Skip to main content

Teen SRC 2022 – Life as We knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Teen SRC 2022 – Life as We knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

I would recommend the book Life as We Knew It written by Susan Beth Pfeffer because it is practical and heavy-hearted. The story begins with a meteor unexpectedly crashing onto the moon and knocking the moon closer to the earth. It might’ve seemed negligible, but according to the book, this caused tsunamis and floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes, which caused the ashes to block the sun. The blazing hot summer suddenly turned to Arctic winter, and people died from freezing temperatures, diseases and starvation. This horrific situation forces Miranda to grow up quickly to save her friends and family, and she inevitably discovers what is truly important in life. 

Most of the story was practical because of the procedures they took to survive this disaster, such as gathering as much food and supplies (candles and batteries), filling up the gas, chopping wood and restricting daily spending. This book is heavy-hearted because most of the story is depressing and despairing. The characters had to sacrifice a lot while struggling to physically and mentally keep going and survive to the very end. “Life as We Knew It” is told in a form of journal entries, and I found it a unique way to narrate the story. Since it’s told in a first-person perspective, it is easier to understand and “experience” the story. 

Read More

Teen SRC 2022 – Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert

Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert is great. I read it after I finished her most recent series The Hazel Wood, I recommend that as well. But this book has somewhat graphic descriptions, kind of minor love interests, and dual perspectives from the mom and the daughter, it’s really interesting to keep switching and see how their choices impact the present. There’s not much to complain about, although at the start it took me some time to get through it. It’s a creepy mystery that wraps up nicely I’m pretty sure it’s a standalone and this book has witches in it, I really liked the main character Ivy and I would rate this book a 9/10 because I liked the perspectives and Ivy.

Congratulations! Teen SRC Winners Week #7

Can you believe there is only 1 week left in the Teen SRC?! And only 3 weeks until school stars? If you’re like me, the end of summer always makes me a bit sad. But, it’s been such a great summer of teen book reviews so far on the Teen Blog! Thank you to everyone who has been participating this summer! Keep them coming because even if you’ve already won this summer, you could win again

We will be awarding prizes all summer long, so keep those reviews coming! Every winner will get their choice of a teen book, a gift certificate for a free smoothie from Booster Juice, a pass for the Richmond Oval, a swim pass for the Aquatic Centre at Minoru pool, and some swag like a water bottle and other fun things.

Also this year, EVERY PERSON who posts a teen book review on the blog (not just the weekly winners) will get a $10 gift certificate that can be redeemed at Exit Richmond There is 1 certificate per person and it will be given for the first Teen book review you post. I’m very excited that the Teen SRC has a partnership with Exit this year, so start posting!!!

This week’s winner have been writing some great reviews this week. The 2 winners for this week are: Angela Y and Amelia T! Congratulations! We will send you an email to collect your prizes.

Teen SRC 2022 – Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

Shoe Dog is an autobiography by Phil Knight. Inside, you’ll read about the hardships and victories he went through as he breathed Nike to life. From a small business selling Japanese running shoes to one of the world’s most-known athletic brands, Knight couldn’t have done it without the help of his passionate family and friends. It starts in 1962, when Knight first pitched his Crazy Idea to his dad. The journey only got crazier from there.

I found this book inspiring because it showed me that success doesn’t just happen right away. Another thing is that there are many hard times in the making of something. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone, and especially my track and field friends since I believe that they’d get how important shoes are when it comes to sport. Overall I rate this book 9/10.

Teen SRC 2022 – The Terminal List by Jack Carr

The Terminal List by Jack Carr is an intense journey that documents one man’s ruthless crusade for revenge and vindication while exposing corruption at the highest levels of government in the form of Lieutenant Commander James Reece who is determined to avenge the senseless deaths of his entire team of navy seals and his beloved family members in the face of impossible odds and ominous conspiracies set to sabotage his every move. This novel masterfully illustrates the sheer willpower and merciless precision that Reece utilizes with chilling efficiency that made him such a deadly asset during his time in the U.S military as he now uses his formidable talents against his former employers to hunt down the people responsible for the deaths of his family and his military teammates. 

Read More

Teen SRC 2022 – Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi was pretty good overall, it deals with issues with the characters and their moms, anxiety, and the characters are flawed but lovable. Penny and Sam are the two narratives and each chapter they switch, I liked seeing how their characters slowly changed throughout the book. It also has a unique layout with “texts” and banter between characters are witty. The ending is really sweet. I did not like the use of internet slang within this book, it’s awful and I was about to put down the book, but it goes away thankfully in the later chapters, I don’t know why though, kinda inconsistent. Anyways so about the book it’s about Penny and Sam, they meet each other and they go through a lot of problems together, but become friends over text first, it’s heartwarming but also really sad, and the main characters have issues themselves, also therapy is mentioned, the characters need therapy, it’s a mostly feel-good book, quick to read, rom-com(???), bit dark, underlying issues, but I liked it, 7.5/10 thank you.

