Teen Review Thursday

Here's what teens are reading and talking about this summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading. This week, they're talking about fun fiction... And this is the last week of Teen Reviews - until next summer.

Bunheads: 4 stars

Even regardless of the focus on ballet, I think "Bunheads" was a wonderful novel. I'm not a dancer, but Hannah's struggle shows the importance of pursuing your dreams and listening to your heart. The book also gives great insight about the huge effort it takes to be a dancer, which I never considered before reading this novel. I would recommend it to anyone, especially those who are interested in dancing, sports, etc. because most likely you'll make a big connection to the main character.

The Statistical Probability of Love At First Sight: 4 stars

One of my main concerns about reading this book was off the bat, the fact that Oliver's mystery study was no mystery at all. After all it is the title of the book itself.

But as you read, you follow the life of Hadley who is having a hard time dealing with her father's new marriage. She is sent away to be a bridesmaid in England which she abosutely dreads until she meets cutie Oliver, an English student at the airport and who she instantly has this sort of connection with.

The two of them end up sitting next to each other on the plane and speak for hours.

It's a nice quick read for those who enjoy the "fluffy" romance scene. It takes place over a course of 24 hours.

The story is pretty short and the reading level isn't that high. If you'd enjoyed a novel similar to the Notebook, this would be for you.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what teens are reading and talking about this summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading. This week, they're talking about fun fiction...

Farewell to Charms: 4 Stars

"A Farewell to Charms" was actually a book I had been anticipating to read when it came out. As a part of the "Princess for Hire" series that I have also read before finally indulging in this fairy-tale-like novel, there is a bit of background to this book. However, Lindsey Leavitt explains all the details from prior books at the beginning of every new edition so you don't actually have to read the entire series. "A Farewell to Charms" is a story about Desi Bascomb who works for an agency known as Facade, whose service is replacing royals with magical substitutes when royals want to escape from their daily life. Desi keeps this secret unknown until she meets Reed, a prince substitute, who she falls for. Unfortunately, her best friend, Kylee, also has a crush on him. When Desi decides to act on a dark secret of Facade's, she bonds with Reed and together they embark on a risky journey to ensure magic isn't stolen. While some of the mistakes Desi makes can be slightly annoying, I enjoyed this book- probably because of my love for fairy-tales and anything related to fairy-tales.

The Thirteenth Child: 4 stars

This book revolves around a set of magical twins, maybe the most powerful twins in their time. One twin struggles with being unlucky with her immense magic, while the other excels in all his subjects. It's an interesting book, though sometimes slow.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what teens are reading and talking about this summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading. This week, they're talking about fun fiction...

Oh My Gods: 4 stars

This was a very fun book about the modern world mixed with ancient Greek Gods. A very nice teen read with a mix of mythology. I enjoyed it.

Prisoner B-3087: 4 stars

This book is great! It is based on the true story of a Holocaust survivor. It describes his experiences during the Holocaust.

Take a Bow: 5 stars

As a music-obsessed teenager I really enjoyed the novel. This book reminded me of the amazing book, "lemonade mouth" which is probably why I liked it so much.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what teens are reading and talking about this summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading. This week, they're talking about mysteries...

Sprinkle with Murder: 5 stars

Sprinkle with Murder was a perfectly sweet mystery novel. It kept my attention with suspense and new clues up to the very end when the murderer was revealed and the two love interests got together.

Fatally Frosted: 5 stars

This murder mystery was very interesting to read. It captivated my attention with the perfect mixture of sweets, recipes, romance and of course suspense and mystery! I really enjoyed it.

Death by Bikini: 5 stars

A great mystery novel full of romance and escape tactics that every teenage girl is sure to love.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what teens are reading and talking about this summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading.

Delirium: 4 stars

This book was wonderful. I loved the internal conflict between following the rules of the government or falling in love and be named as an invalid like her mother. The plot is very fast paced. I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to get the sequel in my hands!

True Legend: 4 stars

True Legend was a really good book. It was filled with suspense and action. If you understand sports you will love this book. I also love all of Mike Lupica's books so I recommend those too.

Latte Rebellion: 3 stars

If the latte means more then just a caffeinated drink to you, this story may be relatable. "The Latte Rebellion" is mostly centered around raising awareness about people of mixed-race, but even if you're not, it's a good reflection on stereotypes and categorizing people. Overall however, I think many people can make a connection to the main character, Asha, in some way.

