo is paired up for a math project, and things start to change for them. How can Rob and Maegan learn to forgive themselves for the past?

I loved this book because it is unique from all of the other hundreds of romances that I’ve read. My only few complaints are that the characters are grumpy or short-tempered throughout the entirety of the book and at least at the beginning of Rob and Maegans’ relationship, there was a lack of chemistry. Anyone who loves a good romance novel would absolutely love Call it What You Want, however I suggest that the reader be 16+, due to content (suicide, depression, profanity, make-out scenes). 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

Jack Worthing and his best friend, Algernon Moncrieff, both live lies. Jack uses his alter ego, Earnest when he resides in the country, and Algernon uses his lie of Mr. Bunbury, as an excuse not to go to places when he doesn’t want to. However, when it turns out that their girlfriends, Gwendolen and Cecily, are both engaged to a man Mr. Earnest Worthing, who is lying?

Until English class, I had never heard of a play called The Importance of Being Earnest. And if it weren’t for English class, I probably wouldn’t have read this play either. However, I’m really glad that I read this, as I really enjoyed it. It’s witty, and because of the lies that the main characters, Jack and Algernon, continue to spin, it keeps you guessing what’s going to happen next. Another positive about this play is it was written in 1895, so the dialect is different from other popular plays, such as Shakespeare. This makes it much easier to read and to understand what’s happening because it’s more similar to the English we speak now. My only complaint about this play is that the characters’ lies start to make the play a little too ridiculous, which while it makes it funny, it also gets kind of annoying. Anyone who loves to read plays or romances would love The Importance of Being Earnest. I recommend that the reader be 12+, because of reading level and historical background. This book contains a lot of obsolete, old fashioned, and more complicated words, so readers under 12 may find this play boring and/or difficult to read. 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Meet Me At Midnight by Jessica Pennington

Asher, Sidney and their families are best friends and every year they vacation together at a lake house. But when Asher and Sidney’s annual prank war kicks their families out of their lake houses, the duo decides to call a truce to prank the woman who kicked them out. Can Asher and Sidney keep their truce? And will their friendship last when they start having feelings for each other?

Some things I enjoyed about Meet Me At Midnight were all of the characters are very likable and dynamic, it was well-written and descriptive, and I enjoyed the lakeside setting depicted in the book. Meet Me At Midnight also made me laugh because of all of the creative pranks Sidney and Asher played on each other. The only things I disliked was the immaturity of the main characters and how unrealistic the book was. For example, there were multiple instances where Asher and Sidney should have gotten caught for their pranks. Asher and Sidney also were sneaky about their relationship, and they didn’t get caught. There were a few times when the characters made out and slept in the same bed together (it was not descriptive/explicit) and their parents didn’t find out. Anyone who loves a good romance novel would love Meet Me At Midnight. However, I suggest that readers be at least 13+, due the content described above. 

Katrina Williams (Gum Spring Library)

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is for lovers of teenage romance and complex family dynamics. I loved how Rowell realistically portrayed the relationship between Levi and Cath

Fangirl follows Cath Avery, a fanfiction writer, college freshman, and twin. Wren, her twin sister, could not be more different from Cath. Wren parties all weekend long and overall wants nothing to do with Cath. The twins used to be inseparable until their first day of college when Wren decided they could no longer associate with one another. Cath’s new roommate, Raegan, introduced her to her ex-high school boyfriend, Levi. Levi and Cath had an awkward and distant start, but after a few months of knowing each other, they started to date.

As if Cath’s life is not already complicated enough with school and her boyfriend, her mom, who left her family when she was in 3rd grade, showed back up in her life just when disaster struck. Wren got alcohol poisoning and her mom was the first one called by the hospital. This caused much resurfacing of old feelings for Cath. In the end, Cath overcame her trauma and fell deeply in love with Levi.

KL (Gum Spring Library)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is for lovers of classic femininity and timeless life lessons. I loved reading this novel and feeling as if I was transported back in time, while still feeling relatability to each of the March sisters.

Little Women follows the Marches, a family rich in happiness but poor financially The story begins during a war where Mr. March is fighting until he becomes very ill. This deeply shakes all 4 March girls; Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg, because their mother has to leave them for the first time in their short lives to attend to their sickly father. When Mrs. March is away, Beth, the kind-hearted sister, gets scarlet fever and becomes so sick that she can barely talk. Jo, the boyish addition to the family of girls, realizes the direction of her moral compass more during this difficult time and attends to Beth as best she can.

