Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros

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“Nos quisieron enterran pero no sabían que éramos semillas” – They tried to bury us but they didn’t know we were seeds

This famous proverb is the principle of the novel Efrén Divided. Efrén Divided is a story that focuses on the importance of family, friends, and a home. Echoing the experiences of thousands of Mexican-American children, Efrén is faced with the tragedy of his mother’s deportation. As the oldest sibling, he must take care of his siblings while his dad works to bring his mom back home. Efrén must learn how to be a leader, both in his middle school and in his family. Throughout his journey, he not only discovers his power to lead but the importance of teamwork.

This book has taught me multiple important lessons:

  • It’s ok to rely on people when you’re struggling
  • You have the power to change your life for the better
  • Family never gets left behind
  • Hard work will always pay off

In the novel, Ernesto Cisneros artfully describes the heartrending experience of having a family member taken from you. Balancing the struggles of school, his siblings, and his community, Efrén transforms from an average 12-year-old to a formidable “Soperboy”. Efrén Divided will make you laugh, cry, and crave home-cooked Sopes.

Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Review of the Nightborn Duet by Carissa Broodbent

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*Be advised this series is for older readers*

  • spoilers!!

The Serpent & the Wings of Night: Book 1 of the Nightborn Duet –

I give this book a 6.5/10 because I felt like it jumped around a lot. I feel like there were a lot of interesting storyline points, such as the Kejari, but for the main character was a bit too self-deprecating for my taste. I found it repetitive of how many times she would put herself down for being human, but I know specific readers enjoy that trope. At times the book was extremely immersive from how detailed Carissa was in the fight scenes and descriptions of others. I also really enjoyed how it was able to depict healthy, supportive relationships.

The Ashes & the Star-Cursed King: Crowns of Nyaxia- Book 2 of the Nightborn Duet

Out of the two books I give this one a 7.5/10 and prefer this one over the other. The journey of the main character finding herself and her strength through the kindness of her partner supporting her was heartwarming. How she explored her relationship with grief was definitely accurate, but I felt it was annoying that she kept forgiving Raihn for literally killing her father. I loved how they expanded on their relationship and how they explored different parts of him. Thinking on the positive side, it does possibly dip into the concept of not holding grudges and forgiveness. The book is a good slowburn and my ratings are a bit low just because I have oversaturated myself in this genre.  

I do recommend this duology for people who are into action, fantasy, and romance. 

The Nightborn Duet by Carissa Broadbent is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes

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As a newly converted Latin nerd making my first odyssey into the perilous (root word: periculum) land of Roman jargon, I’m deeply appreciative of my 3rd grade obsession with Percy Jackson. Not only am I able to seem even nerdier among my peers, I’m also glad for how Percy Jackson has widely popularized Greek and Roman mythology.

Now, re-reading one of the most information-dense books (Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes), I’m surprised at how much information is cleverly packaged in Percy Jackson’s sarcasm and humor. It doesn’t feel like reading a textbook, but I’m still gaining an immense amount of information. And that’s the true power of Rick Riordan’s bestselling books: the ability to take something that’s always been more niche and turn it into something fun.

I like the stories themselves too: Rick Riordan tells the classic myths of Heracles, Medusa, and the Minotaur, but also the stories of Otrera, queen of the Amazons, or Atalanta, the great huntress. It’s a snarky, modern take on classical myth that retains their initial meaning.

Take the story of Arachne: an incredibly talented mortal seamstress with skills that rival those of Athena. Her pride got the better of her after she challenged Athena to a weaving competition, and the end is not pretty. But Riordan also points out the other, less-mentioned moral of the story: that the villagers who once worshipped Arachne were just as willing to betray her. Ultimately, the ugliest characters in the story are not the prideful gods in Arachne’s tapestry, or the spider she becomes, but the hypocrisy of Arachne’s own community.

All in all, I still love Percy Jackson, for all of its minor historical inaccuracies. It brought classical mythology into a modern spotlight, and it’s just a truly fun and enjoyable read. You might even pick up a few facts and morals in the process. Just don’t forget to sacrifice a goat after your read.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Sound of Music Review

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One weekend, my Mom had me sit down with her to watch the classic, The Sound of Music. I had put off watching it for a while and went in not really knowing what to expect. After watching it, I wish I had watched it sooner.

The Sound of Music is set in Austria during the 1930s, just around World War 2. The movie follows Maria from the nunnery who is asked to help take care of the children of an officer, Captain von Trapp. Maria heads to the von Trapp family home and tries her hardest to be accepted and show the family love. Slowly, she becomes a light of hope and happiness for them, bringing them back as a lively, close family. 

I loved The Sound of Music. Both the storyline was so sweet and the music was fantastic. The movie had so many different plots that all tied in smoothly together. One developed plotline was the love story between Maria and Captain von Trapp. Maria and the Captain were super cute to watch as they chose each other despite having other commitments. But while I adored the love story between the Captain and Maria, I can’t help but fall for the family trope. I loved to see the development of relationships between the kids and Maria and the renewed relationship of the Captain and his kids. The love between Maria and the Captain sprouted from their shared love of the children who also loved both of them. Their family dynamic was a beautiful development to watch, seeing them all overcome their own hardships and decisions. Additional points of the movie were Maria’s own insecurities and doubts and the uncertainty of the upcoming war and danger. All these plot points really helped to show how in depth and well thought out the movie was.

