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Teen SRC 2019 – Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Written by Rosie
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Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

If this review were being read to you like an audiobook, you wouldn’t even be able to hear it over the sound of my tears. Thankfully, I’m just joking (although that’s not the case for Heartless), surprisingly I didn’t cry for this although it definitely hit me straight in the feels quite a few times.

Crooked Kingdom is the sequel to Six of Crows which I absolutely loved. This is a huge book, hence why it took me so long to finish but I have finally concluded and gathered my opinions.

Spoilers for Six of Crows but not Crooked Kingdom: Following their raid on the Ice Court to rescue Kuwei Yul-Bo, Kaz and the Dregs are working to free Inej from Van Eck’s grasp. OK I’m done, you can open your eyes now LOL.

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Teen SRC 2019 – Take a Bow by Elizabeth Eulberg

Written by Joy Qian
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Okay. So, because I trust you guys (mostly), I have decided that you guys should know what’s been up with me. Here goes nothing: I got an AVM.

Image result for take a bow book

And, FYI, I’m not gonna spend my precious time explaining what that is. You have Google. Use it.

Now. Enough about me. Let’s talk books. Take a Bow is truly a book I’ll read again and again, and never get tired of it. This book has 4 main characters: Emme, Sophie, Carter, and Ethan. All 4 of them are students at this fancy performing arts school, where being famous is the overall goal. But for Emme, Carter, and Ethan, that’s not who they aspire to be. Ethan starts falling for Emme, while Carter seems to have vicious difficulties of his own, including his controlling girlfriend Sophie. While Ethan, Carter, and Emme prefer to stay in the shadows, Sophie would stop at nothing to become a star. Even if it means betraying her best friend, Emme.

Honestly, when I finished the book, I wanted to crawl inside and hug all the characters a trillion times! This book was so adorably funny, I definitely recommend you read it!

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Teen SRC 2019 – Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling

Written by Rosie
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To be honest, I hated Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling. It was so predictable and bland and just not a good plot in general. Having grown up loving the Harry Potter series, I was SUPER excited for this eighth story but oh boy was I let down.

The book is the story of Harry Potter’s son, Albus Severus Potter, and his first year at Hogwarts. Before it was released, I made predictions about what I thought might happen in this book, just for fun, never expecting them to bear fruit, but low and behold, I guessed two of the biggest “plot twists” in the story. That should give you an idea of how uncreative the plot was… I’d never been able to correctly predict plot twists in the original series before. Maybe it’s because I’ve read a lot more books since then but I still think not even the most experienced reader should be able to predict a twist before even reading any part of the book.

Although I was devastated at having to say good-bye to my favourite characters at the end of Deathly Hallows, I was happy for them. The story was well-resolved and satisfying, which left me at rest. I don’t think J.K. should have written another story, it was highly unnecessary and ended up doing way more harm than good.

All in all, I’d give this book a 5.5/10 because it’s not the worst thing I’ve ever read but it did tarnish my view of the HP universe quite a bit. I’ve heard that the actual Broadway play is very well presented though, so if I get a chance to see that someday, I’d be happy to get that different point of view on this story!

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CONGRATULATIONS! The final week of winners are:

Written by RPL Teen Admin
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Best Review of the Week: May –  Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Weekly Prize Draw: James – Algorithms to Live By by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths

Wow!!! What a great summer for books, reviews and teens!! Thank you everyone that has participated on this blog! We truly loved reading all of your entries.

Now, the race for the Most Book Reviews Written this summer IS NOT OVER!!!!!! You can still keep writing reviews until August 31st at 11:59pm and keep the race going! The race is seriously SOOOOO close!! Someon is going to win the big prize! Keep writing everyone!!.

Don’t forget we have great prizes for participating in our blog:
– Best Review of the Week: 1 book of your choice, Swim pass, eSpot pass, Oval pass and pizza!
– Weekly Prize Draw: 1 book of your choice, Swim pass, eSpot pass, Oval pass and pizza! 
– Prize for the Most Book Reviews Written: Science World Passes

Teen SRC 2019,

Teen SRC 2019 – City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Written by Rosie
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Hey guys, I’m finally back from vacation and ready to do some serious catching up on my reading 🙂

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare is the first book of the Mortal Instruments, an iconic series about the world of Shadowhunters. In a nutshell, the story takes place in a universe where Downworlders such as werewolves, vampires and warlocks roam freely amongst mortals. There’s a group of enhanced humans called the Shadowhunters who are tasked with managing them and battling any supernatural forces that pose a threat to humanity. I described the world in more detail in my review of Lady Midnight so go check that out if you want to get a better feel for their setting.

