Sam and CY students & staff are reading…

Who would like this book? Mature readers, ages 13 and up (language, content), who are looking for a moving story of friendship that explores family relationships and sexual identity.

The goods on this book: It’s 1987 and the summer is a hot one in El Paso, Texas. Ari, 15 and bored, narrates the complex and moving story of his friendship with Dante, a friendship that starts with Dante’s offer to teach Ari to swim and the discovery that Ari’s complete name is Angel Aristotle. Their friendship grows through the summer as they have fun reading old comic books and fooling around as they ride the bus all over town. As Ari’s story unfolds, it’s clear that he is haunted by his own insecurities and by secrets that are being kept by both his mom and his dad. These secrets begin to emerge when a significant event happens. Without wanting to give away too much, I can say that Ari makes discoveries that bring him from boyhood to manhood, from lonely and lost to loved and self-aware. Sáenz’s writing is for patient, mature readers who appreciate clear prose that brings the reader into Ari’s world. It’s a moving exploration of sexual identity and of the power of love in family and friendships.

This book is a Printz Honor Book, 2013, an ALA Best Book 2013 nominee, an ORCA 2015 nominee, and a 2015 Battle of the Book selection at the Senior High level.

The details: 359 pages; 2012     Review by Samrarian

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Review by Lauren T.

Who would like this book? Anyone who loves mystery and mischief would like this book. Maybe girls would like it more, but some guys would like it to. 14+

The goods on this book: This fantastic book by John Green has 221 pages and its genre is a mystery. Miles Halter (Pudge) is a nobody in his school in Florida, so he decides he wants to go to go to the private school his dad went to. His parents told him to get in the “good group” of people. His roommate chip (The Colonel) is the first person he talks to and he thinks he’s alright, and then The Colonel introduces him to a beautiful and exciting girl named Alaska. They go on adventures, prank people, and have fun. They all become friends over times with a bunch of ups and downs. Did he really want to be in her labyrinth? Or did she drag him in? In my opinion, the theme would be we will never truly understand everything that happens to us or the ones we love We have to accept everything that happens to us whether it is good or bad.

The details: 221 pages; 2005   Review by Lauren T.

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Review by Mengmei C.

Who would like this book? I would say this book would be for anyone who’s into cliffhangers or more mature content. More girls would like this book probably because it’s more of a sad novel but males would also like this book as well. The age is more for teenagers and adults and probably not for younger kids because it has mature content.

The goods on this book: This novel is very well written. It was very mysterious. I think that every single character was amazing and matched the book perfectly. The setting is at a boarding school and they act like teenagers, drinking or smoking. Miles Halter (nicknamed, Pudge) goes off to a boarding school named Culver Creek, which is far from home. Miles is sharing a room with a guy whose nickname is The Colonel. Miles is known for remembering someone’s last words. He meets a beautiful girl named Alaska Young, who’s very loud and adventurous. She shows and tells him about the labyrinth. How can you escape it? What will happen when she brings him into her labyrinth? There’s a very terrible incident, and how will it change them all?

The details: 221 pages; 2005   Review by Mengmei C.

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Who would like this book? Mature readers looking for exceptionally well-written historical fiction (WWII) from two first person narrators.

The goods on this book: Queenie (or Lady Julia), a British spy, has been captured by the Nazis and is being brutally interrogated by them. To forestall her inevitable execution, Queenie has consented to write about the British war effort. She frustrates her keepers because as she divulges information, she insists on writing about her own story – her unlikely friendship with the working-class pilot, Maddie, who Queenie believes has died. Queenie’s writings are also rash commentaries on her treatment and her jailers, surreptitiously giving much information about the hotel converted into a prison. Queenie’s story is riveting as it stands alone, with the question of her intentions and her reliability hovering over all she writes. When the last third of the book switches narrators to Maddie, the story flies into another dimension of intensity and compelling action. Maddie’s story reveals so much about Queenie’s story that it took my breath away. This book has it all – it’s an historical thriller and a heart-breaking story of friendship. For mature readers who appreciate exceptional writing about two amazing women characters, this book is a must-read.

The details: 343 pp. 2012   Review by Samrarian

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Review by Angela

Who would like this book? Females & Males over the age of 14.

The goods on the book: A fiction story about a girl having a tragic event at the end of summer which had a big impact for her at the beginning of high school. Melinda Sordino started high school with a secret. A secret that was rumored terribly. No one knew the truth. She only had one friend, but separated from Melinda due to her awkwardness and anti-social behavior. Her friends back in middle school had ditched her for the other ‘groups’ and because of the summer secret. Eventually Melinda would have to speak the truth. I really enjoyed this book. It was my second time reading it and it’s an interesting fiction.

