Teen Title Talks: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

★★★★★ 

Review by Caroline S, Montpelier

Speak is the story of Melinda Sordino, told through the four grading periods of her freshman year of high school. She went to an end-of-the-summer party and something happened to her there, something she has not told anyone. She ended up calling the police, which caused her friends to break off their friendship with her. This event was the catalyst for Melinda's detachment from her school, her friends, and her parents. Her only friend at school was Heather, a new student who Melinda did not genuinely like but became friends with so she was not alone. Melinda starts spending more and more time alone and distancing herself from everyone. Her grades drop and she starts to skip whole school days. When she tried to speak up, everyone hated her. Melinda turned to the only available option, silence. She believed no one really cared what she had to say, so why bother? Months were spent where she barely said a thing. Art class was her biggest comfort. Throughout the book, she is working on a year-long art project that eventually guides her to recovery. 

Speak resonated with me in a way that many books have not. I found myself immersed in Melinda's story, racing to the end. Laurie Halse Anderson writes with no filter and complete authenticity. The characters are realistic and raw, almost painfully so. The dialogue is written so naturally as if it had been plucked straight from a teenage conversation. Speak is not a particularly lengthy book, but it offers so much in terms of empowerment for anyone who may need it. I recommend this book to all teens, in the hopes that someone else may find their own refuge in Melinda’s story. To anyone who feels their voice does not matter, this book will encourage you to speak. 

Check out our catalog at www.pamunkeylibrary.org if you are interested in checking out this book.

Interested in submitting a book review for service hours?  Please visit tinyurl.com/prlteentitletalks for more information!

Teen Title Talks: Divergent by Veronica Roth

 ★★★★★

Divergent is the first book in a trilogy of stories set in a post-apocalyptic city that is divided into five groups of people, known as Factions. The factions are determined by one's personality traits, and include the Abnegation, who are selfless, the Amity, known for their devotion to peace, the Erudite, the pursuers of knowledge, the Candor, honest men and women, and the Dauntless, bold and strong. Those who do not fit into a faction are known as "Factionless", and are given the odd jobs no other faction wants. One is born into their faction and belongs to it until they are sixteen years old, when they finish schooling and take the test to give them guidance as to what faction they belong to. Beatrice Prior, the main character, is one such teenager. However, when Tris is given the test, she does not fit into any one of the five factions- she fits into three. This kind of multi-dimensional personality is known as "Divergent", and is looked upon as a horrible evil and danger to society. Urged to keep her results secret, Tris chooses to join the Dauntless, and trains to become a protector of the city. There she meets Tobias, also known as Four, who trains her and who she later falls in love with. But not all is easy going for Tris in her new life. Hostility and fierce competition drive her and the other initiates apart, and in the shadows, the Erudite are planning an attack, one that could put them ahead of all the other factions- unless Tobias and Tris are able to do something about it.

When I first started reading Divergent, I simply could not put the book down! The classic battle between individuality and conformity is made even more haunting by the physical dangers associated with rebellion. Tris is a character that everyone can relate to on some level- she isn't perfect or selfless, she has fears and is a people-pleaser. The romance between Tris and Tobias is truly one that everyone roots for, as he becomes her solace in the dark and undecided world she is currently living in. I would recommend this book to teens looking for an alternate reality that doesn't go to far into fantasy but is still exciting and new.

Review by Meagan H: Mechanicsville Library

Check out our catalog at www.pamunkeylibrary.org if you are interested in checking out this book!

Interested in submitting a book review for service hours? Please visit tinyurl.com/prlteentitletalks for more information!

Teen Title Talks: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

 ★★★★

Eugenides is about as sneaky, tricky, and thieving of a boy as you could ever come across. Up until now he has been held in the prison of Sounis, one of the three kingdoms of the Peninsula. Despite being crowded close together, these three nations only hold a fragile peace, and political schemes run ramped. Unfortunately for Eugenides (or Gen, as he is often called) he is about to get roped into one of these schemes. The advisor of Sounis, also known as the magus, frees Gen from prison and takes him on a journey to steal a precious stone known as Hamiathe's Gift. Accompanying them are the two apprentices of the magus, Ambiades and Sophos, and a soldier named Pol. Hamiathe's Gift itself holds no real monetary value, rather it is of very ritual importance for Sounis' neighboring kingdom, Eddis. The king and magus of Sounis hope to rescue this stone from deep in an ancient temple where it has been held for years in order to have certain political advantages over Eddis. That's where Gen comes in- no one has yet been skilled enough to gain access into the temple and reach the stone, yet Gen's infamous thieving abilities may be the key. The magus believes his plan is foolproof, but there are other factors at play- the third country, Attolia, will surely capture them if they find the party trespassing on their land, and Gen himself has his own motives and goals that he keeps silent from the others...

This book, though relatively unheard of, is fantastically written. It is really everything one could hope for in a novel labeled "Fantasy". The character's quick wit and sarcasm keep you laughing, while hidden plots and deceit keep you turning page after page. While the plot of the story is intricate and captivating, it is really the characters themselves one becomes drawn to. Every one of them has more hidden under the surface than you would first think. One has to keep reading till the end, where Megan Turner pulls off a plot twist like nothing you've ever read. I recommend this book to any teen looking to dive into another reality with scenes, characters and action that will seem almost as real to you as your own.

Review by: Meagan H: Mechanicsville Library

Check out our catalog at www.pamunkeylibrary.org if you are interested in checking out this book!

Interested in submitting a book review for service hours? Please visit tinyurl.com/prlteentitletalks for more information!

Teen Title Talks: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

 ★★★★

Meet Artemis Fowl, a 12-year old genius who is currently running one of the world's largest criminal empires. After his father went missing and his mother driven mad by grief, the young child prodigy is left to run his family estate by himself, with the help of his bodyguard and butler, whose name is simply Butler. In this novel, Artemis Fowl is out to get the one thing he needs more than anything else right now-gold. However, he has a rather unorthodox plan to attain it. You see, Artemis thinks he has confirmed the existence of fairies- and after a visit to a sprite living in Ho Chi Minh City, where he comes by the Book of the People, he finds his suspicions confirmed, and learns about an ancient fairy ritual for replenishing their power. This ritual requires the fairies to come up from where they normally dwell underground to one of 129 locations. Artemis quickly gets to work planting stakeouts, and within a matter of time captures a fairy- Holly. But Holly is not any normal fairy- she is the first female officer of the LEP, the law enforcement team of the fairy capital of Haven City. Artemis offers to give her back to the LEP, if they will pay him 24-carats of gold. However, Holly is not to be messed around with. While the LEP makes several failing attempts to retrieve Holly from the Fowl manner, she manages to regain her power and escape into the main house. There, unfortunately, she faces a surprise she thought she had already dealt with at the beginning of the book- a furious troll. The battle of wits between Artemis and the fairies drags on, with the question burning in the back of every reader's mind- who has the winning trick up their sleeve?

I thought that Artemis Fowl was a great spin on your classic "fairy" tale- no more boring prince-saving-princess plots here! I thought the spin on the fairy realm was ingenious- who says fairies can't be high-tech? All the characters are original and well-developed. The story is all very logical and little is just passed away with the vague explanation of "magic"- perfect for the modern reader. I highly recommend Artemis Fowl to anybody looking for a sci-fi- fantasy crossover that is a mix of wit, action, and a throwback nostalgia to the elements of classic fairy tales.

Review by Meagan H: Mechanicsville Library

Check out our catalog at www.pamunkeylibrary.org if you are interested in checking out this book!

Interested in submitting a book review for service hours? Please visit tinyurl.com/prlteentitletalks for more information!