New to Our Shelves: One of Us Is Lying

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Five people, one detention room, all for the same reason. A cell phone was planted in their backpacks to help enrage a teacher who doesn't like cellphones in his class. The reason for this prank is a mystery. The teacher leaves the room, meanwhile, the students are asked to stay inside and wait for him to come back. The outcast, Simon, drinks a cup of water thinking nothing is wrong with it. The simple drink quickly turns into a twisted event.

As the book progresses, every other student is interrogated about that fateful day in detention. My favorite character throughout the book is Addy, because she always finds a way to get through the rough parts. She is just always an interesting character and her chapters are always the ones I looked forward to reading. 

Which of Simon's friends is lying throughout the whole book? Read to find out!

Here is the author's website to learn more about this best-selling novel: https://www.karenmcmanus.com

I recommend this book for people who love page turners and cliff hangers. Every chapter leaves you with a question the next chapter will answer. With a rating out of five I recommend this book a FIVE.

Title: One of Us is Lying

Author: Karen M. McManus

Published by: Delacorte Press

Released on: May 30th, 2017

Review by: Alaina F.

Genre- mystery, non-fiction

ARC Review: All The Crooked Saints

All The Crooked Saints 

by Maggie Stiefvater

Miracles, the random occurrence of good luck that we hope for in desperate situations, are not always gained by a lucky break. The Soria family have been given the great ability to perform miracles and expel the darkness of other people. In Maggie Stiefvater’s All The Crooked Saints, the Sorias must take care of the pilgrims that stay to finish miracles, which they can't talk to, and they must also take care of themselves in the crazy world.

My favorite quote came from the point when as one of the Saints left because he was corrupted by darkness, his crush came after him, and she stated,  “I had to start somewhere. I can’t imagine him out here alone. And his family can’t help him. I can do something and so I will.”

The best character in the story has to be Joaquin because he is a risk taking rebel, and he has an illegal radio station in which he performs the miracle of good radio for everyone listening. He is a believable character because there are people who do bad things, like illegal radio, for the right reasons all the time. I think the author wrote this book to entertain. The very intriguing story and great character development pulled me right in, and I was quickly interested.. The plot can leave you on edge at any time with its depth and drama. The small hint of humor put the final touch on this great story. More info about the author can be found under www.maggiestiefvater.com.

I would recommend this book to people who love a deeper reads with slight bits of fantasy, from the shadowed plot and miracles. There is also a small romantic element between a couple of characters. I give it 4.3 out of 5 stars because of the deep plot and exciting, but short, spouts of adventure. This book is definitely worth a look.

*Our class received an ARC of this book to read/review from the publisher, in exchange for my honest review.

Title: All The Crooked Saints

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Published by: Scholastic 

Released on: October 10, 2017

Review by: Charlie W.

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

New to Our Shelves! Alex & Eliza: A Love Story

Alex & Eliza: A Love Story by Melissa de la Cruz

Love is defined as a feeling of deep affection for someone.  Alex & Eliza shows the true meaning of love and the importance of sacrifices for family.  

It's 1777.  The American Revolution battles are taking place and families are struggling to find food and make money.  Even the Schuyler family, one of the wealthiest in New York, is battling the food shortage.  They need their three eldest daughters, Eliza, Angelica and Peggy, to get married and quickly! The family decides to throw a ball and all of the eligible men in the town are invited.  On the same night as the ball they get an unexpected visitor, Colonel Hamilton.  Over two years later, Alexander comes to Eliza’s rescue when her carriage broke down.  Eliza gets a ride from Alexander on his horse all the way back to Albany, NY.  Their love story begins and history is made!  

Opening quote of Alex and Eliza that pulls the reader in immediately!

“Beloved by you I can be happy in any situation, and can struggle with every embarrassment of fortune with patience and firmness.  I cannot however forbear entre treating you to realize our union on the dark side and satisfy, without deceiving yourself, how far your affection for me can make you happy in a privation of those elegancies to which you have been accustomed.  If fortune should smile upon us, it will do us no harm to have been prepared for adversity; if she frowns upon us, by being prepared, we encounter it without the chagrin of disappointment.  Your future rank in life is a perfect lottery; you may move in an excited you may move in a very humble sphere; the last is most probable; examine well your heart.”

