The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen

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Glamor, hearts of gold, summer, dumplings, Broadway, scholarships, this book has it all.

E. L. Shen’s Queens of New York revolves around Jia Lee, Ariel Kim, and Everett Hoang. The trio each being their own specialties to the group: Everett is the future Broadway star, all shiny lights and melodic voice. Ariel is the genius, brainy scholar who just recently lost her sister to a drowning incident she strangely knows nothing about. And Jia, she’s like the skin of dumpling, keeping them all together.

When the three best friends split up for the summer—Ariel to San Francisco to pursue her STEM interest, Everett to a performing arts school in Ohio, and Jia remaining back at home, all of the problems in their lives become apparent.

Without each other for constant support and distractions, the girls are forced to face their fears head-on. With their leaps of faith come new discoveries and closure.

This novel shines a light on Asian-American representation, racism, and economical disadvantages. For one, the offhanded racist comments that Everett experienced from an authoritative figure at her academy. Jia’s family’s dumpling house restaurant responsibilities that restrict her from bringing up her dreams of college and an education that her family can’t afford.

I appreciated how these very real concepts did not detract from the storyline, only added to the characters and the reader’s understanding of them.

Overall, The Queens of New York was a novel that I enjoyed reading. It proves that there is more than just flashy skyline buildings, unrelenting crowds, and bustling taxis to New York; There are big hearts and even bigger dreams.

The Queens of New York by E. L. Shen is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library.

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola

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26 Fairmount Avenue is the first book in an autobiographical series by Tomie dePaola.  This book won a Newbery Honor award in 2000. Tomie dePaola was a renowned writer and illustrator of fictional children’s books, but this book is about his real-life childhood. This was his first chapter book. He tells the story of his childhood growing up in New England in the 1930s. His parents decide to build a house at 26 Fairmount Avenue in the small town of Meriden, Connecticut. However, construction is repeatedly delayed for various reasons. For example, his parents decide to fire the original builder before the house is completed, because he was not building the house in the way that Tomie’s parents wanted. Also, construction is delayed because town workers scraped away dirt on Fairmount Avenue, making the street lower. As unexpected challenges come up, Tomie wonders whether his family will ever be able to move from their small apartment into the new house.

This book is enjoyable to read because the story is told from the perspective of a child. I was surprised by how young Tomie dePaola was at the time of the events of this book. He was only between four and five years old, yet he has a vivid memory of that time. He shares many amusing stories from that period in his life. I especially enjoyed learning about his family and his Irish and Italian heritage. Tomie seems very respectful of his family members. For example, I appreciated his relationship with his great-grandmother. Tomie loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them. This book describes the value of a loving family and a happy home.

I have appreciated Tomie dePaola’s books since I was a child, so it was nice to learn about his childhood. This is a very short book, but I enjoyed it very much. The story is quite charming, and the illustrations by Tomie dePaola are excellent as always. 26 Fairmount Avenue would be a great choice for someone who is just beginning to read chapter books, but I would recommend it to anyone.

26 Fairmount Avenue by Tomie dePaola is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

How to Make French Toast

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This summer, I started making my own breakfast almost every day. Apparently I have a high taste for food because I started making myself things like crêpes, waffles, omelets and FRENCH TOAST. I found this French toast recipe online, tweaked it a teeny tiny bit and eat it maybe once a week now. 

THE RECIPE

Prep Time: Approximately 2 minutes or less

Cook Time: Maybe 3-5 minutes

Ingredients

  • ⅓  cup of milk
  • 1 eggs
  • ½  teaspoon of vanilla extract (Optional) (I put it in for flavor and once did not have enough, but it was still delicious. I recommend putting the vanilla in)
  •  ≈ ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon (Optional) (I put more in and dust the toast while its cooking)
  • Salt (If you want, I dont put any)
  • 3 pieces of bread 
  • Butter to grease the pan

Step 1

Get all of your ingredients and whisk everything but the bread and butter together in a shallow bowl. (I use a cereal bowl)

Step 2

Butter your pan and heat over high heat

Step 3

Dunk your bread in your milk mixture for 3 seconds on both sides. I also sink the crusts.