Teen Review Thursday: Middle School

Two different teens reading and talking about this series during the summer in Norwich. I love seeing what teens think about the books they're reading.

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life: 4 Stars

this book is about a boy name Rafe khatchadorian. he is just starting middle school. and his goal is to be remembered. and what best way can you be known other than by breaking the rules. so when Rafe set out to break every single rule in the rule book at school he just might accomplish that with a little help from his imaginary brother.

Middle School: Get Me Out of Here: 4 stars

Rafe Khatchadorian is a Kid who doesn't seem to always follow the rules until, he moves to the crowded city of (any city you want).He goes to a new school, The Cathedral School of Arts, where when he first walks in he has a whole new experience. He befriends an unusual kid, Matty the Freak. Rafe and Matty had great times until they took a field trip to the local Art Institute, where the class could get ideas for the upcoming Spring Art Show. While the children were in the gift shop Rafe leaves the gift shop with Matty's book bag as soon as he leaves, WEE OOH WEE OHH, the gift shop alarm goes of. The security officer took a non-purchased item out of Matty's bag. Matty was sent to the principals office. The next day at school Matty got mad at Rafe for ratting him out. At 5th period Rafe's art project was sabotaged. Rafe knew it was Matty. Rafe couldn't take all of these pranks so he left in the middle of the night back to his hometown Hills Village... Read the book to find out what's next!

Teen Thursday Reviews

These are reviews from teens at the library, reading over the summer

Dare to You by Kate McGarry: 5 stars
this book is the best!!! it's about two characters from very different world and place who comes together unexpectedly. the first character is a guy name Ryan who from the outside people would think he is perfect. but at home he deals with a lot of complicated things including the fact that his brother is gay. but things get complicated when his friend dares him to ask the mysterious new girl at school,name Beth,out. and when things start to get heated between him and Beth and his parents disapprove, what will his choice be? the girl he is falling hard for or his family's command?

the second character is a girl name Beth. Beth is the mysterious girl who never let any one in her life,except for her two guy friends Noah and Isiah, so she wont get hurt. like Ryan, Beth sometime act confident and tough but she is going through a lot. including the fact that her mom is on drugs and get beat by her boyfriend. when an accident happen, Beth ends up in her uncle's custody. although she hates where she is but she can't help notices how things start to heat up between her and a jock name Ryan. although she know she is falling for him hard but how can she let her guard down after she has been hurt by so many people in her life? is she making the right decision by trusting this boy?

The Maze Runner by James Dashner: 4 stars

At first, I only started reading the book out of pure boredom but I never expected that I would get hooked! The story like many of my other reviewed books is a fast paced action and adventure.
As a young adult female, I found it fascinating to peer into the mind of an adolescent male. The main character is Thomas, a young boy who has no memories of who he is, where he is or anything else.
The story starts off with him covered in darkness, surrounded by a great amount of noise and in a crate. When the crate is opened, he is quickly urged to climb a rope by mysterious voices.
Just reading the beginning entraps you to go on. The next day, a girl arrives in the same area with a note telling the others that she is the last one. This is news that automatically shocks all of the others. Normally, only one person arrives per month. Now that two suspicious kids arrived in a row, the others grow weary of what's going on. Everything that they've ever known begins to change.
This is a world that is normally filled with just males who have built everything from their own hands. A civilization with jobs, a council and even growing their own crops.
But outside of their home, lies a gate that lies to a maze. And if you're caught in the maze after sundown, your fate is uncertain death. Thomas being a curious boy wants to go out into the maze.
As you follow his path to be different and possibly help him and the others escape what is none other than an experiment, you begin to wonder what kind of futuristic world would allow children to be faced in this kind of situation. Trust me, after reading, you'll be anxious until you read the next in the series and then the next.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's the last edition of what teens in Norwich, CT have been reading this summer.

 I hope that you enjoyed our series.

This is me from now on

Natalie

I really enjoyed the way the main character transferred from an uptight person to a mellow person because of her new friend Francesca. I would definitely recommend this book.

Doctor Who: Sting of the Zygons

Julia

Its 1909 and another adventure for Doctor and Martha. Strange people, cows, and an old enemy of the Doctor's who might just surprise you. a compelling read for anyone who likes a good sy-fy story.