-Letter from Alexander Hamilton to Elizabeth Schuyler, August 1780

    If you love Hamilton the musical then you will love this book!  It tells the true details about Alexander Hamilton's relationship with Eliza Schuyler.  For example, a fact that differs from the musical is that they were not married two weeks after meeting at the ball, it was really closer to three years.  Hamilton fans will see that this book takes place in between the songs “Winter’s Ball” and “Satisfied”.  Melissa De La Cruz wrote about their relationship in so many details.  Reading this book makes me want to learn more if other facts in the Hamilton musical are untrue.  I would give this book a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. All in all, I believe that people interested in history and the Hamilton musical would love this book.

Look for the sequel Love & War: An Alex & Eliza Story due to be released April 2018!

Written by: Melissa de la Cruz

Published by: Penguin Young Readers Group

Released on: April 11, 2017

Review by: Abby H.

ARC Review: Satellite

 Satellite by Nick Lake

Have you ever thought about going to space to experience 0 gravity? At least once, right? Although, have you thought about being born in 0 gravity? Probably not, right? Well, in Nick Lake’s, Satellite, he explains what happens when Leo and the twins, Libra and Orion, are born on Moon 2, a space station to where they have been living for the past 16 years. Well, not 16 years for Leo, he’s only 15, waiting and wanting to be 16 though. Once Leo turns 16, he and the twins will be able to go to Earth for the first time. Imagine if you’ve stayed in only confined spaces for a decade and a half; you would want to leave, right? None of them could wait to leave Moon 2, but a for different reasons. For Leo, he wants to finally meet his grandfather and hug him in real life. On the way to Earth, things don’t go quite as planned. Read the book to find out what happens when they make it to Earth.

This book is written in a format that I’ve never read before, but I love the setup. All of the words are lowercased, even in the beginning of a new sentence. I honestly do not know why, but this type of format somehow attracted me to the book. Now let’s focus on the characters of the story. The characters personalities are very obvious and are very organized. Nick Lake keeps the character traits that he gave to the certain character in the back of his mind and uses them later even if they’re shown in the beginning of the story. Personally, my favorite character is Orion because he loves music and classics, which I can relate to. Lake uses scientific vocabulary on the way to Earth, but at the same time give the reader something to enjoy. This book is easy to dive into and get sucked into their world. I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading sci-fi fiction stories and like to expand their literacy abilities. This story has new vocabulary words for you to learn, unless you already know a lot about science. I would rate this book a 9.5/10 because some parts are kind of slow, but I love the format and characters.

*Our class received an ARC of this book to read/review from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Written by: Nick Lake

Published by: Random House Books

Released on: October 3, 2017

Review by: Phoebe H.

ARC Review: Mistress of Evil

Mistress of Evil by Serena Valentino

Think you know everything about the story behind Sleeping Beauty? The novel Mistress of all Evil by Serena Valentino takes you behind the scenes of the original Disney story of “Sleeping Beauty” from the antagonist Maleficent’s point of view. The story includes tales from Maleficent’s childhood revolving around the good fairies: Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna. This novel introduces new characters and backgrounds to the original story already established. The overall story introduces a theme that not everything is as it seems, and that the people you think you know might have more to you than you'd think.

Some  of the newest characters from the novel include the odd sisters, Circe, and Nanny. Circe is known in the novel as the sorceress that cursed prince Adam or better known as the beast from beauty and the beast. Nanny is Maleficent's guardian and took care of her most of Maleficent's life. And though the story is about Maleficent and why she cursed Aurora, characters such as the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio and Snow White are featured. Personally, my favorite character was Circe. Circe is very different than her sisters, The Odd Sisters, and makes it clear she does not want to be like them. Circe is strong, independent and so defiant towards the label her sisters have given her about being a bad ‘witch’.  I also like how she was new to the story so it is not like people can have an opinion about her. She's not a princess but she's not anything stereotypical like her being a good fairy or being a bad witch. It really gives her room as a character to grow.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone of any age, who loves fairy tales and enjoys backstories of characters they've known and love. It was a really great book with a complex but easy to follow storyline.