The Sound of Music of course had great music. It starred Julie Andrews who really brought a range of talent through her singing and acting. All the songs in the movie were super catchy. The two main songs I hear replaying in my head are ‘So Long, Farewell’ and ‘Do Re Mi’ which is why I find myself singing them randomly as I say good-bye to my friends or when I hear someone sing Do-Re-Mi. But while these are most prominent, all the other songs are also great, especially ‘Climb Every Mountain.’ Plenty of them made it onto my personal playlist.

Overall, The Sound of Music was a fantastic movie. It kept me engaged the entire time with the various storylines–some of which I hadn’t even mentioned–and especially with the awesome music. This classic is definitely a must watch, if not for the characters and music, for the historical significance; being placed during difficult moments of the world and seeing the effect it has (even if it was a smaller part of the movie). I highly recommend this movie to everyone, young and old; this movie has no age limit. It is definitely one I think anyone can enjoy.

-Nicole R.

The Sound of Music is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

The Silence Between Us Book Review

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The Silence Between Us was one of those books that brought up issues that I would never even think about, even though I took ASL for 2 years. We all know being a teenager is tough enough without extra unforeseen problems. I can relate to some of the issues she experiences in the book. 

Warning! Spoiler alert!

Maya, the protagonist, stands at the point in her life where change will happen whether she likes it or not. Transitioning from a world where silence was usual for her to one with voices. She’s transitioning from deaf school to traditional school. Her challenges of assimilation in these two different schools mirror the changes in her identity. 

Maya discovers many problems and challenges as she navigates the traditional school; along the way, she learns to embrace her true self amidst society and others’ expectations. The Silence Between Us by Alison Gervais brings readers into an intimate exploration of self-discovery and resilience. It’s a powerful story of a teen finding herself in a world where people often overlook the silence.

As she confronts heartbreak and other hurdles that are adolescence and Deaf culture problems. The author was skillful in showing the emotional layers and experience through words, inviting readers into Maya’s world as she struggles with questions that transcend typical teenage worries.

I can relate to Maya on so many levels. The Silence Between Us, a touching coming-of-age book, differs from most other stories. The book’s raw honesty and unwavering portrayal of human connection make this a book worth reading. It deserves every accolade, including the esteemed Schneider Family Book Award for Best Teen Honor Book 2020. If you need a summer read, I recommend this one. Of course, this book is available in the Mission Viejo Library and audio on Libby. 


Happy Reading!
Bella H.

Book Review: Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

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A friend in AP Psychology recently recommended I read this book, as another one of his classmates recommended it to him, and he really enjoyed it. Personally, I could say the same about my experience with this book, as it really gave me a new perspective on how the human mind works.

Grit starts off by introducing the theory of grit itself, by describing studies by psychologists on West Point candidates. The book starts off by describing the first grueling 6 weeks of what is known as “Beast”, an additional layer of selection that West Point uses to weed out candidates. The author starts by mentioning research done during the 1950s by an earlier psychiatrist who also turned out to be one of Duckworth’s professors during her time at university.

Later in the book, Duckworth goes on to explain the phenomenon of grit by taking a look at people from all walks of life; Whether it be students, business owners, CEOs, or teachers, Duckworth notes that of the people in these fields, the one with grit tend to be the most successful. In looking at a program called Teach for America, Duckworth discovered that the teachers who were grittier were generally more optimistic, which correlated with better student performance and academic gains.

I don’t want to spoil more about the other cases that Duckworth discusses in the book because she can definitely explain it better than I can. I really enjoyed this book because it was life-changing, serving as a more scientific and thorough approach to looking at grit and perseverance as part of the human psyche. I would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the field of psychology, or anybody who wants to learn more about how their mind works in general.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Does Technology Help Us?

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When I was reading the news the other day, I saw that Apple has announced that they have made a ‘mixed-reality headset’ computer called Apple Vision Pro. This product is scheduled to be launched in early 2024 and is said to create an immersive experience between the real world and everyday apps. With Apple Vision Pro, users can have apps open in the spaces they are in.

Technology has many benefits, including making the world more interconnected. But, with technology like the Apple Vision Pro, how can we be sure that humans will continue interacting in person rather than online? With new technology being introduced, will we choose the convenience of Facetiming people or having in-person conversations? While there is no problem calling others, humans are created to interact with the people around us (in person).

New technology prohibits everyday interactions that used to happen before technology. If someone buys something from Starbucks, they can purchase it online or at the counter. Nowadays, most people prefer buying items online, which is more convenient. However, people lose that small interaction with an employee or another stranger. At first, losing this small interaction may seem insignificant, but this can cause harmful effects over time, even as extreme as social isolation.

