Tag Archives: book review

Zero to One by Peter Thiel

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zerotoone_peterthielZero to One, written by  famed businessman Peter Thiel, is the essential guidebook to aspiring entrepreneurs everywhere. Short and concise, this handbook explains all aspects of problems in the business world, along with the key ingredients to create successful startups.

What sets this book apart from the dozens of other “guides to success”? The answer is its simplicity. Most books promising instant success provide convoluted plans for making money and small tricks for manipulating the business world. However, what Zero to One emphasizes is that there are no easy roads to success. There isn’t one formula or business model to instantly attain success. Instead, this book shows how to find a niche in the market and ensure a long term business strategy.

What’s more, Thiel doesn’t just explain this in a mind numbing and inapplicable way. For every single concept introduced, Thiel provided an example. When talking about long term strategies, hewrites about the Cleantech Bubble. For a short period of time, it seemed the entire world was focused on finding renewable sources of clean energy. Dozens of solar energy companies bloomed, only to be crushed in a few years. With the discovery of fracking, and the lack of innovative clean technology, nearly 40 solar companies went bankrupt in one year. Of course, successful companies are also displayed in this guide. Thiel highlights the winning moves by each startup, and the similarities between them. He also shares past experiences on starting his company, PayPal, and the difficulties he met along the way.

Even if you don’t plan to be an entrepreneur, Zero to One is still a very good read. It offers a quick but comprehensive view at where the future is headed. It shows how to find the balance between the idealistic and realistic for the most successful startup. Every startup company takes effort to run, but the hardest part is starting it—from zero to one.

– Philip X., 10th grade

Zero to One is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library and Overdrive.

The Ghost and the Goth by Stacy Kade

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Alona Dare is the most popular girl in the school, and everyone “supposedly” loves her. When she dies in her gym clothes after being run over by a bus of band nerds (such horror), she starts to blame her mom for her death. Unfortunately, she also finds out that her boyfriend was cheating with her best friend when they started kissing the day after her funeral.

Because her “life” is ruined, she starts to cry in the middle of her old school. And that’s when Will Killian, the weirdest guy in school, starts to laugh out of nowhere. But Alona realizes that he might be laughing at her, and that he could probably see ghosts…

Will Killian is crazy, or so his mother and therapists say. Only he and his dead dad knew that Will could see ghosts. Problem is, the day that he laughed at a ghost (which is not a good thing to do) was the day that all the ghosts in his school found out that he could see them and drive him crazy with their last wishes. And who is to save him but the ghost of Alona Dare, who has a few wishes of her own. Problem is, in order to save him, she has to become his spirit guide, which means helping Will take the requests of the dead (one at a time, of course), and saving him from a vengeful ghost (who may or may not be his dad).

This book provides some very insightful views into the spirit world. There are some things we know from stories, like last minute wishes of the dead, but there are also some clever views Kade puts in, such as what happens when your wish gets fulfilled. When I read this book, I was sad when it was over. I was very excited to learn about each of the character’s backstories, including some of the ghosts. There is also some comedy, and the overall love stories involved in the plot.

This book was very good, and is recommending for those who are looking for slight mystery, paranormal activity, and a small yet sweet love story.

-Meagan V.

The Ghost and the Goth is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library and Overdrive. 

The Remedy by Suzanne Young

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remedy_suzanneyoung“I can’t remember who I am,” I say. “I’m not sure what’s real anymore.”

Actress. Imposter. Closer. Quinlan’s job is to step in and pretend to be whoever died to help families through the grieving process. She changes her hair, her clothes, and mimics them to the best of her abilities. She gives families the closure they need to keep going on with their lives despite the death of their loved one, but it is always only temporary.

Quinn is very good at her job. So good, in fact, that she can’t always tell her own past from the past of assignments. Quinn immerses herself so fully into her job that it’s hard to pull herself out. Especially on this new case. It’s the longest assignment to date, almost immediately after her last assignment. It might be too soon, but Quinn has no choice. She can’t say no to her boss when it’s her father.

“This isn’t my house. Isn’t my life. I let mine go and now I can’t find it. There’s nothing familiar to pull me back. I don’t know who I am.”