Written by: Serena Valentino

Published by: Disney Press

Released on: October 3, 2017

Review by: Allison P.

**Disclaimer** the book I received was an Advance Reading Copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

    

Student Letter to Author Wendy Wunder

Dear Wendy Wunder,

I hate you.

Way to open a polite letter to a complete stranger, you may be saying to yourself. And, believe me, I’m kind of second guessing whether or not I will get a phone call home and an automatic F for such a boldly rude statement. But please, do me a favor and hear me out, okay?

Hello. My name is Arianna, and I’m a fourteen year old bookworm who absolutely despises feelings. Growing up, I was never one to cry and throw a tantrum over literal spilled milk. While other girls lost it over a Barbie they couldn't have or a kindergarten boyfriend who refused to give them a hug until after nap time, I was the kid who sat in the corner with a chicken leg in one hand and Go Dogs, Go! in the other, rolling her eyes at all the pointless drama. And over the past few years, it's safe to say that I haven’t changed much. I still read religiously, roll my eyes even more religiously, and chuckle when my friends go on and on and on about pointless boy trouble. I still don't cry at The Notebook or dive in a pool full of tears when girls decide to be jerks to me. Instead, I do the thing I do best and do not care.

I guess having my feelings be so null and void can have it's downsides. People thinking you’re insensitive or self absorbed or full of yourself is so common that you learn to even disconnect yourself from that. For some reason, I’d much rather be stone hearted and not bat an eyelash at tear jerkingly horrid things than to be overly emotional, because showing sadness or talking something out with someone else is something to be avoided. I totally disengage from the girl talks and heart to hearts and sad novels about death and last loves. That is, until I came across your book, The Probability of Miracles. And if we're being completely honest,  I half expected it to be one of those I-hate-boys-because-im-dying-of-an-incurable-disease-and-love-is-pointless-but-also-hey-you're-really-cute type of sob story. But, much to my surprise, it wasn’t.

Not. At. All.

Picking up the book, I thought it was going to be one of those that would barely be able to hold my attention longer than past the first chapter. I so desperately yearned for something that would give me a new feel, a new taste. I had no idea that this I-hate-boys-because-im-dying-of-an-incurable-disease-and-love-is-pointless-but-also-hey-you're-really-cute type book was going to give me what I needed.

Boy, was I wrong.

Campbell, a wonderfully sarcastic teenager who has already accepted her doomed fate, was so far beyond such a well-written character that I truly cannot even begin to describe how much my head was churning post novel. Let’s just sum up how “Stone Heart Arianna” was feeling up in her heart regions:

• Crushed
• Confused
• ANGRY
• Confused again, because WHAT IN THE HECK are these feelings?
• Borderline depressed
• Hungry (I’m sorry. You can  make me emotional, but don’t even attempt removing my love for my dang drumsticks. That’s just plain cruel.)

I especially loved it when you progressed the love story between Asher and her so that it seemed impossible that you would actually kill her off. But yes. You did. It's safe to say that I was not exactly happy with that. Campbell was such a pessimist and wasn’t about that “love lasts forever” life. When she was lying on her deathbed and you wrote, “Cam felt her entire soul become imbued with love. How about that Cam thought. Death did not mean being without love,” part, I seriously had to put the book down and recuperate. Cam, one of my newly added ultimate favorite characters was being killed off? That was to expected. But not soon after, I was just grateful I could go on such a journey with her. 

Finishing the book, needless to say, I felt as though you came and ripped my heart out. I felt like I wouldn’t ever feel happy and my normal self again. I was so very confused and astonished that I was even capable of feeling so heartbroken. I mean, I barely get upset about anything. The last thing that I would guess could chew me up and spit me out was a silly old fiction story.I loved the last moments she had with Asher, to them night swimming with dolphins to telling each other sweet nothings on the beach and down to even their last fight. It hurts my soul having to reflect on the sweet smiles painted across my face when I read through them. But, if a book doesn’t make you feel emotion, it's not truly a good enough book. The hundreds of novels I’ve read over the past 14 years were all great stories, but they lacked what yours doesn’t: the capability to make people like me feel as though the end was near.

