Eden By Jamie McGuire

Isabel Figueroa

Plot Summary

Eden is the last and final book to the Providence series. Nina and Jared must fight for three lives now, their own and their baby's life too. Throughout the book they show the adventure and tradegies they must go through to put Hell's bible back to Jeruslam where Shax and his little minions can never enter. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Critical Evaluation

I would give this book a 7 out of 10. The book is somewhat of a page turner but it didn't grab my attention like first two books. I recommend the whole series to readers because the books don't slow down, which keeps you reading for hours.  

Paralyzed by Jeff Rud

Tonga Keti

Plot Summary
In the book, Paralyzed Jeff Rud tells a story about a kid named Reggie who plays middle linebacker. Reggie is the number one middle linebacker in the state. While playing his rival team, Reggie injures one of the opposing team players. Reggie has a tough time knowing he's permanently injured another player and realizes that this injury might affect his football future.


Critical Response
This book is a 10 out of 10. I like this book because the main character Reggie is sympathetic towards his opponent who was injured during the game. The author leaves a good message by having good  sportsmanship towards other. I love when Reggie is still goes to the hospital to vist the injured player but his mother told him not to go back. Reggie refuse and still goes to the hospital.

A Little Something Different by Sandy Hall

Angelica Saldivar

Plot Summary

Gabe and Lea are two college students in the same creative writing class. What they don't know is that every year their teacher chooses a girl and a boy she thinks should be together. She doesn't tell them because the point is to make them both like each other without telling them. Gabe really likes Lea but will Lea like him back?

Critical Evaluation

This book is told by fourteen viewpoints: Gabe, Lea, Maribel, Inga, the bench, Sam, a squirrel, Victor, Bob, Casey, Maxine, Danny, Pam, Charlotte, Hillary, Frank. (There are sixteen different people, but Pam and Frank don't really come more than twice, because Frank is the Chinese-food delivery guy and Pam is Inga's wife.) Since it's told in different viewpoints it's really interesting to see what other people think. The thing is that all different viewpoints have something in common. They all want Gabe and Lea to be together. I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because I really like how they tell the story in different viewpoints.

This One Summer by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki

Gordon Jack

Summary
Every year Rose and Windy vacation with their families together at Awago Beach.  Rose is a year- and-a-half older than Windy and beginning life as a teenager.  The two girls play together as usual but things are starting to change.  Rose's mother is not her usual self and can't seem to enjoy the vacation as she used to.  Rose is also becoming more interested in boys, which Windy doesn't understand, especially because the boy she's interested in has a volatile relationship with a local girl.

Critical Evaluation
This book is easily a 10 out of 10.  The illustrations are incredible.  Here's one example of the amazing detail you see on each page.

The story is quiet, but filled with relatable moments from childhood.  Jillian and Mariko Tamaki have done a great job of capturing that in-between time when you're no longer a child, but not yet a teenager.  An amazing book and easily one of the best graphic novels I've read this year.

Guilty by Norah McClintock

Natalie Moreno

Plot summary:

Finn Newsome witnesses the brutal murder of his stepmother right in front of his luxurious house. Soon after, he finds out that his biological mother and his stepmother were both murdered by the same individual. This thrilling book contains a lot of suspense and lots of twists and turns. He begins to actually wonder deeper into the case in hopes of finding out if there is a coincidence in both murders. At the police station he meets the daughter of the murder, Lila, and they begin to have a unique friendship. Both teenagers are anxious to find out the truth for themselves but soon find themselves in a compromising situation.

Critical Evaluation:

I would rate this book 10/10 because it gets you thinking about a lot of the conflicts that occur throughout the book. The author does a great job in conveying a suspenseful theme through the book. It not only keeps you entertained but it also keeps you on the edge of your seat towards the end. Overall, it was an amazing book and I would totally recommend it to any teenager. :)

Accomplice Eireann Corrigan

Isabel Figueroa

Plot Summary

Two girls, Finn and Chloe, are moving from their last year of high school to college. Chloe and Finn do everything to make it seem as if Chloe has been kidnapped, just so they have something to put into a college application. People end up getting arrested, which destroys families and a friendship. Both Chloe and Finn soon realize they have betrayed each other.

Critical Evaluation

Accomplice is a story about two teens who want to get into college but do not have the materials they need to get in. Throughout the story, Finn soon realizes why Chloe planned this kidnapping and why she put her friends and family through this situation. I rate this book a 9 out of 10 because it doesn't give much details into the characters' backgrounds like books usually do. The way the book was written makes it suspenseful.

