Book Beat Reviews

Medusa by Jessie Burton

I am Sarah. I am sixteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by all the amazing stories built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.

We all know the myth of Medusa: a beautiful girl, caught up in a godly scandal, scorned by the powerful goddess Athena for desecrating her sacred temple. Athena turns her gorgeous locks into a head full of snakes, and, just to make sure she never forms a relationship again, curses Medusa’s gaze to turn anyone unfortunate enough to cross paths with her to stone.

Essentially, Medusa commits a crime, godly justice is bestowed, and she becomes the fearsome, serpentine monster we know and hate.
But Jessie Burton proves that there’s way more to the story.

You open this book ready to meet a monster. But instead, you’re seeing a windy exile, through the eyes of a lonely, cursed eighteen-year-old girl. Medusa is reeling, confronted with her new features, unable to grasp the concept of her newfound immortality. And just when she fears she can’t get any lonelier, a boat arrives at her island, carrying a person (a friend): Perseus.

But we know how this story ends, and who Medusa will fall to. After all, the golden boy always defeats the monster. Only, is Medusa the monster he’s after?

Peppered with breathtaking illustrations, Burton retells Medusa’s story the way it really happened. This powerful almost-romance perfectly captures themes of consent, abuse of power, and ultimately, believing in yourself and your own identity no matter what lives on your head. They say we can all learn from ancient stories, but this? This is the beautiful, relevant lesson for every one of us.

Find it in print here.

I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda, with Liz Wench

Hi, I am Sarah. I am sixteen years old and an avid reader; it is one of my favorite things to do. Inspired by all the amazing stories built by simple letters, I aspire to be an author and, meanwhile, nurture the love to write.

The world is a big place. Seven continents, one hundred and ninety-six countries, eight billion people—millions of different cultures and life experiences.

Caitlin Alifirenka‘s life experience is that of a typical American teenager. She lives in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, loves shopping on the weekends, and thinks of school as just another thing she’s got to do. Early in her seventh-grade year, however, something changes. Caitlyn’s class gets pen pals, and suddenly—through internationally traveling letters—the world gets a little smaller.

Martin Ganda, Caitlyn’s Zimbabwean pen pal, lives a life vastly different than his American friend. He shares a one-room house not only with his parents and five siblings but with another family like his. He loves school with a passion, in part because, unlike Caitlyn, it isn’t something he can ever take for granted.

Through a six-and-a-half-year pen pal correspondence, the two form an unlikely friendship that changes the course of both of their lives forever. Caitlyn’s eyes are opened to the world beyond her town, sparking compassion and a desire to learn, and eventually, a drive to help others in need. Martin finds not only a lifelong friend, but also a lifeline when poverty falls on his family and threatens to take away his education. I Will Always Write Back inspires anyone who reads it not to be afraid to look a little farther and learn a little bit more about this massive, amazing world we live in—and the people in it whom we might meet.

Find it in print and audiobook here.

Who Was Genghis Khan? by Nico Medina

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.

Who Was Genghis Khan is a wonderful, non-fiction, interesting read. Most people know very little of this man because America does not teach a lot about Asian and African countries. We mostly focus on ourselves, the European, and South American countries. The reasons for this are that we mostly came from European, and South American countries and a little from all the other counties. If you enjoy WhoHQ books this is a great one. If this is your first one then you should try some other ones in the series as well. This book will take you through Genghis Khan’s life from birth to death as you learn all there is to learn about him. It tells you every little fact, so if you just love history then this WhoHQ series is just right for you!

The book starts with Genghis Khan’s early childhood, which usually ranges from birth to 12 years of age. When he was young, he had a very hard life. His family was banished from their clan. They survived off scraps for years till they finally found a clan that took them in. Genghis was a natural fighter and was quickly moved up to higher ranks. But how could he ever defeat the Chinese Empire and become the ruler of the biggest empire ever created?

Check it out at The Community Library or buy it at a local bookstore. Do not forget that the WhoHQ series has several other books about other key people and events in history.

