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Science Fiction / Fantasy |
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The Road, by Cormac McCarthy The Road is about the journey and relationship between a father and son in a society that has been devastated by a catastrophe. The father and son endure many challenges and through these challenges they build a strong bond. This book never builds to a complete climax, which makes it at times boring. The Road is extremely descriptive of the landscape and characters but this description can be long and hard to understand at times. I would recommend this book to people who really want to get into a descriptive, emotional book. Student: Chris Mosca Rating: |
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Ash, by Malindo Lo I thought this would be an exciting fairy tale, but it really wasn’t. The character Ash is in a difficult situation. She is an orphan and thinks she has nothing left in her world, so she starts dooming herself by interacting with a fairy. One day she realizes that what she really wants can’t be found in the fairy world, and she must find a way to correct everything. Student: Donika Zherka Rating: |
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Uglies, by Scott Westerfield As many people would imagine living in a utopian society would be the ideal world. Tally Youngblood soon discovers that everything she had once thought her life was is not all that it’s cracked up to be. The surgery which turns everyone “pretty” on their 16th birthday is something that young, gullible Tally is ecstatic about. When Tally meets someone who forever changes her life, all her previous presumptions are erased as she begins to discover a whole new world. Along that journey, she finds who she really is as well. Student: Danielle Posimato Rating: |
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Rash, by Pete Hautman Prone to fits of anger, 16 year old, Bo is sent to a prison camp where he is forced to make pizzas for 16 hours a day. In the prison camp he is forced to play football, a highly illegal sport. This book is a quick read and has an interesting plot line but could use more development. The book is interesting but it isn’t anything special Student: Adrian Camaj Rating: |
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Bad Monkeys, by Matt Ruff Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—“Bad Monkeys” for short. This earns Jane a trip to the jail’s psychiatric wing, where a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy, or playing a different game altogether. What follows is one of the most clever and gripping novels you’ll ever read. Student: Kevin Fogarty Rating: |
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Wicked Lovely, by Melissa Marr Wicked Lovely is a modernized fantasy story about the dangerous side of faeries. Aislinn, a teenager who can see invisible faeries among society, sees her reality and fantasy worlds collide as she becomes part of the once mythical faery world. I always pictured faeries as tiny harmless creatures, but this book makes faeries human-sized, beautiful, and dangerous. This story of love, conquering, and making choices is both entertaining and relatable for readers, so I highly recommend it! Student: Michelle Tomassi Rating: |
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Graceling, by Kristin Cashore In a world where people are born with extreme skills called “graces,” Katsa lives under the command of her uncle, King Randa, and is forced to do his dirty work. She is a graceling, and she carries a burden even she despises, the grace of killing. When she meets Po, a prince who is graced with combat skills, she refuses to be a caged animal any longer. Together, they discover a secret, a grace that can control the entire world, with just words alone. This novel is sure to keep you captivated until the very end! Student: Amanda Bowman Rating: |
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The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins Believe me when I say that The Hunger Games is one book you won't regret picking up. Readers jump into sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen's battle as she fights in the ultimate games. These games are like our Olympics, except with a slight twist. She must use her survival skills and knowledge of what makes a good show to make her way to the end because her life depends on it. With millions of eyes watching her, she must fight for each day she lives, along with a few other chosen ones. Each page gets better and better, and there's no way you can put Suzanne Collins' book down without finding out Katniss' destiny. Student: Alison Fein Rating: |
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Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaman Timid "Fat Charlie" is disrupted from his unenthusiastic wedding preparations when he discovers that his father has died in a typical embarrassing manner. His animated father turns out to be Anansi, the witty spider-god. He discovers his missing polar opposite brother Spider who "ruins" Anansi's life; Charlie flies into other fantasy worlds to get his life back to dull normality but at the end Charlie realizes how much is he missing in his life. Gaiman is extremely entertaining; there is fantasy and horror and best of all, Gaiman is a brilliant writer. Student: Sherry Xie Rating: |
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Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaman "Fat" Charlie Nancy is in the midst of his wedding plans when he learns that his father has died. At his father's funeral, Fat Charlie learns that his father was the West-African trickster god Anansi, and that he had a brother who inherited Anansi's abilities. Once Fat Charlie contacts his brother, his life is sent into ruins. In this fascinating novel, which takes place in the same universe as Gaiman's previous novel, American Gods, witchcraft, deception, and paranoia are used throughout. The novel's use of hysterical wit and suspense prevents you from putting it down. Student: Billy Goldstein Rating: |
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Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater A captivating story for poetic minds, the journey for two lonely teenagers, Grace and Sam, practically radiates romance. The only problem is to stay human. This impossibility only strengthens their unspoken love, which has been at a distance for the longest time. Willing to fight through the heat, the cold, and the unexpected, Sam and Grace touch the hearts of others with a fairytale twist. However the werewolves put you at the end of your seat, sending shivers down your spine! Student: Cassie Pettinati Rating: |