So now do you see, Ms. Wunder? Do you understand why I chose to open this letter up by stating something very out of the ordinary? And, just in case you haven’t noticed, I don't actually hate you. If anything, I’m extremely grateful that you could single handedly provide me with not only one of the first times I’ve shed tears over something my head knows isn't real, but made me realize it isn't all that terrible to have a few pesky bouts of sadness now and then.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Arianna P.(unofficially named “Stone Cold Heart or something like that”)

Open Letter to Victoria Scott

Dear Victoria Scott,

Your books, Fire and Flood, and Salt and Stone, have impacted me tremendously. Ever since I attended your meet and greet at Woodstown Middle School, I loved your books, especially your first, Fire and Flood which reminded me to not to be a follower, but to be a leader. When I began to read Salt and Stone, I realized this issues continued, and it would be one of the main points of conflict. It stabbed me right in the heart when the ocean portion of the race began! This book series has influenced me the most of any books I’ve read. The lessons you weave into the words on the page fascinate me! 

Then, a few weeks ago,Violet Grenade, was released. I was dying to read it ever since you came to our school and gave us a sneak peek of it. I got the bookmark, and listened to every reading you did of the book until finally, it came out. I called it first in our ELA classroom, and I think I had everyone hating me until I finished it three days later. Everything about this book was astounding. From cover to cover, I was never able to set it down. I read for hours at home, and every free chance in classes I’d take it out. The characters were flawless in every way: Domino, Cain, Madam Karina and Wilson.

Overall, my favorite thing about the story itself were the characters. Normally, in a young adult novel, with a female protagonist, you think it would be the ordinary. Skinny, somewhat rebellious, has a boyfriend, everything like that. However, in Violet Grenade, you make the main character someone readers wouldn’t picture being in a book. Right on the first page, you can see she’s different from all other female protagonists. Right in the first sentence, she’s picking out a wig! Well, maybe you’d think she doesn’t have hair, but nope, she does. Now does she seem weird? Then, a little later in the book, Domino begins hooking and unhooking her piercings. No. Not just ear piercings. Ear, lip, gauges, eyebrows. All of that. Just how you make your main character a “freakish” character like Domino, you grab readers right from the first word. Most importantly, thank you for showing the cruelty of bullying and abuse in one book. Since Domino is different, she gets bullied. This is a shame, and it shouldn’t happen. Without a doubt, Violet Grenade, will keep readers on the edge of your seat 24/7.

Usually in YA novels with a feminine protagonist, you’d expect some girly girl. Then Tella and Domino come along. It hits you right on the first page of both books that these girls are not like other girls. In the end, all of your books have impacted me greatly.

From, 
Tara T.

New to Our Shelves!

#Famous

Jilly Gagnon

    An innocent joke between a girl and her best friend is the one thing that sends her life into the hands of millions. Rachel, a curly headed antisocial, has had the biggest crush on Kyle: a lacrosse playing, burger flipping, wonderfully wonderful teenager. As a cute like pickup joke, Rachel sneaks a picture of him at his Burger Barn job and sends it to her friend; who then reflits it online for the world to see. Unbeknownst to them both, this simple action is what sends Kyle and Rachel head-on into the scrutiny of millions of other eyes.

    #Famous is single-handedly one of the most cutest/gut wrenchingly powerful books I’ve ever had the luxury to read. Set in a modern day teen life, Rachel is put through so many things that are both relatable and prominent in this day and age. She is constantly being bullied and pushed through terrible social situations due to the mere fact that, horrendously enough, she has a crush! People deface her property, make her the butt of every joke, and poke fun at her hair and curvy body. She felt as though everyone hated her guts just for trying to lighten up and joke around with her best friend. When she finally decided not to let the haters get to her, I couldn’t put the book down. Kyle, the very reason why she had millions of people tell her to kill herself, was the one person who treated her the best. He made her know that she was a funny and good looking girl who didn't deserve to be put down for a simple joke. The message was beautiful and inspiring.

