Change of Heart, by Jodi Picoult

Bestselling adult fiction author Jodi Picoult delivers again with her newest novel, Change of Heart. It's a heart-wrenching adventure about how a death row prisoner, Shay, and the victim's family come together after eleven years. It brings together a mother who has lost her family twice, a lawyer who lacks self-respect, a priest who wants to pay for a mistake, and a prisoner who people believe to be the messiah. The novel explores the idea of seeing versus believing and the concept of miracles. What the book lacks is momentum. It tends to drag on a bit in the first half, but gains speed after the conflict is clearly understood. This book is not for those who like happy endings and definitely requires some patience.

- Reviewed by Sayonika, grade 10.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

The Giver is about a closed community that lives under strict rules that do not relate to the everyday life that we live. I think in many ways the community that the book describes relates to some of the communities around the world today. Even though, it made me think about a world with no pain, or suffering. But then again, a world with no tears means a world with no happiness, and that would be boring. I love The Giver, because it truly makes the reader think about how would it be if our world was different.

- Reviewed by Marika, grade 9.