The ballad of songbirds and snakes
by Suzanne Collins

The book Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel of the Hunger Games and about Coriolanus Snow. The snow family's power is slowly fading and Coriolanus is the last hope for the family. You can see Coriolanus in the capital going through his school life. One day 24 students were chosen to become a mentor for the Hunger games. Coriolanus was stuck with Lucy gray the female tribute from district 12. In this story you'll see Coriolanus navigating his life making decisions good and bad.

This book is interesting because of the way the author captures Coriolanus. You can see his flaws which makes him seem a lot like a human. At first I only read it because I read the other Hunger games book but after a while I stayed for the story. Most of the times the prequel or sequel is more disappointing than the actual series but this book was much better than I was expecting and had the same amount of action as the normal series. This book created a different perspective and you could see what happened before Katniss and what made president Snow who he is. It's interesting to see how he acts differently around some people and how his experiences shape who he is.

If you liked the Hunger games trilogy I highly advise reading this book. It is a very action packed story which makes you sit at the end of your seat. If you like dystopian or adventure stories this is the story for you. I like this story because it showed corruption of society and how you will have to take responsibility of your actions in the end. Hopefully you'll give this book a try.

Dead below deck
by Jan Gangsei

Dead Below Deck is a mystery thriller about a group of friends who go on a five day spring break trip. Giselle hosts the trip on her yacht between Grand Cayman and Florida. During one of the last nights on the yacht before reaching their destination, Giselle mysteriously goes missing. The only clue left behind was her diary, or so they thought. After the girl's played back the security footage of the night Giselle went missing, to Maggie's horror they find out that she pushed Giselle off the boat but the girl's had been drinking and partying and Maggie doesn't remember a thing. After Maggie read some of the diary, she started to remember snippets of the night Giselle had fallen overboard.

 

I liked the many plot twists and turns throughout this book and it kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know more. I would recommend this book to young adults who enjoy reading mystery thrillers. I would give this book an 8/10 because it starts out slow but if you stick with it, the story starts to build and it captures your attention.  

Bud, not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis


Bud, Not Buddy is about a kid named bud who was orphaned when his mom died at the age of six. He has been in an orphanage occasionally going to foster homes. When he went to the Amoses home, but ran away after their harsh treatment into a hooverville but found a kind man named Left Louis who brought him to Grand Rapids, Michigan to see his grandfather Herman E. Calloway who he never met before and Herman E. Calloway didn't even know he had a grandson but Herman E. Calloway’s band ends up taking Bud in.

 

One of the many themes of this book was treat others as you would like to be treated because Bud and many others get treated differently because of their skin color before civil rights were a thing in the Great Depression. My Favorite character in this book would be Deza Malone because of how forward she is and how much she knows about where she is and what is going on, unlike many others in the hooverville.

 

I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction because this book was very good at showing things from the great depression along with showing the actual story in very good detail.

 

In conclusion you should read Bud, Not Buddy because it is a very good book and very educational and I would rate this book a 9/10 because of how well it is written. 

The book I will be reviewing is called “Hero” by Mike Lupica. The book is taking place in New York city in the present day. The story is based on a character named Jack who loses his father in a suspicious plane crash. The inciting incident is that people in his family and his father’s work people were telling him that the plane crash was an accident, but Jack knew it was something more. The main character is Jack who is a 14-year-old boy who characteristics are that he is inquisitive, very curious and a truther seeker. The antagonist are the Bads who also includes Mr. Herbert which he met at his father’s crash site. 

 

Some aspects of the story that captured my interests was that it’s about a kid around my age that found out he had superpowers. He did not know his dad had superpowers and used them for work.  I also liked the fact that the setting was based in New York City and Long Island. The book’s theme that makes it intriguing was it’s a mystery in an investigative adventure. 

