BOOK NOOK

Stargirl

By Aylin Akdag

Can you imagine finding out that your odd classmate has a crush on you? That is exactly what happened to Leo Borlock, in the book Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. Stargirl is about an odd girl who arrives at a judging high school. Stargirl has an interesting personality and says interesting things like, “My name is something I wear, like a shirt. It gets worn, I outgrow it, I change it”. A relatable line for most people is “I had never realized how much I needed the attention of others to confirm my own presence”.

I personally liked “How did this girl come to be? I used to ask myself. Sometimes I thought she should be teaching me. She seems to be in touch with something that the rest of us are missing.” This book is great because critics say “It's a book that kind of leaves you just feeling good, wanting to do something good for other people, and also encouraging you to be kinder to yourself.” which is a good reason to read this book. This book is exactly like a popular book but it has more realistic reactions, thoughts, actions, etc which makes it more enjoyable to read. My favorite scene was when after Stargirl won the oratorical competition only three people congratulated her because of her reputation, which makes it realistic to an actual high school.

You should also read this book because the author won the John Newbery Medal, Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, Golden Kite Award for Fiction, and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award. And the book won a New York Times Bestseller, a Parents Choice Gold Award Winner, an ALA Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults Award winner, and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year. Some other great books Jerry Spinelli wrote are Wringer, Eggs, Space Station Seventh Grade, Maniac Magee, and more!

Front Desk

By Gabriella Broumandi

Can you imagine what it would feel like to have to move all the way around the world to a new life? In the book, Front Desk by Kelly Yang the character Mia needs to leave her family, friends, and her life behind to start a new better life. This is what Mia Tang must do if she wants a better life. After a while, Mia realizes that it may not have been the ideal life that she wanted. Front Desk is about a girl named Mia and her adventures as she tries to find a new life in California. Her family becomes the managers of a motel but gets treated unfairly because they are immigrants. Unlike other books, this book is about the meaning and you will really connect to the characters. You will feel their emotions, kind of like in Harry Potter when we could experience what the characters were feeling with them.

This book has many surprising and intriguing turns. When I stumbled upon these important moments I was both happy and sad. When Jason tells Mia that he has a crush on her I was happy, but when someone steals from the motel, I was sad. The author, Kelly Yang has made other novels. These include Three Keys, a Room to Dream, New From here, Yes We Will, and Parachutes. Kelly Yang has won more than 50 awards for her books. These include the Parents' Choice Gold Medal, the 2019 Global Read Aloud, Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, an NPR Best Book of the Year, and a Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year.

Game Master Summer Schooled

By Miah Jackson

Can you imagine begging stuck in summer school? What would you do? Well, this happened in The Game Master Summer Schooled. “Is this one of your pranks, Matt?” says Becca. This quote sticks with this story because it shows that Matt is a funny guy that likes to make jokes but it also reminds me that most things are not always as fun as they seem, to you than to others.

This story follows Becca. Becca was in summer school and she was waiting for her teacher to come back. Suddenly, the intercom came on and an announcement started, and that is when the games began. When Becca finally figured out what was happening she and her friends solved clues to get out of the school. Becca was their current LEADER!

This book has won New York's best seller. It is in the first place as of 2021. This book has lots of interesting twists and turns but it is a mystery book so if anyone is interested in adventures then I would recommend this book. Someone who has read this book rated it an average of 4.4, but in my opinion, I really enjoyed it considering I am a fan of all of their Youtube content. When reading this book, I recommend that you should also go check them out on Youtube at any of their 5 channels. Lastly, you should check out their new book, The Game Master Mansion Mystery.