Let’s start off with, this series is pretty darn amazing. it has an amazing plot that keeps on developing and some of the best character relationships I’ve ever seen. It’s an extraordinarily popular series and it’s not difficult to see why. City of Bones is the perfect debut, starring strong, classic, female protagonist Clary Fray who finds out that she’s actually a shadowhunter. From there on, she makes life-long friends within the community with whom she gets into many adventures. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good supernatural story 🙂 Final rating is a 9/10 because the plot has just started developing but later sequels get even better!

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Teen SRC 2019- Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly Devos

Written by Joy Qian
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Okay, so, first things first. I have been really sick. The End. No questions. Yeah. Okay…so…let’s get on with the book. This is probably…no…DEFINITELY

Fat Girl on a Plane

one of my favorite books of all time. This book evolves around basically one topic. Fat. Probably not the most interesting topic on earth, but Kelly Devos makes it sound so intriguing. ( I hope I spelled that right).

Basically, this book is about a girl named Cookie Vonn. Yeah. I mean, no offense, but who in the right mind would name their child after a DESSERT!? Cookie Vonn is, as many would say, plus-sized. But Cookie doesn’t let anyone’s rude remarks get to her. She sets off on an enthralling trip to become a famous fashionista. After Cookie becomes skinny (thanks to NutriNation), she expects rainbows and butterflies. Before she even knows it, Cookie is offered to live and study in New York. Right when Cookie thought everything would be perfect, she realizes something devastating. Her dreams are drifting out of her grasp, and she can’t do anything about it. Or can she ?

This novel is truly a masterpiece. I knew this was going to be an amazing book right from the blurb, when the author explains that this is not a Cinderella story of getting thin. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I am truly inspired by Cookie’s courage to take a stand and to speak up.

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Teen SRC 2019- The Fall Of Butterflies by Andrea Portes

Written by Inshal
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The Fall of Butterflies

Whenever I read an incredible book, I like to search up the author and see if they have published other works because chances are, if I enjoyed one of their books I will also enjoy the others. Once such example is Andrea Portes. After reading Liberty (see my review here), I decided to read some more of her work, hence my review on The Fall of Butterflies. I am disappointed to say that I enjoyed The Fall of Butterflies less than I did Liberty, but found it a good read nonetheless.

The story starts with our protagonist, Willa Parker leaving her small town of What Cheer, Iowa to attend a fancy prep school her mother has chosen for her. Willa doesn’t see how a new life in the East will help her, and having hardly been able to fit in Iowa, she knows she will never fit in with the wealthy students of Pembroke Prep. Determined to lay low until she can find a way to escape, even if it means taking her own life, Willa goes by unnoticed by the students of Pembroke Prep on her first day at school. She is a little surprised, but mostly relieved. Her plan to lay low is demolished the next day, though, when a glittering, elusive, and rich girl takes the empty seat beside her in class.

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CONGRATULATIONS! This weeks winners are:

Written by RPL Teen Admin
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Best Review of the Week: Winnie –  Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Weekly Prize Draw: Shiraz Memon – The Extraterrestrial Encyclopedia by David Darling, Dirk Schulze-Makuch

We’re only a 1 week away from the end of summer, so keep up the reading and reviewing!

And, if you’ve been watching the race for the Most Book Reviews Written this summer, you know it’s a REALLY TIGHT RACE!! See if you can figure out which 2 teens are completing! But you never know; someone could still sneak in and win the big prize! Keep trying to get as many reviews written as you can before August 31st.

Don’t forget we have great prizes for participating in our blog:
– Best Review of the Week: 1 book of your choice, Swim pass, eSpot pass, Oval pass and pizza!
– Weekly Prize Draw: 1 book of your choice, Swim pass, eSpot pass, Oval pass and pizza! 
– Prize for the Most Book Reviews Written: Science World Passes

Teen SRC 2019,

Teen SRC 2019 – The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Written by Lucian C.
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The Magician's Nephew

The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Digory and Polly live in London. They become friends and go on an adventure when their uncle, Andrew who thinks he’s a magician, sends them to Narnia with some rings. There, they see the creation of the world by Aslan and how the talking beasts came to life. They also encounter the evil sorceress Jadis and protects the land from her. This book was very interesting because it lets the reader feel as if they’re actually travelling between worlds.

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