Find it in print here.

Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan

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.

Daughter of the Deep is a fantastic novel following a freshman in high school girl and her adventure with the whole freshman class to the sea. This is yet another of Rick Riordan’s outstanding books which include his Percy Jackson series, Magnus Chase series, and many more. This is the first book of an HP (Harding Prescott) series. Also, hopefully not to be the last. This book feels as if you are witnessing the scenes first handed. His writing is so detailed that you can picture the paintings on the wall and flower pots on the desks.

This book follows the Jules Verne theme of 2000 Leagues Under the Sea and Mystery Island. The main characters from Jules Verne’s books are the “Daughter of the Deep” main characters’ older relatives from 150 years ago. If you know Jules Verne and read his book you would immediately understand everything. But you do not need to read his books first. “Daughter of the Deep” makes sure that everything is cleared up for you.

The book starts by introducing you to some of the characters while keeping it very vague to keep the mystery feel to the book. The freshman class is just getting ready to leave for their big trip out to the ocean. But right as they leave, they look behind them to see HP crumbling into the sea. To find out what happens next you will have to wait and see. I highly recommend this book and is one of the best books written by Rick Riordan that I have read in my opinion.

Find it in print, eBook, and eAudiobook here.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Hi, I’m Jasmine, a 13-year-old who loves reading and the outdoors; especially skiing.

It has been almost 200 years since humanity conquered all things keeping them from being a perfect world. This includes hunger, disease, war, misery, and even death. The Thunderhead, or “the cloud” is an AI-evolved version of the internet, ensuring all humanity’s needs are taken care of. While it seems like the perfect world, the key to balance lies in Scythedom. To stop the population from overgrowing, a large group of individuals called scythes are given the responsibility to kill (glean) others permanently without being revived by law. The Thunderhead finds this approach to be the most effective method for controlling the population.

When 17-year-old Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch are selected for an apprenticeship under Scythe Faraday, they must learn what it means to be a scythe. Although neither of them are thrilled to be selected for this position, they will continue on. Citra was chosen for her quick and fiery wit, while Rowan was chosen for his kindness.

Together they bring out the positive in each other, yet they both know only one can be a scythe. When the first conclave (gathering for scythes) comes up the two teens feel ready for their first of three tests. However, things take a turn when Scythe Rand suggests whoever becomes a scythe must glean the other one. In this way, their training becomes more meaningful, and they are prepared to sacrifice themselves to help each other become a scythe.

Twists and cliffhangers will keep you guessing as the plot thickens. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to people who enjoy futuristic deep, action books.

Find it in print and ebook here.

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

Hello, my name is Cora. I’m in 8th grade and some of my favorite things to do, besides reading, are playing soccer and skiing.

Freshman year, Brynn left The Anderson school shortly after a teacher was killed in the woods behind school property.

The case was never solved.

It’s now senior year. Brynn is back home, landing her dream job as an amateur detective for a true crime show, and she’s determined to find out what really happened that day in the woods. But the further Brynn digs into the case, the more secrets she finds.

Mr. Larkin’s body was found shortly after the death by three Saint Ambrose students, including Brynn’s old best friend, Tripp Talbot, and former enemies Shane and Charlotte. They all claim to have stumbled on Mr. Larkin, while working on a school project, before alerting the police. Besides having found the body, these three have mostly avoided scrutiny from everyone, and are presumed innocent. But if Brynn knows Tripp, she also knows he’s one to keep secrets, and always seems to know more than he’s telling. Tripp was never friends with Shane and Charlotte until after the day in the woods. What changed?

Mr. Larkin always seemed to be everyone’s favorite teacher, but someone is defacing posters of him right before his memorial. As Brynn digs deeper, it emerges that he may have had a slippery past, with several people having a motive to kill him. Maybe he isn’t as respected as we thought, or the person he appeared to be.
The scariest part is: what if the killer never left?

I really enjoyed this book because the story was so captivating, and the characters were so likable and well developed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has any interest in mystery books.

Find it in print here.