The only person who really gets Quinn is her mostly-ex-boyfriend Deacon. He was a Closer but quit a few months ago, around the time he quit on their relationship. Quinn still loves Deacon, but the last time she tried to let him back into her heart he shattered it. That makes twice where Quinn has felt him pull away. She isn’t sure if Deacon is worth risking her heart again.

Especially when her new assignment consists of consoling the decease’s boyfriend, Isaac. He’s cute, which may be part of the problem. The longer the assignment goes, the harder it is for Quinn to separate her own life from the assignment. It would be so easy to just forget about her life as Quinn and live happily in the dead girl’s world where she is treasured as a daughter and girlfriend. But throughout the assignment, Quinn can tell there’s something different about it.

Maybe it’s the secret about how her assignment died. Maybe it’s the mysteriously missing pages from the diary. Maybe it’s the dead girl’s friend who disappeared from existence. Whatever it is, Quinn is on the case. But the more she learns, the more secrets she finds. If Quinn isn’t careful, she might go so far into her role that she will lose herself in the process.

-Nicole G.

The Remedy is available for check out from the Mission Viejo Public Library.

Book Review: The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom

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hiding_placeThe book The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom is a story about surviving the Holocaust. Corrie was the daughter of a watch storekeeper, her father, with her sister, Betsie ten Boom in Holland. The ten Booms lived above their shop. Their lives changed when they accepted the risk of hiding Jews after Germany took over their home country. Corrie was assisted with the concealment of the Jews from a contractor who built them a secret. The room was located in Corrie’s bedroom, and the contractor informed that it will be the last place they will look. He also installed an alarm.

While resting in her bed with the flu, Corrie heard the alarm go off. After, the police entered and took Corrie, Betsie, and their father to concentration camp. The authority found out that they were keeping Jews in their home. Now Corrie and her family have to go through the struggle and hardships while trying to live at the camp. All Corrie has is her sister, father, and her faith in Jesus.

I really enjoyed this book because it described how live was during the Holocaust. The book was very descriptive. I was highly interested in this story and how the author explained her experience from entering and to being released from the concentration camp. I would recommend this to ages 12 and up. I hope you read this book.

-Samantha S., 8th grade

Book Review: Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell

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eleanor_parkWhile browsing Sparknotes one night for help with homework, I was lured into the “fun section.” You know, the section where you can find information about celebrities, current events, and popular books. Well, I’m very glad I did, because there was an article on great books to read during the summer. Eleanor & Park was near the top of the list. The comments on the book were mostly positive, so I decided to give it a try.

Guys, this book is really, really good. It’s funny, exciting, and relatable on so many levels. Eleanor & Park follows the lives of two teenagers in high school as they go through all of the awkward stages of love.

It’s not a typical, boring, lovey-dovey type of love story, but rather it is raw and honest. Both Eleanor and Park struggle to find their respective places in the world, and both have issues with their parents (problems I think most teenagers can easily relate to).

The story is told in a dual-narrative style, with both Eleanor and Park sharing their opinions on the events taking place.  I usually don’t like this type of narration because it can easily become repetitive and boring.  However, Rowell manages to keep it fresh, without rehashing scenes that the reader already knows about. Overall, the book was very enjoyable to read, and I definitely recommend it!

-Amanda D., 12th grade

 

 

Book Review: The Maze Runner, by James Dashner

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maze_runner_coverIn celebration of the upcoming movie adaption of this exciting novel, I thought I would review the first book in this trilogy.

This dsytopian adventure is full of mystery and suspense, set in a chilling sort of “captivity” where young boys (and boys only) live in the middle of a dangerous maze that no one’s escaped or survived. The protagonist, Thomas arrives one day in “The Box” with no memory of anything and is immediately puzzled and disturbed by this place.

The boys live a puzzling life of trying to survive and attempting to make it out of the maze, with no idea of anything at all or who they are. The maze, which several of the boys try to brave but never make it out alive, holds terrifying creatures called Grievers.

One day, the disturbing cycle of everyday life is interrupted by the shocking arrival of- a girl. She brings a strange cryptic message before passing out. With her arrival, everything is shaken up. What happens then… you’ll have to read the book to find out.

