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The Martian by Andy Weir

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

Isolated. Dangerous. Inhospitable. Secluded by 210 million miles of empty space. 

No escape. 

What do these words have in common? They’re all adjectives to describe the red planet—or Mars, from botanist-astronaut Mark Watney’s point of view. Because, after a series of unfortunate events—namely a dust storm, a satellite ray, and an accident in takeoff—Mark has been abandoned and declared dead on Mars. And if he’s to survive, he’s going to need a serious amount of ingenuity and a whole lot of luck to pull it off. 

But Mark is not one to give up easily. He has a plan, a whole bunch of expensive, state-of-the-art equipment to work with, and a brain full of botanist knowledge. And hey, if he’s going to be the first man to die on Mars, it won’t be without a fight. Or, you know, a lot of Martian potato farming and multi-million dollar car-jacking. 

Packed with humor and grit and a healthy dose of space mechanics, The Martian by Andy Weir is sure to pull you into deep space and only let go once you’ve reached the climactic conclusion—whichever way it’ll go. In part, a hilarious adventure story and a gripping, informative tale; a story of human relationships of technological advancements, this science fiction novel will keep you at the edge of your seat (or spaceship) until the turn of the very last page. 

Find it in print, ebook, DVD, and CD here.

Tell Me by Joan Bauer

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.

Tell Me is written by Joan Bauer. It tells the story of 12-year-old Anna who goes to visit her grandmother in Rosemont to get away from her parent’s divorce. Rosemont is famous for its flower festival, so Anna tries to use that as an escape. Anna then observes something off about a little girl that she saw. She has always been told if you see something, say something. She then tries to investigate what is going on and tries to help this little girl. Not only does she help this little girl, but she also makes a few friends along the way. How will her summer turn out? Will she uncover this mystery? 

This book is amazing. I first read it when I was about 11, and it has stuck with me since then. I love being able to uncover the story of this little girl, and also learning a little about helping others if you suspect they are in danger. In this story, Anna wears a yellow scrunchie to spread awareness about this little girl’s story, and still, whenever I see a yellow scrunchie, I think of this book. I would give this book a 9.75/10. It was awesome and I really enjoyed reading it. My only dislike is that it’s really simple in language and readability, but I don’t mind that too much. 

Find it through Interlibrary loan here.

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

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

In the kingdom of Khorasan, each night, yet another bride is chosen to marry the tyrant of a boy-king, Khalid, and every dawn a silk cord is wrapped around her neck. And after her best friend Shiva falls prey to his tyranny, sixteen-year-old Sharhzad al-Khayzuran volunteers to be his next bride. Not only is she determined to live beyond the next dawn, but to put an end to the whole ordeal once and for all. 

But in the castle, things are not quite as they seem. Beginning a story she can never finish in order to deter Khalid’s decision to end her life, she also befriends the Captain of the Guard and learns that there are secrets to the Caliph and his past, and reasoning behind the irrationality. Worst of all, she finds herself falling for the enemy—the person she came here to kill, and by loving him, she’s betraying the girl whose death she came here to avenge. 

As trouble brews from all sides, Sharhzad is caught in the crossfire, loyal to both sides of a budding war and struggling to make the right decision.

Twisting a beautiful story out of the classic tale of Arabian Nights, with complex characters and lavish descriptions, The Wrath and The Dawn will keep you on the edge of your seat right down to the very last line.

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

Wonderstruck by Brain Selznick

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

Twelve-year-old Ben Wilson was struck deaf by a lightning strike only a few months after his mother’s death. Ready to stop being an orphan dependent on his aunt and uncle, he sets out to find the father he’s never known in New York City, with only a bookmark and name as clues to his identity. Plagued by dreams of majestic wolves, he eventually makes his way to the American Museum of Natural History. Befriending the son of a museum worker, he begins to explore the museum and his family’s roots.

Two generations before, Rose wishes to escape the drudgery of lip-reading lessons and loneliness, setting off for the city to find the famed actress Lilian Mayhew. When the encounter doesn’t go as planned, the twelve-year-old makes her way eventually to the Natural History Museum to find solace among the collections of preserved wonders.

Ben’s and Rose’s paths inevitably intertwine at the museum, which has become both their sanctuaries and somehow the thread which binds them both. Brain Selznick tells their stories in a carefully curated collection of mementos and memories and human connections, masterfully combining Ben’s prose with Rose’s pictures to create a suspenseful cinematic quality that hangs onto every swoop of the pencil and swirl of the ink.

Find it in print here.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

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.

And Then There Were None is written by Agatha Christie. It is an iconic murder mystery book, written by the queen of mystery herself (Agatha Christie). This book tells the story of 10 strangers who are mysteriously invited to Soldier Island. Each received a letter telling them where to be and why. Each letter was from a mysterious Owen. Once they get to the island, peculiar things start to happen. This is when they realize that this island might not be what it seems. Each person is accused of a crime- and this sets the mood for everyone. Each character soon begins to live in suspense, wondering if they will ever get off Soldier Island. There is not one main character, however, the chapters are broken up into sections and each section is from a different character’s point of view. 

This book was amazing. I loved being able to follow along as I read, and try to figure out who the murderer is. The twists and turns really made me get into this book, and want to get to the bottom of the mystery. I would give this book a 9/10. It was really great, but it was also first published in 1939. This causes some of the language to be outdated, and a little hard to understand. Aside from the older language, this book was awesome. I found it was really satisfying, especially after reading the epilogue where you receive all the clues to solve the mystery. 

Find it in print, ebook, eaudiobook, and DVD here.

The Witch’s Boy by Kelly Barnhill

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

Every pair must have one wrong half, right? At least, that’s what the townspeople believe in the village where a pair of twins, Ned and Tam, run rampant. (They also believe that the world ends at the mountains, but they’re wrong about that, too.) One day, the brothers decide it’s high time they built a raft—but when they’re ready to float it, things go wrong, and only Ned survives, cementing the debate between the villagers that he was the wrong boy all along.

Across the enchanted forest that separates Ned’s country from the kingdom of Duunin lives Ainé, the resourceful and practical daughter of the Bandit King, who lives a good life but is haunted by her mother’s last words to her: “the wrong boy will save your life, and you will save his.”

When bandits threaten the magic that Ned’s mother is intended to protect—the welfare of both Ainé and Ned’s kingdoms hanging in the balance—it’s Ned who steps up to safeguard the magic and protect his community, and Ainé who braves her fears to stop the war threatening to spill between their two kingdoms.

Kelly Barnhill winds an enchanting story of friendship, magic, and fairytales in her trademark no-nonsense, humorously witty style. Written with magic imbued in every syllable, The Witch’s Boy is a book to make you laugh, cry, and everything in between.

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