Step 4

Move your bread onto your hot pan and lower the temperature to medium heat. Cook until the crusts are golden brown, (like the color of almonds or dulce de leche)

Step 5

EAT YOUR DELICIOUS CREATION. I prefer to top mine with maple syrup and more cinnamon.

I really like this recipe and think that it’s really easy to make while half asleep in the morning. I do recommend it for any people who like sweet breakfasts that don’t require much cooking.

Book Review: Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez

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Recently, I read Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez, which was about a family and their experience in the Trujillo-era Dominican Republic, a period of time when the country was ruled by a terrible dictator. This was definitely one of the best books that I read, as the narrator, in this case, Anita de la Torres, a 12-year-old girl in the family, makes personal connections to the reader throughout the book.

From my perspective, this book has a great build-up, as the author allows readers to slowly uncover what is going on, and we don’t truly know everything at the beginning. At the beginning, everything seems perfectly normal, with not many traces of the dictatorship being present, although the author did include many subtle tips, however, Anita realizes that her “Tio Toni”, or Uncle Toni, was missing. as the story unfolds, Anita comes to find out more and more about the country they live in.

Everything changes for Anita when members of the SIM, or the secret police of the dictatorship, go into her home and search for the Garcias, the neighbors. from here on out, her family has this sense of silence, and Anita comes to the realization that something was wrong, and realization dawns upon her that there was something wrong with the government. Eventually, she realizes that her parents are in a plot to assassinate Trujillo and bring freedom to the country.

I won’t spoil the rest of the book, but I can tell you that this book has a bittersweet ending. This was a great book I’m my opinion, as the narrator makes the reader feel a personal connection to all the characters, as well as explains her surroundings and experiences in vivid detail. All in all, although this book starts off slow, it takes off very quickly, and will leave readers interested in reading the whole thing!

Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The Cheat Sheet by Sarah Adams

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Nathan and Bree have been best friends since high school, but never had the courage to tell each other about their true feelings. However, after Bree suffered from a life-changing car accident and Nathan left for college and the NFL, the two lose touch, only to be reunited years later with their feelings just as strong and still just as much stuck in the friend-zone. Eventually, after six long years, things begin to change as a drunken conversation with a nosy reporter forces them to start fake dating.

All in all, I loved this book. Personally, I’ve always loved friends-to-lovers and fake dating tropes, which is just two of the many things that I enjoyed about this book. Positives also include:

  1. Nathan is a big sweetheart. He was always so loyal to Bree and would stand up for her whenever someone tried to belittle her. He was also super patient with her when she was drunk and wanted to respect her boundaries.
  2. Jamal, Derek, Price, and Lawrence are probably the bestest friends you could ever ask for. The way that they were silently rooting for Bree and Nathan the whole time and even made Nathan a romance sheat sheet, so that he could woo her, automatically makes them the best matchmakers ever!!!
  3. Dylan was probably my favorite character out of this whole book. I found his interactions with Bree and Lily to be especially fun, espescially when he kept having to constantly shop for her and then carry them up several flights of stairs to Bree’s dingy apartment.

That being said, this book did have a few flaws.

  1. Personally, I would have liked to see Nathan stand up to his mom about her never letting him relax or do anything except play football.
  2. Again, just a personal preference, but I would have liked Bree to have had some involvement in the wedding planning. I know it was a little rushed since they literally got married on the same day that Nathan proposed and everything was planned beforehand according to her preferences, but I still would have liked to see Bree going around trying wedding cakes, dresses, or do anything wedding-related at all.

Overall, I’d probably give it a 4/5, but it’s definitely worth the read if you like a sweet, down-to-earth romance.

Yours Truly (10 Year Anniversary) – Ariana Grande

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Although Ariana Grande, global popstar is experiencing some heat by the media for supposedly cheating on co-star Ethan Slater; I remain a fan of her music. I think it is big that we can identify an artist is a human beyond their music but the topics discussed in music can contribute to their image and should be proceeded carefully.

However, I came here to talk about Ariana’s re-recording of her debut album Yours Truly. This album is one of my favorites from her because of classics like Honeymoon Avenue, Daydreamin’, as well as The Way ft. Mac Miller.

