Tag Archives: boarding school

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott

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Little Men, the second book after Little Women, once again written by Louisa May Alcott, is truly just as warm and cherishable.

Anyone who loves Alcott’s classic Little Women will undoubtedly love Little Men just the same. Though this book regards less about the characters in Little Women, save for Jo and Mr. Bhaer, it revolves around a new generation of children, including Meg’s children and Jo’s children. As we know from Little Women, Jo went on to establish a children’s school named Plumfield, which is where nearly all of the events in this book take place, as it revolves around the pupils who live there. Plumfield serves as a school and home for young children who have no other place to go; many of which are orphaned, poor, or alone whom the Bhaer’s kindly take in. 

The story begins by following a storyline but then changes course to be a series of random days and happenings at the school, following no particular order. This change in the way of writing is quite pleasant, as Alcott captures little flashes and special moments in the school. 

Warm sunny days and cold, yet cozy winters around the fireside. Berry picking, pie-making, pillow fights and storytelling, naughty instances and sweet moral lessons.

Now, in terms of one of the most arguably beloved characters from Little Women, Jo, readers can now see what Jo is like all grown up; a school teacher, a mother, and a wife. She is older, quite motherly, and much more mature, but never lost her amusement in spending time with boys or her wild side.

 In this book, Alcott truly captures the spirit of both parenthood and childhood and the dynamics between the two. Though this book is about children and more so directed to young readers, it is a heartfelt, beautiful read for any age. Similar to Little Women, it’s characters are easily lovable yet do not lose a sense of realism and are each incredibly well-written. I highly recommend this book!

-Aisha

Little Men by Louisa May Alcott is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It can also be downloaded for free from Overdrive.

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo

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Charlie Bone and the Time Twister is the second book in the Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo.  The main protagonist is a boy named Charlie Bone who possesses a special power.  Charlie can hear what people are saying inside photographs.  Charlie is not the only person to possess magical ability.  He attends a school for the gifted called Bloor’s Academy, where other students appear to have special powers of their own.  Charlie discovers that the evil Bloor family in charge of the academy has been plotting to harm some of the students, including himself.

I enjoyed reading about the development of Charlie’s powers in this book.  It becomes easier for him to hear what people are saying in the pictures he sees.  However, he does not fully realize the strength of his power yet.  One day at school, Charlie is surprised to meet one of his ancestors, named Henry Yewbeam.  Henry looks the same age as Charlie, but he was born over 90 years ago.  Henry had teleported through time using a mystical marble known as the Time Twister.  Charlie needs to protect Henry from the Bloor family, who would consider Henry an enemy.  This book is very suspenseful, as the Bloors become increasingly suspicious of Charlie.

One of my favorite characters in this book is Ezekiel Bloor.  Ezekiel is a cranky old man living at the academy.  He seems to hate everybody.  He has an old connection to Henry that creates a very intriguing background to this story.  I enjoyed the mystery and suspense of this book.  It was fascinating to read the story as it unfolded through different time periods.  After reading this book, I was anxious to read the next book in the series.  I highly recommend it.

-Oliver H.

Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.

Variant by Robinson Wells

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Variant, written by Robinson Wells, is a well-written mystery/ thriller novel. The book follows Benson Fisher, a foster child who grew up in Pittsburgh. In the story, Benson applies to a private school and gets in! But this is not a regular school. Even though this school is very nice, has good food, and nice people, it also has no teachers or gangs, and the school is completely isolated from any outside world interactions.

When I first started reading this book, I immediately thought it was really good. Wells introduces you to the characters, the school, and the story easily and naturally. I also loved all of the twists and turns in this book; they definitely add to the storyline.

Benson begins to get used to life at the school. He has new friends, eats great food, and even begins to like a girl, Jane. But, just as life is beginning to become comfortable, it goes downhill. One night, Benson and Jane decide to go out for a walk. During the walk, the two get attacked from behind and Benson is knocked out. When Benson wakes up, he finds Jane’s beaten body. Worse yet, she turns out to not even be human but an android!

When I first figured this out, I was so shocked! I did not expect this twist at all and when it came, it blew me away! Because of all the twists, I never knew what was coming or what to trust. This was a major factor in why I liked this book so much.

After this major twist, Benson cannot stand his school and tries to recruit people to escape. The small group of rebels all tries to escape but only Benson and his friend Becky succeed. The book ends with an injured Benson and Becky left alone in the forest.

I enjoyed this book so much and really look forward to reading the sequel. My favorite character is Benson because he is always loyal and never gives up. Thrilling and exciting, Variant is a great novel for eighth graders and above.

-Daniel C.

Variant by Robinson Wells is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. 

Roseblood by A. G. Howard

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From this beloved author we were told how Lewis Carroll wrote the stories wrong: how Wonderland is actually not a child’s world, but one of twisted madness, Tim Burton like worlds, and hot guys who wear hats and vine like tattoos. Now, get to learn that we also have a beloved opera that has been written wrong.

Enter into a world based in France, where the school Rune Germain has transferred to has its own Phantom of the Opera. Rune’s life is complicated: she was almost killed by her grandma, nearly killed a boy by kissing him, and on top of all that, her voice was cursed, causing her to let out faint sounds every time she sings. Meanwhile, young Thorn lives with a man named Erik, who is the phantom of the opera and has mask covering the burnt portion of his face. Thorn must do what Erik says, even if it is wrong, for reasons kept secret. What happens when Rune and Thorn’s destined fates cross? A lot basically, and not all of it good.

I love A. G. Howard as an author, especially with her Splintered series. That was why, since I saw the book at the library, I immediately picked it up and started to read it. The cover and colored ink on the inside looked very similar. Although not the same madness like tone that the Splintered series was written in, the mystical feel suits a archaic opera like time. The plot twist is also very interesting.

However, the book disappointed me in various ways too. For example, A. G. Howard, like always, expects you to remember the mysterious boy that appears in the girl’s dreams, the one that only appeared for one sec in the beginning and was not memorable enough. Additionally, compared to the Splintered series, she tells the story really fast. This is also more of a preference, but I didn’t like the way she told the story. She told the story through both Rune and Thorn’s point of view, and while both are important to the story, I feel as though it muddles things up. However, that is more personal. All in all, it was still a very great story and I would recommend it to everyone who wants to read it cause of the author, supernatural elements, or the like.

-Megan V, 12th Grade

Roseblood by A. G. Howard is available for checkout from the Mission Viejo Library.