The details: 197 pp. 2001  Review by Angela

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Review by Natalie D.

Who would like this book? Grades 8 and up. Realistic fiction. Boys and Girls would enjoy this.

The goods on this book: Looking for Alaska is about Pudge, whose real name is Miles Halter. Miles has an obsession with famous last words, which inevitably leads him to the Great Perhaps (by a poet by the name Francois Rabelais). On his journey to the infamous Culver Creek Boarding School, Miles meets Alaska Young. She changes his life for the better and worse. Alaska, being the funny, smart, utterly gorgeous, screwed up person she makes herself out to be, flips Miles’ world upside down with her amazingly destructive and exciting world of her own. But after; Miles universe comes to a halting stop, which leads to a whiplash of emotions and throws him into the Great Perhaps. I love this book with such a passion as a fish in water. This book will build you up and potentially leave you with a wall of new feelings and opinions.

The details: 221 pp. 2005           Review by Natalie D.

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Review by Alexis

Who would like this book? Anyone, 8th grade and up, who likes realistic fiction.

Why? Pudge Halter, obsessed with the last words of the dying, is looking for the “Great Perhaps”. When he gets to Culver Creek School, he thinks he might have found what he was looking for. At Culver Creek, he meets Alaska Young, the school prankster, and her friends, Takumi, and the Colonel. Together, the four go through the school year, playing the occasional prank, until one night, when a devastating accident occurs. After the accident, Pudge, Takumi, and the Colonel, must ask themselves, who is Alaska Young? I like the questions this book raised about suffering, friendship, and love. This book is one of my favorites.

The details: 221 pp. 2005  Review by Alexis

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Who would like this book? Readers who like horror stories with monsters and gore with an authentic-feeling historical setting and fascinating characters.

Why? William Henry, twelve years old, has been orphaned under mysterious circumstances and is now the ward and “assistant” to Dr. Pellinore Warthrop, his parents’ employer until their deaths. The book is William’s memoir of his time with Dr. Warthrop in 1888 New England when a pod of man-eating monsters called Anthropophagi begin to attack and kill humans in a very gruesome manner. Dr. Warthrop, a monstrumologist, is obsessed with studying and hunting the monsters. He yells at William to “Snap to” to help him at every turn, expecting him to be part of every horrific aspect of dissecting, hunting, and killing the monsters as well as tracking down the reasons for their mysterious appearance in New England. The descriptions of the headless monsters, their feeding, and their deaths are so clear that they disturbed my imagination and turned my stomach. The story, though, is not just blood, spattered bone, and puss. The character development, especially the relationship between William and the doctor, is richly effective, and the climax of the plot had me turning pages until late in the night. If you like horror, don’t miss this book!

The details: 454 p. 2009  Review by Samrarian

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Review by Alexa

Who would like this book? Teen girls; any girl that might have gone through the same experiences that Melinda has.

Why? This book is about a girl, Melinda Sordino, who is an outcast in her high school. Why? Because she called the cops at a party over the summer. However, she never told anyone why — she was raped, by Andy Evans, one of the most popular seniors. When he starts going out with one of her ex- best friends, Rachelle, Melinda knows that no matter how Rachelle had treated her, she has to warn her of Andy’s treachery. Will Melinda get her voice back? Read the book to find out!

The details: 197 p. 2001

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Who would like this book? Girls 13 and up who want a funny book about a girl who has finally gotten the guy of her dreams but will not consent to being the girl of his dreams. Lose yourself for love? Maybe not.

Why? Frankie Landau Banks is now a sophomore at the prestigious East Coast co-ed boarding school, Alabaster. Frankie has “blossomed” in many ways over the summer, and at the start of fall term she is attracting attention from the coolest senior boy, Matthew. Though Frankie is thrilled about this arrangement, she is not so hot about Matthew’s habit of marginalizing her. She really takes exception to his obsession with The Loyal Order of the Basset Hounds, a secret society open only to males, and to which Frankie’s father belonged. Frankie is seriously smart and a great schemer, and she doesn’t waste any of her formidable talents. E. Lockhart gives us Frankie’s point of view of every aspect of life at Alabaster. It’s a great exploration of identity and gender. All the better that it’s also seriously funny.

The details: 352 pages, 2008 Review by Samrarian

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