The Walk On by John Feinstein

Tonga Keti

Plot Summary
Alex Myers is a top notch QB with a great arm. In the book, The Walk On, John Feinstein tells a story about a freshmen moving from Boston to Philly who wants to start on the varsity football team. Alex has trials because the head coach Gordon would rather have his son starting at QB. Alex still drives to reach his goal to be a starting QB as a freshmen for varsity.

Critical Thinking
This book is a 10 out 10. The genre of this book is sports. This book takes place in Philadelphia. Alex's school has been to the state championship five times. Feinstien does a great job of inserting a message in the book. In the end, Alex realizes his friends really are his friends because they tell the truth so Alex can play.

More Book Promos!

By Jelly Saldivar

By Jonathan Rutiaga

By Natalie Moreno

Requiem By Jamie McGuire

Isabel Figueroa

Plot Summary

Requiem is the 2nd book in the Providence series. It continues off several months after Nina and Jared fought Ghram and finally finished him and his army. What they don't know is that wasn't their last fight against the demons. Nina begins to have nightmares about her dad and Grabe (Jared's dad). The entire book is based on their quest on getting the book back and reading what's inside that can help them survive.

Critical Evaluation  

This book is a sequel to Providence and I promise you once you read it, it will blow your mind on how much Nina has changed the past months. It brings you to a whole new point of view of the book and the author. My advice to readers is start at the first book. Don't read the second or third book first because then you will have no idea what the book is about and you will be lost.

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Gordon Jack

Plot Summary

Travis Ray Coates had terminal cancer.  So the doctors cut off his head waited 5 years until medical technology advanced enough to attach it to a healthy body.  Now he's alive again, but his friends, girlfriend, and family have all moved on.  Now he must figure out how much of his old life he can still have, and how much he needs to leave behind.

Critical Evaluation

I give this book a 10 out of 10.  I was intrigued (and a little grossed out) at first by the fantastic premise.  What began as an interesting thought experiment (how much of you is contained in your head and how much is contained in your body) became a very thoughtful exploration about how we struggle to let go of the past and keep hold of the things we love.

Slam Dunk by Kate Jaimet

Natalie Moreno

Plot Summary

Assistant Coach, Salvador “Slam” Amaro, is allowed the opportunity to take over his high school’s basketball team during the playoffs due to the fact that the head coach goes missing. In this suspenseful thriller of a book, the head coach, Mrs. Ramirez and her daughter, Inez begin receiving strange gifts from an anonymous person which are pretty threatening. Salvador is concerned by the gifts and seeks to find out who’s doing this.

Critical Evaluation

I would evaluate this book as a 10 out of 10 because it builds suspense as you dive deeper into it. It is a thriller so you are bound to have to hold on to your seat. Once you begin reading it, you will not ever want to put it down unless you’re at school and the bell rings to go to the next class. There are other books written by the same author but this will be the one that you will not want to take your eyes off. Overall, this is an amazing book that I would recommend to anyone because it is not a very lengthy book and you could finish it really quickly.

Book Promo by Isabel

Crackback by John Coy

Tonga Keti 

Plot Summary 
Manning is a top corner back for his football team. In the book, Crackback, John Coy tells a story of a football player who struggles with his new coach. Manning works his butt off to look good in front of his dad. His relationship with his dad its not good so he tries to get closer. He also tries to impress coaches from college.

Critical Evaluation
Crackback is a 10 out of 10 because it has some conflicts that high school students go through. I related to the story because of football and homecoming. This book has some of the same decisions that I go through in high school like choosing to not do my work.

Book Promo by Odalis

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Isabel Figeuroa

Plot Summary      

Hannah Baker is a teenage girl, new to a city she's never lived in before. She just wants to fit in but teens don't seem to believe in anti-bullying . Everything changes once she dies. Clay Jensen, a boy who hardly knew Hannah, receives tapes at his door one night. In all 13 tapes, Hannah says her reasons for why she took her life and who could have stopped this situation from happening. Clay wants nothing to do with her tapes, until Hannah's voice tells him he is a reason why she took her life. Throughout the night Clay listens to all the tapes and travels around the map he is given in the box of tapes. What Clay doesn't know is that these tapes will change his life forever.

