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My name is Mary. I live with my little sister and my parents. I have a dog and am in sixth grade. I moved to Idaho from Portland, Maine in August.

White Fang is a good book for kid’s ages eight and up. If you do not like sad books then you should definitely not read this book. The sadness and heartbreak White Fang goes through is painful and hard but worth it for the last part of the book. 

White Fang is a wolf who was born in a cave with his four siblings. When he and his mother are left alone with the other four cubs and his father’s remains are found by a lynx den, White Fang and his mother go to live with the Indians. The Indian puppies like to bully White Fang and all he wants is to return to the wild, but his mother has other plans. She wants to stay with the Indians because one of them knows her. Soon enough the cub and mother are separated and White Fang is left alone. That’s when bad things begin to happen. 

I liked White Fang because he is a strong pup that learns to survive on his own, even though his life is full of heartbreak. I don’t like him because he always takes fighting as a go-to move until he meets his love-master. Because of his terrible past it takes White Fang a while to get used to his new master who trains him using love and care.

I just love this book so much! If you like what you heard, then check out White Fang at The Community Library. Hope you like it!

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

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

Hi, I’m McCallen. I like skiing and basketball.

This is an awesome book called Rebound by Kwame Alexander. Rebound is definitely worth reading, especially if you love basketball or just sports in general. This book has a lot to offer like good rhyme schemes and an awesome story line. 

For a quick summary, this book is about two twins that love basketball, Josh and Jordan Bell. Their dad is a superstar so he has helped the twins with their basketball skills. Josh and Jordan are very good players. However, the twins have to work together to bring their team together and win! 

This book is super hip. This book definitely feels like a song with its rap-like writings and tempo.If you love  basketball this whole series is for you! It’s a pretty long book if you’re trying to challenge yourself. I also love the way this book has random awesome comic pages with extraordinary art. It is the sequel to an award -winning novel, The Crossover. If you haven’t read The Crossover, I would definitely recommend going and checking out as well.

Find it in print, ebook and eaudiobook here.

The Giver by Lois Lowry

My name is Rya. I am in middle school and I enjoy reading, writing, swimming, and backpacking.

Like all children in his society, Jonas has been raised with the notion of never telling lies. What Jonas doesn’t know is that the mortar that holds the very bricks of his house and town together is crafted from lies. The citizens living in this small, organized, and simple community carry no burdens on their shoulders. They know nothing more than the systematized life they were assigned rather than given. 

Only one extremely respected person is able to see beyond the simple life of the other citizens: The Giver. The burdens of billions become his own. The Giver is the only living person who has ever experienced starvation, wars, and pain. The only one who has ever known the feelings of love, family, and freedom. That was until Jonas came along, assigned a role as The Receiver of Memories. Jonas will be the sole other individual to hold these memories, until The Giver is Released. Then Jonas will be the only one. He will live the long, lonely, laborious life designated for him, all so that the arrogance and ambitions of the human race will not recreate history.

The Giver is another artful masterpiece by award-winning author Lois Lowry. Following this book are three others in The Giver quartet: Gathering Blue, Messenger, and Son. I would certainly recommend this eye-opening novel, which puts into perspective what we, as humans, take for granted, and what we take advantage of.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

My name is Rya. I am in middle school and I enjoy reading, writing, swimming, and backpacking.

Coriolanus Snow is orphaned at a young age and is left to live with his cousin, Tigiris, and his grandmother. Growing up, he works hard in school, which finally pays off at the age of eighteen when he is chosen to be a mentor in the tenth Hunger Games. This seems like an honor until he is given the girl tribute from District 12, the lowest rank there is. His assigned tribute, Lucy Gray, may not be as physically strong as many of the other tributes, but she certainly is unique, earning her more sponsors than anyone else in the arena. This brings Corionalus some hope. Not only does he want his tribute to win for the glory, but Lucy Gray might just be the love of his life. 

In my opinion, the Hunger Games themselves are the least exciting part of this book. Instead, the aftermath is full of extreme plot twists, and until about the last twenty pages, you find yourself wondering how the innocent, love-sick Coriolanus turns into the merciless, evil President Snow. The only aspect these seemingly different characters share is their sense of ambition and cleverness.

Personally, I loved this book more than any of the other Hunger Games novels. Although it is lengthy, I was absorbed from start to finish. The way that the author made the antagonist of the beloved Hunger Games series into the protagonist of a prequel helped me to understand how the fictional world of Panem came to be.

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

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

My name is Rya. I am in middle school and I enjoy reading, writing, swimming, and backpacking.

Assisting her mother on her path to glory on The $20,000 Pyramid game show could be Miranda’s sole focus, but like any 12-year-old girl, she has plenty of other things on her mind. Her best friend, Sal, is suddenly not talking to her after a random kid punches him in the face. Miranda and her newfound friends are accused of a crime they didn’t commit. Most of all, Miranda is worried about several mysterious notes she is receiving, begging her to keep the messages they hold a secret. Then everything falls apart and comes together at the same time, which left me in the most shocked state I can remember being in after reading any book. 

Throughout most of this story, you seem to be reading quite a random realistic fiction book, with a mystery twist. Only at the end do you realize that it is an incredible science fiction book, which takes into account concepts that the human mind hardly has the ability to even grasp, including time travel. When I finished reading this book, I was completely awe-struck. How could such a simple plot change so quickly and become so complicated? When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is an incredible novel that I would definitely recommend. There is so much meaning packed into these 208 pages, even with the large font the pages hold. Hang in there though, because it is only toward the end of this book that everything makes sense.

Find it in print and CD here.

Americanized: Rebel Without a Green Card by Sara Saedi

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.

America: the country that’s a global melting pot of cultures and races and nationalities. But despite the diversity, not everyone feels welcome. Immigration processes are biased and time-consuming. Racist ideas and core values don’t always accept those coming to find a place in this country.

Sara Saedi grew up a bright-eyed straight-a student, complete with the normal teenage desires like clear skin and having her crush notice she was alive. Having immigrated from Iran to America with her family at the age of two, she didn’t learn of their undocumented status until she was thirteen. What followed was a decades-long process of receiving green cards and becoming American citizens. It was an agonizing wait intermittent with daily life in America, including sibling rivalries, familial hardships, school life, and friendship. Despite being technically illegal, Sara’s life was just like any other American’s.

Sara flawlessly weaves the terrifying prospect of being found and deported back to Iran and the almost equally terrifying possibility of being the only one of her clique to be without a date to prom using delightful humor and honesty. Integrated with family and cultural heritage and moral questions, Americanized is a poignant, hilarious memoir with a vitally important message: wherever you are, find the things that make you belong.

For Sara, that meant living as much of a normal life she could and keeping close the things she held dear – family, friends, and a sense of humor that shines throughout the book. If you’re looking for a short but honest memoir that opens up your eyes to the lives of undocumented immigrants, Americanized is the book for you.

Find it through Interlibrary Loan here.