How To : Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, by Randall Munroe

How To : Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems, by Randall Munroe is a nonfiction book I would recommend to adults and teens. The book has many simple illustrations and each chapter is about tackling a simple problem in the most insane ways. For example one of the chapters is about disposing of the book when you're done with it. The chapter starts off simple saying just give it to a friend then by the end it recommends sending the book into space, using a gravity assist by one of the outer planets, and launching the book into the sun.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves science. This book is educational but yet it's funny and entertaining. The author is very good at what he does and if you like What if absurd questions with series answers you will definitely like this book even though it's the complete opposite. This book takes the boring out of science and makes science fun and exciting. It is very creative and well thought out. However one negative is that the previous books had community involvement such as What if where the questions came from the authors website and this one has no community involvement.

Reviewed by Emil, Grade 9

Montrose Library 

Two Can Keep A Secret... If One Is Dead, by Karen M. McManus

Echo Ridge. The seemingly normal hometown of twins Ellery (main character) and Ezra's mother. But, of course, secrets lie everywhere. A homecoming queen was killed there just 5 years ago... and the twins' Aunt went missing at seventeen years old. Ellery and Ezra move to Echo Ridge in Vermont to live with their grandmother while their mother is in rehab back in California. As they drive from the airport to grandmother Nana's house, they notice the dead body at the entrance of the town; one of the nicest teachers at the high school. But that warm welcome for Ellery and Ezra wasn't enough; right before the start of their senior year of high school, a disturbing message left anonymously threatens the same danger of Homecoming as 5 years ago.

Everyone has their suspicions about Malcolm's brother, who everyone thinks is responsible for the past homecoming queen's death.

Was this threat just a prank or does this story hold many secrets?

I quite enjoyed this book. Before reading Two Can Keep A Secret... If One Is Dead, I had read Karen M.McManus' One of Us is Lying, and the sequel, One of Us is Next and loved both of them so I decided to read another one by her. I really liked reading Two Can Keep A Secret because I felt transported to the reality of a small and erie town. It is written in such a way of revealing just enough of the story each chapter that it is difficult to put the book down after picking it up. There are certainly many twists that will leave you shocked and I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed One of Us is Lying or mystery novels in general. Another mark to note is that the chapters are in either Ellery's or Malcolm's perspective, which I find more interesting than the perspective of one side.

Reviewed by Maya A., Grade 9

Glendale Central Library 

Treasure Hunters, by James Patterson

Four children on a ship called The Lost travel around the world trying to hit it big, finding treasure. The story starts with the mom missing in Cyprus and the dad presumed dead because of drowning and the children try to find hints of their whereabouts. Throughout their adventure, they constantly have obstacles to overcome, such as the authorities, a band of scuba ninjas, etc. However they continue the family business of treasure hunting and even a way to get their mom back. The story is well written and each character has something to do. Tommy the guardian who is 2 months from becoming 18 is very good at navigation, two twins that quarrel all the time but help in whatever way they can and an older sister Storm who is tech savvy and has a perfect memory. 

Treasure Hunters, by James Patterson is a perfect read for middle school students and I would definitely recommend it as it is funny and always has the reader on the edge of their seat because of the constant danger and action. The treasure hunting is also well thought out and it's not like other books where the characters are just lucky. There are clues that the characters follow to get the treasure and so the book also has a lot of mystery making it easy to read the book from start to finish in one sitting (it is pretty long however). The book is also somewhat educational as it sneaks in history facts here and there. It's overall a great book and you should definitely read it.

Reviewed by Emil, Grade 9

Montrose Library 

Bluescreen, by Dan Wells

Bluescreen by Dan Wells takes place in Los Angeles, 2050 where almost everything is digital. Marisa Carneseca is a sixteen year old hacker and gamer who lives in Mirador, where on regular days she helps around in her family's restaurant and plays “Overworld” with friends. However, on days not-so-normal, she is on a mission to save thousands of lives from a digital drug called “Bluescreen”, a drug that corrupts people's minds and turns them into a puppet for a master yet to be named.

