Teen Review-Death Note by Tsugumi Ohba

Hi my name is Abryana, I am 13 years old and I go to the west end library in Pittsburgh. I love anime and manga, and I want to share it to you:)

 

 

 

 

 

Death Note-Tsugumi Ohba

 

I love this anime series!!

It is about a straight A high school student named Light Yagami who finds a notebook outside of his class room. Being curious, he picks it up and finds what it was about. It said Death Note in the front. He skimmed though the beginning of the notebook, and he thought that it was a sick prank. But even though he thought that, he brought to his house to read more about it. It said that “The person’s name that is written in this book shall die.”

Half disbelieving, he watched the news and found out a criminal was holding hostages in a nursery home. He wonder what would happen if he wrote his name in the notebook. So then a few minutes later thinking hard about it, he decided to put his name in the note book. In exactly 40 seconds later the criminal dropped dead!

Light was stunned but still he thought it was by luck. Later on in the day he did the same thing with another criminal and the same results happened! Now he believes that the Death Note is real, and he is using it to purify the world. He said that he wanted to be the “god of the new world.”

Suddenly, Light started to write the names of criminals who are the most notorious in the world. He started to kill 5 criminals a day then later on he started to kill 25 a day!! A  Shinigami (a god of death) showed up and warned Light what will happen to him when he dies. The public started to notice and the police too.

The police are doing everything in their power to stop it, but now they are desperate and begged a legendary detective nicknamed L. Now the battle between Light Yagami and L begins.

Teen Review:Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

 

 

Requiem-Lauren Oliver

In our modern day world, we have many non-concrete things, like peace, friendship, and most of all, love. But, in this story there is no love. Love is claimed to be a disease, deliria. To avoid the spread of deliria, every citizen must get a procedure once they are old enough, but it doesn’t always work.  This is the world in the Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver.

A girl named Lena grew up around deliria. Her mother was killed because of it. The first book, Delirium, begins with Lena wanting nothing more than to get her procedure and be an emotionless zombie like everyone else. Lena was so set on her brain-dead goal, until she met Alex. Lena and Alex fell in love. They planned to escape to the wilds, the only place where love is allowed. When their plan went wrong, they got caught. Alex died, but Lena made it out.

A lot of stuff happens between then and the third book, but, to sum it up, Lena thought Alex died.  She fell in love with another boy named Julian in the second book, Pandemonium, and helped Julian come to the wilds with her.

Requiem begins when Lena and Alex joined a new group and discovered Alex was there. He never died, and he felt betrayed by Lena. Requiem is all about Lena and Alex coming back together, whereas, the first two books are all about their earlier time together and apart. Lena and Alex’s group decided to attack the love-free zombies. Throughout the rest of the story, they met new people and slowly fell in love again.

Do they love each other in the end? Read the story to find out.

I liked this book because it flipped back and forth from different people’s point of view. One thing would happen, and you got to hear several sides of it. Lauren Oliver really knows how to grab a reader’s attention, I couldn’t put the book down!

Teen Review: Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

Kira Kira by Cynthia Kadohata

In your life, have you ever had someone who just understands you? Someone who you can just tell everything and they will listen? In this story, a girl named Katie Takeshima has a person like that; it’s her sister. Her sister Lynn taught her to look at everything and find how it is kira-kira (Japanese for glittering), she taught her how to look at everything and find its magnificence. Lynn was practically Katie’s role model, (as older siblings mostly are); Katie did what Lynn did, agreed to what Lynn agreed etc., etc. As the girls got older, they moved to Georgia. They didn’t fit in; they were one of the only Japanese families in the town. Lynn made friends while Katie didn’t. Lynn got too busy for Katie; Katie was never busy enough for Lynn. The two drifted apart. One day Lynn got sick, and there was no going back to their lives before.

I loved this book because it explained the bond of two sisters, a bond that could not be broken. Throughout the course of the book, I felt myself relating to some of the characters. I felt like I could relate because this book is about other things too, like fitting in, financial troubles and new siblings. Overall, those problems are the problems that the majority of us have to deal with every day.  

Teen Review: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Hi!  I’m Anastasia.  I’m a senior at Carrick High School and I volunteer at the Carrick Library, though most of my time is spent reading or writing.

As I am currently in an AP Literature class in school, we often end up reading a lot of books.  Many of which are rather good, but recently I had to read Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness which proved to be a disappointment to me.  The book revolves around the ivory trade in Africa when Europe began to colonize and split up the region.  Many would describe the book as prejudiced, but I found myself too confused by the narrator to notice this.  I’m not sure if it was because I was tired or if I was unable to read the book as I would like, but I was often struggling to find what exactly the narrator was talking about.  One moment he was on the boat and in the next it appeared he wasn’t, or was he?  I found myself confused a lot of the time.  The story also brought about a lot of rumors concerning the antagonist, Mr. Kurtz, but in the end it appeared he was nothing more than a sickly old man.  I was at a loss to interpret this phenomenon – was he sick due to greed’s effect on him and the things he had done?  The book built his personality on rumors and other character’s accounts, so perhaps the irony of a sickly man was too much for me.  For all its faults, however, Heart of Darkness wasn’t necessarily bad.  It used a lot of intense imagery that added to the feel of the book, and it described the savage nature of man when it comes to greed and dominance very well, but something about the book just didn’t fit with me.  Maybe, at another time, I will have to reread it and give it another shot.