Don't judge a girl by her cover

Jessica

I thought this book was a great development from the previous books in the series. It led the series into a great twist and included more information about the main character's past yet it also included more unsolved mysterious. This book is a fun and easy read for the summer.

Hatchet

Christina

I really enjoyed how he managed to survive all on his own. Well not really he also had his hatchet. There were some moments where I was like whats going to happen. For example when he drinks the water from the the lake he got really sick.

Just Ella

Shun Yi

Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the retell of Cinderella with a twist. I liked it, because, instead of showing Cinderella as a helpless, poor girl who's always put down by her step-evils and was finally aided by her fairy godmother to the ball, Just Ella portraits Ella, a girl who’s not afraid to stand up to her stepmother, who’s very intelligent, and who saved herself at the end by taking control of her own destiny.

Teen Review Thursday

Check out what the teens in Norwich, CT are reading this summer:

The Wizard Heir

Jessica

I love the fantasy and adventure in this book. It is an extraordinary twist to the classic fantasy genre. I recommend this book to everyone.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

Julia

A book about an orphaned boy named Will whose accepted into the Mysterious Ranger Corps, A group that the commen folk belive practice the dark arts. Pick up this book today to follow Will in his first adventure.

Rocky Road Trip

Anita

The main character Courtney, who was struggling to make her long distance relationship work, turned out to like the college she is attending, Cornwall Falls. She worked at Bagle Finagle, her work-study job, and formed a strike against the use of the letters CFC as school initials while trying to make her long distance relationship work. I really liked this book and would like to check out other books written by this author.

Monster High

Brittany

I really enjoyed reading this book. I started to read these because I like the shows.I also like the misteriouse mythical characters. I like this book so much that I am going to read book number 2. Yes I do recommend this book to others.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what some of the teens in Norwich are reading this summer:

Stormbreaker

Jessica

The Alex Rider series is probably my favorite action series ever. I love that there's unexpected things on everyone page and the plot. I recommend this book to everyone who likes a good action-filled book.

Fairest

Shun Yi

Since I don't like fairy tales, I always moan when our teacher makes us read anything like that. But Fairest is a tale with NO fairies. And also, you can really see how Aza wants to be beautiful. It's one of my favorite books, a fantastic book and it's about a girl who wants to 1, be pretty 2, rid herself of queen Ivi's dangerous deeds, and 3, marry the prince and be his friend. She has wonderful singing and all the praise she gets in the books is unbelievable, like she's a famous person.

Brian's Winter

Evan

Another one of Gary Paulsen's stunningly realistic books. Such a great series. This book was my second favorite in the saga. It's definitely a great read I recommend it to ages 10-14.

From the Mixed up Files of Mrs.Basil E. Frankweiler

Dillon

I enjoyed how Claudia and Jamie did not want to do a old fashioned runaway so instead of running away from some where they would run to some where. I also loved the way they got in to the museum by waiting until the museum closed and the guards left and they snuck in from the back door.

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what some of the teens at the Otis Library have been reading this summer:

My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters

Ashley

Sydney Salter's book, My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters, can be related to teenagers today who deal with self image problems and insecurities. The main character must overcome common obstacles in a average 17 year olds life, boy-problems, school, and friendship. Nobody is perfect and Sydney Salter shows this. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and recommend it to teenagers.

My Soul To Take

Cheyenne

My Soul To Take is a wonderful book, drawing old legends into the modern day world, showing that not everything is as it seems. Not everybody is the same, and some things should be better left untold. Others facts, however, are crucial to saving someone's life, even if it's your best friend's or your cousins. Recommended for a light, quick, easy read.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan

Julia

A book about an orphaned boy named Will whose accepted into the Mysterious Ranger Corps, A group that the commen folk belive practice the dark arts. Pick up this book today to follow Will in his first adventure.

New Moon

Sariah

This book is great. I love the vampire werewolf theme and I especially love the fact that Bella has to chose between Edward and Jacob.Its like a every day situation of loving two people and only choosing one.I have to say that Stephanie Meyers is a fabulous author. She puts the fun in reading.

New Moon

Tasbiha

New moon is very nice book. Its too addictive. It gets more and more interesting as we read through. It's heart breaking romance and suspenseful action didn't let me put the book down. I LOVED THE BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Teen Review Thursday

Here's what some of the teens at the Otis Library have been reading this summer:

The Last Song

Jessica

The Last Song was a wonderful and emotional book that I highly enjoyed reading. I like that not only did Nicholas Sparks included a plot about love between a boy and a girl, but he also included a plot about the love between a father and his daughter. I thought this book was amazing and very different from the usual selection of books and I highly recommend this book to everyone of nearly all ages.