Future generations need to understand the importance of human interaction. How will they grasp that technology hurts us rather than helps us? And how will society function appropriately if no one has in-person interactions because of increased technology? I believe technology should be limited, especially with advances in virtual reality. In virtual reality, people can ‘own’ as many objects as they want (money, clothes, homes, etc.). Of course, these ‘objects’ are figments; however, to many people, VR offers more than their real life. With the increased use of virtual reality and its attractiveness, will humanity start to live in a virtual world? While this might seem extreme, many articles have been made on this topic.

I believe that there is a chance that people will start to live in VR sets. The average human willingly spends 7 hours a day on technology, so it is highly plausible that future generations will live in VR. This is disturbing because the government can easily control our communities by monitoring content and promoting propaganda. A news article by Global Shakers says that a new company, Stratuscent, is developing technology to synthetically replicate smells from around the world. (For instance, if someone visited Paris in virtual reality, they would be able to see and smell Paris for how it is in real life.) I thought the author brought up a good point; he said, “And when that happens—how long before there’s no distinction between virtual reality and reality?” (Romer). If technology offers these opportunities on one device, people will not want to live in real life. People will not realize what is real and what is not.

Technology has the power to change the world positively, but we must be wary that it does not consume us. With this information in mind, I hope to end this article by causing you to ponder whether technology will help or hurt our society.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Review (contains spoilers!)

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In the fictional novel Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the protagonist Harry Potter (who is a wizard) goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, everything seemed normal at first, but some strange occurrences started to happen.

There were people being petrified to be as still as a statue. There was also writing on the walls made from blood. The one behind this is Tom Riddle, also known as Lord Voldemort. Harry’s best friend Ron’s sister gets kidnapped by Tom Riddle and used to help him in these mysterious occurrences.

Harry has to fight the Basilisk, the creature that was petrifying students. After defeating the dangerous Basilisk (with the help of Dumbledore’s phoenix, Fawkes) he uses one of the creature’s fangs to stab the diary that allowed Lord Voldemort to come back with his past self, as he was just a memory. We learn that Harry is a true Gryffindor since he was able to wield the sword of Godric Gryffindor.

The novel before this is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and the one after it is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 because it has great characters and an amazing plot. It is by far my favorite in the entire series.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Libby. 

“Find Your Porpoise” By M. C. Ross

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Find Your Porpoise by M. C. Ross is a heartwarming tale of a dog named Lars, his owner Natalie, a porpoise called Bangor, and a new otter called Marina. After meeting Bangor in the first book A Dog’s Porpoise, Lars and Natalie have become great friends with the porpoise. But everything changes when tourists come gathering around Ogunquit, Maine to take a glimpse of the famous porpoise pod.

As if things weren’t bad enough, a new otter comes in and steals the spotlight. Lars has to learn to share not only his reputation but his best friend. Lars starts to hate Marina and despise her. Conflict between the two grows, but in the end they each learn a valuable lesson of friendship.

Meanwhile, Natalie struggles between her new job on her stepdad’s boat, school, Marina (the otter) and a sketchy new citizen called Adam. When she finally suspects Adam is up to no good, she jumps to conclusions and her actions get the best of her.

With both of their judgements clouded, Natalie and Lars overlook the danger of tourist boats for their friend Bangor. In getting in a fight with his mom, Bangor is determined to ignore the rules and escape his pod to go see his human, dog, and otter friends. But it takes Bangor getting hit by a boat and a lot of team work for all three to acknowledge their mistakes.

Overall, I liked the multiple plots in the book, and thought it was a fun story. Each character learns a different message from their experience and sort of shares the knowledge to the reader as they read throughout the book.

I really recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading more books from this author. Write in the comments below if you think this is a book you would read.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

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To Kill a Mockingbird is a thrilling novel. It was written by the one and only Harper Lee, Who has made other great novels such as Go Set a Watchman.

At first glance, I thought this was going to be a very boring book because I had to read it for school. And most books required for school are a pain to read, and very boring. But once I started reading this book more and more I realized that I was hooked. Normally I’m not a huge fan of reading, but I really enjoyed reading To Kill a Mockingbird.

The novel To Kill a Mockingbird is a realistic fiction story. It follows the lives of 2 siblings: 6 year old Scout, who is the narrator, and 10 year old Jem Finch. The both of them are very immature at the beginning of the story. The time period is set in the 1930’s in a small rural town called Maycomb, Alabama. Atticus Finch is the children’s father, who is a lawyer. He is also a wise and loving dad, and teaches Jem and Scout many valuable lessons throughout the story.

The story starts getting intense when Atticus takes on a case. He must defend Tom Robinson, who is a black man. Tom is accused of raping Mayella Ewell, who is a young white woman. The trial has a big impact on Jem and Scout’s understanding of the world, and that everything isn’t always innocent as it seems. Jem and Scout grew much in their maturity after the trial, as they had a new perspective of the world and their surroundings.

I would recommend To Kill a Mockingbird to any readers who enjoy historical fiction and thrilling stories. This novel tackles the injustice that can happen in the world and issues with the society.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.