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Citizen Kane
Reviewed: May 3, 2023
Rosebud. This is the final word spoken by the immensely influential celebrity, politician, and owner of the New York Daily Inquirer. Moments before he collapses, this singular word erupts from his lips. A nurse soon rushes in, and it is reported that Charles Foster Kane is dead. The world is shocked by his passing, which has huge ramifications on the world after he’s gone.
To understand the meaning of Kane’s mysterious word would be an amazing scoop for reporters and be immensely valuable information, and they flock to uncover the meaning of his last word. They begin to uncover... Read Full Review
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The Sea of Trolls
Farmer, Nancy
Reviewed: May 3, 2023
The Sea of Trolls is the first book in a three-part series by Nancy Farmer. The book is set in 793 A.D., following the main character, Jack, who is the son of a farmer. His father plays favorites with Jack's sister, Lucy, and never respects him no matter what he does. When Jack goes to feed the village Bard, he is asked to become the Bard’s apprentice. He learns all about the "life force" and is trained for about a year before everything spirals out of control. The Bard goes insane, Northmen attack Jack’s village, he and his sister are captured by the Berserkers, and they are... Read Full Review
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Annihilation
VanderMeer, Jeff
Reviewed: April 27, 2023
Annihilation is about Area X, a place blocked from society due to how weird it is. The government sends a team of four people—a biologist, an anthropologist, a surveyor, and a psychologist—to investigate this place, but they do not return the same. Some do not remember what happened. They act strangely as if they are in shock. Others do not come back at all, and their partners do not know what happened to them. The main character, a biologist, describes her surroundings from Area X. As you progress in the book, Area X gets weirder by the second, and the characters start to uncover... Read Full Review
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The Sun is Also a Star
Yoon, Nicola
Reviewed: April 12, 2023
The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon tells the story of Natasha Kingsley, an undocumented immigrant teenage girl who is about to be deported, and Daniel Bae, a boy about to go to an interview with Yale University, a school he doesn’t want to attend but does so in order to please his parents. They end up meeting inside a record store. Following that encounter, they continue to spend time during the day together, poet Daniel trying to convince a ‘cold and calculating’ Natasha that love is indeed real. It’s a heartwarming story that shows how close two can become in just the span of... Read Full Review
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My Policeman
Roberts, Bethan
Reviewed: April 5, 2023
My Policeman by Bethan Roberts is a romance novel that takes place in the fifties and sixties. The main characters are Tom Burgess, Patrick Hazelwood, and Marion. The book is written in first-person journal entries from both Marion and Patrick.
Marion begins as a simple schoolgirl who has taken a liking to her childhood friend’s older brother, Tom. When Tom enlists in the army, Marion begins her education and later becomes a schoolteacher. Once she settles into her new life and job, Tom returns as a trained policeman, and he and Marion reunite. Marion and Tom begin a... Read Full Review
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16 Wishes
Reviewed: March 29, 2023
16 Wishes (2010)
16 Wishes (2010) is a classic Disney movie—it's a fantasy that teaches you to enjoy what you have because if not, you’ll grow up too fast and miss out on being a kid. A 16-year-old girl named Abby creates a list of 16 wishes over the period of eight years in the hopes that they will be fulfilled on her birthday. She receives 16 candles from a fairy, each of which grants one of her sixteen desires. When midnight arrives, her wishes are unfulfilled and become unbreakable. However, she wishes to change her prior wishes one last time. In the process,... Read Full Review
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Uglies
Westerfeld, Scott
Reviewed: March 22, 2023
One of my favorite books is Uglies by Scott Westerfeld. In Uglies, there are two cities that live separately. One city is where the Prettys live, and another city is where the Uglies live. The government makes everyone believe they were born ugly. The concept of "natural beauty" does not exist in this society. But once a person reaches the age of 18, the government makes them pretty. The main character, Tally Youngblood, is extremely excited to turn 18—until she finds out the cost of turning pretty. (That is all I will say because I do not want to ruin anything!)
... Read Full Review
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Lies We Tell Ourselves
Talley, Robin
Reviewed: March 15, 2023
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley tells the story of two girls, one Black, one white, in a newly desegregated school. Taking place in 1950’s Virginia, the dual narrative of the book gives insight into both lives, that of Sarah, one of the few Black students choosing to participate in integration, and Linda, a white student who comes from a family that firmly opposes integration, their views having passed onto her. The girls are forced together when assigned a group project and consequently become closer than they would’ve ever believed possible, breaking more than just one... Read Full Review
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The Hunger Games
Collins, Suzanne
Reviewed: March 2, 2023
In The Hunger Games there are 12 Districts. The Capital, which exists outside of these Districts, maintains control of the Districts by having the Districts play a game called The Hunger Games. Every District is forced to choose one boy and one girl to play this twisted game in which 24 people enter an arena—and they have to fight until there is only one winner left standing.
The Hunger Games is one of the first chapter books I ever read, and I fell in love with it! This book is one of the reasons I am a bookworm. The book is very balanced and does not overwhelm... Read Full Review
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The Haunting of Hill House
Jackson, Shirley
Reviewed: February 22, 2023
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a horror genre book. I read this book for an assignment for my last year of high school, and I loved it! At first, I was skeptical due to its genre being horror. And let me tell you, I cannot deal with horror at all, but this book was amazing. At the start, the book is slow, but you get attached to it very quickly. Shirley Jackson gives the reader an option: Is the house haunted, or are the characters' minds playing tricks on them?
What I also love about this book is the main character's growth. At the beginning of this... Read Full Review
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Eighth Grade
Burnham, Bo
Reviewed: February 15, 2023
Eighth Grade (2018) is a coming-of-age movie written and directed by Bo Burnham. It stars Elsie Fisher as the main protagonist, Kayla Day, who tries her best to navigate the end of eighth grade. She dedicates her last week of school to seeking validation from her classmates after they showed her indifference all year. Kayla attempts to do so by trying to talk to them, which occurs as an awkward display of rambling and an averted gaze. Kayla then tries to do impulsive actions in an attempt to act like her classmates, whom she wishes to be more like. However, the main reason why... Read Full Review
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The Goose Girl
Hale, Shannon
Reviewed: February 8, 2023
The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale is a story based on a German fairy tale by The Brothers Grimm. It describes the most impactful part of the life of Anidori Kiladra Talianna Isilee. Having stolen the right to rule in her kingdom, she was sent to marry the crown prince of a foreign land and become their queen, oblivious to many fatal enemies that stood in her way. Soon her royal life plummets when the enemies strike. From witnessing her friends slaughtered to getting a knife held in her back, she was sorely doomed for a painful future. But as people say, you can always find hope if... Read Full Review