The Circle by Dave Eggers

Oh my goodness!  A must read.  Lots of climatic moments where you wonder what will come next.  A story about a technology company and its need to capture everyone at all times.  I am talking about transparency at a maximum.  Whether you are a child or and elderly person this company knows everything about you.  It knows where you are, what you have done, whether you are ill or not, and even wants to know if you have voted....no filters!  You are never alone always under surveillance. The story is told through Mae as she become engrossed in the culture of The Circle.
Highly recommended.

~Ms. Milly

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg."Who cares about walking when you live to run?"

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with Cerebral Palsy named Rosa; a girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into Rosa's heart. 

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her.  Inspiring read.

Ms. Milly

The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano

There are two secrets Evelyn Serrano is keeping from her Mami and Papo.   Her true feelings about growing up in her Spanish Harlem neighborhood, and her attitude about Abuela and her sassy grandmother who's come from Puerto Rico to live with them. Like an urgent ticking clock, events erupt that change everything for Evelyn.  The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican activist group, dump garbage in the street and set it on fire, igniting a powerful protest. When Abuela steps in to take charge, Evelyn is thrust into the action. Tempers flare, loyalties are tested. Through it all, Evelyn learns important truths about her Latino heritage and the history makers who shap a nation. Infused with actual news accounts from the time period, Sonia Manzano has crafted a gripping work of fiction based on her own life growing up during a fiery, unforgettable time in America when young Latinos took control of their destinies.

Ms. Milly

 

 

 

 

Room by Emma Donoghue

To five-year-old, Jack,  the room is his entire world.  It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his "Ma" as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when "Old Nick" visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, Room is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Ms. Milly

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

This is a beautifully written, engaging story about Carla who is kept in the bubble of her own home. Carla is drawn to the boy who has moved next door.  Her desire to be with him makes her question her illness. Well, it is an autoimmune disorder her doctor mother says she has.  It is a story about the desire to live and love.  Young adults will truly enjoy this novel.

~Ms. Milly

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

The book Wintergirls holds the readers attention and is hard to put down. It is the story of a girl, Lia, who is an anorexic: she is obsessed with being thin and it becomes her life. She tells herself to "lose more" and "remain in control" all things that supposedly "keep her strong". She also hears encouragements from her dead bulimic friend, Cassie. Her parents try to stop her, but there is nothing anyone can do for Lia. I would highly recommend this heart-wrenching story, because at the end the reader escapes Lia's depressing life with a new found understanding of the mind-set and feelings of an anorexic teenager.

Kassidy Garland

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger

When I think of classic novels, one of the first books that pop into my mind is Catcher in the Rye written by J. D. Salinger. The main character Holden Caulfield is the epitome of teenage angst. When he gets kicked out of his prestigious boarding school, Holden decides to gallivant around New York for awhile instead of going home. What I find most interesting about this book is that Salinger wrote it in such a way that all of the crazy-stupid things Holden gets himself into seems like nothing out of the norm. This book is truly one of a kind and I would reccomend it to anybody.


Bethany Porten