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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.

Book Review: Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

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This is the first time I’m doing a book originally translated from a foreign language, but this book has definitely been one of my favorites. Although I’ve heard the translation was a bit off in some parts, I really liked this book because of the way the author seamlessly blended the horror and action of this book with some philosophy.

This story is set in 2033, in the tunnels of the Moscow metro system after a nuclear war wiped out most of humanity’s population. The surviving population in the massive fallout shelter that is the metro system eventually split by station, with separate metro stations becoming their own city-states, waging war, and forming confederacies amongst themselves. This first book in Glukhovsky’s three-book series introduces and covers Artyom, a young man from VDNKH, which is under threat from entities only known as “the dark ones”, who may not be what they seem.

The story starts with Artyom meeting up with a man named Bourbon, who promised to pay Artyom a hefty sum if he helped him get through several tunnels in the metro system. However, as they go along on the Journey, Bourbon mysteriously dies. A stranger named Khan then saves him, and Artyom realizes that Bourbon may not have paid him after all, but would rather have double-crossed him. After Khan and Artyom make their way to another station called Kitai Garod, presumably named after the section of Moscow that it is under. The two become separated at this station due to an attack by fascists from another station, and Artyom is captured. Right when he is about to be executed, Marxist revolutionaries rescue him.

Eventually, Artyom meets a stalker named Melnik, who in the context of this book, is somebody who goes to the surface in order to find supplies and other important items. Artyom delivers a message that he was supposed to get to him. The two eventually go to the great library at the surface, with another person, Daniel, in order to retrieve a map. However, this goes badly, as Daniel perishes in the process to a creature in the library, and Artyom barely makes it back to the metro alive.

I won’t spoil the rest of the book, but this book was definitely a very interesting one, as it is much different from most of the other post-apocalyptic novels I’ve read. The author is very philosophical in his telling of this story, which makes this book stand out from the rest, as well as using the events that happen in the book to represent things in real life. I would recommend this book to anybody who really loves post-apocalyptic or horror novels.

Powerless: Book Review

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This book was amazing, to say the least! I think it has slowly become of my favorite fantasy (going to be a series) of all time. Not only was the world-building on point, but the character development and plot twists were insane! If you loved the Red Queen series, the Throne of Glass/Court of Thorns and Roses series, or the Hunger Games, you’ll absolutely love this book.

SPOILER BELOW:

The context of the story is this: the world they live in is split into hierarchies. You have the Elites at the top, living in the palace, and they are the ones with strong powers such as the ability to shapeshift and control flames, etc. Then there are the people in the middle that have medium to lower powers such as strength that live in the surrounding cities and slums. Lastly, there are the “ordinaries” that the king has ordered to execute on sight because he believes that they are too irrelevant to live.

Our main character, Paedyn, is an “ordinary”, and she hides in plain sight as a supposed “psychic” where she reads people’s minds simply based on their facial expressions and is able to fool people with this “power” she has. She is also a master thief and steals rich people’s coins as a way of surviving in the slums.

But the gist is that one day, she was seen fighting to save someone’s life and pretty much everyone in her village voted her to be in the “games” that the Elites hold annually because they saw that she had high skills with a knife and bow/arrow. Of course, she does fall in love with one of the princes while preparing for the games at the palace. But the sarcasm that she holds and their “love-hate” story is really intriguing and oftentimes very funny!

The plot twist at the end of the book is a killer! This series is going to be a trilogy and this is the first book. The second book is coming out in July, so if you are one of those readers that like to read the books when you finish the series, I would wait a little longer. But, I cannot express how amazing the book is on all levels.

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

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover (Book Review)

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*This does contain some spoilers*

It Starts with Us: A Novel (2) (It Ends with Us): Hoover, Colleen: 9781668001226: Amazon.com: Books

It Starts With Us is a sequel to the book It Ends With Us that surrounds the main character, Lily Bloom, and the direction of her life after her breakup with Ryle, her abusive ex. Colleen Hoover, the author, expands on the new found relationship between Lily and her young love, Atlas, while in the process of letting go of Ryle. Balancing work, family, and relationships, this book is told through Lily and Atlas’s perspectives as they grow closer and face challenges together.

