The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction, by Alan Jacobs

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction is written byAlan Jacobs who is a professor of humanities in Baylor University. Jacobs argue that the number of readers and the strength of reading are not dying in America. He believes that reading is well and alive in America. Jacobs then turns his attention to the ex-readers or the forgotten readers in hopes of pulling them back to the reading world once again. Jacobs boldly and fiercely dismisses books and scholars who discourage the weak readers.

The Pleasures of Reading in an Age of Distraction is a great book for the fallen readers who feel that they are not welcomed in the world of reading anymore. Jacobs has reshaped not only how I should read but also where I should read and why I should even pick up a book at all. Jacobs’ caring tone throughout book serves as a friendly guide to the audience and it also helps us trust his advice and his credibility as an expert in the field of literature.

Reviewed by Anonymous, Grade 12

Glendale Central Library

H2O, by Virginia Bergin

H2O starts off with an asteroid hitting Earth. The worlds only chance was to shoot a rocket at it hoping it will explode. An astronaut pulled the job and saved the world. Unfortunately, there was some sort of bacterium in the asteroid. A few weeks later, there was a disaster in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and it was heading toward the Americas. At this point, the main character Ruby, is at a party at her friend Zak's house, little to know it was seconds away from the crisis. Luckily, Zak's parents knew what was going on and they quickly got everyone in the house. It started to rain, but the reason it was an emergency was that it was fatal, and just one drop will kill you. A few weeks pass and Ruby's friends, family, and neighbors are all dead, and she's stuck with two dogs ( one with a terrible odor), a dork she would never hang out with, and an 8 year old mute on a journey to find her birth father.

I loved everything about H2O, by  Virginia Bergin, its storytelling was amazing. I recommend this book to horror enthusiasts. It was so hard to choose a favorite character because of all the times a main character died. I also loved Ruby who still cared about her appearance in the middle of a crisis. The book made me feel like I was witnessing the true horrors and disasters of the story. I did not want to put the book one bit. It was a great experience reading this book and I really recommend it. I loved everything about this book especially the storytelling.

Reviewed by Anonymous,
Grade 7, Grandview Library