This novel, although a bit slow at times, was a generally thrilling book that will keep you on the edge of your seat with a thousand questions running through your mind. Unfortunately, these questions are barely or not even answered in the first book, but the second and third ones do address them, and let me tell you – they will shock and excite and are not to be missed.

If you are a fan of dystopian stories like The Hunger Games or Divergent, I highly recommend this book (as well as the rest of the trilogy) for an entertaining suspense-filled read. Plus, you’ll be prepared for the upcoming movie, in theaters everywhere this September!

-Rachel L.,10th grade

Book Review: Sure Signs of Crazy, by Karen Harrington

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sure_signs_coverHave you ever walked into the living room, and your parents were watching the news?  Maybe they’re watching a trial. Maybe it’s about something really serious, like a mother killing (or almost killing) their child. It’s scary, but it happens. So what if that child survived, and that child was a girl? What if that child was a twin, and the other twin (which is a boy) didn’t survive? Have you ever thought about this? This is the basis for Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson is very different. Her classmates like Harry Potter, and she likes Atticus Finch. She loves words and books. Her best friend is a plant, and her mom tried to drown her when Sarah when was two. She’s never known her mother since her mother has been in a mental institution since then. Her dad gets drunk a lot, and they move each time somebody recognizes who they are and who her mom is, so Sarah has never truly felt at home…

…until one summer. One summer when she didn’t get shoved to her grandparents’ house for three months. One summer when she got her first real crush. One summer when her English teacher made a difference beforehand. And one summer when she discovered something broken can heal.

I feel like I shouldn’t give away a lot of this book, so I’ll give my personal view of it without any spoilers.

Now I’m not typically an emotional person, so I can’t say I cried and laughed out loud, but I can say I did cry and laugh on the inside. This book is so real it feels like Sarah just “walked out of the book,” as she says about Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I feel Karen (May I call her Karen? Yeah, I think I will.) did an amazing job with this book. I could feel Sarah’s pain and anger and happiness and all of her other emotions. A well done book! It also got me interested in To Kill A Mockingbird, which definitely will be my next book.

 P.S. Although this book is said to be for ages 9 and up, I feel it’s more for 11ish and up. 

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Dead Cat Bounce, by Nic Bennett

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dead_cat_bounceAs soon as I read the back of Dead Cat Bounce by Nic Bennett, I knew it was a book that I would like. It had everything I was looking for; action, cliffhangers at the end of chapters, and it kept my attention the whole way through. Even though the subject in the book, banking, was not really something I was interested in, Mr. Bennett managed to keep it exciting. This book is not well known, or by a very famous author, but it is still a good read.

In Dead Cat Bounce, Jonah Lightbody, a twelve year old boy, goes to work with his father David, at Helsby, Cattermole, and Partners. After his parents’ divorce, Jonah believes that his father has lost interest in him, so when his father agrees to let Jonah go to work with him, Jonah is in high spirits. However, Jonah soon meets another banker, the Baron, who is a “Whistler,” or someone who likes to be on the wild side, unlike David, who is a “Drizzler.” The Baron soon discovers Jonah’s amazing photographic memory, and puts him to work, making millions a day, until David finds out and puts a stop to it. However, four years later, Jonah quits school, and goes back to work with the Baron and his group, until the market crashes, everything goes wrong, and something shocking occurs that will change both David and Jonah’s lives forever. Soon, Jonah will never be able to trust anyone again.

I think Dead Cat Bounce makes for a very good entertaining read, and it is a fun book. It is definitely a book that I would read again, and I would recommend this book to other readers. The minimum age level for reading this book would be thirteen years old.

-Will R., 9th grade

Book Review: The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater

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dream_thieves_coverIf you could take anything from your dreams, what would you steal? But what if you couldn’t always choose what you took, and you brought back a nightmare?

Ronan has this talent. As far as he knows, he is the only one besides his deceased father, who was killed by this secret. But it isn’t the only secret out there. The ley lines, a kind of energy source for spiritual activity, have awakened, so they should be stronger than ever. Why then are they weaker than before?

