Book Review: The Selection by Kiera Cass by Alaura Shamblin

The Selection 

By Kiera Cass

Book Review:

When America Singer gets the invitation to register for the Selection, she dismisses it entirely. She is 16 years old, she is serious about her boyfriend, and she does not want to leave her family. But, the caste difference between her and her boyfriend Aspen is going to complicate life. She will be marrying down, and Aspen does not want a life of penury for her. He encourages her to register for the selection, and even when her name is called, she thinks she will just be dismissed, since other women will surely have a greater desire and greater talents to become the new princess.

America makes some friends among the other women. When she meets the prince, she tells him that she does not want to be a princess, but she offers to be his friend and to help him make a good decision. Through many tests and trials, she banters with Prince Maxon and earns his regard and affection in spite of her refusal to exert herself.

When she starts to figure out that Prince Maxon is becoming devoted to her, Aspen shows up as one of the Royal guards at the palace, and the book ends with America being put in the position of having to choose between the prince and her boyfriend. She has feelings for both of them.

(http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-selection/#gsc.tab=0 )

(Source from www.bookrags.com)

Reactions to the Book:

I love this book so much! The way she portrays America in the future is very cool. I also love America’s name. The world that the characters live in is one that seems to capture you and reel you further in to the book, never letting you out. It is a good romance/ action book. If you love romance, I recommend it. There are many side characters that you will either like or dislike throughout the book. It keeps you in the book, the romance, suspense, etc. That is why I love this and will give a personal recommendation!

Appeal of book cover art:

The book cover is amazing! The model on the cover really resembles America, what you think she should look like. The dress is very beautiful, and the mirror room/effect is the best!!If you love the cover, you should read the book! A great cover foretells a great book!!

Awards/Honors/Nominations:
Good Reads Choice Awards Nomination 2012

Book Review: Shatter Me by Taherah Mafi

Shatter Me

by Tahereh Mafi

Book Summary:

I have a curse

I have a gift

I am a monster

I'm more than human

My touch is lethal

My touch is power

I am their weapon

I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

(Summary from Goodreads.com)

Reactions to the book:

This is a very good book for both boys and girls. There is a ton of action and dystopian aspects that will make everyone want to read this book. All the characters have very different personalities that will make you love and sometimes hate the characters. This book will make you have all the feelings. This is the first book in the Shatter Me trilogy and will have lots of twists and turns that will have you on the edge of your seat.

Appeal of Book Cover Art:

This cover is very interesting. The eye has the coolest design on the eyelashes. This cover screams read me!!!! You should never judge a book by its cover, but if you do you should pick up this book ASAP. 

Awards/Honors/Nominations:
2013 Arab American Book Award

B ook Review by Emily Dengler

Book Review: Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek

by Maya Van Wagenen

Book Summary:

Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular?

The real-life results are painful, funny, and include a wonderful and unexpected surprise—meeting and befriending Betty Cornell herself. Told with humor and grace, Maya’s journey offers readers of all ages a thoroughly contemporary example of kindness and self-confidence.

Book Reaction:

This book is relatable to all teenagers. Anyone in every school knows there is a so called “Popular” group, but sometimes the people you think are in the popular group don’t think they are in the popular group. This book should be read by all teenagers because of a few reasons. First, it is a comical read. Even if you are in a bad mood this book can make you smile whether it is the humor from the characters or from the personalities of the characters.

Another reason is it is relatable. All teenagers can relate to this book in some way, whether you think you are one of the “populars” or you think you are a nobody at your school. The last reason is that it is nonfiction. Most teenagers probably would want to read a cheesy romance book or an epic fantasy novel. But this book actually documents a young teen girl’s life and her finding herself.

Cover Reaction:

The book cover has a girl whimsical look to it. This book would probably attract the female species more than the male species, but the guys shouldn’t shy away from this book because of the cover most guys could relate to this book. Overall this is a cute book cover that would the catch the eye of a female teenager.

Awards/Honors/Nominations:

2015 YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction

2015 New York Times Bestseller

Book review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas

Book Summary:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another.

Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Reactions to the Book:

This is an incredible book! There is action throughout the whole book, there is never a dull moment. The characters in this book have unique and hilarious personalities. The style of writing was easy to understand and beautiful. Reader will be attracted to this book because of the fantasy elements and way the story is written. This book would be a  great book for any reader who wants to start reading more fantasy books.

Appeal of Book Cover Art:

The cover of the book screams read me, with all the bright colors and the font of the words. I believe no one should judge a book by its cover but if I were to do that I would choose this book. This book cover shows the fantasy elements by the clothing and the weapons on the cover. This book cover screams high fantasy for all readers to enjoy.

Awards/Honors/Nominations:

2013 Best Books for Young Adults (YALSA)

Book Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Monster

by Walter Dean Myers

Book Summary:
Steve Harmon is an African American teenager accused of having a hand in a robbery that results in the death of a store owner.  If found guilty of contributing to the crime, Steve could face the death penalty or at the least 20 years in prison.  Steve keeps a journal of his experiences in the courtroom and prison, describing everything that is going on in his life and writing it as though it were a movie script.  Steve’s story bounces back and forth from his current experiences to flashbacks of important scenes related to the crime.

Reactions to the Book:
What a wonderful book! The style of the book is very unique in the fact that some of it is written as though it were a movie.  This style of writing adds a new way of developing a mental picture of the events by having cues such as CU (Close Up) for the reader to add to their imagery of the story.  The story line is great, the way the book is written is unique and creative, and the issues are interesting.  Readers are going to be attracted to the unique way that the book is written.  They are going to be interested in the topic of the book and the way that the book develops.  The story does a great job of depicting life in a prison cell along with the court scene and what all goes through a murder case.  This is a must read for all teens.  It provides an excellent example of creative writing and provides something for everyone to positively take away.
Appeal of Book Cover Art:
The title alone is very appealing.  The title and the picture of the young black male on the cover make for a very appealing cover, and one in which the reader will want to pick up in order to find out exactly why this young man is being called a monster.  This cover hits on a few different stereotypes in today’s world that will immediately make the teen audience say “OHHH!!! I want to read that one…it looks controversial!”.
Awards/Honors/Nominations:
2000 Michael L. Printz Award Winner
2000 Coretta Scott King Honor
1999 Nominated National Book Award for Young Adult Literature

CHS Library's First Blog Post

Circleville High School Library is proud to offer you its very own blog!  Here you will find postings dealing with book reviews, chs library events, tech news, and much more.  Come one come all!  Come today and come often! Go Tigers!