I think the reason I enjoy this re-recording is how insane she sounds in singing. Not insane as in crazy but insane as in awe. She has immensely improved since the last time fans heard her sing I believe to be in 2020. However, she has been starring in Broadway musical Wicked which could be reason why her vocals have gotten better knowing she has gotten training and lessons guided to singing.

Everyone should give it a listen especially if you haven’t heard her debut album originally, it truly is beautiful. Also, for those who know Mac Miller passed away she inputted instrumentals during her part of The Way to exemplify his feature more prominently. I think even with all the backlash she is receiving people should still listen to the album regardless because the music is after all just a re-recording.

-Madison C.

The Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant

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From behind-the-scenes insight to life-changing advice, Kobe Bryant’s autobiography is a great motivator for young athletes and a memoir of his style of play.

The book opens with a foreword from Pau Gasol, a longtime teammate of Kobe and a member of the 2023 Hall of Fame Class. Pau opens with a story about when he first got traded to the Lakers. When Pau arrived at his room at 1 AM, Kobe was there to introduce himself. On page 15, Pau says, “To me, that was a tremendous demonstration of a true leader, and our meeting had a huge impact on me, instantly.”

These short anecdotes throughout the book show both Kobe’s development and mindset. While these stories are great, there are some points in the book when the topic changes without warning. For example, Kobe talks about his 2013 Achilles injury, and how it could have been career-ending. Immediately after, he talks about his signature 2008 sneakers. These sudden transitions can be slightly off-putting at first, but it is the style of the book.

An overwhelming positive of the book is the photography by Andrew D. Bernstein, the official photographer for the Lakers and Clippers. Photos span from Kobe’s rookie headshot to his final game.

The formatting of the book is also extremely unique. Instead of just pages of text, many portions of the book are dedicated to full-page images. Quotes and other titles are shown in different fonts and colors to stand out even more. This helps separate pieces of information and makes it easier to digest information.

Overall, the imagery and formatting of the book are more than enough to make it an interesting read. If you are not a basketball player or an athlete, Kobe’s “Mamba Mentality” still applies. He preaches that the mindset is not “about seeking a result-it’s more about the process of getting to that result. It’s about the journey and the approach. It’s a way of life” (pg.93).

Mamba Mentality by Kobe Bryant is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Boracay Summer Vacation

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This may be a little late, but I wanted to share a place that I went to during summer vacation! For those who don’t know, Boracay is a famous island in the Philippines with many smaller islands to visit. There are plenty of fun activities to see and do and one of the most unique beaches because of the beautiful white sand and super clear water. 

During my trip, I went with my family for three days and by the end of it, I was exhausted. We did plenty of things. On the first day, we arrived by a small plane and checked into our hotel after weaving through narrow, busy streets. Our hotel was very nice, with four stories, a pool, a restaurant and a quick way to the beach. Our room was on the third floor and it provided a nice view of the floors underneath. For the most part, the first day, we just swam in the pool and the ocean and ate dinner. Every dinner, we could see a fire dance show, which was really cool to see. It was hard to take my eyes off of the performers and their tricks and it’s something that you should definitely see for yourself.

The second day was the most action-packed day of our trip. With a guide, we planned a day full of activities, starting off with visiting a different island and snorkeling. It was my first time snorkeling and it was very interesting. But we did have a little bit of a scare. If you’re aware of sea snakes, you should also be aware that they are extremely venomous (specifically the black and white striped ones). Unluckily for us, our snorkeling spot happened to have one of those snakes and at some point, we must have startled it as it left its resting spot and began to rise up to where we were snorkeling. Safe to say we left quickly onto our next destination, lunch.

After lunch, we had planned to go back to the hotel and save more activities for tomorrow, but after some convincing, we ended up doing the rest on that day. We changed boats and headed to a floating facility in the ocean that had the rest of our activities for the day. The first one was banana boating. A banana boat is a floating tube with handles on it and is pulled by a motor boat. On a banana boat, the goal is to hold on for the entire ride, but  as easy as it sounds, once you lose your grip, it’s difficult to get back up. My family managed to get through the ride without falling in (even though I almost fell in).

