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Teen SRC 2022 – A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

The book that I recommend is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. Although I’ve read this book quite a while before, this novel is still very touching and shines in my childhood. The main character Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O’Keefe goes on a journey through space and time, from galaxy to galaxy, as they try to save the Murrys’ father and the world. The novel offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness, and good and evil, as the young characters mature and develop through their journey. Each of them has a unique ability and the adventurers gradually discover their ability and use it against the darkness (evil).  The book is written by Madeleine L’Engle and is a highly suggested piece of literature for teens who are into fantasy fiction. 

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Teen SRC 2022 – Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, 7/10

This book is about a group of boys (young, around 7 – 12) that get stranded on a desert after suffering a plane crash. Due to the lack of adult supervision or rules, the group falls apart and results to anarchy.

I think this book is great, although some scenes were a bit confusing, which could be a bit on my part. I enjoyed the second half more mostly because there was more action. Good book that makes you really think about the importance of rules, boundaries, and order.

Teen SRC 2022 – The Giver by Lois Lowry

The Giver, Book by Lois Lowry (Paperback) | www.chapters.indigo.ca

The Giver by Lois Lowry is about Jonas, a 12 year old boy, lives in a community of sameness. There is no pain, fear, conflict, or hatred, actually, there are no feelings in this society. Everyone basically looks and acts the same, they act as if they are robots sometimes. There is no things such as racism, discrimination, homophobia in this community. Everyone loses their individuality, but don’t question it because they don’t remember their life before moving into the community. In this place, they have ceremonies every December to celebrate the children’s birthday, and on their 12th ceremony, they get assigned a job. Jonas gets assigned to be the new receiver of memory, which is the only person in the society that has memories of things that don’t exist in the community. His trainer, the receiver before him, the giver, transfer memories to Jonas every training session. During their training, Jonas starts feeling feelings for the first time, and he thinks that the rest of the community should have these memories too. He also realizes that all the strict rules the society has enforced isn’t a good thing since it removes freedom from others.

Teen SRC 2022 – Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm is one of the only classics I have enjoyed reading because of its satire and witty reflection on our history. The fable accurately depicted how corrupted our society has become and the mindset the public has about our government. I would recommend this novel to more mature teens because you need some historical and background knowledge before you will find this interesting.

I was first motivated to read this because my peers in school were forced to read it for English class. However, I set aside personal time to read it because I was actually interested in its plot. Although I haven’t studied the Russian Revolution, which the book is supposed to be a parallel to, I still noticed the hints and clues that George Orwell included that really made the story relatable. For example, the “Seven Commandments” are the laws that govern their farm, but the pigs in power kept breaking the rules and manipulating the other animals to believe they were righteous. I laughed at their infamous quote: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” because this resembles politicians SO MUCH in their sly ways with words to cover the truth and fake the justification. This ironic statement is just so ridiculous.

Anyways, I’m glad to have finally read a classic that wasn’t boring and tedious throughout the story (I used to hate classics for that). Overall, I would give it 7.5/10, and I hope other people will enjoy Animal Farm too.

Teen SRC 2022 – The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is about a group of explorers who ventured to the deep Amazon jungle in search of a lost species of the extinct dinosaurs. The young journalist, Mr. Malone, in order to impress a young lady named Gladys decided to meet with the famous professor, Mr. Challenger, a grumpy and obnoxious person. The scientist visited inside the land of dinosaurs before, but many people are still skeptical of his discoveries. Professor Challenger refused to go there first and instead sent the expedition with professor Summerlee, Mr. Malone and Lord John Roxton. Upon arrival to the Amazon, the explorers found out that the letter with the instructions was just a blank piece of paper. To everybody’s surprise, Professor Challenger appeared himself. He led the expedition to the remote plateau. To get there, the explorers had to find a very long tree and make a bridge. Once the voyagers crossed the bridge, the two native helpers destroyed the tree and escaped. The adventurers were now stuck on the plateau. They came across many species of plants and animals but the most terrifying discovery was the existence of the ape man tribe, extremely aggressive and hostile. After many tribulations, the adventurers managed to escape the plateau and return to England with a trophy.

I liked this book because it is about natural science and biology. I rate this book four out of five.