As read in the previous book, Ryle has a hard time being aware of others and his surroundings. Being selfish and making situations a lot more exaggerated than they should be, was a bad habit he formed. He still very much wants to be a part of Lily’s life, and Lily does not want to take that away from him, mainly because of their daughter, Emerson (Emmy for short), but she fears that his temper towards her will lead to her daughter receiving the same anger and impatience from him overtime. Lily is scared for Emmy’s future and even having a civil conversation with Ryle about certain rules in place for their dynamic, gives her anxiety.

Lily tries to distance herself as much as she can from him and after an encounter with Atlas, they soon get back in touch. Atlas has always been in love with Lily waiting for her, growing his business, and ignoring his past. But having her back in his world enlightens his life, reliving and relearning everything about each other. Lily feels the same but convinced herself to be precautious and take things slow to be aware of Ryle and his reaction to them being together. Hoover shows a side of Atlas not seen before and takes the audience down a sad road as to why he didn’t have home when he was younger and his emotions and thoughts when he met Lily. Lily falls in love with Atlas all over again, thinking of him as “considerate Atlas”.

The conflict and plot overall of the story drags out a little but still makes the story good enough to read. Personally, I did not like this book as much as the first one, it was more of a slower pace. The first book got so much attention that Hoover felt she needed to come out with a sequel. It was dry but I wanted to finish the book, even though you can pretty much predict the ending of it from the start. There was so much detail leading up to the relationship with Lily and Atlas that by the end it felt rushed. Yet I would still recommend this series as there are still unexpected twists and some chapters were definitely more intriguing than others.

It Starts With Us by Colleen Hoover is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

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***this review will contain spoilers***

I feel like I haven’t read an romance novel in a HOT MINUTE so going back to my roots was amazing! I’ve read past books of Ali Hazelwood’s such as The Love Hypothesis and Love, Theoretically. However, Check & Mate follows a completely different plot than the usually stem filled romance novels.

Check & Mate follows main characters Mallory Greenleaf and Nolan Sawyer who both happen to excel in the chess world. Mallory coming from a rough childhood with her father gone, her mother in and out of hospital care, and her two younger sisters who are hitting puberty; Mallory’s responsibilities are ever growing. Mallory’s in desperate need of making a sustainable income to help provide for her family and an opportunity comes her way when she asked to pay competitive chess for a company. Through these competitive games, Mallory meets Nolan Sawyer who is the current world champion. In her first game playing chess in years, Mallory ends up beating Nolan which causes shock amongst those involved in the chess world and the interest in this “random” girl who miraculously beat the world’s #1.

As time goes on, rivals become lovers. Mallory and Nolan start to become interested in one another and bond outside of just this world of chess. They both remain top players as they age and still carry that competitive spark that has been apparent.

This book was the CUTEST little romance book and it was refreshing to have the main characters be somewhat close in age compared to more recent books I have read. If you are looking a quick read I would highly recommend especially since I finished this book in less than 5 hours!!!!

-Madison C.

Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Macbeth by Shakespeare

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Many know of and have heard of the Shakespeare classic, Macbeth. While many know it as one of Shakespeare’s famous works, some may also know it from its peculiar history of bad things happening and how it’s bad luck; most specifically bad luck in theaters. I’ve read one Shakespeare play before (Romeo and Juliet) and I liked it. When I heard I was going to read Macbeth this year, I was happy to see a book that I somewhat knew of. 

Macbeth is a Shakespearean tragedy set in Scotland. It follows the Scottish nobleman Macbeth and his spiral into madness as he tries to control and change his own destiny. He, despite having more than he needs, in fame, respect, and money, still wants more. To get all that he wants, Macbeth goes to extreme lengths (what’s a Shakespeare tragedy without death?), going insane as he does due to his regret and guilt of his actions. 

