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: The Legend of Zelda™: Symphony of the Goddesses at Heinz Hall

Hi, I’m Henry. Since I was born 16 years ago, my biggest claim to fame has been winning the state geography bee in 2009. I run cross country and track for Seton-La Salle High School. I play trombone in the school’s marching band and am a member of the Mock Trial and Academic Games teams. I like to read the Greeks and Romans, and I love opera.

Heinz Hall: Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

As I arrived at Heinz Hall Friday evening, I couldn’t help noticing a number of things I normally do not see here. One of the most conspicuous of these was the select number of the audience who arrived dressed for the occasion in green caps that made them look like as if they were decorations in the spirit of the music we were to hear. All in all, the crowd generally seemed to have been drawn more by the “Zelda” in the title than the “symphony.”

The stage was dominated by a very large screen suspended over the orchestra’s chairs. When the conductor, a Ms. Eí mear Noone began the music, the screen showed screenshots from different games of the Zelda franchise. The images on the screen evoked laughter from time to time among the audience in general, but I, having never played a game in the franchise, was not sure when and why to laugh.

At the beginning of the symphony, I resented the screen as an unnecessary distraction; by intermission, I was curiously mesmerized by it. It was a very different experience from when I’ve been there for more conventional works. I think it would be detrimental to some works whose music is attractive enough to sustain interest (in my case, music of Mozart and his generation); for others which I do not care for as much (e.g., Bruckner, Debussy, Wagner, etc.) it would almost certainly hold my attention better.

The music itself presented, I think, did not need such sideshows. It was, as is much video game music, catchy and facile (in the best sense of that word). The main theme was repeated innumerable times, but not ad nauseam. The style of the music defied categorization, but I would call it modern if I had to call it anything. My personal favorites were the first two movements, which were respectively descriptive of a dungeon and a pastoral village in the universe of Link and Zelda.

In its entirety, I thought the show was better than average, and not merely for the novelty of the staging or the unusual music (or, perhaps, in spite of them). The quality of the music was overall very good, and, as usual, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra showed us the reasons why it is so highly acclaimed.

Teen Review: Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

My name is Clara, and I am 14 years old. I go to Science And Technology Academy and I am in the 10th grade. In my spare time when I’m not reading a good book, I dance in competions, do cheerleading, and play sports.

Perfect by Ellen Hopkins

Hello fellow readers! I just finished reading Perfect by Ellen Hopkins, and I wanted to tell you how great the book is! The book is all about the struggles that teens in everyday life face, with trying to please their parents, trying to fit in, and mostly tring to be perfect in the eyes of others.  In the story, four high school seniors struggle with trying to be perfect and the problems they encounter from these struggles.   The poetry in the book only make the book easier and more fun to read, and lets you veiw the characters through different eyes. I would recomend this book to anyone who likes reading edgy teen books, and wouldn’t mind opening their eyes to something new.

Teen Review: After by Amy Efaw

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.

After by Amy Efaw

As a reader, this novel will challenge your beliefs and your character. It has the ability to make you think twice about the kind of person you are.

After by Amy Efaw is about a girl named Devon Davenport who seemed to be perfect. She was a class A babysitter, had a 4.0 grade point average, and had insane soccer abilities that would soon take her to the Olympics. Meanwhile, Devon was holding a very big secret. She was pregnant.

Or was she holding a secret? Devon claims that she had no clue that she was pregnant. She did not recognize the symptoms and she was essentially clueless to what was going on in her body. When the baby was born, Devon stuffed the baby into a trash bag and threw the bag into a trash can outside of her apartment.

Now, Devon is in a juvenile court system, being charged with multiple offenses, but the most severe is murder.

This novel is similar to a mystery novel. Readers do not know if Devon is telling the truth or not about being oblivious to the pregnancy. Personally, there were moments in the novel that I wanted Devon to be innocent and I was rooting for her, but when you take a step back, you remember the ugly and horrific act she committed and then wonder how you could support her.

This heartbreaking novel has so many different layers that are explored from cover to cover and it is almost impossible to put down.

Teen Review: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

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!