5/5 stars.

Reviewed by Arianna P.

Open Student Letter to Paige Rawl

Dear Paige Rawl, 

Bullying is a very hard thing to overcome. I've heard plenty of stories of kids not being able to overcome this situation; however, plenty of people have been able to put bullying aside and keep going through life. They say that every person will be bullied at least once in their lifetime, but what you don’t hear is that almost everyone will bully or hurt someone in their life, even if it’s indirectly. You don’t hear a lot about how bullying affects those people. Most teenagers who get bullied is through your ‘typical’ stereotypes and exclusion, which is probably what a teenager would think of as the worst thing in the world. As a teenager myself, it can be awful, but reading your memoir Positive has changed my point of view. I realize that there are many different ways to be bullied. Now I know that exclusion and other types of bullying, although they hurt, only hurt as long as you want them to. As you almost went to the all-time low and thought about something as horrible as taking your own life, you eventually made your way back to the top. You couldn’t of done that if you didn’t want to. In the end, it’s your mindset that decides if you let the bullying hurt you or not. As you say in your book, “If we can let ourselves, all of us, be united by the simple fact of having a difference, we will be bigger and stronger and more powerful than anyone who might otherwise make us feel small.” We can only control ourselves, not anybody else. In the long run, I believe that we pick and choose who hurts and makes us feel better. We just have to have the strength to do it and it takes a long time to get that mindset.

Positive has taught me three very valuable lessons, among others. The first one is to always be nice to people, to be friendly, and to stand up for people. When your friend stood up for you and helped you clean the drink that someone dumped on you off of your clothes, it really showed how important this lesson is. The second one is to dwell on happiness, not sadness. If I am in a bad mood or upset, I will do something to lift my spirits rather than to sit in my room and think about what went wrong today. When reading your book, you tried to hang out with your supportive friends, or listen to music, and compete in pageants. All of these things would distract you from the pain, but also you chose to do them to make yourself happy. The third is to always to remain positive. Throughout your experience I always saw little bits of positivity and hope within you. When I first started reading your book I always thought the title Positive came from being HIV positive, but I realized that either you or the people around you, influenced you in one way or another, to be positive and to have hope. Though your middle school experience left you miserable and depressed, you always hoped that the next day would be better. The joy that you found in other activities, like pageants and cheerleading, helped you not to dwell on the pain and to remain positive. 

Needless to say, this book has really changed my view on the world. You never know what people are going through and you should not judge someone by what they look like or because of others point of views. Just because it may be ‘uncool’ to hang out with someone or do something, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hang out with that person or do what you enjoy. It has touched my heart, because I believe that people can overcome different obstacles and your words have helped me overcome some of my own. I, too, abide by the lessons (and plenty more) I’ve learned. Even though you went through something worse than me, and other people are going through different levels of pain from bullying like me and you, the pain and exclusion still hurts. Sometimes, I need to remind myself, but now I know that I’m not the only one feeling hurt from people hurting my feelings. Even though it will take me a long time to reach the mindset of not letting people hurt me, I know that I will eventually get there, because of you and I thank you for that.

Mia B.

New Release!

The Edge of Everything 

by Jeff Giles

Some say that they’d do anything for love which Zoe, a small town Montana girl, never thought she’d have to prove. The recently published novel, The Edge of Everything, by Jeff Giles is compassionately strange, exuberantly witty, and unabashedly romantic. In its first few moments of the novel, a possibly deadly blizzard approaches Zoe’s hometown. As her mother runs out on an errand, Zoe takes care of her kid brother, Jonah. Her first mistake was letting him out in the cold before the storm to play with the dogs. In a turn of events, Zoe is thrown into panic to find her brother. What comes next was drastic. A criminal who killed two family friends is back, and the one thing keeping them safe is a young man, whom Zoe names X. By the time the next sunrise breaks the horizon, Zoe has quite a story to tell. That agent is X, a man who committed no crime, yet lives his life out in underworld servitude. When Zoe stops him from reaping her attacker, it sets off a chain of events that leads to first love, terrible peril, and maybe X’s salvation—though it won’t come easy.

