Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson is the story of eighteen-year-old Lia Overbrook. Lia is anorexic hates her body, family, and life. If anything can get worse Lia’s best friend Cassie passes away in a motel room after a long session of bingeing and purging. Lia blames herself for Cassie’s death since she never answered her phone after thirty-three missed calls from Cassie. Although Lia feels as though she is between life and death she starts to change throughout the novel mainly because of her little sister Emma. Cassie returns after her death as a ghost that haunts Lia and makes her lean towards death.

I really enjoyed Wintergirls because it speaks about real life problems that are often ignored and not mentioned. The reality of the novel makes the readers understand more about disorders like anorexia and bulimia while wanting to read more to learn about the characters. If you like Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson you’ll like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is a powerful young adult novel that touches on important life situations. Melinda Sordino is a high school student that lost all her friends after busting an end-of-summer party by calling the police. Since then she has not spoken and the only place that she feels is safe is in her head, and even that isn’t fully safe for her. The night of the party Melinda something happened to Melinda and for that reason she is scared to speak and let the truth of what happened that night out.

I enjoyed reading Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson because the imagery used within the novel brought it to life. The powerful theme of friends and enemies is portrayed as well. One of my favorite quotes from the novel connects to the theme of friends and enemies, “You have to know what you stand for, not just what you stand against.” If you liked Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson you will like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell is a coming of age book about Cath who is a Simon Snow megafan. Cath is also considered an introvert unlike her sister who is an extreme extrovert. Cath spends her time writing Simon Snow fanfictions in her room. When Cath and her sister decide to move away for university and live separately for the first time. While alone Cath has to deal with anxiety, her roommate and roommate's boyfriend. Cath’s fanfiction is the only thing that calms her down and uses it as her go to.

I really enjoyed Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell because although every person is completely different everyone can find a little bit of themselves in Cath, making the book relatable to all. One of my favorite quotes from the book explains how Cath’s personality and then shows how she was able to change, “Cath felt like she was swimming in words. Drowning in them, sometimes.” I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys coming of age stories. If you like Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell you’ll like Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

Rudayna Tabbara

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is about Hannah Baker and the people that have affected her in her life. Hannah Baker however has taken her own life already. Hannah had killed herself and shortly before the incident created a set of tapes explaining the reasons why she had done so. Clay Jensen, who had a crush on Hannah, receives the tapes and the story goes on to tell the events and reasons that led to Hannah’s death. The tapes come with a map that is to be used while listening to the tapes.

This story was interesting because it brought attention to the reality of the problem of suicide in our society. After reading this book i discovered that suicide rates are highest in the teenager and young adult age group. Asher has done a perfect job of bringing attention to this problem while creating a tragic and interesting story in the process. I also like how the author constantly changed the point of view in the story by switching between Clay’s point of view and Hannah’s point of view. If you like Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, then you’ll love Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.

Rudayna Tabbara

We'll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han

We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han is the final book in The Summer I Turned Pretty Trilogy. Belly has been with Jeremiah with two years after Conrad had let Belly go. The two have been inseparable and do everything together, they even attend the same college. However, Belly starts to question if being with Jeremiah had been the right choice and she starts thinking about her decision and actions. After Jeremiah had made the biggest mistake he could possibly make Belly starts regretting her decisions. We’ll Always Have Summer tells the story of Belly and Jerimiah’s relationship through its ups and downs and the final decision the couple makes.

In the final book of the series there is much more drama involved throughout the book from the scandals to heartbreaks to unexpected announcements. Despite the circumstances Belly tries to get through it all and discovers what she really wants and who she is meant to be with. Han does an excellent job of keeping the readers on the edge as Belly makes her decisions and when she is faced with a new challenge. If you liked We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han, then you’ll love Shug by Jenny Han.   

Rudayna Tabbara

It's Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han

It’s Not Summer Without You is the sequel to The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. This summer unlike Belly’s other summers is not spent at the beach house. Belly had stayed home since Susannah had gotten sick again and Conrad hasn’t been the best person to Belly. Despite the circumstances Jeremiah had went to Belly asking for help. Conrad had went missing the closest person to him at the time had been Belly. It’s Not Summer Without You is the story of Belly and Jeremiah’s adventure finding Conrad and bringing him back home. Love triangles and conflicted feelings by the majority of the characters is what makes the adventure and story even more exciting than the previous one.

