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The First to Die at the End by Adam Silvera

Hi, I am Sarah. I am fourteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by authors’ creations of magnificent places and surprising havens built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.

If someone told you they could predict the day of your death and call you twenty-four hours before, would you let them? Would you want to know the day you die, to make any last arrangements, to say goodbye? Or would you rather live life as you always have, without the inevitable end looming just overhead?

These are questions Orion Pagan and Valentino Prince—and the entire population of the world they live in—are grappling with. It is July 30th, 2010, and the world is about to change. Or not. Death-Cast, an organization with the supposed power of being able to predict one’s death, is launching at midnight.

Valentino is not planning on dying tonight; he’s only just started living. He has big dreams in a new city with his twin sister, Scarlett. Orion, on the other hand, has been waiting for someone to tell him his heart will fail for years. A writer, he’s only trying to reach the next page in his story. But Death-Cast will change both their lives tonight.

The First to Die at the End (prequel to They Both Die at the End) by Adam Silvera is another powerful, poignant, and intimate story that explores how mortality affects human relationships—and how the compassion of individuals can make all the difference. With complex, well-developed characters and a time span of just one day, this creative novel is certainly a satisfying and thought-provoking read, one I would highly recommend.

Find it in print here.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

I am Madeline. I am a tenth grader living in Hailey Idaho. I love skiing, reading/writing fantasy, and chemistry!

The Eye of the World, by Robert Jordan is the first book in his epic Wheel of Time series, fans of high fantasy are sure to enjoy.
Rand al’Thor’s world revolves around his life as a simple sheep herder in the Two Rivers, a region forgotten by the rest of the world. During the festival Bell Tine, Rand and his father make their way to the village to prepare for the festivities. His enthusiasm is replaced by uneasiness when a Fade lurks behind him on the road to the village, a creature that he believed to be a myth. The festivities push away the doubt however, as the year’s festival promises to be especially grand, with the arrival of two mysterious outlanders, a lady named Moraine, and a knight named Lan.

Rand is abruptly reminded of his brush with myth when his farm is attacked by the Fades, and other creatures out of a nightmare. The village would have been destroyed if not for the intervention of Moraine. She revealed herself to be an Aes Sedai, mistrusted wielders of the “One Power,” a mysterious force that supersedes nature. She tells them the village was attacked because the Dark One wants Rand or one of his three friends for unknown purposes. They are forced to flee the only life they have ever known to evade the Dark One’s plans. All the while, Rand must face his fear that he might possess the “One Power” he has learned to fear so much.

Find it in print here.

House Rules by Jodi Picoult

Hi, I am Sarah. I am fourteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by authors’ creations of magnificent places and surprising havens built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.

Jacob Hunt knows a lot about forensic science. He knows how to take a fingerprint from even the trickiest and most delicate surfaces; how to analyze a crime scene in order to retrace the steps of those involved; and, armed with a police scanner, has a habit of showing up on the scene and dispensing advice—which is typically spot-on. Jacob Hunt is brilliant, and he has Asberger’s syndrome, which means that he perceives and interacts with the world a bit differently.

When the horrific murder of his social worker rocks his small town, Jacob is a primary suspect. And under legal scrutiny, the object of Jacob’s brilliance, and the hallmarks of his condition—not making eye contact; tics, twitches, and poor social skills—spell something a lot like guilty.

Told with great care through the varying perspectives of parties involved, House Rules explores how our society is built for people who can communicate a certain way, and that our legal system—and society in general—is not kind to people who cannot. For me, this novel was a fascinating and complete look into how autism can affect a family, and the way “difference” is so unkindly ostracized. Picoult masterfully handles how each thread of the story affects everything else, and deftly weaves a poignant take on an incredibly complicated topic.

Find it in print, large print, and CD here.

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Hi, I am Sarah. I am fourteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by authors’ creations of magnificent places and surprising havens built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.

In 1992, Chris McCandless, a twenty-four-year-old idealistic young adventurer, walked into the Alaskan wilderness with little more than a .22 caliber rifle and a bag of rice, after donating $25,000 in savings and leaving behind all he knew.

