Sam and CY students & staff are reading…

Review by Skyla

Who would like this book? Females, 13+, who like fiction.

The goods on this book: When Cammie the Chameleon visits her roommate, Macey, in Boston, she thinks her summer break will end excitingly. After all, she’s there to support Macey’s father accept the nomination for Vice President of the United States. But when you go to a spy school, excitement and danger are never far away. The two girls soon find themselves trapped in a kidnapper’s plot, with only their skills from the school to save them.
As her junior year begins, Cammie can’t shake the memory from Boston. Even the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women doesn’t feel safe. Cammie and her friends are trying to uncover who is after Macey. They get closer and closer untill Cammie learns the shocking truth.

The details: 263 pp. 2009   Review by Skyla

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Review by Skyla D.

Who would like this book? Females ages 13+ who like fiction (romance, action, drama).

The goods on this book: Christy Miller is a 15 year old girl, who met Todd the summer before and fell instantly in love with him. Her parents say she cant date until she is 16. When she did turn 16, her guy-friend, Rick asked her out and Christy didn’t know what it was that she was feeling. Can Christy find out what she is feeling? Or will she leave one of her closet friends to date some guy who doesn’t treat her right?

The details: 496 pp. 2006 Review by Skyla D.

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Review by Alyssa C.

Who would like this book? I think that anyone would like this book! Well anyone who loves a good book, anyway. This graphic novel is a good quick read, for anyone who loves to read. Though anyone could read and love this book, I think it is angled more toward pre-teen/teen girls. This book is a good summary of a girl’s life throughout middle school.

The goods on the book: Smile starts with a 6th grade girl who is coming home from a Girl sSout meeting when she and her friends decide to race to her front door. As they are running, she trips over herself and knocks out her two fount teeth! Luckily, she was planning on getting braces anyway. Her mom rushes her to her orthodontist and they try to put her teeth back in place. This is a big part of the book, I know, but there is a lot more to it! Like what? Like this girl’s journey through middle school and her first year of high school! Talk about DRAMA! Especially with her mean friends, who tease her about EVERYTHING! Will her teeth heal? Will her friends stop the teasing? Or will she find new friends? Read it to find out!

The details: 213 pp. 2010  Review by Alyssa C.

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Review by Rachel B.

Who would like this book? Book loving, totally hip teenage girls between the awesome ages of 14 and 16. It’s a good read for any mature person, but some things are a little grown up, that’s all.

The goods on the book: Fifty beautiful, passionate, mostly intelligent young women are on their way to a fancy resort to compete for the prestigious title Teen Dream Queen. It’s a cut throat battle, and the girls are prepared for whatever comes next… Or so they thought. They crash land in the middle of the ocean, onto a deserted island with nothing but the sequins on their backs. No hair care, no nail files, no lip gloss… This place is a Teen Dreamers’ worst nightmare! They struggle to survive with what they have: a few pumices, some empty hairspray bottles, and most importantly, each other. Friendships are built. Relationships are tested. Secrets are unveiled. Nails broken. It’s a rough battle to the top, ladies. But with a group of true Teen Dreamers, good will always prevail. (Not available at Cal Young.)

The details: 390 pp. 2011  Review by Rachel B.

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Review by Kyleigh

Who would like this book? girls how like romance and drama

Why? This book is about Myra and her fight to get out of her town and go to the Galapagos Islands. Myra’s boyfriend Erik dumped her because she said he needed space. The next day in science a guy named Pete Tree came in to talk to the students about entering a program to go to the Galapagos Island to study Darwin’s theory of evolution. The only thing is you need one thousand dollars and a paper about evolution that a group of scientists will judge. Only two students will get to go. Myra wants to go. She wants to leave her town and get away. Only how will she get one thousand dollars? Who will take care of her family? Her parents are always at work and she has four little brothers and a pregnant older sister; and, her super smart Ex-Boyfriend is running for the trip. Follow Myra as she works and fights for a spot on the trip and FLY.

The details: 300 pp. 2011   Review by Kyleigh

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Click here for an amazing slideshow presentation by Tess:

The Web of Magic Avalon

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Review by Margaret

Who would like this book? Girls who like romance and drama.

Why? The Sumer I Turned Pretty is about two families that have known each other forever. In one family we have Belly, her mom, and her annoying older brother Steven. In the other we have Jeremiah, Conrad and their mom Susannah. Belly has, for as long as she can remember, been in love with Conrad while Jeremiah has always been like another brother. Every summer Belly and her family visit Susannah’s beach house. However, this summer Belly wants it to be different. She wants Conrad to notice her and fall in love with her, too.
I think that this book is so great! I love this book and the characters all seem real and the author does a great job with the entire story. If you’re looking for a good romance with a little bit of drama, read The Summer I Turned Pretty.

The details: 276 pp. 2009   Review by Margaret

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Review by Margaret

Who would like this book? Girls who enjoyed The Summer I Turned Pretty, romance, and drama.

Why? This summer will be the only summer Belly can remember that they will not visit the beach house. She will not get to see Conrad and Jeremiah, and never again will she see Susannah. The summer begins to pass slowly when Belly gets a frantic call from Jeremiah saying that Conrad is missing from school. Together, the two of them go looking for him and when they find him more fights begin. Throughout the story things start to piece together: flashbacks from Belly’s prom, fights between her and her mom, and flashbacks of when Susannah was there and everything was perfect . Belly will have to deal with everything happening and try to fix it, or summer will never be the same again.
Jenny Han is amazing. Really she is. I think that It’s Not Summer Without You is great! Be warned though, it is a bit sad, but the romance and the way that Jenny Han lets us hear from other characters’ Point Of View is great!

The details: 275 pp. 2012   Review by Margaret

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Review by Margaret

Who would like this book? People who enjoy Jenny Han and the other two books in the series, and romance, drama.

Why? Two years. It’s been two years since Conrad told Belly to choose Jeremiah. Two years and Belly and Jeremiah are still dating, at the same college, and they seem perfect. Soon, though, Jeremiah will do something so horrible that Belly will have to decide if she made the right choice or not and find out who she really loves.
Ending the trilogy of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” series is difficult. Jenny Han did such a great job getting us to see all the characters’ flaws and the background of each one that it’s difficult to say goodbye. However, this book is a great way to end the series! Belly will get her life-changing summers, fighting through heartbreak, tears, and finally finding who she loves.

The details: 291 pp. 2011  Review by Margaret

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Review by Margaret

Who would like this book? I think mainly girls that enjoy books about real life problems and that also like books about school problems.

Why? Deanna has a big problem. When she was 13 her own father found her having sex in the back of a car with her brother’s best friend Tommy. Even though she was only 13 when it happened, when she reaches high school everyone already knows about her and what happened. Her brother and his girlfriend are moving out soon, and she doesn’t want to live with her parents anymore, so she gets a job working at the local pizza place to save up money. While she works there, she encounters more problems because guess who works there? Tommy. She has to deal with being made fun of, her father, who hasn’t talked to her since, and her “friends”.
Deanna is a really great character and you really get to know her and connect with her throughout the book. I think that the book itself was really good. It was a little bit of a drama, but also about a girl with real problems that actually happen in real life. Sarah Zarr is a really great writer, and I think that this book is fantastic.

The details: 192 pp. 2007   Review by Margaret R.

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