The four sisters encounter many more challenges during Little Women and learn the power of family, and the innocence of their youth. Through sad times, and happy, the girls each find a way to create a life they truly enjoy with their husbands and many kids.

KL (Gum Spring Library)

We Are the Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson

For the past few years, Henry has been abducted by aliens. It’s always at inconvenient times, too. This time, however, Henry is given an ultimatum: The end of the world will come to be in 144 days, and all he has to do to stop it is push a big red button. While the answer seems easy, Henry isn’t so sure. Life has always been awful for him, and this might as well be his way out. What else are you supposed to do when the world is always against you? 

I finished this book in one day, I could not put it down. It was one of my more depressing reads, but it made me think a lot after I was done. The book is very raw and real as it talks about major subjects like depression, bullying, etc. We Are the Ants makes you think about your place in the world and what your role is to the people around you. It also explores the idea of broken relationships and what it takes to start mending them. I enjoyed it very much. 

Siri M. (Gum Spring Library) 

The Autobiography of Malcom X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley

Anyone can turn their life around if they try.

 Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in Omaha, Nebraska. A young Malcolm would move around with his family. His Dad was an avid church goer but he was also violent. At six years old, Malcolm’s father died under suspicious circumstances. Malcolm’s mom was eventually taken away to a mental hospital after social workers separated the family. Malcolm then lived in Michigan with his siblings, friends and even disciplinary homes but eventually moved to Boston with his dad’s former friend. Here, he would slowly get sucked into the street life and it got worse when he went to Harlem. After he was almost killed, he went back to Boston but was later arrested.

 In court, he watched as he and his African American friend were sentenced to 10 years while his white co-defendants got 1 year. The court was very angry at the fact that Malcolm was associated with white women. 

Will Malcolm change his ways when he gets out? Will he fight against the justice system or will he be a victim trapped in a cycle? Find out by reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X.

I give this book a 9/10 rating. It is fascinating to witness Malcolm X’s arduous journey in an America that was racially divided. This book is riveting and a must for History lovers. 

I highly recommend this book for anyone 13 years or older. However, it does contain gory details and graphic language so younger audiences should stay away.

-Darius Hormozdyaran

Cascades Library

In Another Life by C.C. Hunter

Chloe used to have a perfect life with caring parents, a happy childhood and even a boyfriend. Now, she’s moved to Joyful, Texas, and feels like it’s anything but. Senior year is stressful enough, but she’s been forced to start out at a new school with only her neighbor as a friend and the said perfect parents were getting angrier at each other every day. As if that wasn’t enough to add on to her teenage troubles, it turns out that the tall guy who stood up to the bully, and who she’s becoming friends with, is holding back from her. When he finally tells her something that a tickles a memory from her past, they agree to work together to get to the truth. The question is, if it’s a painful memory that threatens the balance within her family, does Chloe really want to uncover it? 

This book is great for those who enjoy a quick read, because it’s a short and has a simple plot from the perspective of a high schooler. I think it does a good job of tying the teenage audience into the story, as comedic aspects like boy drama and serious topics, to raw emotional challenges that kids deal with nowadays, are mixed into its commentary. The tone is agitated and short at times, mirroring that of a teenager who’s been through a lot. However, I would rate In Another Life a 6.5/10 because the mood was a little too negative for me.

-Melody Guo

Cascades Library

Mistborn: The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

This book is set approximately 300 years after the previous Mistborn series. The story follows two new main characters named Waxillium Ladrian and Wayne. Waxillium is a descendent of Breeze and a former lawman who, after his uncle’s death, returns from the Roughs to assume his role as the head of his house. The Roughs is a sparsely populated area outside the Elendel Basin, which compared to the Roughs, is a prosperous area with fertile lands and where most of the population lives. Waxillium must adjust to a different lifestyle and secure the future of his house. His partner, Wayne, follows the trail of an infamous group of thieves named the Vanishers and lets Waxillium know, causing Wax to investigate the matter. 

I especially enjoyed the action packed fights and the easy to follow plot. This is set in a more modern-like era, which provides a whole new perspective in contrast to the medieval-like era of the first Mistborn series. Be warned, the shift in time periods is jarring and I personally found Marisi, one of the main characters, a bit annoying. Although this book gives off a more old west feeling, Brandon still expertly intertwines aspects of fantasy in the story. I definitely recommend anyone who enjoys fantasy, action, or the old west genre to give this book a go.

-Daniel L.

Cascades Library