Critical Evaluation 

Thirteen Reasons Why is a breath catching book. Entertainment Weekly described this novel as "Suspenseful and addictive," which is true. I read this entire novel in 4 hours. Asher describes how Hannah feels and makes you see from the main character's point of very throughout the story. When listening or reading the tapes you feel this kind of guilt that you could have stopped this even though it may not be a real event. He makes you feel like you're the narrator and are experiencing the night Clay heard and traveled around his town to see Hannah's point of view. I rate this an 11 out of 10.

Who I'm Not by Ted Staunton

Jonathan Rutiaga

Summary 

Who I’m Not by Ted Staunton is about a teenage boy who has no clue who he is.  Oh, and did I mention he’s a con-man in training?  The book starts off with someone getting shot while the main character, whose name is unknown, is trying to steal a car with valuables with in it.  The main character gets caught and is investigated by the F.B.I on what he saw. He then lies and finds out a kid who was kidnapped and he pretends to be him.  The rest is for you to find out what happens next.

Critical evaluation

I am rating this book a 9 out of 10 because the book really makes you want to continue reading and not put it down. The ending wasn't the best, but it was still satisfying because you finally find out the mystery about what happened to “danny”

Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen

Odalis Rojas

Summary
When Cynthia Rothschild's best friend, Annie, falls for the new high-school librarian, she can totally see why. He's young, smart, and super cute but there is something different about him. Maybe it's the way she feels chills running down her spine every time she's near him or the way his dark eyes seem to suck away the life out of you or is it because Mr. Gabriel is in fact a... demon! Will Cyn help rescue her best friend from Mr. Gabriel or will Annie be gone forever?

Critical Evaluation:
I rate this book a 10 out of 10. This book will keep you hooked and wanting more. Also if you like a spooky, dark book, then this book is for you. I love how this book gives enough information to keep you hooked. It also shows true friendship and how you have to value it or else you might lose it.

Paralyzed By Jeff Rud

Henry Nguyen

Plot Summary

Middle linebacker from Lincoln High, Reggie Scott accidentally injures Nate Brown, an opponent over the summer at a football camp. Brown could be paralyzed, which makes Reggie think about his football career and whether he should keep playing or not. 

Critical Evaluation

I would rate this book as a 10 out of 10 because it is very interesting.  This book made me think that anything can happen in thirty seconds, whether it is a bad thing or a good thing. You can imagine yourself being Nate Brown or Reggie Scott. Reggie worries a lot about Nate as seen in this example, "Can you at least tell me how he's doing? I knew I sounded desperate, but I needed to know right now that Nate Brown was going to be okay." Reggie wants Nate to be fine and be able to play football again. 

Strangelets by Michelle Gagnon

Isabel Figueroa

Plot Summary

Three strangers that should’ve all died at the same time thousands of miles away all land in an abandoned hospital in the middle of nowhere. But they’re not alone. Three other teens from different places around the world are trapped there with them. Someone is controlling all the bad things that are happening around them. They have little time to figure out how to get back into the regular world and get a second chance at life.

Critical Evaluation

I would rate this book a 10 out of 10. This book takes you on an adventure, a whole different universe in your mind. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to keep reading even when the book is over. The book is based on three teenagers, Sophie, Declan, and Anat. Before they are moved into this whole new universe they face life threatening situations. Throughout the book they go through obstacles and challenges to stay alive and make it back where they belong. They lose some people and they gain new clues to figuring out who is the mastermind behind all of this. Their clocks are ticking and they are running out of time.

Providence Trilogy by Jamie McGuire

Stephanie Garcia

Plot Summary
Nina is a good girl going to college in Providence but when she meets a stranger her world goes upside down. Soon, she is finding out things and people that were hidden in order to protect her.

Critical Evaluation
I love this book because of the way McGuire gives enough information to lose yourself in the world of Nina and Jared. Providence is romance and supernatural put together. Between these two genres, you learn about the love that a family needs to go through different obstacles.

Unstoppable by Tim Green

Tonga Keti

Plot Summary
Harrison Johnson is one of the top football players in his high school. In the book Unstoppable, Tim Green tells a story about a foster kid who is adopted by mother who is a lawyer and a dad who is a football coach. Harrison's dream is to play football for his career. He struggles when he becomes handicapped.

Critical Evaluation
This book is a 9 out of 10. The structure of this book is a long story, which takes place on a farm then in a modern day house. Tim Green does a great job putting a motivational message in a football story. The ending is great and shows Harrison coming back to his dream after a tragic problem.

Edge Of Flight by Kate Jaimet

Henry Nguyen

Plot summary
Rock climbers Vanisha and Rusty face a field of marijuana.  When their friend Jeb gets shot, they try to save him.  But in order to do that, Vanisha must climb the Edge Of Flight, the toughest rock climbing route that she has faced.