Teen Review: Feed by M T Anderson

Hi, my name is Jenna and I am a senior at West Mifflin Area High School. I volunteer at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Main. No matter where I am, you will probably see a book in my hand. I hope you enjoy my book reviews!

Feed by: M T Anderson 

Titus and his friends are just ordinary teenagers in their world. Their life surrounds the feed that was implanted in their brains since before they could remember. The feed is basically like a computer. Titus and his friends can chat (message) each other’s feeds just by using their brains. The feed is constantly projecting an endless stream of advertisements, music, television shows, and world news. The people buy products using their feeds. They can even download other people’s memories and literally feel what the other person was feeling; emotions and sensations. Barely anyone talks out loud anymore… Why should they when they can do it within their heads?

But there are some people still in America that are trying to fight the feed. Like Violet, a girl Titus meets at the moon. Yes, these kids travel to the moon for fun. At first Titus just thinks Violet is interesting because she’s someone new and she’s physically beautiful. But, as Titus gets to know Violet, he realizes that she’s different than him and his friends. She hates the feed. She doesn’t go to School like the rest of the kids, where they learn about how to use the feed. She’s homeschooled by her father, who teaches Mayan language, which makes her even more weird to the other kids.

Not knowing who to believe or what to think, he is torn between what is better; life with the feed, or without?

If you are a person who hates how much today’s society is based off of media and technology, you would want to read this book. The book is a satire of society today and how big a part media plays in everyone’s lives.

This book is heavy on futuristic slang. And a lot of “like”‘s. Once you get used to the slang and figure out the meaning behind the words, it can become bearable.

Violet is a great character. I loved that she is so headstrong and independent. She didn’t need acceptance from the rich and popular kids. She was content with just being herself. She is willing to rebel against anything that tried to conform her. She is alive; unlike the boring, robotic-like teenagers Titus is friends with.

Titus is a great main character. He is willing to be different than his friends and at least try to see Violet’s point of view. It was sweet how he always stood up for her in the early stages of their relationship. But sadly, Titus is always going back and forth with what he believed, which is very similar to real-life teenagers.

This book is a good read. It is unique to say the least… I’ve never read a book quite like this one. This novel is eye-opening and warns that society could very much become like this horrible world depicted in ‘Feed’.

Teen Review:Upstate: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

Hey, my name is Fatemia but i prefer to be called Temia. I am from Rochester NY. I love sports except hockey my favorite sport is track. I go to school at Pittsburgh Brashear High school. I love to read and write. I’m 15 years old and determined to finish High school. I love to go to the library to spare my time. When i finish high school i want to go to college to become a prosecutor.

Upstate: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

This book is about two young teenagers male and female that really love one another. Antonio is the male teenager his mother is in a physically abusive relationship with Antonio and his younger brother’s father. Antonio’s father was eventually killed, and the question that everyone is asking themselve is who did it and why was he killed? Natasha who is the female is in a relationship with Antonio , their love for each other is put to a test. Why is their love put to a test? Why don’t you find out?

In certain parts of the book it got kind of boring but then it got exciting.  Other than the boring parts I really loved this book. If you would like to know more about Upstate, well, you have to find out yourself.

Teen Review: Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

My name is Jenna. I go to a high school where I’m part of the marching band and the cheerleading squad. I’m pretty busy, but I always find time to read. I’m also very creative and I like doing little crafts out of random things I find.

Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles

Already a lover of the Perfect Chemistry novels, I knew I would love this conclusion to the trilogy. Keep in mind that you could understand the plot of Chain Reaction without reading the first two novels.

Luis Fuentes comes from a family of gang members. His two older brothers, Alex and Carlos, were both involved in the Latino Blood, but the LB is a Chicago gang and Luis now lives in Colorado for the sole reason of avoiding the gang. Luis thought he was safe, but when his mother forces him to move back to Chicago, Luis knows that involvement in the gang is inevitable, despite his family’s protests and his new girlfriend, Nikki’s, love.

This novel is told between two perspectives, Luis’ and Nikki’s, and readers will experience unexpected surprises in both of these young people’s lives. Nikki is falling in love again and Luis discovers the true reason why it seems he has a deep connection with the Latino Blood. The climax of this book will shock everybody. Also, if you were a reader of the previous novels, the epilogue to this book will satisfy and give closure.