Any fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver trilogy should definitely read this book. There is an air of mystery and magic that pulls the plot along. I liked how this is the second book in a series, yet I felt everything important in the first book, The Raven Boys, was explained well without being repetitive. If at all possible, this book was even better than the first. Although, reading the first book made me appreciate the characters’ growth more than if I hadn’t.

Speaking of characters, they were all distinct and complemented one another in their differences. Blue, the only girl, destined to kill her true love with a kiss; Adam, who feels like nothing, but has a greater importance than he realizes; Ronan, forbidden to return to his childhood home; Gansey, obsessed with an ancient Welsh king, Glendower, and will probably die within the year; and the Gray Man, the most mysterious of all, always remaining inconspicuous in order to complete his job as a hit man. The only question is: who is his target?

From the very beginning, the story had me completely hooked. It is one of those books you can’t put down and end up reading late into the night. I only had a couple of issues with this book. The first problem was there were several chapters where Blue wasn’t mentioned once. With such a prominent role, it was strange for her to go missing for chapters on end. Instead, characters who were more secondary had bigger roles, like Ronan and Adam had major parts to play. I understand they were doing important things in that time, but I would have preferred just one chapter from Blue’s perspective intermixed with those chapters. (Everything is in the third person, so you never have to worry who is talking.) Another thing was, even though it wasn’t everywhere, there was too much cursing for my taste. Ronan is the main perpetrator, so with more chapters about him, it makes sense there was more cursing than the last book. Even with those complaints, it a truly amazing read.

-Nicole G., 10th grade

Book Review: Everneath, by Brodi Ashton

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everneath_cover“Friends don’t eat friends’ souls.”

― Brodi Ashton, Everneath

Over the summer, I read by far one of my favorite books ever, and if you know me, that’s hard to beat. The title is Everneath. Personally, I would rate it 5 stars. This book is about a girl named Nikki who goes on a life-changing adventure.

“Despite all the other factors that had contributed to my fate, in the end it was my decision that destroyed my life. And all the hurt I was enduring now was my doing. The blame rested solely with me.”

Nikki awoke in the Tunnels, she looked up and saw shadows swirling around her, she was lying next to a boy. Confused, she stands up and learns that she has been asleep for a century but the only thing she can remember is a face…a face like no other…one that she knows and treasures… a face that changes her life and after a while, a name comes, Jack. Once given the option to go to the Tunnels or paradise for eternity where the only downside is feasting on souls, she chooses the unthinkable: go to the surface for six months then come back. But instead of paradise she will return to the underworld, Hell, otherwise known as the Tunnels.

“Too much math and science isn’t nourishing to the soul.”

How do you say goodbye to everything you’ve ever known? How can you leave your life right after you just got it back? How can anything ever be the same when you know that everything you’ve ever done is all for waste, all thoughts you’ve thought, all stories you’ve written, all secrets you’ve shared are to be forever gone and soon even you will be a distant memory? How can one person live with such a burden? Well, they can’t. At least not a full life. Nikki tries hard to, though. Although, she notices one thing though, Cole, the immortal who took her to the Everneath to begin with, has followed Nikki home. Cole is convinced Nikki is the key to taking the throne in the Everneath. And he’ll do whatever it is if it means bringing her back, this time as his queen.

“Why do we hope when all hope is lost?”

This book ties together Greek, Roman and Egyptian myths into a thrilling story about endurance, love, forgiveness, persistence and immortality where a new twist pops up everywhere. This book is not for everyone but I highly suggest it.

“Jack ,do me a favor?” I said.

“Anything, Becks.”

“Don’t let go of my hand. And if the Tunnels come for me, don’t let go until the last moment.”

“If the Tunnels come for you   ,I’ll hold on, and they won’t be able to take you.”

I smiled at the sentiment, even though I knew that no one would be able to hold on.”

Maybe things aren’t always as they look, life changes and we have to evolve to live on, our world can some days be crumbling and others days we could be on the top of a mountain where nothing can pull us down. Some days we are held by gravity but we have to learn how to break free of the chains around our ankles and fly to tomorrow. After all,

“Heroes are made by the paths they choose, not the powers they are graced with.”

― Brodi Ashton, Everneath

I love this book and suggest it for everyone.

-Danielle T., 7th grade