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

*Spoiler Alert*

This trilogy takes place in a world that separates its population into five groups which are sorted by personality (truthful, peaceful, brave, smart and selfless). Beatrice Prior (nicknamed Tris) was born into one of these groups, Abnegation (the selfless group). But when she turns 16, she gets the option to switch to another group, and she takes it and switches to Dauntless (the brave group). All of this happened in Divergent, the first book in the trilogy. I recommend reading this first before you read Insurgent.

Now, in Insurgent, Erudite (the smart group) has started a never-ending war and forced Dauntless to join them in their attacks against Abnegation. Now Beatrice and most of her Dauntless friends have to make things right and punish Erudite.

Tris and her friends go through many things, like making and breaking alliances, killing thousands of people, and losing people they have loved, before they finally get to Erudite headquarters and steal attack information while killing the Erudite leader.

I really liked this book. I would recommend it for anyone who likes a lot of action. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t put it down for 2 days straight. I hope it does the same for you!

Teen Review: TeenBoat! by Dave Roman and John Green

My name is Jayne. I’m fourteen. I go to CAPA for Visual Arts, but I love to write so much more. Creative writing has been apart of my life for so long now; I feel lost without it. I’m obsessed with everything British, Beatles, Tim Burton movies, and Harry Potter. Oh and cats! I hope you love what I review and I hope you comment and tell me what I could do better. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Teen Boat! by Dave Roman & John Green

I am absolutely in love with Teen Boat! It’s really funny and I think teens will love the weird and quirky behavior of TeenBoat (that’s his actual name!).

So Teen Boat! is about a boy who’s name is the title and can magically transform into a boat. This book is divided up into about five sections and each tale involves TB (Teen Boat!) and his friends. In the first few chapters or stories, TB is in love with this girl who has the same name as the ship that Christopher Columbus sailed. I found this hysterical because of course TB would be the one who falls in love with a girl with the name of a ship! In the next few, we are introduced to Joey, TB’s best friend who is a girl and has a secret. But I’m still guessing as to what it is. There is some Italian involved with one of the stories, when they go to Italy.

Anyway, TB gets involved with Pirates, boat-napping captains, gondolas, and angry jocks. So, if you’re a fan of graphic novels, you’ll love love love this book. And I do know that there is going to be another Teen Boat book in the distant future. So, I can tell you, I’m excited.

I was also surprised that John Green co-wrote this book* because I always took him for a more serious writer (and I didn’t want to read him because of it), but this definitely changed my mind. I hope it changes your mind about him, too.

*Librarian’s note: This is a different John Green, but don’t blame Jayne–I assumed it was THE John Green and told her so. D’oh! Still, “TB” is HILARIOUS.

Teen Review: Adam Reads The Hunger Games and Asks ‘Book or Movie?’

Hi! I’m Adam, and despite being a senior at Central Catholic I try to find time to do anything and everything. I will read any kind of book I can get my hands on and even though my reading list is currently a million books long I will finish it someday. Maybe. If it weren’t for the fact that I add something new to it literally every day…

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Once in a while a man will try to sound smarter than he really is an roll out that age old question, “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” This question is dated and useless (after all, we all know the DINOSAURS came first), especially to people of a younger disposition. We aren’t farmers- so we need something practical. So I propose the question: “which came first: the book or the movie?”

Right about now, a lot of you are probably pulling out your Captain Obvious hats and saying “but Adam! Of course the book came first, why else would they make the movie?” Then there is that small segment of you screaming about your movie novelizations and screenplays, claiming the opposite. These are, of course, valid points—if it weren’t for the fact they miss MY point altogether.

A few weeks ago I broke down to peer pressure (I’m not a good example, kids) and read the Hunger Games. Everyone had been telling me to, and I decided just to get it over with in a day or two. While I do admit it was an alright book (certainly not great, but don’t get me started), watching the movie a few days later made me realize that it was one of the few movie adaptations that I’ve ever seen that was better than the book. It made me wish I had (GASP) seen the movie before the book.

That’s where my question comes in: do you read the book first, or see the movie? That is, of course, if it even matters to you. I have a personal unwritten creed to always read the book before the movie—which is why I’m currently trudging through Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy on a long trek to seeing Benedict Cumberbatch and Gary Oldman on the same screen—but I am sure that is a foreign concept to a lot of people.