If you like a forbidden love story and acceptance of others and yourself, Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles is the novel for you.

Teen Review: Samantha reviews Skinny by Donna Cooner

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

Skinny by Donna Cooner

Skinny by Donna Cooner is a story I’m sure a lot of people can relate to. It’s about a girl named Ever. Ever is pretty normal except for two things: 1. She has a voice in her head named Skinny who is always lowering her self-confidence. And 2. She weighs over 300 pounds.

Skinny as I’m sure you can guess, is not the nicest person (or illusion), and Ever has been having to put up with her since her mom died. Ever has mostly tried to ignore her weight for most of her life until there is an opportunity for her to make things better again by getting Gastric Bypass surgery.

Ever has let herself be manipulated to believe the things Skinny told her about other people and herself. In the end, Ever realizes that none of it was true. Skinny was blind to other people’s true selves and thought appearances were all that mattered. Ever realizes that who you really are inside is more important than how you look.

I loved this book and I really loved the suspense when she has surgery. Gastric bypass surgery can kill some people, but Ever took that huge risk and survived. I recommend this book to people who have read things like My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick and The Fault In Our Stars by John Green.

Teen Blogger: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Brittney Williams is a high school senior at City Charter High School. She also interns at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – Main (Oakland). Brittney enjoys writing. She’s been writing for eight years, hoping one day to become published. She is currently writing three stories.

Pulitzer Prize winning, best-selling author Cormac McCarthy presents The Road, a 2006 post-apocalyptic novel. The Road is set in a post-apocalyptic world of the United States, where everything seems burnt and dead. It’s cold. It’s dark. It’s dangerous to even wander alone. Snow and ash sweeps across the country in a burnt, desolate wasteland.

The Road focuses on a father and his son; their plan is to head south where they hope to have a better chance of survival, unaware what’s there and what awaits them. Having nothing with them except for a single pistol to defend themselves, the clothes they are wearing, and a cart of scavenged food, they move slowly. Most importantly they have each other.

Out of all of the books that I have read, this book is my favorite. While the writing style may take getting used to, it’s a moving story of a strained and difficult journey. Throughout the novel, in this dead, dangerous, apocalyptic world, the tenderness and love between the father and his son is shown. McCarthy’s writing style is nothing that I have ever seen before, and while it’s sometimes frustrating because it’s hard to know who is speaking, it is also a fresh take on writing literature.

There are many questions that needed to be answered when reading this book. Everything is such a mystery and suspenseful that you’ll just be turning the page furiously, trying to figure out what’s happening or what’s going to happen. A couple of times, I had to re-read certain passages because I had a brief moment of “What?” as in “What-just-happened…?” moments, and that can occur for some readers.

Overall, The Road is a wonderful story. While it has dark, sad, and depressing moments, don’t lose hope. It’s a very good book.

Also, there is a movie that was made off of McCarthy’s novel The Road. It’s a great movie as well.

Teen Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Samantha – Hi! I’m a 6th grader and really excited to be blogging. I LOVE to read and write so I’m most likely going to have a lot of posts. I’ll give you the most honest reviews possible. I hope you read them!

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is about cancer. The main character, Hazel, has cancer, her boyfriend has cancer, all of Hazel’s friends have cancer, and, to top it off, Hazel reads a sad story about a girl just like her, with cancer.

Hazel had always known she was going to die, but she didn’t really mind. She always thought that way until one day she met a boy who thought the same way. I guess that you can say this book is a sad romance book about cancer. Well, don’t say that. It’s not true. The Fault in Our Stars is simply a realistic fiction book explaining that there are real kids out there having to suffer from this horrible evil called cancer.

Back to Hazel’s life–the boy she met was named Gus (Augustus). Hazel introduced Gus to the sad cancer story that I mentioned before (An Imperial Affliction), and soon he was curious about the ending just as much as Hazel. I’m sorry; I forgot to tell you why they were curious about the book’s ending. They were curious about it because the story was like a diary, and at the end, the book just stops mid-sentence. It’s almost like the girl writing it disappeared or in this case, died. So, Hazel and Gus set off to Amsterdam to ask the author what happened to everyone at the end of the book. A lot happened in Amsterdam, but I’m going to sum it up by saying that they never got the answers to the book. I really would love to explain the entire book, but you’re going to have to read it yourself to find out what happens next!

I loved this book. It was hard for me to believe that there are kids in hospitals all around the world just waiting to die. I would give this book 5 out of 5 stars because I literally could not put it down; I felt like I was with Hazel going through whatever she was. Please read this book! You won’t regret it!

Also, listen to this song by Flight of the Concords (FOC), “Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That).” It is about sick kids in hospitals like many in this book. FOC wrote the song to raise money for Cure the Kids, a charity in New Zealand. Watch the video (try not to laugh). It starts with them interviewing kids. Then they turn their quotes into a song – the funniest song I’ve ever heard!