The last thing we did that day was parasailing. Most of my family were not on board with the idea, but I managed to convince my cousin to go with me. When I had first seen other people do it, they didn’t look like they were super high up, but then I got on it and looked down, it was a lot higher than I thought it was. Despite the elevation, the view was spectacular and definitely worth it. My cousin and I got nice and comfortable in the air, taking in the peaceful silence and the view of the ocean and land. 

The third day was much more peaceful. A calm walk down the beach, nice swim in the ocean and pool, and lively night walks on the beach, looking at various vendors to buy from. After that, it was time to go home (being where we stayed with our cousins in the main island of the Philippines). We knocked Boracay out early on the two month trip, but it was definitely a highlight.

I definitely recommend going to Boracay if you ever get the chance. Whether it’s to experience the beautiful beaches morning, midday, or night; or to participate in the various water activities they have, or to look at the culture, it’s undoubtedly a place you’d want to miss going to. 

-Nicole R.

Album Review- Folklore by Taylor Swift

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In 2020, Taylor Swift released her eighth studio album Folklore, an anthology album where every song tells a different story. These stories cover topics from love, to escapism, to nostalgia. I especially love this album because of its indie-pop feel. Here are some of my favorite tracks on the album and why.

Cardigan: One of my favorite songs on the album is Cardigan because of its nostalgic feel about looking back on what it was like to be carefree and young, like when the song says, “when you are young they assume you know nothing.”

The Last Great American Dynasty: Another one of my favorite songs on the album is The Last Great American Story, which is based off of the previous owner of Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island house, Rebekah Harkness. One of my favorite parts of this song is the storytelling within the song about her house’s history.

Exile (Feat. Bon Iver): Exile is one of the sadder songs on the Folklore album, but I still like it very much. One of my favorite parts of this song is how Bon Iver and Taylor Swift’s voices both contribute to the song’s sound and story so much through the duet.

The Lakes: One of my favorite songs on Folklore is the bonus track The Lakes. The Lakes is about escapism and the need to escape from your daily life, which is something that everyone can relate to. Another theme I like in this song is letting your old self go so you can venture and find your new self.

Overall, Folklore is a creative album with many great songs on it, and these were just a few. I would rate this 10/10 and I would recommend for everyone to take a shot at it!

Percy Jackson Series Review

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By Bella H.

Immersing myself in the captivating world of mythology, I have devoured numerous books, consuming many books every day after school through my years in middle school. I love books written by the talented author Rick Riordan. He is a master at intertwining modern-day storytelling with ancient legends and myths.

Percy Jackson, my absolute favorite among his remarkable book series, captivates me with thought-provoking and intricately woven plots and realistic and believable characters that I’m eager to discuss. 

I’ll not spoil the plot too much here, but Percy is twelve when the series starts. Little did he know that his life was about to change; When he discovered that he was the son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea. From this discovery, he finds himself in one adventure after another. Compelled to undertake a perilous quest in search of the elusive entrance to the Underworld and stop an all-out war between the gods. 

Its protagonist’s remarkable growth and development throughout the book series truly sets Percy Jackson apart. As we follow the series, we see Percy’s gradual evolution from a wide-eyed and inexperienced adolescent to a seasoned and resilient hero at the end. With each passing chapter, we observe his physical maturation and profound emotional and mental transformation. 

Mr. Riordan skillfully weaves this transformation of his protagonist seamlessly into the narration and story plot that makes us, as the readers, so invested in Percy Jackson’s personal journey.

What is a hero without friends who fight by his side, bolstering his resolve and assisting his noble endeavors? Unlike other series where side characters fade into the background, side characters are an integral part of Riordan’s books. The bond of friendship that Percy and his companion have for each other resonates with me, as the bond between these characters deepens and fortifies as they face trials and tribulations together.

The captivating tapestry of Greek myth skillfully weaves into the story. It is genuinely delightful for any fan of ancient legends.

I also love the Greek mythology theme, and the different gods and goddesses are interesting. Each turn of a new page introduces us to various Gods and Goddesses, each with unique quirks, power, and personalities. Mr. Riordan has created a masterpiece in a modern-day story where Gods and mortals collide. He breathes life into these characters, making them realistic and believable, creating a world where fantasy and reality converge. 

Will Percy stop an epic battle that threatens to unleash chaos upon the world? I suggest you read the book if you want to uncover more details. 

Happy Reading!

The Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.