In my opinion, I liked It’s Not Summer Without You the most out of all three books. The overall plot is more developed than the previous novel. The on and off relationship between Conrad and Belly makes the reader want to continue reading and discover what happens in the end. What i found interesting was Belly’s character development throughout the novel as she matures even more. In the beginning of the novel Belly was seen as depressed and moody. Blaming everyone for her problems like in the following phrase, “I was getting pretty sick of Taylor pushing me in this direction and that direction, dressing me up like one of her shabbier, less fortunate dolls. It had always been like this with us". Towards the end of the book however she becomes a different person.

Rudayna Tabbara

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky is the story of Charlie and his first year of high school. Charlie has chronic shyness and is coping with the suicide of his best friend. By doing so Charlie writes letters to a stranger who he heard was nice but never really met in person. As the school year progresses Charlie begins to open up more and encounters a lot of his “firsts”. First date, first kiss, first time drinking and doing drugs, first time being a part of something. Through his new friends Patrick and Sam Charlie learns to be a part of the moment and not be a wallflower anymore.

I really enjoyed this story because as Charlie developed over the course of the novel i began to realize realities as well. The smallest moments in life can be the most important ones and make you feel infinite. Charlie explains this in the following quote, “Sam sat down and started laughing. Patrick started laughing. I started laughing. And in that moment, I swear we were infinite”. The Perks of Being a Wallflower has several morals and important themes that make the reader realize the world they live in even more. If you like The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, then you’ll love Looking for Alaska by John Green.

Rudayna Tabbara

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han is a perfect book for the summer time or in need of reminiscing on summer memories. Isabell (Belly) lives her life in summers always longing for that time of year. During her summers belly and her mother and brother spend the summer on the beach with her mother's best friend (Susannah) and children. Every summer is the same for Belly except this summer since she has “blossomed”. Conrad and Jeremiah Susannah’s children start to see Belly differently than the previous summers. The Summer I Turned Pretty is the story of Belly’s summer of heartbreaks and surprises good and bad.

I would definitely recommend this book to those who like a good book on summer and summer flings. The author perfectly describes the perfect summer and takes the reader to the beach house with every description. Han makes the reader want to take a trip to the beach immediately. This phrase from the book will explain the feeling Han gives, ”For me there was-is-nothing better than walking on the beach late at night. It feels like you could walk forever, like the whole night is yours and so is the ocean. When you walk on the beach at night, you can say things you can't say in real life. In the dark you can feel really close to a person. You can say whatever you want.” The Summer I Turned Pretty is the first of a trilogy of books on Belly’s summer adventures.

Rudyana Tabbara

Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green is a coming of age story. Margo Roth Spiegelman and Quentin Jacobsen have been neighbors since they were little kids. As they grew older each went their own path through high school. Quentin was the quiet kid that hung out in the band room and Margo was the popular girl that dated the jocks. One night senior year Margo goes to Quentin’s window at the middle of the night in need of a favor. They spend the whole night on an adventure. The following morning however Margo goes missing. Paper Towns tells the story of finding Margo after she went missing. Along the way friends and memories are made.

I would recommend this book because of the suspense that builds throughout the novel. The theme of finding yourself through other people is also noticed within the book. Paper Towns also shows readers that not everything is based on looks. The following quote from the book explains this, “That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste.” If you like Paper Towns by John Green, then you’ll love Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid.

Rudayna Tabbara

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, is about a girl  who falls in love with her best friend. Her father sends her to boarding school in Paris leaving her best friend, her great job and her major crush. She meets this perfect guy in boarding school called Etienne St. Claire and they become best friends. She eventually has feelings for him but he’s taken. After a whole year Etienne breaks up with his girlfriend because he knew that he loved Anna. In the end they’re together and Anna discovers that “home” isn’t a place but a person, and she finally found her home.

