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The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline London

Hi, I am Simi. I love reading because it lets me travel to other places and times that I wouldn’t otherwise see. I also love to play lacrosse and hockey, and write.

The Last Bookshop in London is a heartbreaking yet hopeful book set in the streets of London during World War Two. It follows Grace Bennet, a hardworking woman who has suffered the loss of her mother, as she moves from small town Drayton to the bustling city of London on the brink of World War Two. In an attempt to find a job without a letter of recommendation, Mrs. Weatherford, the wonderful woman who has offered Grace and her friend a place to live, calls
up an old friend and gets Grace a job in a rundown bookstore with a grouchy owner. Grace, previously oblivious to the wonders of books, falls in love with the books, the bookstore and even grouchy old Mr. Evens, the owner of the bookstore who, as it turns out, isn’t that grouchy after all.

Throughout the book Grace struggles with the perils of the war, the loss of family and friends,
the destruction of precious possessions, such as books, and soul crushing hopelessness. She
also grows in ways that feel impossible; she learns compassion, she saves tons of lives both
physically and mentally, she falls in love and she finds confidence in herself.

I highly recommend this book, which is fascinating and thoughtful. It made me think about that
time with a totally different mindset. If you’re looking for an entertaining book that is also
educational and thought provoking, this is the book for you.

Find it in print, eaudiobook and ebook here.

City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau

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.

I loved this book since the beginning of the first page. I was so into the book the first night I brought it home from The Community Library that I lost track of time and stayed up reading until 10:26pm.  The author did an amazing job creating a mystery that draws readers into the book.  I liked the story line and how this could potentially happen in real life.  It was intriguing to me that the characters were all alone and did not know how to figure many things out on their own.

The beginning of this book is in a city surrounded by complete darkness in all directions. This city is called The City of Ember.  The main characters in the book are three kids named Doon, Lina and Lina’s littler sister Poppy. This book started on Assignment Day which came every year on the last day of school for the kids in the highest class. Lina was hoping to get the job as a messenger. She loved the idea of sprinting down the streets delivering one message after another. On the other hand, Doon wanted to become a pipeworker to see if he could come up with a way to fix the generator and save the city from all the power outages. When the Mayor of Ember finally arrived with the sack full of jobs everybody was nervous to see what job they would receive. When Lina sat up to draw her job her hands were shaking uncontrollably so she hoped for the best and dove her hand in.  To find out what assignments Lina and Doon are given and what mysteries lie beyond, check out this book for a good summer read!  

Find it in print, ebook and DVD here.

Ground Zero 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.

I loved how the author used two different characters to tell the story.  It was interesting to have one character talk about his 9/11 experience and the other character tell about the war in Afghanistan to make this book work as one story.  If you enjoy reading this book, I highly recommend reading some of Alan Gratz’s other books like Refuge and Projekt 1065.  Most of Alan Gratz’s books have two or more main characters telling their story that eventually connects with the other main character in a surprising way. 

In Ground Zero, the first character, Brandon Chavez, and his father were on their way to the World Trade Center (The Twin Towers) on September 11, 2001.  Brandon recently had been suspended from school so he had to go to work with his dad.  His dad was working at Windows of the World, which was a restaurant at the top of the North Tower.  Brandon was in an elevator headed down to the mall at the bottom of the North Tower.  When a plane smashed into the North Tower.  Brandon was luckily able to get out of the elevator.  He still had many challenges ahead of him.  Read this book to find out what happens to Brandon and his father. 

The other character in the story is Reshmina, and she lives in a small village in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.  For her whole life Afghanistan have been at war. The American and Taliban had been fighting for more than eleven years. One day an American soldier and the Afghanistan National Army (ANA) search Reshmina’s village because a rumor has spread that the Taliban has a secret weapon in the village.  After the search nothing is found.  Then the ANA and the American soldier start heading back to the base when the Taliban attacks them.  All of the ANA soldiers die.  Later after the attack Reshmina finds the America soldier laying on the ground.  He can not see.  Will Reshmina help the soldier or take revenge for her sister that was killed on her wedding day?

Find it in print, eaudiobook, and ebook here.

The Puffin Keeper by Michael Morpurgo

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.

This well written book is an enjoyable read.  I recommend this book if you are looking for a calm yet eventful story.  Even though The Puffin Keeper is not a story with a lot of action this book will teach you about the kindness of others and how that will stay with you forever.  The author shows this kindness through the strong character development. 

The story starts on a stormy day when Allen and his mom were on a boat that was caught in bad weather.  The people on the boat were stranded on a rocky island.  The light house keeper recuses all of passengers from the Rocky Island they were shipwrecked on.  The lighthouse keeper has to make several trips to rescue everyone.  Throughout Allen’s life he remembers the day when the kind light house keeper rescued him.  Allen had always wanted to go back and visit the island he had been recused on. So, one day he made-up his mind and went to search for the light house keeper.  Eventually he finds the man and only planned to visit for a little while.  His stays longer than anticipated, but eventually realizes it is time to go home.  It is hard for him to leave the light house keeper. 

I enjoyed how The Puffin Keeper is a book that seems believable, like it could have actually happened in real life.  The author is very detailed in his descriptions.  The author does a good job of building character development so you can connect with the people in the story.  Make sure to read the entire book so you learn about the Puffins!

Find it in print here.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My name is Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

Malibu Rising told the story of the children of Mick Riva, a famous singer in the 1950s. Mick Riva had 4 kids, Nina, Hud, Jay, and Kit. Nina, the oldest of the four, always takes care of her siblings. Every year, Nina throws a huge party at her home in Malibu, and everyone who is anyone was at this party. The story follows the progress of the night of the party but also has flashbacks through the life of Nina’s mother and Nina as a child. The children of the famous Mick Riva were put through a lot during their life, especially because Mick was such a terrible father. The reader follows each of the Riva siblings throughout the 24 hours before, during, and after the party, and through each of their growth and development. 

Malibu Rising is amazing. I like all of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novels, but this is by far my favorite of those I have read. I loved that the reader got to see both the present throughout the party, but also the flashbacks and learn about each of the Riva siblings’ childhood. I also liked that there were references to other Reid stories at some points in this book. I felt that this connected this story with others that I’ve read from the same author. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for an amazing story with so many twists and turns.

Find it in print, audio CD, eaudiobook, ebook here.

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This by Rachel Lynn Solomon

My name is Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This is a story about Quinn Berkowitz and her journey through finding herself and also finding love. Quinn’s family owns Borrowed & Blue, a wedding planning business. Her parents expect Quinn to go to college in Seattle, learn all about business, and then work full time for B&B. Quinn doesn’t know how to tell her parents that she doesn’t want to study business, especially because she doesn’t know what she would like to study instead. All Quinn knows is that she is not interested in wedding planning for the rest of her life. Quinn also grows closer with Tarek Mansour, the son of the catering company B&B uses for most weddings. Quinn learns a lot about herself and love throughout this story. 

I enjoyed We Can’t Keep Meeting Like This a lot, and I enjoyed that it was relatable. Quinn is a pretty awkward character, and the way she handles her experiences reminds me of most teens. I also enjoyed that there was a crossover between the story of Quinn and Tarek, and also two characters from another novel by Solomon. I think this crossover helped me enjoy this book more. I also enjoyed that Quinn was able to find herself, and even though her parents were expecting one thing out of her, she was able to find something she loved and spend time doing that. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet story about finding yourself.  

Find it though Interlibrary loan here.