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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.

Always Never Yours by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka

My name is Skade. I am a high schooler. I live in Hailey, ID with my mom, dad, brother and dog. I like to bike, swim and play basketball in my free time.

Always Never Yours is by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. It is about Megan Harper who is a high school senior who loves to flirt with boys, she has never had a true love most of the boys she’s dated have a history of finding their perfect matches right after they’ve dumped her. She loves theater, but always backs away from the spotlight.

Megan wants to major in theater for college but she needs some acting practice in order to get into the college she wants. She auditions for the least important part in Romeo & Juliet but ends up getting the lead, Juliet. When the cast list is up, Megan finds her name, and sees that her ex-boyfriend is playing Romeo. He left Megan for her best friend. She tries to talk to the drama teacher but her teacher thinks this is a good experience for Harper.

Megan soon meets Owen Okita, who is writing a play inspired by Rosaline from Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet and needs Megan’s help. This is a character who, like Megan, knows a thing or two about short-lived relationships. She agrees to help Owen with his play. As Megan spends more time with Owen she wonders if this could be her Romeo. Rosaline is a good book for 9th grade and higher. There is some sex and profanity but other than that, it is great and really drew me in!

Find it in print here.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Review by Ella; dreamer, ski racer, writer, and rock climber. Ella lives in SV, Idaho with her mom, dad, cat, dog, gecko, and fish.

Isla Martin has been in love with Josh since the day she laid eyes on him. The only person she is confident to talk about this with is Kurt, who has been her best friend since they were toddlers. Joshua Wasserstein or Josh is depressed and unhappy due to the fact that all of his friends have just left for college and he feels more alone than ever. After they meet at a café during the summer Isla cannot stop thinking about the handsome artist she ran into that summer.

Josh dives into his artwork and constantly breaks rules, skips school, and seems genuinely miserable. When their senior year at the School of America in France starts, Josh starts to try and forge a relationship with Isla. After realizing that Kurt is Isla’s best friend and not her boyfriend, Josh finds the courage to ask Isla out. It seems like they are each other’s salvation. Josh dives into his art and Isla tries to figure her future out as they fall in love. Then they take a trip to Spain which is against the rules and though their love remains, the rest of their world starts falling apart.

When Josh and Isla are separated from each other Isla becomes insecure and potentially ruins their relationship forever. In this book, we learn about Josh’s true aspirations and deepest feelings and how Isla struggles with her sense of identity.

Find it through Interlibrary Loan here.

They Both 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.

What would you do if you knew you were to die within a day? 

This is a question that two young adults, Rufus Emeterio and Mateo Torrez, are grappling with. They’ve both been notified by Death-Cast, an organization that alerts individuals 24 hours before their death, that they’re dying today. They both want to live this day to the fullest. And they both want to spend it with one last friend before they meet their end.

Luckily there’s an app for that, called Last Friend. So Rufus and Mateo, two complete strangers, meet up to live a lifetime in a single day. They venture together across the city, and in doing so, they bring out the best in each other and gain confidence in themselves.

They Both Die At The End hooked me at first glance – who would give away the ending of the book from the first impression? The answer is simple: someone who thinks that the book itself matters more than the ending, that the ending is not what the book is about. The same could be said for life.

Adam Silvera writes a thoughtful, speculative story about a world in which people are raised to die, knowing of their demise. But despite that, death still manages to be horrible and shocking. It is the distant inevitable, and through it all, this book helps reveal the power of friendship in the face of mortality. It shows the beauty of death and what it means to live – saying that it’s achievable to change your life in a single day.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.