When I first read this book I was under the impression of this being just another ordinary, typical, dystopian novel. I was wrong. Throughout the story I have developed deep thoughts about whether or not the storyline would be true in the future or not. The novel "Bluescreen" represents how technology can mess with an individual’s mind, but also benefit it in a certain way. I think this is significant because it shows that the more you rely on technology, the more you are likely to lose connection and fade away from the real world. However, that doesn't mean it's going to ruin your life. In most stories that involve ideas like this, the characters are clueless and think that this is just part of life while the readers are shown the “bad side” of that lifestyle. However, this is not true in Bluescreen. At some point of the story Marisa realizes how attached everyone has become to digital life, but instead of portraying this as something bad, she uses her knowledge as an advantage. The variety of books available to people each have different perspectives on certain topics. Therefore, this helps people look at these topics from different viewpoints, which evolves society as a whole.

Reviewed Ellen S., Grade 9

Glendale Central Library

Archvillain, by Barry Lyga

A twelve-year-old (Kyle) is mischievous and was attempting to set up a prank when a plasma storm hit. After soaking in the energy from the storm he receives powers like great intellect and flight after being sick for a week. He realizes another kid was there during the plasma storm after he was in the news, using his powers to put out a fire. He thinks that this superhero is evil and an alien meaning to do harm so Kyle tries to expose him with schemes. Kyle also has a sidekick, a AI sidekick Kyle makes from his iPod.

This book is very good for young teens as it is very funny and well made. Archvillain, by Barry Lyga  made me keep flipping pages since there were constant cliffhangers. And even though the character is supposedly evil he is very easy to relate to since he is a middle school student. Many times I found myself rooting for him and feeling bad for him when things didn't go his way. The only bad thing is that Kyle's motive is not all that great. The only reason he wants to stop the other superheroes is because he's jealous since he used to be the popular kid and now he's not.

Reviewed by Emil, Grade 9

Montrose Library

My Hero Academia, Vol. 24: All It Takes Is One Bad Day, by Kohei Horikoshi

The League of Villains continues to be attacked by The Liberation Army. Himiko Toga is being interviewed while fighting about her life, and why she chose the path she did. To them, Toga was different, Toga was a girl who had gone mad. During the fight we revisit some of Toga's old memories and see what really happened on that day. We see how Toga feels about living, how she wants to live her life, and how she doesn't want to fit into other people's definition of normal.

After the fight, Twice goes to find Toga after he notices that she has gone missing. During this time Twice overcomes something that had been torturing him this entire time. After overcoming that he becomes something all of humanity should fear, with the power of his doubles.

The rest of the team goes to retrieve Giran but have a difficult fight against Detnerat. But then, Shigaraki does something dangerous and risky to save Giran.

Now, I don't usually find the villain's story too interesting, just how someone might think that Deku's story is dull, but this hit hard. We see so much backstory and so much information that it's a little mind blowing. We see the reasons why they're with the league, how they see the league as a family. In a way it makes you root for the villain's victory. Also the fighting scenes in My Hero Academia, Vol. 24: All It Takes Is One Bad Day, by Kohei Horikoshi were wonderful and they looked amazing (as usual). I'm still very much more interested in the heroes, rather than the villains, but that's just my opinion. If you really like the villains and want to know more about them then you're in luck because this entire volume is about them. If you like the heroes, like me, I'd still say give this a read because the art is great, the plot is great, and overall it's still a very good volume!

Reviewed by Arpi, Grade 9

Glendale Central Library

My Hero Academia, Vol. 25: Tomura Shigaraki: Origin, by Kohei Horikoshi

Shigaraki is seen battling Detnarat. During this we see his memories, all unfolding, one after one. We see his past, how he got his quirk, and why he is like how he is today. The battle is intense but Shigaraki is able to pull it off. With his quirk Shigaraki rises up and does something that even shocks his comrades.

After the battle, the position of leader gets given to Shigaraki by Detnarat. The Liberation Army is renamed to "The Paranormal Liberation Front".

After this announcement we cut back to our main heroes at UA. After Bakugo bombed his last interview, the teachers at UA decided it would be a good time to teach the students how to act during an interview. Attempts were certainly made, some better than others, but overall, it went very well. After that, while celebrating Christmas, Bakugo and Deku are offered something that they might not be able to turn down.