I had been in a reading slump for a couple weeks, so when I saw The Edge of Everything on the release list, I knew I had finally found something that interesting. I had never heard of Jeff Giles before, but I was pleasantly surprised. His extremely descriptive settings and amazing use of “show not tell” with characters left me with a clear image in my head. There was also constantly something going on. That being said, this was the perfect thing to get me out of my reading slump. My favorite character is X. X was very selfless and defensive. He would do anything for Zoe or her family. In fact, even when he was healing from a past incident in the beginning of the novel, he watched over Zoe’s family. He never gave up on her. 

As a fluent reader, I thought it was a very entertaining book. It was serious, action packed, and had a bit of romance. I never was bored and never wanted to put the book down!

In all, I highly recommend The Edge of Everything by Jeff Giles.

Review by Laney J.

VIOLET GRENADE by Victoria Scott Blog Tour & Giveaway

Our classroom is so excited to be hosting Victoria Scott today on her epic VIOLET GRENADE Blog Tour! Often in our daily lives, teens like us have to face bullying. We are so thankful to Victoria for joining us today to feature "10 Things to Know About Bullying"

Don't forget to enter the giveaway at the end of the blog post!

Publication Date: May 2, 2017

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Welcome to Violet Grenade...

DOMINO (def.): A girl with blue hair and a demon in her mind.

CAIN (def.): A stone giant on the brink of exploding.

MADAM KARINA (def.): A woman who demands obedience.

WILSON (def.): The one who will destroy them all.

When Madam Karina discovers Domino in an alleyway, she offers her a position inside her home for entertainers in secluded West Texas. Left with few alternatives and an agenda of her own, Domino accepts. It isn’t long before she is fighting her way up the ranks to gain the madam’s approval. But after suffering weeks of bullying and unearthing the madam’s secrets, Domino decides to leave. It’ll be harder than she thinks, though, because the madam doesn’t like to lose inventory. But then, Madam Karina doesn’t know about the person living inside Domino’s mind. Madam Karina doesn’t know about Wilson.

Link to Goodreads:

Purchase Links: 

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

Meet Victoria!

Victoria Scott is the acclaimed author of eight books for young adults. Her novels are sold in fourteen different countries, and she loves receiving fan mail from across the world. Victoria loves high fashion, big cities, and pink cotton candy. You can find her online at VictoriaScott.com.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instragram | Goodreads

Guest Post by the Author...

10 Things to Know About Bullying

1. It happens to everyone. To the popular, and the not-so-popular. To the fat and thin and beautiful and odd and tall and short. No one escapes it. No one.  

2. It usually happens within a definitive period in your life. Meaning, it will end. For me, it was when I was in middle school. I was never bullied after that. But I know people who were bullied in high school, or college, or in adulthood. But it always lasted for a period of time, and then ended.

3. Bullies are usually afraid, yes, but some are just sadistic. Let’s say this out loud and stop defending bullies’ actions. Some people are just mean. Trust me when I say these people won’t win at the game of life. Sometimes I look up people who bullied me when I was a kid. Should I lie and say it doesn’t gladden me when I see how their lives have turned out? I won’t. *wink*

4. Being bullied makes you a better person. Because you were bullied, you will be more understanding. Your heart will grow. You will care about others. You will have been there, and so you will hurt when others do.

5. Some of the most successful, most brilliant people were bullied. See my first point. We all go through it at some point, but the most talented and intelligent usually get it more than others, because bullies smell that this person has potential, and they’re envious.

6. The more you are bullied, the harder you should work. Get better grades. Work even harder on the field. Love yourself deeper. This is my motto in life. Are you paying attention? Here it is: Win…in the end.

7. Talk to someone. Out loud. Do it. Right now. Right after you read this. And I want you to picture me holding your hand when you do. Now get up. Find someone who is kind. And tell them. *hugs you*

**************************************

Find out where Victoria will be next!

Link to the Tour Schedule!

Giveaway Details... WIN! Signed paperback of The Collector, a signed paperback of Titans, and a signed galley of Hear the Wolves.

Enter HERE!!

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