I have a friend who has watched all seven Harry Potter films without reading a single book. To me, that is absolutely absurd, but it proves that there are indeed people out there who will watch the movie adaption of something first. So, faithful reader, how about you: the movie or the book (or are you some sort of savant who reads the book while watching the movie?!?)

Teen review: The After Life by Daniel Ehrenhaft

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.

The After Life by Daniel Ehrenhaft

The After Life is a very unique novel for many reasons. First, it is told in a 4/5 day time period. The novel also has an interesting plot which includes very heavy issues. Will, a kid who dropped out of high school is now trying to get back into school while also being an alcoholic. Will’s father abandoned him as a child and has two children of his own, who Will ends up meeting finally after 18 years. Not only is Will dealing with his uncle’s fairly recent death, but after meeting his long lost siblings…Will, Liz, and Kyle’s father suddenly dies.

Now the three siblings have to go out of state for the funeral and are forced to get to know each other when they find out they have to drive back to New York from Florida together.

The author of this novel, Daniel Ehrenhaft, used humor throughout the whole book to lighten up on the tough issues. It was very funny and easy to relate to. I would rate The After Life a 4/5

Teen Review: Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

My name is Jayne. I’m fourteen. I go to CAPA for Visual Arts, but I love to write so much more. Creative writing has been apart of my life for so long now; I feel lost without it. I’m obsessed with everything British, Beatles, Tim Burton movies, and Harry Potter. Oh and cats! I hope you love what I review and I hope you comment and tell me what I could do better. Anyway, thanks for reading!

Struck by Jennifer Bosworth

Struck was a difficult read and it wasn’t because of the writing. The writing was terrific. It was Bosworth’s premise. Struck was about a girl named Mia Price. She lives in Los Angeles with her brother, Parker, and their mother. They moved to Los Angeles because Mia is a lightning addict. That’s right, a lightning addict. She feeds on being struck by lightning, hence the title. Tragedy strikes in LA and an earthquake takes out most of Downtown La. All skyscrapers are taken down, except for one. The Tower.

At school, Mia and Parker are being talked to about a man called Rance Ridley. He has his own show, The Hour of Light. He is to be known as the Prophet. He is telling all of Los Angeles that God will make a storm that will be even worse than the earthquake. Then there are the Seekers, who is run by Mia’s English teacher. Don’t forget Katrina, the goth girl who is also a leader. She catches Mia in the girls’ bathroom trying to be recruited by Rachel, now a follower of the Prophet.

Then a mysterious child named Jeremy (who’s a teenager) is the Clark Kent in this story. He may be a nerd, but he may be a super hero underneath. He claims to know Mia and how she has been affected by lightning in the other cities she’s lived in before LA.

The reason why I found this difficult to read was because it kept referencing the apocalyptic cliches. For instance, “God will save you if you sell your soul to him.” I am not the type of person who can take a lot of that banter and all, but if you like that type of thing, you’ll love this book.

Teen Review: The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June

Tawnya – Hi, I’m sixteen and currently attending cyber school as a sophomore for the first time. I like to try new things and express myself in creative ways. Writing is something I’ve always loved to do in school, and i adore reading, so this volunteer opportunity was a calling for me. It’s great to meet new people, and I’m glad to share a little bit about myself. I’ll be giving you the most honest reviews I can, and i hope you can trust my opinion. My friends tend to call me a bookworm, but you can call me Tawnya

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway

The Extraordinary Secrets of April, May and June is a great book. If you like to read books with a teen voice, complete with slang and down to earth personalities, you’ll love the writing style. It’s about three sisters named April, May and June who discover that they have amazing abilities. Throughout the story, you get to experience the perspective of each sister, which is something unusual about the book, but it keeps the reader entertained. This was written for the female teen crowd; so naturally, there’s drama, boys and lessons learned through each sister.

The book also has an element of humor. If you like sarcasm, May is definitely your girl. If you’re smart and responsible, you’ll love April. If you just like shopping and having a bunch of friends, June will feel like a best friend. If you can relate to all three, that’s even better!

I suggest you pick this book up when you have an open afternoon, because I finished it in one sitting.