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A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Hi, my name is Judah and I am I 14 year old boy who likes to play soccer, ski and play tennis.

The Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction book written by Charels Dickens. This book is written to show to contrast between the French and the English during the time of the French Revolution.

The main characters of this book are Charles Darnay, an aristocrat that traveled from France to England. Dr. Manette, an old man who makes shoes, Madame Defarge, a brutal leader of the peasants during the French Revolution, and Sydney Carton, a lawyer.

The book begins when Darnay is falsely accused of treason and is about to be sentenced to death when a man shows up with an almost an exact similarity in looks with Darnay. While this is happening in London, Madame Defarge is knitting a registry of who she intends to kill during the French Revolution. She is a character who never says much but is always plotting and scheming, waiting for the right opportunity to strike out upon the aristocrats.

This book is full of excitement and is a page turner for those who read. I recommend this book for middle school through high school for readers who are interested in the French Revolution.

Find it in print here.

Carry on Mr. Bowdich by Jean Lee Latham

Hi my name is Parker and I’m a 7th grader and love reading non-fiction historical books. I also enjoy playing soccer and hanging out with friends.

Carry on Mr. Bowdich is a book written by Jean Lee Latham about a true character in history, Nathaniel Bowdich.

Born in Salem Massachusetts in 1773, Nathan was different from all the other kids. He was brilliant. Although being able to do complex mathematics in his head with ease, he was often made fun of for his short height and scrawny build. At a young age he dreamed of going to Harvard, the best school in the country, but his family was poor. Instead, he got shipped off to be an intern at a ship chandlery called Ropes and Hodges for nine years. By the end of his time there, he would be 21 years old.

Though reluctant, Nathan accepted and started to work the store by day, and study everything he could learn about astronomy and Latin at night. He learned many complex nautical techniques such as taking a lunar (telling where you are on the sea) by looking at the stars. He was so brilliant that he made up new, easier ways to navigate without having to perfectly align with the stars.

In the end, his contributions to astronomy and making the seas safer to travel will always be remembered. For a school book I would recommend this one because it is very interesting and I enjoyed it.

Find it through Interlibrary loan here.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Hi! My name is Madeline, I am twelfth-grader living in the Wood River Valley. I enjoy playing the violin, reading, and writing.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” This famous opening sentence comes from A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens.

The story follows characters from two French families of very different backgrounds: one from an aristocratic family and one who is a victim of aristocratic power. Both decide to leave France and start afresh in London. The story bounces between Paris and London during the time of the French Revolution. The characters are drawn away from their tranquil life in London and into the very heart of the Revolution, where they must face its chaotic brutality.

A Tale of Two Cities explores themes such as mob mentality and violence, redemption, vengeance, and love. It expertly weaves these themes into a tale full of drama and mystery that will keep its readers turning pages. The criticisms of this book often include its characters. Some are not well developed and seem to exist solely to serve the narrative rather than be interesting on their own. This is not true of all the characters, but it can be frustrating that some of these flat characters get so much page time.

The prose in this story is written with long flowery sentences, which can sometimes be a paragraph long. The writing is beautiful but may take some getting used to for modern readers. Overall, A Tale of Two Cities is a beautifully written thought-provoking book with an engaging plot despite its flaws.

Find it in print here.

Intrepid Aviators by Gregory G. Fletcher

Hi my name is Parker and I’m a 7th grader and love reading non-fiction historical books. I also enjoy playing soccer and hanging out with friends.

This book, Intrepid Aviators, is about the flyboys who served aboard the USS Intrepid during World War II. Written by Gregory G. Fletcher, the grandson of one of the flyers in the book, it is an exciting tale of bravery and courage.

The Intrepid was an Essex Class aircraft carrier and was built and commissioned in 1943. It follows these aviators and their journey from boys to pilots and the impact that they had on the war. Their vigorous training made them the tip of the spear in the US Navy. The torpedo bomber that these men flew, the TBF Avenger, was vital for taking out Japanese shipping and warships during the war. The book gets you hooked right off the bat with an epic story of torpedo bombers attacking a Japanese super battleship, named the Musashi. This fight put an end to Japanese naval surface superiority and led to the Allied victory.

The book finishes with a fantastic ending that I was not expecting. It’s fascinating to see into the lives of the sailors and naval aviators as they sailed around the Pacific Ocean. The bravery of these men is incomprehensible as they risk their lives for their families and for their country. It’s a great read once you can get past the first part and I would highly recommend it.

Find it in print here.

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

Hi I’m Reese and I like playing softball and volleyball, skiing, and hanging out with family and friends. My favorite genre of book is mystery and some subtle horror

To All of the Boys I’ve Loved Before is an amazing book showcasing all aspects of romance, comedy, and some parts showing bravery and confidence. The main character, Laura Jean, is Jenny Hann’s character and is how readers see through the eyes of a high school girl in a crisis.

After her mom dies, Laura Jean only looks up to her older sister Margot. She does everything and she keeps her life together and cooks and drives the family wherever they need to go. When Margot goes off to her dream school in Switzerland, everything starts to go south in Laura Jean’s life. She feels helpless without Margot and that feeling doesn’t get any better when all of her love letters to all of her crushes, get sent out to the people she wrote them about. She never planned on sending them, but these were to end the crush that she had on that person. Laura Jean gets into a fake relationship with a boy named Peter who received a letter. She is trying to make her real true love Josh, who is Margot’s former boyfriend, think that her and Peter are dating so that he won’t ask about the letter that he received. As time goes on, we learn that Laura Jean and Peter actually start to like each other, but that all goes south when they go on a school trip. They admit their feelings to each other, but it complicates things and their fake relationship along with their sort of real one, are gone. Even after everything is final and the whole school knows that they’re done, Laura Jean finds her writing another letter to Peter. Not a letter saying goodbye like her other ones, but a letter that is saying hello and telling Peter how she really truly feels.

In the story, you get to experience what home life and school life are like for Laura Jean and see through her eyes in a way that makes this a very enjoyable book to read.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

One of Us is Next by Holly Jackson

Hi I’m Reese and I like playing softball and volleyball, skiing, and hanging out with family and friends. My favorite genre of book is mystery and some subtle horror

One of Us is Next is the sequel to one of my favorite books One of Us Lying. This book is exhilarating and exciting and makes you want to keep reading. My favorite quality of the book is how entertaining it is.

This book is about when a new game is created at Bayview High School, truth or dare, but has fatal consequences. If you pick truth or don’t respond, then your biggest secret gets released to the whole school. If you pick dare, then you get a challenge. Phoebe Lawton is the first to get picked. She ignores it and her secret gets out about sleeping with her older sister’s boyfriend. That’s when people know this game is serious. Knox Myers, and Maeve Rojas are next. The three of them select truth. Brandon, Phoebe’s boyfriend, chooses dare and dies in an accident at a construction site. The game has gone too far.

I would give this book 4.5 stars out of 5 overall. If I were the author, I would make it less excessive so it didn’t scare people who read. I definitely liked the book, that was just one critique I had. I would recommend this book to people in 7th grade or higher who like murder mysteries.

Find it in print and eaudiobook here.