Tag Archives: contemporary

Book Review: Love’s Image, by Debby Mayne

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loves_image_coverThis is a great love story with some very powerful messages:

  • Beauty is not only skin deep.
  • What’s on the outside of someone is not as important as what’s  on the inside.
  • Have faith and never ever give up.

My great-aunt read it and thought I would like it. She was right.

Model Shannon McNab has been in a terrible car accident that wounded her face. Left with a long scar as a reminder, she knows that her career as a model is shot and her self-confidence has flown out the window. Her boyfriend leaves her because he no longer finds her attractive.

When one of her friends takes her to a singles group at church, Shannon is apprehensive about going at first. It is there that she meets Judd Manning, a kind, funny school teacher who makes Shannon smile once again. He makes her believe that she might be able to find someone who doesn’t judge her by her scar and will love her the way she is. She begins to feel better about herself again and falls in love with Judd.

As her scar fades over time, her love for Judd and God grows. She is confident again and finally happy, having found the true meaning of her life and believing that everything does happen for a reason.

This novel is definitely a favorite of mine and a real feel-good story. It shows how to have faith in God, other people, and yourself.

-Lauren B., 12th grade

Book Review: Carpe Diem, by Autumn Cornwell

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carpediem_coverAfter a careful search in the library, I rediscovered a book I read a few summers ago.  Carpe Diem revolves around sixteen-year-old Vassar Spore, an academic overachiever. Her life goals include graduating high school with a 5.3 GPA, (“the new 4.0”), attending the prestigious Vassar women’s college (which she was named after), marrying a PhD graduate, and receiving a Pulitzer Prize. To reach all of these goals her next two summers have been completely planned out with Advanced Placement courses and extracurricular activities.

Suddenly, all of her meticulous planning is flipped upside-down when her eccentric, bohemian Grandma Gerd demands that Vassar spend the summer backpacking through Southeast Asia with her. Her usually-conventional parents agree to let her go after being blackmailed by Grandma Gerd, who threatens to tell Vassar about “The Big Secret.” Vassar is abruptly thrust into a completely different world filled with dirt, pests, and people from all walks of life. While traveling, she learns about LIMing (Living in the Moment, as coined by Grandma Gerd), and meets a Malaysian cowboy/bodyguard, named Hanks. And as stated in the book’s summary, “Vassar Spore can plan on one thing: She’ll never be the same again.”

I really, really enjoyed reading Carpe Diem. At first, the plot seemed predictable: a serious student learns there is a lot more to life than just books. Cornwell, however, exceeded my expectations and developed Vassar into a much deeper character. Vassar prepares meticulously for challenges. She changes into someone willing to live in the moment, taking things in life as they come. I sense that Cornwall draws on her love for Southeast Asia and her own experiences traveling abroad to describe Vassar’s misadventures.

This story offered me a valuable lesson. I am also a hardworking student in high school and go to great lengths to focus on school, grades, and getting into college. Rereading this book made me step back for a while and think about my real priorities. Once in awhile, I want to drop everything and “just LIM it!”

Rereading this book triggered my own memories of traveling abroad and domestically, experiencing new and novel things, taking in new cultures and mindsets, and expanding my perception of things. This book was also a valuable read because it broadened my interest and knowledge about Southeast Asian culture and travel.

I recommend Carpe Diem for readers who enjoy stories of adventure, exotic cultures, and travel, seasoned with lots of laughs. This book was enjoyable all the way through, with a balance of humor and seriousness to satisfy any reader. Based on the reading level, I would recommend this book for readers aged ten and up, though the content is acceptable for precocious readers who are under ten years old.

-Sophia U., 10th grade

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

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fault_in_our_stars_coverIt was only in December when I started reading again, with The Fault in Our Stars being the third book I read that weekend. I was honestly disappointed in myself because I had chosen to read such a breathtakingly beautiful novel nearly a year after its publication.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green tells the generic story about a girl who meets a boy who completely turns her life around. However, John Green adds in the fact that the girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, is barely getting by with the help of a miracle drug that keeps her thyroid cancer at bay. The boy, Augustus Waters, is an osteosarcoma cancer survivor and amputee who completely changes Hazel’s perspective about life and love. It is during a cancer support group meeting when a simple handshake leads to the creation of their masterpiece of a relationship.

John Green, famous also for writing Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns, continues his winning streak by beautifully illustrating the locations most important to both the characters and the reader. Green transports the reader as far as an enigmatic author’s home in Amsterdam, or even as close as Augustus’ garage. He makes the lives of both teenage lovers easily relatable, regardless of the degree and only fuels the reader’s desire to meet Augustus and Hazel in person. What really stands out about this book is the fact that John Green effortlessly tells this tragic story without making it seem so tragic, balancing out the seriousness with comic relief.