Teen SRC 2022 – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Fault in our Stars, The : Green, John: Amazon.ca: Books

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The novel, The Fault in our Stars by John Green starts with a 16 year old girl named Hazel. She originally had thyroid cancer but it spread into her lungs. Her parents then encouraged her to attend a support group for people who have cancer; They believed that it would help her share her feelings and understand that she isn’t alone in her situation. At the start, Hazel didn’t enjoy being surrounded by people who had the same struggles and worries; that was until she met Augustus Waters. Augustus (or Gus) is tall, handsome, smart, and confident. They started hanging out pretty often along with Gus’ best friend Issac who also has cancer. It did not take long for Hazel to realize that she had found the person she admires and loves. The more Hazel and Augustus had hung out, the more they figured out how much they had in common; they both love to read, are very poetic with their actions and words, and they both know the struggles of having cancer. Throughout the rest of the story, there are a few ups and downs with the things getting in the way of their relationship. Will they work it out? You’ll have to read the book to find out.

Read More

Teen SRC 2022 – Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Hi, there readers!

First of all, I apologize for the weird picture/amazon purchase thing, I don’t know how to work this website and this was the closest thing I could find to a URL hahaha… if any of you know how I could find a book cover picture next time, please let me know. Now after my summer vacation, I am finally ready to post my first book review! I’ll try not to include spoilers!! (ill try to summarize my review ahhaha)

1. Age-wise, it’s perfect for all you teen readers! Okay, Red Queen was awesome. Especially if you’re a preteen-early teen, and starting out on some teen books, then this book is perfect. It doesn’t have too many romance-y moments (ahem) and the plot is fairly easy to follow. I am 14 and recently read this book over my vacation, and I really enjoyed it.

Read More

Congratulations! Teen SRC Winners Week #6

Wow! This summer is going by SO fast! I have read so many good teen books lately and tons of great reviews on this blog! Thank you to everyone who has been participating this summer! Keep them coming because even if you’ve already won this summer, you could win again

We will be awarding prizes all summer long, so keep those reviews coming! Every winner will get their choice of a teen book, a gift certificate for a free smoothie from Booster Juice, a pass for the Richmond Oval, a swim pass for the Aquatic Centre at Minoru pool, and some swag like a water bottle and other fun things.

Also this year, EVERY PERSON who posts a teen book review on the blog (not just the weekly winners) will get a $10 gift certificate that can be redeemed at Exit Richmond There is 1 certificate per person and it will be given for the first Teen book review you post. I’m very excited that the Teen SRC has a partnership with Exit this year, so start posting!!!

This week’s winner have been writing some great reviews this week. The 2 winners for this week are: Romina P and Muskaan R! Congratulations! We will send you an email to collect your prizes.

Teen SRC 2022 – The Deal by Elle Kennedy

The Deal by Elle Kennedy is the first of four books (not including an additional novella) of the Off-Campus Series. This book revolves around the life of Garret Graham, also known as Briar’s hockey team captain, and Hannah Wells, a talented singer who strives to get A’s in her classes. Hannah soon finds herself swooning over a newly transferred football player, Justin, who doesn’t seem to notice how she wants to be seen. Garret also appears to be in a problem as he is not getting the grades he needs to be an athlete, and Hannah is not willing to help him even though he has tried his best to convince her. At a party, Garret notices how Hannah acts around Justin, puts two and two together, and proposes an idea that would benefit them. He promises to help Justin notice her as long as Hannah agrees to help him with his classes. Soon after, they realize they might have more in common besides this agreement, and maybe deep down, they have feelings for each other they are too scared to show.

This was a book I enjoyed reading this summer as it had everything I look for in a good young adult book. It had the perfect amount of romance, laugh-out-loud moments, friendship, and fantastic chemistry between the two main characters. I loved the hockey aspect of this book, and the companionship between Garret and his group of friends is portrayed in such a cute and loving way. This book also touches on the sensitive topic of abuse. It shows how Hannah and Garret have endured hard times but survived. Another good thing about this book was the dual point of view and how they alternate between Garret and Hannah. Overall this was a great and easy read.

Rating: 9/10 stars