Keeper of the Lost Cities

By Jion Jung

What would you do if you discovered that you were not a human? How would you feel? Well, this is exactly what happened to Sophie Foster in Keeper of the Lost Cities. Sophie Foster is the only 12-year-old-girl among high school seniors. She had just been accepted into Yale, and people all around her hated her for being so smart. Sophie had always felt left out, even in her own family, the only slender blonde among the chubby brunettes. Then, a boy named Fitz takes her to a perfect world where Sophie actually fits in but with the terrible truth that Sophie is not a human but an elf- and that Sophie’s family is not really her family. In order to live in the place she had finally found that she actually fit in, she had to leave her human family, which was a huge sacrifice, and even when she moved into the elf world, she discovered that the elf world is not as perfect as she thought it would be. Now, it is up to only Sophie and her new friends to save their glittering world. Would they be able to do it?

The book has won a couple of awards. It is a New York Times Bestseller and a USA Today Bestseller. Lisa McMann, who is the author of another series, says “A delightful and dangerous adventure with complex characters and relationships you will root for till the end of time.” This book is similar to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, so make sure to check it out! Keeper of the Lost Cities is also the first book in the series, so if you loved the first book, you would love the other books that follow up, which are just as filled with fun, adventure, and betrayals as the first book.

Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid

By Cristian Llerena

Unlike the Diary of Wimpy Kid series, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid is about Rowley Jefferson. Diary of The Wimpy Kid is a series on the other hand Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid only has three books and is not a series.

“My 9-year-old stepson, who LOVES electronics usually, started reading this book. He is advanced in reading in school but never showed any interest in reading books for fun. We have to limit his electronics so he started reading this book and now he is hooked, asking for other books by the same author and series. I recommend this for anyone that has a child in school and would like to encourage them to start reading.”

How would you feel if you were best friends with Greg? Would you want to be friends with him? What would you tell him?

My reaction to this book was positive. The book made me laugh, made me a little scared, and it made me cringe. The book mostly made me laugh the whole time.

Jeff Kinney did win awards. He won the Kids’ Choice Award for Favorite Book, Goodreads Choice Awards Best Middle Grade & Children's, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award.

Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief

By Jake Shampansky

“Look, I didn't want to be a half-blood. If you're reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now. Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life” (Riordan 1). I really like this book so I wanted to see what other people think.

“This was way before my career in Psychology and the study of juvenile behavior. When I was a child I was a little advance for my age, but anyone can reread if they do not understand something at first. I loved the action-packed, thrill-seeking adventures that the teen demigods take part in. I can not just ignore it, it does have a few statements that mention the gods having affairs with mortals. If you do not think your kid is mature enough to understand them, or do not want them to know about it, you could read the book with your child, or simply wait to give it to them, but in the books, there are a lot of concepts that might be confusing to them, but the way the book portrays them and how the characters interact with these situations, it teaches kids to accept differences and not dwell on them. I personally think this is a great message for kids to learn in today's world because of all the diversity” (Tristan D).

The first chapter makes you wonder. What is a Half-Blood? This book is popular. It is part of a five-book series that is well-known. I have read two and watched all of the movies. I was surprised when I found out that Percy Jackson’s dad is Poseidon. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief. Rick Riordan’s most famous book is this one.

Tokyo Ghoul

By Kate Kraynova

Do you want to enjoy a book that is both creepy and exciting, and has a mystery for the characters to solve? Then Tokyo Ghoul is the right choice for you. On April third, 2018, Trevor Richardson has written a review on the first volume of Tokyo Ghoul: “Does the volume do a good job introducing the world and characters of Tokyo Ghoul? Absolutely. “Ghouls… appear human…but have unique predatory organs. They can only survive by feeding on human flesh. They are humanity’s natural enemy… and we, the CCG… are the only organization in the world that investigates and solves ghoul-related crime.” I personally enjoyed reading the first volume because of the characters, I would agree with Trevor Richardson who has written the review: the characters are really well-written. If you liked Tokyo Ghoul manga, then maybe you could enjoy reading Another or Demon Slayer Both have similar themes. In 2013 Tokyo Ghoul was the twenty-seventh best-selling manga in Japan. It won awards such as Kodansha Manga Award, Harvey Award, and more. Tokyo Ghoul includes fourteen volumes. There is actually an anime for it with two seasons (seven volumes of the manga for each season). Sui Ishida was not a creator of any other manga.