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The Road, by Cormac McCarthy This novel tells the tale of a father and his son combing the world that has now become a desolate wasteland. They struggle every day to find food and stay away from the evil thieves that roam the land. While Mcarthy does describe things well and is a fantastic writer, the story falls flat and never picks up. He follows the same formula throughout the whole story: find food, run away from bad guys, almost starve, teach the boy a life lesson, and repeat. Student: Bryan Horgan Rating: |
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Hell Week, by Rosemary Clement-Moore Maggie Quinn will do anything to become a part of her university’s newspaper. Her editor agrees once he hears her idea to become an undercover pledge for the school’s main sorority. Surprisingly, she makes a few good friends and seems to be enjoying herself. Every once in a while she gets weird dreams and feelings that there is something menacing going on in the Sigma Alpha Xi sorority. She will need her best friends’ help to figure out what is going on before it hurts someone. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction with some teen drama mixed in. Student: Margaret Treanor Rating: |
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The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss This book is a fantasy story about the harrowing adventures of a young man named Kvothe. In the twenty five years of his life, he has earned himself a wide reputation. He has acquired many enemies. Before he reached his twenty fifth year of life, he disappeared from the world, only to be mentioned in tales and songs. This book is the revelation of his early trials and tribulation. Student: Steven Moy Rating: |
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The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins Katniss Everdeen lives in a hunger-stricken district of a nation called Panem, located in the ruins of North America. A strict government constantly tries to frighten Panem’s citizens with its immense power. Thus, they created the Hunger Games, where children and teens are forced to murder each other in an arena on national television. When Katniss is entered into the games, her life is turned upside down. Filled with suspense and a bit of romance, this book will keep you thinking even after you put it down. Student: Olivia Recabo Rating: dent: Alison Fein Rating: |
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Beastly, by Alex Flinn This book was a great, quick read that gives a different perspective to the classic fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast." Set in modern day New York City, we discover that the Beast had been a high school student who thought life was a breeze, and his money and popularity allowed him to mistreat anyone. As the book progresses and Kyle matures, we learn that little acts of kindness can affect someone in a big way, and we can only learn to love if we know what love is. It is a fairly well-written story with a new spin on the moral: "It's not what's on the outside, but the inside that counts." Student: Sarah Copel Rating: |
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Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater This book in my opinion was very well-written and had a good story line. This is a book about a girl named Gracie who falls in love with a werewolf named Sam. In this book Sam isn’t the traditional werewolf and instead of changing into a wolf at night he changes to a wolf when the temperature drops. Therefore in order to stay with Gracie, he has to fight the cold. Set in a small town with a very poetic tone and language use, this book turned out to be a great read that I would recommend to many girls. Student: Deanna Drenga Rating: Student: Cassie Pettinati Rating: |
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Elsewhere, by Gabrielle Zevin Liz Hall, a 15-year-old teen, dies and finds herself in a world called Elsewhere. She has a hard time adjusting to Elsewhere when she finds out everyone ages backwards. Wanting to drive, experience love, and graduate, Liz thinks she’s being punished; however, Liz discovers that being dead doesn’t mean your life has ended. Zevin’s novel makes you think about what it means to live while opening up a new perspective. Student: Ashley Baisch Rating: |
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Peter & Max, by Bill Willingham Peter & Max is a spin-off of the popular comic book series Fables, written by the same author. It’s a classic fantasy story of a rivalry between two minstrel brothers that intensifies after a tragedy results in the two getting lost in the Black Forest. There they encounter many obstacles that change them irrevocably. All the characters are from familiar fairy tales and folklore, making the book all the more fun to read. This book was a quick read that keeps you interested from start to finish. Student: Emma Iaconetti Rating: |
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The Book of Lost Things, by John Connolly The Book of Lost Things could have been a clever spin on well known fairytales such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as well as Little Red Riding Hood. Unfortunately, Connolly’s original idea has been overshadowed by his dearth of character development causing the reader to not feel a connection to the protagonist and select conversations between characters irrelevant to the plot. John Connolly’s inability to chronicle David’s story with fluid writing kept me from immersing myself in the novel. I would not recommend this book. Student: Jenna Chervin Rating: |
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City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare This book is about two characters Jace and Clary who are in love with each other, but can’t show it because they are brother and sister. In the end of the story, they find out some shocking information about each other which was the last thing they expected. This is also an action story about vampires and werewolves and more mythical creatures fighting against the evil Valentine to save their world. Will there be enough time to save it though? I would absolutely recommend this book although you should definitely read the first two instead of just skipping to the third. If you love romantic science fiction stories this is a good series for you! Student: Taylor Smith Rating: |