Category Archives: Book Reviews

Nineteen minutes By Jodi Picoult

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My English teacher  suggested this book to me on Wednesday (Feb 28) and, in just four days I finished it. This book is over 400 pages but was such an easy read. 

I’m not going to summarize the book, because there is no way too without spoiling it, but it’s basically a book about a school shooting and a deeper dive into the each person in that situation, including the shooter, and the legal issues behind it all.

The book has an insane twist at the end. You will be hooked at the start of the book and will want to read it all the way through, and possibly skip some parts to get to the “juicy” parts, but you should read every detail there possibly is.

In my opinion, this has got to be the best, most attention grabbing book I have read. It brings light to many things and aspects and uses specific moments and people to capture the reader. It also brings up the past to show a more in depth and explaining certain situations and who the characters are to one another. 

There aren’t enough words to describe this book and I don’t know how to make you want to read it, but just do. Trust me you will be shocked, amazed, confused, happy, angered all at once with the many plot twists Jodi Picoult has put into this book.

After reading this book, I will begin to read Small Great Things by her too and will let you know how it goes.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby. 

-Zina K

Book Review; Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

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Ok, hear me out, even the cover of this book is beautiful. This book is beautifully written to the point that when there was a huge plot twist, I screamed in disbelief. This book was a heartwarming romance novel that I got for Christmas, I would never ever pick this book out for myself. I never expected to be interested in a book whose whole genre is people making out, but this one was much deeper than that (of course there was still making out). 

To start off, I love the main character, Madeline. She is amazingly written, so I will give you three reasons why she is one of the most realistic characters I have read about lately.

  1. She’s biracial. As someone who is biracial, whenever I read about someone like me, I immediately fall in love with the book because there is not a lot of biracial representation. She is ½ Japanese and ½ Black. I like how her ethnicity wasn’t everything, that happens often in books.
  2. She’s not perfect. I know, I know, I know, every main character isn’t perfect, but a lot are, or at least, their flaws are glamorized. Madeline’s flaws are presented in such a way that they appear suddenly, but you know they are always there. It’s like this; Say you know someone is super self-centered. You can see a little bit of their self-centeredness in everything they do, so when they do something really selfish, it doesn’t surprise you. It’s like that.
  3. She’s relatable in a way that teenagers get. She is written for the readers, but she is so well written that you believe she could be one of the readers. She’s completely lovestruck, but it’s not all she is. She has a life beyond that. She’s a nerd, but only in a way where you have nothing but school and books. Madeline is a teenager through and through 

Now let me actually give you a book review, sorry about that little tangent.

Madeline is not allowed to leave her house, if she does she will probably die. Madeline has SCID (Severe Combined Immunodeficiency), so she is basically allergic to the world. Almost everything could trigger a hospital visit. 

The only people that Madeline has contact with are her mother, her nurse (Carla, who is amazing by the way) and her architecture tutor, but even that is a rare thing. Madeline’s father and brother both died in a car accident when she was a baby, so she only has her mom.

Around her 18th birthday, Madeline gets new neighbors across the street. She is immediately star struck by the teenage boy, Olly. I don’t want to describe him in detail but let me just tell you that Madeline uses almost half a page describing him. The two of them hit it off and start emailing each other.

The book is really sweet and surprisingly chaotic at the end. I have never been in love, or even in like, but I think that Madeline and Olly’s relationship is an accurate representation of teenage romances. It’s a pretty good romance book that I would recommend. 

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer

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**This review will contain spoilers**

I’ve heard many great things about this took so decided to take a look at it for myself. It follows female main character. Lucy Hart and her adventure with wanting to adopt seven year old, Christopher Lamb. However, there are other plots beyond Lucy trying to build a family such as a subplot of romance, adventure, etc.

Lucy came from a traumatic childhood and wants to adopt Christopher so that he won’t grow up to be in the same position as herself–single and needing money. Lucy would comfort herself with books from her favorite author Jack Masterson who wrote the Clock Island series. The Clock Island series consists of a multitude of books that revolve around an array of characters and their journey on this island where the Mastermind lived there they would complete puzzles and riddles.

Knowing this comfort Lucy had a kid, she introduced Christopher to the books as well to provide a solace for him like she had when she was little. However, Jack Masterson hasn’t written in years but randomly decided to host a competition for someone to win the lone copy of his newest release. Whoever wins can do whatever they want with the book–sell it for money, send it to a publishing company, keep it to themselves, etc. Lucy is picked along with three other contestants at the opportunity to get this book.

While on the island, Lucy solves puzzles and riddles that help advance her position in getting the book. However, in the end no participant ends up winning but they all get rewarded with what they always wanted. In this case, Lucy always wanted to adopt Christopher and be able to afford her own living area which Jack Masterson has given to her.

The Wishing Game was truly a wholesome read and I encourage it for anyone who just wants a quick read for their 2024 reading journey!

-Madison C.