Divergent	Evan	This book was one of the best books I have ever read, I hadn't expected it to be so good. I looked at the reviews and one said "A lot like the Hunger Games" so I decided to read it because I loved the Hunger Games. The book was a little like the Hunger Games with the dystopian society. I thought the book was better than the Hunger Games. Tris was a very strong character. It had sparks of action, romance, and smart all in one. I recommend this book to any reader from ages 10-50! Overall, great!
Insurgent	Evan	One of my favorite books! I still agree with my older review of Divergent. This book was a total shocker, I loved it. Tobias and Tris were very powerful characters. I am jumping out of my skin for the third book. Once again, Veronica Roth has wrote another book that you just can't out down! Overall, one of my favorite books of all time!

Olivia Bean: Trivia Queen

Natalie

A great story about a great girl. Olivia will have you hooked on her crazy trivia family. I highly recommend it... I couldn't put it down!

The Unwritten Rule

Kiyana

I Love This Book Everyone Should Read It. It has lots Of Drama & it teaches you a lot about Friends & Boys

Teen Review Thursday: The Clan of the Cave Bear

In this extraordinary journey of a book we are taken back in time to the beginning of modern humans and into a vast Ice Age world where a massive earthquake has left a young girl named Ayla wandering alone in the dangerous and strange land.  She is found by a woman who belongs to a very different people, they call themselves the Clan of the Cave Bear and to them Ayla looks peculiar and even ugly, she is one of the others. But Iza, a healer cannot leave this girl to die and takes her into the clan where she will do all she can to teach this strange girl the ways of her people.  Despite the challenges Ayla strives to learn and be accepted into this new home.  But, even in her progress she must face the hardships thrown at her by a cruel and brutal youth destined to be the next leader and prove that she is truly part of the clan. 

                Jean M. Auel has created a timeless masterpiece rich with knowledge, creativity, and a storyline that is exciting, gripping, and at times heart wrenching.  Each paragraph, sentence, and word will leave you with new and intriguing questions not only about the story and characters, but about life itself.  One of the best aspects about this book is how beautifully it is written.  Auel uses an elegant display of language that paints a vivid and realistic image in your mind.  The more you dive deeper into the book the greater sense of realism you perceive in each and every character.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading every page of this book and fell in love with the incredibly empowering story of Ayla.  It definitely gives you a different view on life and human behavior and is one of my favorites.      

Paige 

Age: 16

Rating: 9

Reviews from Norwich Teens pt. 4

Four Truths and a Lie by Lauren Barnholdt
9 Stars
It's unpredictable and has romance and humor.
~ Rena age 14

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
7 Stars
It's really funny, she dreams of everything like a fairytale.
~ Luis age 12

The Returners by Gemma Malley
9 Stars
The book was relevant and interesting with a unique plot. I liked it because it was fun to read.
~ Claudine age 14

Paparazzi Princess by Jen Calonita
8 Stars
I feel like I'm next to the character watching it happen.
~ Rena age 14

Deception by Lee Nichols
10 Stars
Best ghost novel I've read (ok, more like the only ghost novel so it's my first one and it's so great.) I'm excited to see what happens in the next book - Betrayal.
~ Nicole age 15


The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan
10 Stars
The book was very exciting.
~ Steven age 10

From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
10 Stars
These books from Sookie Stackhouse just keep on getting better and leave you wanting more.
~ Nicole age 15


13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
9 Stars
The story is so exciting,. It has many twists and turns.
~ Rena age 14


1-800-Where-R-U When Lightning Strikes by Meg Cabot
10 Stars
It was so cool that the main character Jess had super powers!
~ Natalie age 13

My Best Frenemy by Julie Bowe
10 Stars
It teaches me what being a true friend is about and it's a funny book too,
~ Michelle age 11

Pucker Up by Rhonda Stapleton
9 Stars
This book is full of humor and romance, it's my type of book.
~ Rena age 14

Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg
9.5 Stars
Hilariously funny- she shows the exact feeling teenagers with broken hearts show and no matter how hard we try, we'll always be looking for someone special - cute book.
~Nicole age 15