 

I really enjoyed this book and found it very exciting. I would recommend it to both boys and girls that are interested in superhero, mystery, and action. The kind of reader that would enjoy this book are young adult’s that like finding clues. I have not read any books like this before but look forward to reading more. The rating I would give this book is an 8.5 because it has a lot of mystery and adventure but is missing some more superhero action.

The book the Hobbit is about someone named Bilbo that has to go on an expedition with thirteen dwarfs. They have climb over the Misty Mountains, go across the Great River of Wilderland, go through Mirk Woods, and then go to a dragon's cave. The dragon is named Smaug, and Bilbo and the thirteen dwarfs have to get the lost treasure back that is guarded by the fierce dragon. 

 

This book has many fictional characters, such as elves, dragons, goblins, and wizard named Gandalf. The Hobbit is a fascinating fantasy book that has all the fictional characters in one book. People who enjoy fantasy would find this book very intriguing. 

 

The Hobbit reminded me of the Percy Jackson series. Percy Jackson goes on quests just like how Bilbo went on an expedition. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5. 

I hope this doesn't find you
by Ann Liang

I hope this doesn’t find you takes place in a private school in Beijing. The story evolves Sadie Wen, a people pleaser, perfectionist, and she’s one of the school captains. It shows the growth of Sadie following her finding and accepting her true self, letting go of being a perfectionist and her relationship with Julius Gong, the person she hates the most. Julius Gong is the 2nd school captain and they’re rivals. There’s no specific villain of the story but it’s most likely Sadie vs herself. The inciting incident is when emails of Sadie’s rants of classmates and teachers anonymously gets sent out making her the most liked person to the hated person in the school in 24 hours. 

 

The book’s theme is self acceptance. It’s important because as you read on you can see Sadie accepting her true self of not being perfect instead of being the perfect daughter or student all the time. I love this book because I relate to Sadie. I also used to constantly be a people pleaser until I finally let all my feelings out, and I learnt a lot of things about myself that I never knew and finally understood myself. I learnt that it’s ok to say no to things and it’s ok to let all your feelings out instead of bottling them up and you could see Sadie also learning those things throughout the book. I didn’t hope to gain anything but I did gain something, a new favorite author. The author did an amazing job writing the book and her other works that I read were really good.

 

I would recommend this book to someone who wants to read a book about enemies to lovers and someone who wants to see someone finding their true self. I would give this book a 4.5 because the near ending scene was a bit too much but everything else was perfect. I was a bit disappointed when the book ended because compared to other books that I read, this book was a bit short but everything else about the book in my opinion was perfect.  

Invisible is a book about a group of students stuck together doing community service hours since their principal wants to get a community service award. The book is mainly centered around George, who is a very smart young boy and has lots of responsibilities after moving to a new house when they couldn´t afford to stay in their old house. He now has to do community service in the morning and then go home and watch his little sister. The four other kids also have their own challenges they have to go through but still overcome them to help out a homeless lady and her daughter.

 

I would rate this book a ten out of ten because I love how the kids use their different skills to help another family in need. George works hard to distract the teacher while the others provide food and one student even finds a job for the mom so she can take care of her little girl. It's amazing how through it all these kids work together, despite their arguments, and help out someone in need.

 

I think the main idea of this book is that team work is dream work. When working with a team you can't accomplish anything, just like George, Dayara, Sara, Nico and Miguel did together

Yann Martel wrote the book Life of Pi. The book is about the protagonist (Piscine Molitor, aka Pi), who in the story deals with an accident that changes his life. Pi (our protagonist) is humble, smart, curious, creative, and very religious. The book is set in the 60s-70s and takes place in Asia, Central America, and North America. The central conflict of this story is Pi trying to survive a situation caused by a mishap. The main antagonist in Life of Pi is Mother Nature. The story was set off when the accident occurred, leading to the central conflict.

 

This book is extremely enchanting, and the author (Yann Martel) wrote a book that is both creative and a book of coming-of-age, which in turn created an adventurous book due to what Pi faces after a serious incident occurred. I recommend this book to people who enjoy learning about other religions and also like reading the adventurous genre. This book would amuse people who love reading survival and fantasy stories. This book reminded me of an extremely famous literary work, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Because of the similarities between the stories, both books have a sense of spirituality. I would give this book a 9.5/10 and highly recommend this story.

