Book Beat Reviews

Legend by Maire Lu

My name is Jasmine. I love ski racing, snow/winter, and many other fun things.

In futuristic LA, the city is part of the Republic. It is a totalitarian state, meaning that the government controls everyone’s public and private lives. From the moment one is born, they are strictly monitored and forced into the republic lifestyle. Everyone must take a test called “the trial” as a teenager to determine what job and ranking they will have. 

The republic was practically unbeatable, except for one teen named Day, the most wanted criminal, and a legend to the people. When he failed the trial he turned to blowing up military aircraft, vandalizing public buildings, and staging bank robberies. June, on the other hand, is a prodigy and the only known person to have achieved perfection during the trials.

 When June’s elder brother dies, Day is rumored to have killed him while performing another one of his famous scandals. The Republic sends June on her first solo mission to find Day and capture him. Although it seems impossible to find Day, June is determined to seek revenge. The problem is that no one knows what Day looks like. 

As June starts her mission she meets a beautiful boy from the streets, and sparks start to fly between the two of them, though she never really catches his name. Later, she figures out who it is, and is forced to make the choice between love and her mission. Overall, I loved how the story was told by both June and Day, for it gives it so much more depth.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.

To Belly, summer is all that matters – tanned skin, ocean salt, and stretches of endless sunny days are what she lives for. Every summer, Belly and her family go to Cousins Beach to visit her mom’s best friend, Susannah, and Susannah’s sons, Jeremiah and Conrad. Susannah is like a second mother to Belly, and Jeremiah is Belly’s best friend. But for as long as she can remember, Belly has been in love with Conrad, who, although he cares deeply about her, still sees her as a little kid. But since the summer before, a lot has changed, and this summer, Belly has a feeling that things might be different.

I definitely enjoyed The Summer I Turned Pretty as a light, simply written, quick romance story whose pages were easy to turn. I did find much of the plot to be fairly predictable. However, the personalities of the characters, as well as their growth throughout the book was engaging. I also thought that the relationships (not just the romantic ones) between the characters were well-thought-out. This is not a book that I’ll rave about or remember for very long, but I did have fun reading it and would recommend it.

Find the book, ebook and eaudiobook here.

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy

Hi, my name is Rya. I am a sophomore and I enjoy reading, swimming and traveling.

The Miss Teen Blue Bell Pageant is the pride and joy of Clover City, Texas. When pageant season rolls around, competitors become obsessed with how to impress the judges, where to buy the most flattering dresses, and what the best way to slim down before the competition is. But for Willowdean, slimming down is not a concern. As someone who is overweight, Will plans to compete in the pageant by defying beauty stereotypes and walking onto the stage with utmost confidence.

While trying to achieve her goal, Will is still mourning the death of an aunt, who was like a mother to her. She must also navigate a complicated love triangle while overcoming her self-consciousness, and journey through the perils of broken and new friendships.

At first glance, this book seems to be a solid read, but I was quite underwhelmed by it. Personally, I found the plot to be weak and the characters to be lacking in dimension and likability. Upon finishing the book, I was not left with any significant life lessons, besides the anecdote that this book is obviously based on: to be confident in who you are. Although this message is valuable, I didn’t feel that this book brought any new meaning to an otherwise cliche saying. That said, Dumplin’ was a simple read that kept me turning the pages more easily than I would have for many other books, so it might be worth a try if it sounds interesting to you.

Find the book, ebook and eaudiobook here.

It Ain’t so Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas

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.

Zomorod Yousefzadeh is just a normal teenage girl. At least, that’s all she wants to be. After bouncing between Iran, her home country, and California for most of her life, she’s ready to just settle down somewhere and not stick out like a sore, Persian thumb. She decides to go by Cindy, hoping for a Brady-Brunch level of American normalcy, and tries to get her mom to learn English so she no longer has to be her translator.

As she starts the sixth grade, everything is looking great: new friends who are actually interested in her, great Halloween costumes, Girl Scouts, the whole shebang. But it’s the late 1970s and the political unrest in Iran is mounting. Suddenly everyone knows about Iran, and everyone’s asking Cindy about what the heck is going on in her home country—but for all the wrong reasons. As protests turn into full-on revolution turn into the taking of American hostages, Cindy feels less and less safe in her new school, and in the country that has been her home for much of her life.

In this hilarious, wonderfully written semi-autobiography, Firoozeh Dumas explores the complicated notion of otherness, and what it really means to see someone for who they are, culture and all. Cindy’s story is an ode to kindness, and to the importance of the way we respond the stories we are told, and the way we tell our own stories in the future.

Find it in print and ebook here.

Santiago’s Road Home by Alexandra Diaz

Hi my name is Kire. I am in 6th grade and I love to read. Other than reading I like to do gymnastics and play viola.

Santiago’s Road Home is the kind of book that puts you on the edge of your seat, and makes you want to finish the book as fast as you can. The book follows a twelve-year-old boy who is trying to flee an abusive home in Mexico. After a couple of days living in an old beat-up barn by himself, Santiago runs into a kind lady named Maria Dolores and her daughter, Alegria. Maria Dolores is going to the United States to work at her sister’s restaurant. This sparks Santiago’s interest as he wants to get as far away as he can from his abusive grandma. Santiago asks Maria Dolores if he can come with them, and just like that they are all off onto a dangerous journey to the United States.

The journey is treacherous, as they must cross the desert. They almost make it, but as they are getting to the border, they faint from dehydration. Santiago ends up in an immigration detention center at the border of the U.S. and Mexico. What will become of Alegria, Maria Dolores, and Santiago? You will have to read to find out. In my opinion, this is one of the best books I have ever read, and I would highly recommend this to people who love a story that is really interesting and makes you want to keep reading.

Find it in print here.

Solito by Javier Zamora

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 were you doing when you were nine? I was a happy fourth grader, playing games with my friends after school, and reading books about characters who had wild adventures. Every night, I came home to my parents. Javier Zamora, on the other hand, was on his own “wild adventure.” A three-thousand-mile journey, from his home in El Salvador to his parents, whom he hadn’t seen in years, off in the U.S. And he was doing it alone.

When Javier embarked on this trip, April 1999, he could only think about what it would be like to see his parents after so long of only hearing their voices through the phone. He had no idea of the challenges that stood before him and the U.S. border; that the simple line on the map would stretch into a trip of terrifying desert treks, boat trips, and dangerous, gun-filled bus rides. He didn’t know the two weeks he expected would turn into two months, and that the migrants he traveled with in order to see his family again to become his makeshift family and surround him with love.

Solito is a testament to strength: the strength to leave home for a hopeful other, the strength to face border patrol and harsh deportation and the unforgiving immigration policies of America. Most of all, it celebrates the strength of hope and the power to keep it—even when you’re nine years old, on an impossible journey.

Find it in print and eaudiobook here.