This author has captured my attention by using a lot of adjectives and similes. An example of one of the adjectives would be: the patisserie has thick planks of creaky hardwood and a chandelier draped  with tinkly strings of topaz crystals. A simile would be: they glow like drops of honey. Using this type of writing really grabbed my attention because then i could visualize what was happening easier.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

This book is very important to people going into HL English next year because it is part of the IB curriculum. The story is about a guy named Mersault and his life after his mom died. He makes a friend, and while he is walking on the beach with him he killed someone, and later went to prison. This book is very interesting, and is a key book in HL English. This book was originally written in French (things get lost in translation). If you speak French, I recommend that you read it in French. And if you read the book, make sure you read the book found in school because the online version and the one we have in school is different. Reading it would be a good idea. Trust me.

Luqman Sattar

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is a science fiction, dystopian novel written by Suzanne Collins and is the first book in the famous trilogy. The story takes place in the distance future in Panem, a country found out of the ruins of North America. Panem had 13 districts, each district produces and provides different resources, All these districts are controlled by the Capitol, the central power of Panem. But the disctricts were dissatisfied of the Capitols treatment and so e rebellion took place and disctrict 13 was destroyed, as a result of this uprising, the Capitol forced each district to give one boy and girl to be sent to an arena to fight to the death until only one remains, this was known as the Hunger Games. 74 years on, Katniss Everdeen volunteers herself for the Hunger Games to save her sister, and by doing so she must face against the other contesters and the brutality which the capitol sends to her. I loved this book because of its action packed plot and interesting characters. I would recommend both middle and high school students to read this book.

Sameer Khan

Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden

Escape from Camp 14 is a true story presented by the author Blaine Harden of one man’s journey from North Korea to freedom. The book is based on the true story of Shin Dong-Hyuk who was born in 1982 inside a North Korean political concentration camp and talks about his life in the camp, how he escaped, and his journey to the US and South Korea. His story is one of the most remarkable because he is the only known prisoner to have escaped from a North Korean concentration camp and survived. This is one of the most intriguing and emotional books I have every read because when I was reading; I was reminded that every account was true. I definitely recommend that everyone, both middle school and high school students should read this truly life changing story.

Sameer Khan

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

And the Mountains Echoed is Khaled Hosseini’s most recent novel, and follows the emotional journey of Abdullah and Pari through the viewpoint of other characters. The story is about the siblings and how they get separated and the events both of them go through until they meet each other again. I really liked this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone to read it. The characters are very different from each other and show a huge contrast from one character to another. However, I must say that this book is really sad and emotional, so if anyone does decide to read the book I just want you to know what exactly you are going to be getting yourself into.

Luqman Sattar

The Iliad by Homer

The Iliad is an insanely long poem written by Homer in Ancient Greece (in other words, a really long time ago). The poem is about the war between Troy and the Greek army that was fueled by the love affair of Helen of Troy and Paris. It is considered a classic and is a pretty long read. I thought it was interesting, because I like reading this kind of stuff (mythology and fantasy stuff). In all honesty I recommend reading it, but there is a big possibility that you will get bored while reading it. I recommend this for high school more than I recommend this for middle school.

Luqman Sattar

Lord Loss by Darren Shan

Lord Loss is a horror fiction and children’s literature novel written by Darren Shan, it is the first book of the Demonata series. The main character of the story is Grubbs Grady who is the younger child of a family that is obsessed with chess. He notices that there was a growing unease amongst his family. On a night full of death and darkness, Grubbs first encounters Lord Loss and his evil minions and he learns three things: “the world is vicious and cruel”, “magic is possible”, and “demons exist”. Darren Shan is one of my favourite authors in the horror genre with his explicit detail of and terrifying imagery together with an excellent story create one of the best horror books I’ve read. I would recommend middle school and high school students to read this book and other in the series.

Sameer Khan

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

Sometimes you encounter books that defy the labels they’ve been placed under. Considering the topic of this book, the author did a wonderful job of expressing a point of view that’s utterly realistic and brutally honest. This book is about a boy whose mother forces him to spend time with a girl dying of leukemia. Spoiler alert: No they don’t end up falling in love and no, the girl isn’t saved by some nearly-impossible miracle. Unlike other books with cancer patients *cough* The Fault in Our Stars *cough* this book did not make me weep but it did make me shed one tear. Four actually. There wasn’t a happily-ever-after ending, and everything about the book from start to finish was realistic, which is very unlike a lot of YA fiction books. It was harsh, crude, down-to-earth, and without embellishment. This book will smack you in the face with a dose of reality and will remind you that in reality, miracles don’t always happen and that superman doesn’t always save the girl. Heck, he may not even be in love with her to begin with.