Never never : a tale of Captain Hook
by Serena Valentino

The book Never, Never is about the childhood of a very popular Disney villain captain hook. This book is set in many places including Neverland and England. The central conflict of this story is that captain hook is trying to find Neverland again after he was dropped out of his baby carriage and sent there as a child. 

I found it very interesting because there are both very exciting and memorable moments such as when Captain Hook who you known as James at this point in the book entered the toads cavern and meet Blackbeard for the first time, and an exciting part is when captain hook laced a cake and put everyone in Netherland to sleep.

 

The book's theme is that not all bad people in the world probably aren't as bad as they seem. This is important because it shows that maybe you people who are mean or aggressive, it most likely isn't their fault. It could be a parents fault or a special event.  I loved this book. This was the first book that I ever was interested in. it is full of excitement such as when Blackbeard and captain hook defeated the kraken.

 

I came into this book open minded and not knowing what to expect because this was the first book that I ever enjoyed reading. It was exciting in multiple parts, with a great story that describes how captain hook really wasn't that bad.

Personally I have never really loved Peter Pan, but I would recommend this book to anyone who really just likes uncovering the truth about villains .This book is good for really anyone who likes cartoonish violence and a big bad villain. This didn't remind me of any others because I have never really read a book like this before. I would give this book a rating of a ⅘

Pride & Prejudice
by Austen

Pride and Prejudice is a novel by Jane Austen, and the story follows Elizabeth Bennet, who is the second daughter of the Bennet family, as she navigates the social expectations of early 19th-century England. The plot centers on Elizabeth’s evolving relationship with Mr. Darcy, who is a wealthy but prideful man, as they both confront their own flaws and confront their  place in society. Elizabeth’s journey is compelling, as she challenges the societal norms at the time and learns to see beyond first impressions.

 

On the same hand, Mr. Darcy’s transformation from a seemingly cold aristocrat to a man capable of humility and love is equally well shown, and just as powerful as well. The supporting characters, such as Mrs. Bennet and the deceitful Mr. Wickham, build layers and add depth and humor to the story. Austen’s writing in the book is insightful, and is filled with wit and commentary. Her observations on marriage and class is very powerful. Further, the novel’s pacing is steady, and contains moments of tension and romance that keep the reader engaged.

 

Overall, Pride and Prejudice is a timeless work that combines humor, romance, and social status. Its well thought characters and enduring themes make it a rewarding read for anyone interested in literature. Pride and Prejudice is a book worth reading for anyone who enjoys stories with powerful messages and is a classic that continues to resonate with readers.

The novella “Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson is a book that covers the duality of human nature. Published in 1886, the story portrayed the internal struggle of “good” and “evil” in the titular character, Dr. Henry Jekyll.

 

The book follows the story of Dr. Henry Jekyll, a respected physician, who creates a “potion” that transforms him into Mr. Edward Hyde, a grotesque and fearsome man. The experiment was initially done to separate Jekyll’s good side from his darker side spirals out of control; Hyde, who is Jekyll's dark side, becomes more and more powerful and dominant, leading to Jekyll struggling to rein in Hyde. As Hyde commits evil acts such as murder, Jekyll's influence to control him weakens, leading to tragic consequences.

 

The writing is elegant and suspenseful, with an atmosphere that heightens the sense of dread and horror. Using multiple perspectives, including letters and firsthand accounts, adds depth and keeps the reader engaged as the story unfolds.

 

“Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde” explores duality and offers a great narrative about good and evil. Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella remains a powerful and unsettling tale, one that challenges readers to confront the darker aspects of their nature. This book has become one of my favorite reads. This is a must-have for anyone interested in Gothic literature, psychological thrillers, or timeless stories of human conflict.