Book Beat Reviews

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Qwan

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

Crazy Rich Asians written by Kevin Qwan is an exceptionable book. It is 527 pages long, but the plot is amazing. It is about a girl named Rachel Chu who marries a man named Nick Young. She doesn’t know much about his family, other than they live in Singapore, since her and Nick met in the U.S. When she goes to visit them with Nick, she realizes that there is a lot she doesn’t know about him. Once they get to the airport, she is treated very special, and she thinks, oh this must be a mistake. This is my favorite part of the book because it is really humorous. As they get onto the plane, Rachel realizes that this trip definitely cost Nick a lot of money, so she feels bad. As they talk things out she realizes that he comes from a very wealthy family in Singapore.

What she doesn’t realize is all of the ins and outs of being apart of one of the most influential families in South-East Asia. Rachel has a really hard time adjusting to this lifestyle, and it causes quite a few bumps in her and Nick’s relationship. Crazy Rich Asians is one of the best books I’ve ever read, because of the detail, plot-line, and characters. I’d say that this book is really good, but a little mature for kids who are younger than 7th grade. Crazy Rich Asians is also a movie, so when you finish the book, you can watch the movie.

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

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

My name is Zach. I am a seventh grader, and live in Ketchum, ID. I enjoy playing board games, reading, mountain biking, Nordic and alpine skiing, playing with my family, snowmobiling, and being outside.

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann takes place in a dystopian world, called Quill, where creativity is banned, and emotion is made to be a weakness. Every year, a ceremony occurs in which all the thirteen year olds’ role in society is determined. You are either a Wanted: the highest honor, Necessary: working class, or Unwanted: sentenced to death. 

When identical twins Alex and Aaron are thirteen, Alex becomes Unwanted, and Aaron is Wanted. When Alex goes to die, no one yearns for him, as it is not allowed. 

Miraculously, Alex gets saved by an idiosyncratic magician named Mr. Today, who declares them saved. Alex, along with the other Unwanteds, are shown the unimaginable world of Artimé, where magic is taught and creativity is celebrated.

Meanwhile, in Quill, Aaron is climbing the ranks of society, becoming assistant to the High Priest. Tensions rise, and when Alex shows Aaron he is alive, a war ensues between Artimé and Quill. Alex must band together with his friends to save Artime, and magic with it.

This book is so captivating, I couldn’t stop reading it. I would recommend this book for 10-14 year olds, as there is some gore, and drama. Additionally, if you like this book, there are many more books in the series, and a second spin off series to read.

Find it in print, eaudiobook and CD here.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Frances is in 7th grade. She enjoys Nordic skiing and plays soccer in the summer, spring and fall. She also loves writing, reading and spending time outside.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven is a fictional romance novel.  It follows the story of Jack Masselin, a 17-year-old boy diagnosed with prosopagnosia, which is a disease hindering the person’s ability to recognize faces.  It is also the story of Libby Strout, a headstrong 16-year-old girl.  Libby was given the title “World’s Fattest Teen” because after the death of her mom she plunged into a food-eating frenzy.  During the story Libby and Jack discover they have much more in common than they thought.  Their new found common ground brings them closer together and they are brought into an unexpected relationship.

Both characters must struggle dealing with their own, complicated personal lives.  While each of them tries to grasp the concept of growing up, a new tension arises between the two changing their thoughts toward themselves and toward other people.  Throughout the book Jack and Libby each take turns describing their accounts of the story.  The novel not only changes perspectives of characters, but also switches between the past and the present.  This book is perfect if you’re looking for something to keep you entertained.  It offers a little bit of everything, humor, action, and much, much more!

Find it in print and eaudiobook here.

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

The Lord of the Flies, written by William Golding is 224 pages long. The Lord of the Flies is about some boys ages 6 through 11 who get in a plane crash on a deserted island. There are no other people on the island, and they have no adults with them. The boys have to figure out a way to survive on the island, until they can get help. They have to get their priorities straight, and learn how to grow up and take on responsibilities. The boys have a very hard time trying to work together because many of them have strong personalities and want to be the leader. One part of the book that shows this is when they elect Ralph as leader, Jack and a few other boys aren’t happy with the decision. This leads to a lot of conflict later in the book, because the boys don’t often agree with each other. Both Ralph and Jack want power, but they can’t both lead.

The Lord of the Flies is hard to read because there is a lot of deeper meaning behind simpler parts, and there are also a lot of chaotic parts, especially when the boys fight with each other.  Overall I think it was a very great story, but it was very hard to follow along. I read it with my class so there was a lot more collaboration and discussion. I would recommend if you are going to read it, you should read it in a group. I think that everyone should read The Lord of the Flies because it is a very common book, and it is widely talked about.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

The Elite by Cassandra Cass

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

The Elite, by Cassandra Cass, is the second book in The Selection series. It is about America’s journey competing in the Selection. The selection is a game where girls from Illea compete for Prince Maxon’s hand in marriage. While reading The Elite I could really see how America and Maxon’s relationship changed. They had a lot of feelings about each other, but you could see they both couldn’t give each other their whole hearts at the same time.

Maxon has many hard decisions to make because of who is competing, and what their ties are with other places and people. Maxon’s decision needs to be not just because of love, but also because of politics. America knows that she doesn’t have the same ties and connections, but they she is truly in love with Maxon. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout the book, however it is not hard to follow. I found it very surprising because there were many parts that I did not expect or see coming. I would recommend that you should read the selection series because it really draws you in. Cassandra Cass also does a great job describing feelings, and she can put them into words really well. The Elite is a really good book, and I am excited to continue reading the selection series.

Find it in print, ebook, and eaudiobook here.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

I am Elizabeth. I love reading, and my favorite book is My Sister’s Keeper. I am in the 8th grade and enjoy dance.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli is about a girl named Molly who has had 26 unrequited crushes. She is very shy, and she can’t even fathom having a strong relationship with most of those people. Molly has a chance to have a great relationship, but she also has feelings for another boy. Her cousin sets her up with a boy named Will. She likes Will a lot, but she thinks he is too cool for her. She doesn’t feel much of an emotional connection. However, Molly works with a boy named Reid, and she has a lot of fun with him, and she feels an emotional connection. Molly thinks that people will judge her because he isn’t the cutest boy. Molly has a decision to make, but in the end she makes sure she is happy.

Overall The Upside of Unrequited is a really good book, and you can become very invested in it. It was a very fun read and I think that it is the type of book to read once, and pass onto your friend to read. I think that most people would enjoy this book because it is just a generally happy story.

Find it in ebook here.