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Teen Book Review- The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis

Written by Madeline Kim
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Read this book. Just do it. It will be a long, hard, and uncomfortable journey but I am also telling you now that you will not be able to put this down. Also, do have a box of tissues handy, you’ll need it, BUT, If you are sensitive to rape and animal cruelty this is not the book for you. No matter how much pain this causes me, don’t read it if you can’t handle it, because this is a dark and disturbing book.

The Female Of The Species by Mindy McGinnis is told from the perspective of three different characters: Alex, whose sister was raped and murdered; Jack, the popular guy who desperately wants to get to know Alex; and Peekay, the preacher’s kid whose ex-boyfriend ditched her for the popular girl Branley, and who now works at the animal shelter with Alex.

Alex knows something is wrong with her. In her words she “feels too much” and ever since her sister was reported missing and later found dead, her symptoms have worsened. Describing herself as a wolf amongst a flock of sheep, Alex struggles to contain herself. When the three friends meet at a party, Alex reveals her dark side, well aware of the danger it brings her and everyone around her.

This book is definitely up there with The Hunger Games and there’s a reason it’s in the RPL ten. I would recommend this book to older kids because of the profanity and the content. It is a novel centralized around sexual assault and murder after all. I would rate this book a 5/5. It was a riveting and emotional novel with down to earth characters.

 

 

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Have we been to your school yet?

Written by RPL Teen Admin
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This month, we were at McNair Secondary and Burnett Secondary talking to teen about the latest and great YA books. We love coming to the schools, talking about great books and getting to hear from the teens in Richmond.

This was our first time at Burnett and we had a blast! If you’d like us to come to your high school, please email us at teenblog@yourlibrary.ca

 

 

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Teen SRC 2017 – Bifocal by Deborah Ellis & Eric Walters

Written by Ali Rizvi
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Bifocal is a novel on terrorism in a high school. The story is told from two different points of view. Haroon who is a brown skinned boy accused of being a terrorist. His family were immigrants from Afghanistan hoping to find a new and safer life. He and the rest of the brown students in his school are laughed at and bullied. Unlike his sister Zana, Haroon doesn’t stand up for himself thinking things will automatically get better, instead things keep getting. Jay is a white boy and a football superstar at his school. He hangs out with Kevin the captain of the football team who is a bad influence on Jay. after listening to everything Kevin has to say about brown people and Muslims having to do with terrorism, Jay picks up on this false information and grows a strong hate towards brown people and Muslims. Eventually Jay realizes Kevin is a bad influence and apologises to Haroon for any harm he caused him.

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Teen SRC 2017 – Switched by Amanda Hocking

Written by Rishika Selvakumar
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Switched by Amanda Hocking is a book that I read a few years ago and I fell in love with the author and tried to read all of her novels. Additionally, yes, I am into the fantasy and paranormal genre of books which might explain why this book is about trolls. Although, they are not the weird villain trolls in fairy tales or that one really mean troll that lives under the bridge and confronts the three mountain goats. They aren’t even those trolls with really tall and colourful hair who featured in a kids movie, although no offense to any of them. These trolls are way more sophisticated which is why they are called Trylle. They are honestly, basically humans who like to walk barefoot and don’t fit into society. Some of them also have magical powers but in the first book that is a moot point. Oh, did I mention that they are all described as beautiful? In some way. I know, weird right? Trolls aren’t pretty. Well, these ones are!

Well, this stars Wendy. Not the one that fights with Tinkerbell, but just regular old Wendy who does not get along with people very well. She just doesn’t connect to them. When she meets Finn at her new school, Wendy basically finds out that everyone – especially her mother – around her was right when they said that she did not belong.

SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT!

Read More

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Teen SRC 2017 – Big and Little Questions by Julie Bowe

Written by Joy Qian
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Image result for big and little questions book

This fabulous book is about a girl named Wren Jo Byrd, whose parents divorced during the summer. Ever since then, she has been wondering a million of questions. Now big things, like going to meet her new teacher and finding new friends seem little, while little things, such as the empty seat where her dad used to sit, seem big. When Wren finds out that nobody knows about the divorce, she decides to keep it a secret, until a new girl named Marianna moves to their town. She wants to be best friends with Wren’s best friend and asks a lot of nosy questions.

 

 

I really enjoyed this book, and I couldn’t put it down until I read every last word of it. It is definitely a 5 out of 5 book!

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Teen SRC 2017 – Don’t Get Caught by Kurt Dinan

Written by Joy Qian
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Image result for don't get caught bookThe cover was the first thing that caught my eye when I saw this book at the library, but little did I know that the cover had nothing to do with the topic in the book.

Don’t Get Caught is a book about five kids who receive a note from the CHAOS CLUB, a club that is known for breaking the rules at their school. The funny thing is, they have never been caught. The note tells them to meet at their water tower. While they were waiting, someone finds another note that tells them to climb up. When all of them get there, the school security ‘finds’ them. They are all positive that it was all a setup. After that unlucky day, they seek revenge against the CHAOS CLUB. 

This book is recommended for those who like books with adventure, surprises, pranks, humor, and a pinch of boy-girl mixes.

A definite must-read!

 

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Teen SRC 2017 – Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

Written by Joy Qian
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I literally could not put this book down until I read every last word of it! The book has a really good lesson that everyone could learn.

It is about aImage result for fish in a tree girl who has dyslexia, a sickness that makes her brain process information differently from other students. She struggles to read and write and tends to end up in the office pretty often. When she hears that his teacher will be having a baby and there will be a new teacher subbing for her, her heart drops, and she knows that she will be humiliated in class every day. Little does she know how wrong she was! The new teacher helps her and supports her in every way he can.

This book is a must read with suspense in every turn of a page. Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a spectacular and outstanding author!

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Teen SRC 2017 – Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines

Written by Rishika Selvakumar
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Are you looking for a quick read, that is short and definitely sweet? There’s always the option of Until Friday Night by Abbi Glines! This book follows the enthralling story of West Ashby and Maggie Carlton who connect through their common similarities of hardship, pain and family. This may seem stereotypical, but this is placed in high school and is filled with people with so many strong bonds at such a young age, something most people want with all of their friends as well.

This was my second time reading this book and I must say I love this book every time! Usually, fantasy is my favourite to read, but sometimes it’s amazing to just read a book that connects to you in the fact that all the characters do homework and go to school just like normal students and don’t complete homework with a snap of their fingers! Abbi Glines creates a realistic story that takes place in a small town and is just mind-blowing and shows that there is more to a person’s history and story then what they convey to others. Appearances are deceiving! There’s more to a book than its cover! All of the things we hear once in a while are summed up and provided as an example! Throughout the book, readers can expect to just be hooked into the feelings and emotions of the characters and just hoping that this will end up being a happily ever after! I recommend this novel to everyone as this is a fun read that just digs in the feeling of the fact that summer is here! Enjoy summer reading!

 

 

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Teen SRC 2017 – Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Written by Nadia
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Image result for eleanor and parkEleanor & Park is definitely a book all teens need to read. Scratch that -all people need to read this.

‘It’s set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits- smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love- and how hard it pulled you under.’

It’s a better love story than Romeo and Juliet to be honest. Realistic and gritty, but suitable to the target ages. Some books need that to be truthful and genuine. This book got it perfectly right. Their two different worlds collided and a light in the darkness was found. This is an emotional tale of true love and what you would do for it. I rate this book 8/10.

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