Critical Evaluation
I rate this book a 10 out of 10 because when reading this book you can picture every little detail like in this example, "A rock sticks out like a stepping-stone. I pose my left foot on it, gently. It seems solid. I begin to shift my weight. But the rock breaks off beneath my foot. My leg fails in the air. I grip the cliff face tighter and hug my body against it." This quote talks about how Vanisha was climbing the Edge Of Flight, in order to find some help to save Jeb. The book inspired me in many ways. When I was done reading the book I thought how fun it would be to rock climb, how you can use rock climbing skills in saving others or climbing to the roof of a house to retrieve something that got stuck.

Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick

Gordon Jack

Summary

Midwinterblood takes place over thousands of years.  Each chapter tells the story of Erik and Merle who encounter each other on a remote Scandinavian island.  In each story, Erik and Melle connect in different ways and are tragically torn apart.  Why this cycle is happening, and how the characters will break it, is a mystery that unfolds over centuries.

Critical Evaluation

This book is easily a 10 out of 10. The book is structured as seven short stories, all taking place in the same place, but across very different time periods.  Marcus Sedgwick does an incredible job of linking these diverse stories involving, at different times, ghosts, vampires, and Vikings.  The mystery of why Erik and Merle keep meeting is very compelling.  The ending, which brings the reader back to the future, explains enough to be satisfying, but leaves some intriguing questions to ponder.    

My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf

Gordon Jack

Plot Summary
Jeffrey Dahmer is one of the most notorious serial killers in American history.  In My Friend Dahmer, author Derf Backderf tells the story of his friendship with Dahmer and how both his friends and family contributed to his isolation.  Because no one pays much attention to Dahmer, his excessive drinking and growing obsession with death goes unnoticed until it is too late.

Critical Evaluation
I rate this graphic novel a 10 out of 10.  You might think a story about a serial killer would be filled with gory scenes of murder, but this is more about how such people are created.  In Dahmer's case, he was emotionally disturbed, but because he was ignored by friends and family, he never got the help that might have saved him.  The author's tone of regret is felt throughout the book. In Backderf's words and pictures, he tells a sad, rather than scary, story that will make you think of social isolation in high school and how we all contribute to the making of monsters.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Gordon Jack

Plot Summary

When we first meet Eleanor and Park they are strangers on a school bus.  Eleanor is new, “not just new – but big and awkward.  With crazy hair, bright red on top of curly.  And she was dressed like…like she wanted people to look at her.”  Park gets looked at too; he is the only biracial kid at school with a Korean mom and Irish dad.  Soon, this pair of misfits discovers shared interests in comics, New Wave music, and each other.  What starts out as friendship, soon becomes a romance that brings intense happiness and sorrow into their lives.

The sorrow part comes mostly from Eleanor’s step-father, who is an abusive alcoholic. He’s already kicked Eleanor out of the house for a year for typing too loudly.  If he discovers she’s dating a boy, there’s no telling what kind of terror he will bring down on her and her family.  The closer she and Park become, however, the harder it gets for her to hide the relationship from people in neighborhood.  While Park only hears the beating of his heart when he’s with Eleanor, all she hears is the ticking time bomb of her whole life about to explode.

Critical Evaluation

I picked up Eleanor & Park after reading a glowing review in the New York Timesby John Green. In many ways, Rowell’s book reminded me of a John Green novel.  Like Green, Rowell has not lost her understanding of and empathy with her teenage characters.  At one point when their English teacher asks Park why students still read Romeo and Juliet (a rather ominous allusion that haunts the telling of this story), Park responds, “because people want to remember what it’s like to be young? And in love?”  That obsessive quality of first love, where everything is so new and intense, is what Rowell captures perfectly in this novel.  Eleanor and Park are two original characters who are sympathetic despite their flaws.  At first, they seem like a very unlikely couple but the deeper you get into the novel, the more you realize how well they suit each other.

Rowell throws a major roadblock in front of the couple’s happiness in the form of Eleanor’s step-dad.  His threatening presence makes the book a gripping read. Eleanor’s romance with Park is meaningful because of the risks she takes to be with him. My only complaint with the novel is with the ending, which seemed a little rushed and not as believable as I would have liked.  After following these characters for 300 pages, I didn’t quite buy the choices they make at the very end.  Despite this flaw, however, I was completely consumed with this book and sad to leave these characters when I got to the final pages.