Faatimah Solomon

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is a book that I have picked up and finished in less than two days in a long time. Reading the book itself towards the ending leaves you in a jumble of emotions, to the point where I had to set the book down a few times to digest it all.

The story starts off as the main character Lola Nolan, a high school student who designs and wears outrageous clothing and wigs, simply wishing for her fathers (yes, her fathers) to accept her current boyfriend Max. Max happens to be in a band, displaying several tattoos, whilst being 22, five years older than Lola. She has small troubles and things to worry about until her childhood neighbors, the Bell twins return after being away for several years.

Lola has had several issues in the past with Calliope, whom nearly everything revolves around and a lost childhood love connection between Cricket. Cricket has changed after being away for several years, his family always on the move for the benefits of his twin sister’s future. Lola is convinced that she loves her boyfriend Max and despises Cricket, yet when he comes around, she finds the same emotions creeping back after several years since he left her emotionally wounded.

A short, heart aching love story of a different unique girl and an awkward well dressed genius who struggle to find the words to admit their feelings after the long years they’ve spent apart. It’s heartwarming, irritating book of two characters who seem to find their connection in an instant, but drag out time to finally be together. It’s a pain in the chest to see them grow so close at some times, to the extent where you experience their aching desire for each other, only to be pulled apart again.

I would highly recommend this story to teen romance lovers who love a long fight for long before the end of the journey.

Eman Fathala

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor and Park, by New York Times Bestseller Rainbow Rowell, is the extraordinary teen tale between two misfits, the two more different and complex than each other. Despite the many troubles and people around them, they’re able to develop the innocent, heart-warming romance all teens long for. Both smart enough to know that their first loves don’t last; they decide to give it a chance.

Each of their stories told through an alternating third person perspective, it allows us in to each of their lives before we’re quickly removed away from their worlds. Eleanor, a slightly bigger girl with uncontrollable bright red hair comes from a home where recycling clothes and acting like she can’t see the bruises on her mother’s arms is the norm. Facing the troubles of trying to avoid her sickening, gross stepfather, her life sees a speck of light when she’s forced to sit next to a privileged beautiful Asian boy, Park. From there they’re story begins.

Through the exchange of comic books and music tapes, their high school love story is unlike no other. It makes you want to tear up nearly most of the time because of the simple, yet meaningful dialogue and the different ways they interact. You see change in Park as you dig further into the story, fighting his father and doing as what he pleases, or what makes him happy. Some shocking events are revealed at the ending, and I highly suggest this as a sweet, quick read if you’re ever in the mood for a slightly more unique high school romance.

Eman Fathala

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews, a New York Times bestseller happened to fall in my hands unexpectedly last week and I finished in under two days (along with the attached sequel I will review next). I caution readers about this book as it make trigger any strong emotions or discomfort.

The story takes place in 1957, where two children, Cathy and Chris, and their mother, impregnated with twins, await their father on his 35th birthday. An officer arrives instead with the tragic news that their father has died. The family is forced to move to their mother’s house where they’re coldly greeted by their grandmother who openly despises them all, the twins now having been born. She loathes her daughter and grandchildren for the reason that they are the children of the devil, because of a “sinful” marriage between their mother and her husband, who is her half uncle. While staying the attic, for a number of years abandoned by their neglecting widow of a mother, changes occur, emotions and feelings change between the children, more specifically Cathy and Chris after been kept contained in an attic to grow and develop.

This book is one of the first books I have started in months and have managed to finish in less than twenty-four hours. It’s captivating, emotionally, and certainly a page-turner. If you haven’t already gotten the hint, I think it’s appropriate to say that this book includes quite a bit of incest. Usually when people hear this word, they feel sick to the stomach but this book could possibly change your perspective. After viewing their relationship with the children and with each other, their mother have no role in their lives anymore, they take up the roles of parents. They take care of the twins, make sure they’re happy and safe, even when they’re kept inside the walls of an attic, far from sunshine, air, and more importantly, a normal life.

I would highly suggest this book for anyone who is looking for something that will keep them on the edge of their seat, or something rather daring.

Eman Fathala