A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams

A Streetcar Named Desire, by Tennessee Williams, is a play based on Blanche DuBois, a woman who attempts to appear pure, but is flawed in many ways. After losing the family home and with no where else to go, she turns to her sister Stella and moves to New Orleans to live with her. Stella welcomes Blanche while Stella's husband, Stanley Kowalski, is indifferent and rather rude to Blanche. After Blanche meets Mitch, one of Stanley's friends, she starts to fall in love with him. Blanche has to overcome her past demons and face her new ones in the struggle of living with her sister and her abusive husband which fighting alcoholism.

When I first started reading the play I thought it was terribly boring. The first few pages were rough to get through and I felt like it was never ending. But as soon as you get through it you finish it without realizing how fast it's going. Throughout the entire play I couldn't help but sympathize with Blanche. The end had me jaw- dropped and in complete and utter shock. I would recommend this play to anyone who tends to like the authors from The Lost Generation of Writers.

Reviewed by Nayri T., Grade 11

Casa Verdugo Library

The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan

The Blood of Olympus is about 7 demigods who are trying to put a stop to the awakening of the Goddess, Gaea, who if she awakens fully will destroy the world. Together they fight Giants, Venti, and many other monsters who have decided to work with Gaea. The Great Prophecy, which was first introduced in The Last Olympian, stated that Gaea would fall to either fire or storm. That would mean only Jason or Leo could defeat Gaea once and for all. The 7 demigods get some help from some of the other demigods. The two demigod camps, Greek and Roman, are enemies and if they are to defeat Gaea they must work together.

The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan, will keep you hooked with its action-adventure and suspense. The writer includes a good amount of battling monsters. In his series, The Heroes of Olympus, Rick Riordan developed each character very well. Each of the characters play their own specific role in defeating Gaea and her army of monsters. This is a book you would enjoy reading if you enjoy reading action-adventure and mythology. This is the kind of book you won't want to put down. You can read this book in approx. 3 1/2 hours if you read without stopping and there are no interruptions. I recommend this book to kids in 5th through 8th grade.

Reviewed by Ridge, Grade 9

Casa Verdugo Library