While the plot may seem rather simple and short, the character development and themes make the story much more elaborate and the execution expands it and helps to create the main themes of the play. I really enjoyed how Shakespeare displayed how Macbeth and his wife went crazy throughout the play, showing how actions can affect everyone, including those who induce them. In the beginning, Macbeth is hesitant to do anything to cause harm, even to get what he wants. It takes a lot of convincing and help from his wife for him to finally act on something. When he commits his first crime, he feels incredibly guilty, but as the story progresses and he commits more crimes, he no longer needs the help or convincing of others and begins to do it himself, no longer regretting his actions. The character development was really good and really helped to drive the story forward and make it interesting to read at the same time. 

Overall, there really isn’t much to say about Macbeth other than it was a pretty good play. It has a simple plot and many themes with great character building and is overall a good read. The only thing that might make it difficult to read is the Shakespearean language it is written in. If you aren’t confident in your Shakespeare language, then this story isn’t the first I would suggest if you wanted something to read. But if you think you can at least somewhat understand, or would like to try, I would definitely recommend it. Macbeth was a fun read and it’s definitely worth a try.

-Nicole R. 

Macbeth by William Shakespeare is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Never Ever Getting Back Together Book Review

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The book Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is a well written enemies-to-lovers romantic comedy novel.

Jordy Miller’s sister married a prince and the public instantly fell in love with him. He could have everything he could ever want. He has everything he could ever want, but he wants more. Jordy wants to find love and make some money along with it, so he participates in a reality tv show where his exes try to see if they can make their relationship work again.

When Maya first finds out about the contest she instantly says no, she had her heartbroken when Jordy cheated on her and then played it off as a misunderstanding. Maya knows Jordy is a cheating jerk, but all the public sees is a sensitive, young man that never wanted to hurt her. To get revenge she devises a plan to make it to the end of the contest only to reject Jordy and discredit him.

Skye and Maya are instant enemies when Maya recognizes her as the girl Jordy cheated with, but the truth is Skye didn’t know they were dating when Jordy and Skye met. To make things worse they are also made roommates. Then, when Maya shows Skye proof that she and Jordi were still part of a long distance relationship when Skye and Jordi were dating everything changes.

Soon Skye is part of the scheme to cancel Jordy and the two girls are closer than ever. Maybe even a bit too close, as the two girls find themselves falling for eachother Maya has to make a decision, Skye or Revenge.

I love how Sophie Gonzales shapes the characters and uses the plot to make the story more meaningful. I think she did a great job showing the misunderstanding of the situation, too. 

I would rate this book an 100,000,000 out of 10. I love how it is written and that you can switch between the perspectives of Maya and Skye. I deeply suggest this book to anyone who loves queer romance novels or funny comedies. Even if you don’t prefer those genres I would still suggest this book, because it is just AMAZING. I love this book and I hope you will read it and love it, too!

Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Book Review: I am not your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez

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I am pretty sure you can guess what this book is about just based on the title, it’s about a Mexican daughter who isn’t perfect. This book didn’t go the way I thought it would go, so here is an overview so no one gets bamboozled like me.

The book starts out at a funeral. Julia’s older sister, Olga, had died. Julia is still in a sort of shock, she’s not upset, just sad. While at the funeral, she sees all this family who never actually knew Olga. It makes her frustrated, but really makes Julia wonder if she knew her sister.

The book continues with Julia going into her sister’s room, but finding something she wasn’t expecting. I’m not going to go into detail because I don’t want to spoil the book, but let’s just say that she found something VERY awkward for any family member to find, let alone a latina girl.

After that, with the help of her best friend, Lorena, and Lorena’s friend, who let’s just say Julia didn’t love, Juanga, Julia digs deeper into her mysterious sister. All the while, she’s being berated and heckled by her mother for not being enough, not being perfect. 

Additionally, there is a super cute side romance between Julia and a boy she meets at a used bookshop. They are just adorable and have a decently healthy relationship.

This book was a pretty good read. I recommend it for teens older 14 or older because some of what the author tackles is more mature. There is also a lot of cursing. I think this book was deeper than you would expect, because it discusses pressure put on children born from immigrant families. I believe that the book would also be more confusing if you don’t speak Spanish or don’t have any experience in Hispanic households. Overall, a good read that can be enhanced by personal experiences.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez is available to checkout from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.