Teen SRC 2021 – The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

“Ah, if only he could die temporarily!” …that’s the kind of humour you get from reading Twain’s books. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is about a young boy named Tom who, despite his mischievous nature, is able to prove his core values of friendship, imagination, and loyalty. Tom and his friend Huckleberry Finn find treasure in an old, abandoned haunted house while exploring one night, and what’s more, a criminal on-the-loose is after it! In this book, we get dragged into the world of Tom and his friends, and follow them as they witness are forced to trust their instincts to get themselves out of danger. Twain’s way of writing is very realistic, and he’s known for his works in children’s literature. 

This novel follows the life of young Tom, who lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother Sid, along the Mississippi River. Tom struggles with and pulls through his boredom of going to school, attending church, and white-washing fences. He lives a regular life, and spends his days playing make believe and hoping for an adventure. But everything changes one night, when Tom and Huckleberry Finn arrive at a graveyard, where they hear footsteps and soft whispers. A shimmer of the moonlight reflecting off the knife, and a splash of blood later, the boys realize that Dr. Robinson was murdered, right in front of their eyes. After that, Twain hurls us into the second half of the book, where serious action takes place, dark secrets are uncovered, and promises are broken.

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Teen SRC 2021 – Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

In this book you will meet a freckled, redheaded girl named Anne Shirley (Anne spelt with an e, for Anne without the e is much less romantic). Anne has a clever imagination which she uses daily, and you will find yourself imagining along with her. As she grows up, she makes many mistakes and many friends, and even a bosom friend, Diana. This classic book is well-written and will surely make you smile and cry right beside Anne. There are many twists and turns to this book, happy and sad, and it is a great book for people who enjoy long hours of reading. I highly recommend reading Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Teen SRC 2020 – To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I originally discovered To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee in my sister’s extensive book collection and I decided to finally read it after months of anticipation.

The novel introduces the Finches (Atticus, Jem, and Jean Louise). The Finches are as normal a family as you can find in Maycomb, Alabama. The story follows the Children (Jem and Jean Louise Finch, and sometimes Dill) as they learn about their father’s hopeless struggle to defend a black man accused of rape. The novel also contains a side plot where they learn about Boo Radley, Macyomb’s local mystery.

The novel flows excellently from chapter to chapter and page to page; readers are drawn in by Lee’s incredible storytelling. The novel does a great job of introducing readers and its own characters to racial bias and injustice. With the rise Black Lives Matter protests in the United States and around the world, the morals and message woven into the story are more than relevant. I would wholeheartedly recommend this novel to anyone who wishes to read about racial injustice and rate this an 8.5/10

Teen SRC 2020 – Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451: A Novel: Bradbury, Ray: 8580001038919: Books ...

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury uses the genre of science fiction as a paragon for the author’s message, in which an unbridled oppressive government will damage its society by hindering the creativity and freedom of their people. The dystopian sub genre that outlines a futuristic technocratic and totalitarian society that demands order and harmony at the expense of individual rights is a meticulous representation of the novel. 

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Teen SRC 2020 – Animal Farm by George Orwell

Animal Farm: Orwell, George: 8601417743553: Books - Amazon.ca

Hey guys! Summer School is almost over, and as a result, I’ve had more time to read! Animal Farm by George Orwell is a pretty short book though, so that may be why I was able to finish it so quickly.

This story starts at Manor farm, where Old Major, a very old and wise pig, shares a story/chant about the animals rioting against their owner and running the farm themselves. After Major dies, the animals really do riot, and they take over the farm. They start off living peacefully together, all animals are equal and they all help each other. However, things start changing, subtly yet consistently, and one begins to wonder whether all animals are equal after all…

Honestly, I really really enjoyed this book. The entire story is an analogy for the Russian Revolution and I recently just learned about that in Summer School, so it tied together very well. This is probably my favourite of the classics I’ve read so far, probably because it was short, yet very well written. Normally I find classics drone on and on about absolutely nothing important, so Orwell’s style was extremely refreshing. Every little detail contains multitudes of significance, and it just blows my mind how Orwell was able to organize all that in a way that showed, and didn’t just tell. My final rating is a 9/10 because once again, the writing is extremely powerful, and this is definitely a book where you will find new hints no matter how many times you’ve read it. If you’re looking to get into classics, this is the book to start with. The ending was also one that made me just sit down and say “wow,” so please do give it a read! It’ll take around a day or two MAX.