In between the laughter and tears, this book was an absolute pleasure to read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves John Green’s work, loves a teenage romance, or may have lost interest in reading. I firmly believe that reading this novel will certainly rekindle one’s love for books.

-Danielle G., 11th grade

Book Review: Golden, by Jessi Kirby

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golden_coverDo you often find yourself wondering, what if? What if I would have done that instead? What if I would’ve taken the risk?

Jessi Kirby’s latest novel, Golden, which hits bookstores everywhere on May 14, explores these questions and more.

After I read about Parker Frost and her journey to discover not only what happened with the town’s golden couple that died in an accident ten years ago, but also what she truly wants for herself, I felt like I really understood Parker. It amazed me how Jessi Kirby found words to paint such a realistic world. I could visualize everything and really put myself in the situation, almost shedding a tear or two in some instances. And, the connections Kirby creates with Robert Frost and his work throughout the novel was really cool because it made the book more unique and added layers to it.

But maybe, it is because I completely relate to Parker, her goals, and the way she has led her whole life that I really loved this book. The story revolves around a journal that Parker finds that leads her to making choices that she never might have had the courage to make otherwise. Yet there was so much more to the book than a girl breaking out of her shell; I felt that I learned so much from conclusions that Parker makes. Jessi Kirby eloquently states the things that we already know but ignore or are too afraid to state sometimes.

Two of my favorite quotes are:

“People always put their own spin on things, remember what they want to remember, and somewhere in the middle of it all is the truth – the real version – one you could only write yourself if you were willing to.” (p. 33)

“…chance brought them together and choice made them stay.” (p. 108)

The way I was able to get wrapped up in the book made it impossible for me to set aside. I was sad it was over so soon. So, if you are looking for something quick and worthwhile to read, Golden should definitely be on the top of your list! And if you love plot twists as much as I do, the end will definitely catch you off guard. Enjoy!

-Liliana M., 12th grade

Editor’s note:  This review was based on an Advance Readers Copy generously provided by Simon & Schuster.

Don’t miss author Jessi Kirby when she visits Mission Viejo on Saturday, May 18th! As part of the Summer Lovin’ tour, Kirby will speak alongside other popular YA authors, Kimberly Derting, Megan Matson, Shannon Messenger, Sarah Ockler, and Suzanne Young. This exciting event begins at 3:00 pm in the Friends of the Library Storytime Room at 100 Civic Center.

summer_lovin

This free program is sponsored by the Friends of the Mission Viejo Library and A Whale of a Tale Bookshoppe. Books will be available for purchase and signing. For more information or to make a reservation contact the Reference Desk at (949) 830-7100, ext. 5105.

Book Review: Little Blog on the Prairie, by Cathleen Davitt Bell

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little_blog_prairie_coverIf you have ever experienced a power outage, or had your phone, laptop, or tablet die on you with no place to recharge, you are familiar with the excruciating torture of being disconnected from technology. How would you cope without smart phones, fridges, microwaves, or flushing toilets?

Meet Gen, an average teenager, who intends to spend her summer relaxing at Club Med and preparing for soccer team try outs in the Fall. Gen, who has been begging to have a cell phone for years, finally convinces her parents to allow her to have one, but there’s a catch. She must join the family at Camp Frontier, a historically themed ten-week “vacation” in the wilderness of Wyoming that promises the ultimate experience of living as an American pioneer of the late 1800s. Gen deals with the harsh reality of wearing petticoats, squatting in uncivilized outhouses, and must find ways to save her sanity in her new life on the prairie. Things may turn out to be OK after all when she manages to sneak in her cell phone to secretly update her friends on the horror stories of living on this (as the book states it) “Little Hell on the Prairie.”

Things continue to look up with the introduction of the cute guy named Caleb, who lives in the next clearing over. Her friends, who she has been regaling with stories through text, have been posting her stories in a highly popular blog on the Internet, gaining her an audience of huge proportions. However, Gen has more important things to worry about like churning butter, pulling weeds, or milking her cow.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, although the plot and character development seemed shallow. It was an easy read with a bit of romance between Gen and Caleb and moments that will leave you giggling. The story is good for a tween and teen girl audience, but more advanced readers may be frustrated. The idea of Camp Frontier seems far-fetched. What family would embark on a ten-week pioneer experience in the middle of nowhere? Also, it’s hard for me to accept how the short texts provided between of the narrative could fill up a whole blog that attracts lots of dedicated followers. The texts provided were amusing, but they didn’t paint the whole picture of pioneer life to the blog audience. I didn’t dislike the book, but many parts of the plot were not credible.

If you read Little Blog on the Prairie without thinking deeply, you’ll find it an entertaining light read. Although Gen may seem shallow at times, her reactions are very amusing and easy to relate to. The book’s content and language level suits readers 11 years old and up. I recommend this book specifically for tweens and teens.

– Sophia U., 10th grade