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Hating Game Book Review

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The Hating Game is an amusing and riveting read. The witty and charming characters, Lucy and Joshua make you yearn for more of their tangled love story. The evocative plot brings the book to life. In parts of the novel, the plot may get repetitive and languid. Lucy Hutton and Joshua Templeman are a match made in heaven, however much of a cliche that is. Lucy is the bubbly girl next door who is kind to everyone, and Joshua is the cold-hearted guy whose heart is closed off to everyone.

They have a steamy office romance that involves obsessive behaviour that one may experience from their first feelings of love. The intimacy of their relationship really draws you into the pages with their open and sweet conversations as the book moves on. Joshua does hold a soft spot for Lucy who has her guard up towards her coworker and supposed nemesis because of their conflict, gunning for the same top position.

This is your typical enemies to lovers but with a splash of office romance in it. A love triangle appears for a short while causing jealousy and sparking outrage in the two. They both have jealous natures which causes most of the conflict in the story. However, as you read on, your heart aches for the two as they may just close off their hearts to each other. The slow burn that the author involves makes you want to get to the end faster and you just cannot put the book down. This book captures the essence of your typical forbidden office romance.

If you enjoy a steamy office romance, enemies to lovers, or forced proximity, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne checks off all of the boxes.

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

A Wrinkle in Time-Book Review

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A Wrinkle in Time is the first book in Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quintet. It is a science fiction book with some elements of mystery. The story is about a girl, Meg, who has not heard from her father since he disappeared on a government mission. She seems to be struggling without his presence, only focusing on classes they bonded over like math and science. Meg has a hard time making friends as she is an opinionated young middle schooler. Her younger brother, Charles Wallace, is a child prodigy who also is “socially awkward” compared to others. One day on the way back from school, they meet another kid named Calvin who is older than Meg. They are visited by Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which,  beings from another dimension that Meg’s father is lost in. These beings take Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin into the 5th dimension to find their father. 

This book experiments with time travel and scientific theories like the 5th dimension. However, it is not the average science fiction story. The tale gets quite deep and emotional at times when the characters go through their family issues. It is relatively simple to understand, however, it can be complicated once they describe “tessering” (traveling between space and time in dimensions). Overall I would give this book a 7/10. It was interesting but the pacing of the book seemed a bit off. I did not feel that there was enough time spent during the “final battle” and the conclusion seemed rushed. But I would recommend this book for sixth graders who enjoy complex science fiction.

-Janna G.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

Best Dystopian Novels

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In this trilogy, the Capitol of Panem forces each of the twelve districts to send two tributes, one boy and one girl, to face off in the Hunger Games where only one will survive. During the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen, the female tribute from District 12, is faced with the daunting quest of surviving the arena and making it out alive, creating a thrilling series for dystopian and action lovers.

In this world, those with silver blood have supernatural powers, making them part of the elite class. On the other hand, those with normal, red blood are part of the lower class, having no powers and being forced to serve the Silvers. However, Mare Barrow, a Red, discovers that she has electrokinesis powers one day, causing turmoil among the upper class and Silvers. Forced to hide as the long lost daughter of a Silver general and his wife, Mare struggles to survive palace life, trying to figure out her love life and an approaching rebellion.

Lena Haloway lives in a world where falling in love is illegal. When she turns eighteen, she’ll have to undergo a medical procedure to rid her of the ability to feel or exhibit love, allowing the government to match her with what they believe to be a suitable spouse and job. However, once she meets Alex, a boy from the Wilds who managed to escape the procedure, she begins to wonder if falling in love is all that bad and that maybe it’s time to choose her own path in life.

In this dystopian future, a young boy named Jonas is declared the Receiver of Memory, the only person allowed to access the knowledge and memories of the past. In this world, the government chooses everyone’s jobs, parents, spouses, families, and more, giving them no free choice. However, those who are too old to contribute to society or those who were born flawed, are “released” or injected with a lethal serum, ending their lives. Realizing this, Jonas plans to escape the community after becoming attached to a “flawed” infant named Gabriel, seeking to save the baby’s life and evade the Committee of Elders.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Giver by Lois Lowry is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby. 

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy

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The Great Fire is a novel by Jim Murphy about the Chicago fire of 1871, which destroyed most of the city. The fire was believed to have started in a barn, and eventually spread throughout Chicago. This book describes the fire from several different perspectives. These perspectives enable to reader to learn about the human impact of this devastating tragedy. The book also contains many pictures to help visualize the events.

Before reading this book, I did not know about the Great Chicago Fire. I found this book to be highly informative and engaging. The different human perspectives made it feel very personal. I was especially affected by the perspective of a thirteen-year-old girl named Claire Innes. I felt like I could relate to her because we are close in age. Claire was separated from her family during the fire as the people around her panicked as they tried to escape. Her house was burned down, just like the houses of most of the other residents of Chicago.

The fire caused major destruction, and many people died. After the fire, the people worked to rebuild the city. This book provides a realistic view of what it would be like to deal with such a disaster. The book earned many awards, including a Newbery Honor. I can understand why this book earned so many awards, because it is very well-written and compelling. I would highly recommend it.