Four months later, he was found by a couple of moose hunters, dead, in the back of an old bus.

At first glance, McCandless’s case is one like many others: an arrogant or naïve young man lost to the wilderness. But in Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer looks deeper than the surface story. He looks at the person Chris McCandless was, and the adventures he’d had in the two years leading up to his final journey. He looks at where Chris came from and how he grew up. He compares Chris to others with similar desires, similar integrity, and a similar affinity for wanderlust. Through this meticulous examination of a character who lived in this world, once, it is—at least to me—a bit of a wake-up call. Chris McCandless may have died, but before that, he lived to his very fullest. He had desires and dreams and opinions and thoughts; he was, perhaps, just like you or me. And for me, it’s a reminder that we all have a life we want to lead. Do we have the courage to break from whatever pressure binds us, and do it?

Find it in print, CD, and DVD here.

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh by Candace Fleming

I am Thijs. I enjoy reading (maybe a little too much) and being outdoors. I have a younger brother and my favorite dessert is root beer floats.

The Rise and Fall of Charles Lindbergh is a non-fiction book about the life of a true American Hero. Charles was complicated man; there is not a word to describe him. Even as a child, he stood out.  Growing up in a big house in a little town with woods just outside helped him become a thinker. His dad (C.A.) bought a Ford truck for Charles’ mom, but she was too afraid to drive. So, the little boy took it as his responsibility to drive them around. Charles rarely went to school and preferred to roam around the woods with his dog. He was shy and was always at his mother’s side. He claimed that animals where better than people.

When Charles discovered the plane, he fell in love with the idea of being able to fly. After completing many great feats in the flying world, he decided it was time to raise a family and turn to his passion of science. After his legendary flight across the Atlantic Ocean, he began to notice how much of a story the press would change. This was the beginning of his life-long hate of the press. In the science world he was fascinated by death and if he could somehow conquer it. But, in the time near his death Charles realized that dying was just part f life, it was the next step. How could this abnormal man fit into the world?

Check out this outstanding book at The Community Library to find out more on this fascinating person.  I hope you enjoy reading the book.

                                                                                                                                        

Find it through InterLibrary loan here.

Two Degrees by Alan Gratz

I am Thijs. I enjoy reading (maybe a little too much) and being outdoors. I have a younger brother and my favorite dessert is root beer floats.

Two Degrees is a historical fiction book about three young kids and how climate change has affected their lives and others. These three kids have to struggle to make it out of the natural disasters that happened due to the Earth’s rising temperature. So far, the Earth’s temperature as risen a whole Two Degrees. To make matters worse every year we burn more fossil fuels. All this pollution will turn into an economic disaster that some people have predicted will start during the year 2100 or sooner. If you want your kids and their kids to have a life with nature how we know it then we have to cut down almost all our usage of fossil fuel. This will be hard for everybody because we are used to a life with all we need at one little shop across the street. I found a funny joke a while back that said not only do I think that the economy is on its final legs but I also think that somebody just kicked it in the shins.

The first part of this book follows a Japanese American girl and her newly made friend running through Morris fire that sparked in the Californian Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Morris became the biggest mega fire in California at the time. A mega fire is when a forest fire burns a million acers of land. Alan Gratz leaves a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter so watch your clock to make sure you don’t stay up too long. Then the book moves all the way to Churchill, Canada and follows the journey of two boys once they are stranded over the Hudson Bay with a polar bear stalking them. Churchill is known widely for how many polar bears it has. Over the past few years, the great and mighty polar bears have gotten closer and closer to the town and people. Attacks have become more frequent as well. With all this the locals keep their houses and cars unlocked in the town in case someone needs to get away from one of these giant beasts. The last section of the book it tells the story of how a poor girl in Miami tries to survive the horrible Hurricane Rueben.

I thought this book was great. If you have read any of the other books that Alan has written and enjoyed it then I am sure you will like this one too. If you have never read one of his books before I would highly recommend them and this book. They have a wonderful collection of them at The Community Library. I hope you find this book as great as I did. 

                                                                                                                                        

Find it in print and ebook here.