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.

New Release!

Wonder Woman: Warbringer 

by Leigh Bardugo

Some say that they’d do anything to prove themselves, others have the opportunity but don’t take it. Princess Diana is trying to prove herself  to everyone but when she finally can, she instead breaks the law of her people. While breaking the law and risking exile she saves Alia Keralis from a purposely bombed shipwreck. The two of them go against many enemies and Diana finds hidden strengths along the way. The best quote is actually in the book and on the back of  it, it reads, “Amazon. Woman born of war, destined to be ruled by no one but themselves. We make this pact with their words… It was a vow Diana had shared with no one else, one that might make her a killer. That was when the air tore open around them. Diana knew the sound; she recognized it from the vision she’d glimpsed in the Oracle waters” (Bardugo).  This is the best quote because when Diana and Alia make this pact together you'd an really see the relationship they've built together and what truly brought them together. It's also when the book gets really good and starts unraveling. All the characters in the book were believable and easy to relate to in the way they acted, felt or did things. One of the best characters for me was Alia because other than Diana you could definitely see a really big change in her through the book. At first Alia is innocent and just trying to get by, but as the book progresses she becomes more daring and braver. 

This book was written for entertainment purposes. It’s very action packed and entertaining for lack of a better word, it's a lively book and it's a really great read. I would recommend the book to everyone it's amazing. I would rate it a definite 5 star rating. This book is fantasy fiction but it's a great book for people who like reading not just comics or superhero books but for people that like Greek mythology too. It doesn't include a bunch of things but it does hint at some major gods. This book could even benefit people who like to read a mix of action and mystery. You never know what will happen in this book even if you can usually predict endings, there's many plot twists and turns that you won't expect. And for me that's on the best parts of the book. This book is published by Random House Children's Books and was released on August 29, 2017.

Review by Leilani V.

New to Our Shelves!

Holding Up the Universe

By Jennifer Niven

  

Libby Strout was ready. Ready for dancing, ready to face the world, and most importantly, ready to be in contact with the very kids who used to bully her. But, what she was never ready for was to meet Jack Masselin, an afro-wearing, tall, and an offstandish popular boy. She wasn't expecting him to join into a cruel game and then apologize profusely with a note in her backpack spilling his most precious secret. She soon figured out that  Jack Masselin isn't like the kids leaving hate mail in her locker. He's kind, funny, and has a mental disease called Prosopagnosia- where you can't recognize faces. The two are the most unlikely of friends who seem to fit each other like puzzle pieces.

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven features many issues girls like Libby go through daily. Libby says, “Dear friend, You are not a freak. You are wanted. You are necessary. You are the only you there is. Don’t be afraid to leave the castle. It’s a great big world out there. Love, a fellow reader.” I find this quote to be beautiful, because Libby tries her hardest to make everyone feel as though they matter- even though she hasn't been treated that way by any of the students in her school. My favorite character was Jack, because he holds kindness and the right thing to do closely- even if you may think his actions are wrong.

Jennifer Niven and her wonderfully diverse group of characters taught me that everyone has something going wrong with them at some point, and the best thing to do is to accept them and try to help.

4/5 stars.

Review by: Ariana P.

Literary Reflections

All The Bright Places

by Jennifer Niven

A boy, beautiful and broken,

A girl, whose smile bears great pain,

Meet high above the earth

In their own little world.

In a town too small,

The future is so endless,

Yet there is so little time.

Call me an optimist,

Or is it truly

Love At First Sight?

They Bond.

They Laugh.

They Cry.

They Overcome their fears.

It seems they can conquer the world,

Together.

Until it all ends forever...

What do you do when all seems lost?

When it felt like they were going to be with you forever

If only I could just bring you back

For even a second

And Hug you

Kiss you

And tell you I loved you

One final time....

....or at least have said good-bye.

Poem by Kelley C.

New Release Review!

The Amazing Book Is Not On Fire

by Dan Howell and Phil Lester

Review by Natalie S.

The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire, is actually on fire! The book wows readers with the bright colored cover, but that’s not all that amazes! The funny stories shared in the novel also throw people for a loop.

Recently I read the book The Amazing Book Is Not on Fire by Dan Howell and Phil Lester. The book lives up to the title “Amazing”. The book shares the story of Dan and Phil and how they got to where they are today. 

It begins when they were born, where the two asked their moms what they were like as a child and include all of the answers on the first two pages. Next, Dan and Phil share their experiences going through school. They tell you about their middle school, high school, and university life, even a few pages of tacky things they’ve done as a child, like breed hamsters and ending up in a terrible dorm. There are even pages that relate to characters in some of their video sketches! Readers see Becky and Jessica's pages and Dan’s cringe attacks. 

Another clever item added to this book are the funny quizzes. These quizzes include one about which one of their household chairs you would be and your very own guide to becoming a Youtuber!

More wacky events are shared throughout the whole book, it’s like you go on the journey with Dan and Phil! You journey from childhood, through university life, to starting their youtube channels with them!

If you aspire to be a Youtuber or just want a good laugh, I highly recommend this amazing book. Youtubers danisnotonfire and amazingphil made a masterpiece of crazy moments into a 200 page book. The amazing book is always on fire!