The Great Fire by Jim Murphy is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads

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The Corn Grows Ripe is a charming book by Dorothy Rhoads. The story takes place in a Mayan village. The main character is a 12-year-old boy named Dionisio. Everyone calls him by his nickname, “Tigre,” which means jaguar. At the beginning of the story, Tigre often oversleeps and is accused of laziness. One day, his father has an accident and breaks his leg. This is devastating to Tigre’s family, because they depend on his father to plant a cornfield every year for food. Tigre’s father cannot do the work this year because of his injury. Tigre realizes that he may need to find a way to plant the cornfield himself. Tigre has never accomplished such a difficult task before, but he knows that his family is depending on him to rise to the challenge.

This book is quite short, but I enjoyed it. I found it interesting to learn about Mayan culture from this story. The story seemed realistic to me, and I believed that the events could have actually happened. I especially appreciated the family relationships. The story seems to be about a real family struggling with real problems. I also appreciated the moral lessons of this book. Tigre learns to overcome adversity through strength and courage. By working hard, he learns to develop the same attributes as his father.

This is a Newbery Honor award-winning book, and I believe that it deserves that honor. The book flows well and is enjoyable to read. It also teaches many historical facts about Mayan culture. I think that this book is a good way to learn a fascinating culture while also learning about good values, such as courage and hard work. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a short but enjoyable read.

The Stranger/The Outsider Title Analysis

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[Spoilers for The Stranger/The Outsider/L’Étranger]

In my English class, we read the famous novella known by some as The Stranger” by Albert Camus. Albert Camus is a famous absurdist and existentialist “philosopher” (although he refused to identify himself as one) who is famous for pioneering the idea that life does not have meaning. While some may consider this to be a pessimistic outlook on the world, a closer inspection of Absurdism reveals quite the opposite; Camus argues that because there is no intrinsic purpose in life, we should not dwell on the unfortunate events that have happened to us. Rather, we should focus on enjoying our lives to the fullest and living as if there is no tomorrow.

In Camus’s novella, The Stranger, he expertly crafts a story about a young man named Meursault, a French-Algerian who embodies the concept of absurdism. When his mother dies, Meursault only states in a matter-of-fact manner that she is dead, referring to her corpse as “a body” and falling asleep at her funeral. He even engages in a relationship with his coworker Marie the day after.

Throughout the novel, Meursault continues to miss important social cues, such as when Marie (whom he later gets engaged to) asks him if he would marry any woman, to which he responds with the affirmative. He turns down a promotion that would relocate him to Paris because “one life is as good as any” and he gives a statement at the police station to protect his mobster acquaintance for the simple reason that he was asked. At the end of the novel, he murders an unnamed Arab man and is found guilty; he spends the remainder of his days in jail awaiting his execution.

There are many translations of this story, such as The Stranger, The Outsider, The Foreigner, The Alien, and Odd Man Out. In my opinion, out of all of these translations, The Outsider serves as the best title for the novella. It established that Meursault is known by his community (given that he grew up in French Algiers and never relocated) but that he is missing out on something that only people on the inside are aware of so to speak. This crucial element, a strong sense of social awareness and a moral compass, prevents him from fitting in, casting him as an outsider in society. While the other titles hold (mostly) the same denotation, they do not convey this critical connotation, which is why The Outsider functions as the best-translated title.

The Stranger by Albert Camus is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Book Review: The Glass Castle

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I recently was given the opportunity in my AP language and Composition class to choose my own independent reading book. Normally, our book is assigned to us and we have no choice in what we are consuming. However this time, we were allowed to select a nonfiction book from a list of options provided. I chose The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, and I was not disappointed.

Jeannette Wall’s captivating memoir, The Glass Castle, is a narrative recounting the tumultuous childhood and adventures of the nomadic Walls family. When Rex Walls, Jeannette’s father, is sober he is a charismatic man who creates magical experiences for his children. However, when Rex is intoxicated, neglect is imminent and the Walls are poverty-stricken. This narrative dives deep into obstacles of alcoholism and poverty that plague the Walls children.

I was absolutely hooked throughout the entirety of Walls’ memoir. Every page brought about another crazy situation and adventure the Walls family was undertaking. I felt deeply connected to Jeannette and her siblings, and found myself rooting for their successes. There were many unimaginable scenarios throughout the story and when discussing with classmates, we all found ourselves jaw dropped. Seeing the Walls children be forced to parent themselves, yet still succeed, was a satisfying experience. Their journey shows that adversity can be overcome and one can rise up above the cards they are dealt, no matter the circumstances. This memoir was gripping and inspiring. It’s a great quick read and I would highly recommend it! It’s also great for my fellow AP Lang students to use as evidence for the free response question 3 argument essay!

This book contains imagery and discussion of topics such as alcohol addiction and SA, so please be cautious before reading!

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.