I really like these volumes, I think they're super cute and wholesome but at the same time very dramatic and stressful. I really liked the part of the interviews because it was really stupid and funny, but at the same time learning more about Shigaraki's backstory was also very interesting. Though I am not too fond of the villains (but that's just me) and prefer to see the heroes story, this volume had a nice mix of both depending on which side you prefer. The art in this is beautiful, especially in the first half where you can really feel the emotion in the characters. I don't recommend reading My Hero Academia, Vol. 25: Tomura Shigaraki: Origin, by Kohei Horikoshi, if you haven't read volumes 1-24, but if you have then go for it. I'm sure you'll really enjoy it!

Reviewed by Arpi, Grade 9

Glendale Central Library 

My Hero Academia, Vol. 26: The High Deep Blue Sky, by Kohei Horikoshi

Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki are still at Endevor's agency, trying their best to surpass him in beating a villain. For the past couple of days they have been working diligently, but are still unsuccessful. The three get invited to eat dinner at the Todoroki house and are excited to get to know Todoroki's family, or at least, Midoriya is. The dinner goes fine, awkward, but no big interruptions happen. Sadly, this peace doesn't last for long as a new threat quickly approaches.

After winter break ended and the new term had begun, more information was getting revealed about Nomus and precisely how they are made. We find out that someone close to Mr. Aizawa was one of the keys to finding the truth about them. Though it will be difficult, Aizawa is determined to find out the truth in the manga My Hero Academia, Vol. 26: The High Deep Blue Sky, by Kohei Horikoshi. 

Reviewed by Arpi, Grade 9I really liked this volume. It made me cry, again, though I am not proud of shedding tears over fictional characters, it always happens nonetheless. Despite my dramatic sobbing, the rest of this volume was really cute and I enjoyed reading the wholesome interactions between characters. One of the scenes near the end of the book was by far one of the most precious interactions between class 1-A and 1-B, and I happily read every word of it. The sadder scenes were really emotional, and like I said, made me cry. Now, perhaps I am just very sensitive, but I personally thought these scenes had lots of heart and passion in them which just made it all the more touching. I recommend reading this if you do like reading more serious topics that have light and fluffy jokes and interactions during the rest of the book. If you are not a fan of more serious or sadder topics I'd still say give it a try because the volume still has funny moments.

Reviewed by Apri, Grade 9

Glendale Central Library

Downriver, by Will Hobbs

When eight teens sent to a juvenile camp are given the chance to go whitewater rafting on the Grand Canyon's Colorado River by themselves, they take it. Appropriating gear from camp, they go on an initially exhilarating trip down the rapids that eventually lays bare the disagreements and strife in the group. Each teen struggles with their own personal problems that led them to this situation. Told in prose reminiscent of Gary Paulsen's, Downriver tells a story of morality and excitement, all set over a powerful natural backdrop.

I enjoyed reading this novel. Downriver, by Will Hobbs was simple in the storyline, but this worked in its favor - the novel felt comfortable and its depictions of the landscape were beautiful. I thought the characters were interesting in that they all had their own personal conflicts and problems. The ending left a little to be desired, however in my opinion I don't think the characters were the focal point of the novel. Overall, I would recommend this book, even if you aren't an avid reader of books about survival and nature - it is relatively short. If you like novels by Gary Paulsen, you should definitely read this.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 12

Montrose Library

The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum

Jason Bourne's life started four months ago, brought back from the brink of death by an alcoholic doctor and a fishing crew who found his bullet-riddled body floating at sea. He does not remember his name, nor any other facts about his previous life - but he has clues. Clues like a powerful instinct for survival and the people trying to kill him. Hunted by terrorists and government agencies alike, Bourne must find out about his past and decide if it is something he wants to leave behind.

I loved The Bourne Identity, by Robert Ludlum. It was fast-paced, detailed, and weaved an amazing story about the shadowy world of secret government programs and death for hire. The character of Jason Bourne and his internal struggle over the man he used to be and who he is now was very well-written. Moreover, Ludlum did a great job at creating backstories, context, and a greater outer world that encapsulated Bourne's story. The action was intense and the novel kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I thought that this was an amazing book. I would recommend it for people who enjoy spy/thriller stories.

Reviewed by NK, Grade 12

Montrose Library