The Teen Review from the Marathon County Public Library

"Mara, Daughter Of The Nile" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

Autumn H. — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 16:45:22 GMT

Rating: Good (4)

I thoroughly enjoyed this captivating read; I truly did not want to put it down! The author did a wonderful job of developing the main character, Mara. I felt as though I was witnessing Mara grow more selfless and more aware of the needs of others around her as the story progressed.
This book takes place near the Nile river city of Thebes, the ancient capital of Egypt, and has several main characters, who I thought were very realistic. This tale is seen through the eyes of quick-witted Mara, a slave girl of 17, and then is occasionally told through the eyes of young Sheftu (one of Queen Hatshepsut's close nobles), who is a clever character and devoted to his King.
Overall, this book was quite enjoyable, with a satisfactory, yet unpredictable, ending. The author did a marvelous job of developing her main character and the plot. The only reason why I did not give this book a higher "score" was because there were several instances where I thought that one of the book's characters did something or said something that seemed "out-of-line" with their personalities. But, other than that, this book was very good, and I highly recommend it!

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"Mara, Daughter Of The Nile" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw

"Revolution" by Jennifer Donnelly

MCPL TeenZone — Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:04:35 GMT

Rating: Excellent! (5)

When you first read the synopsis, you think to yourself there is no way you can feel any sympathy for the main character, Andi Alpers. She is a girl who was brought up in a privileged society in Brooklyn and now is being whisked away to Paris in order to stay with her father. However, soon you start to feel sympathy for her and what she has been through.

You are also taken back to the French Revolution to experience the life of Alexandrine Paradis who soon start to admire.

Revolution is a wonderful written book that manages to weave together two girls from different centuries in a manner that will keep you hooked until the end of the book.

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"Revolutioin" by Jennifer Donnelly

"People Of The Wolf" by Michael Gear

Sierra S — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 17:36:36 GMT

Rating: Excellent! (5)

A very fast paced book that takes place around 15,000 years ago. A book that should be read by a mature person. Very well written and a "stay up to finish the last chapter" read.

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"People Of The Wolf" by Michael Gear

"The Wild Girl" by Jim Fergus

Sierra S — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 17:29:55 GMT

Rating: Excellent! (5)

The Wild Girl is a story that really makes you think about the nature of man and what we have come to as a species. How much people can differentiate from region to region, and how that affects the way we look at life. Taking place in 1932, it makes you think about the destruction of the native peoples of North America and what that means for a future. A very exciting and adventurous novel.

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"The Wild Girl" by Jim Fergus

"Anastasia's Secret" by Susanne Dunlap

Jenna B. — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 11:52:10 GMT

Rating: Good (4)

Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap tells the story of Anastasia Romanov, a daughter of Russia's last Tzar before it was torn apart by a revolution. It follows the Romanov family through good times, and until they are forced into house arrest when the Bolsheviks seize control. Dunlap realistically shows the life of the Romanov family and Imperial Russia during the revolution. She does add Sasha to the story though, a young guard sympathetic to the Romanov family and a friend of Anastasia's since they were young. The two have a kind of romance, and he shows her how Russia is outside of her palaces and expensive lifestyle. In all, I would recommend Anastasia's Secret to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, just know that the author did take some literary freedom in the story.

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"Anastasia's Secret" by Susanne Dunlap

"Anya's War" by Andrea Alban

Abigail H. — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 14:35:09 GMT

Rating: Excellent! (5)

Did you know that Jews fled to Shanghai during the Holocaust? This book is a treasure about just such a Jewish family. Anya Rosen is the main, curly-headed, character. Over a few days, she learns that the war may not only be happening in countries far away, but in her own home as well. When will peace come?
And have you ever wondered where the phrase "Oy vey" came from? Have you ever wanted to know what it was like to have a bomb drop practically on top of you and yet live? Or maybe you've wondered how exactly one takes parakeets for a walk. Find the answers to all these questions and more in "Anya's War".

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"Anya's War" by Andrea Alban

The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Kyra H. — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:19:32 GMT

Rating: Good (4)

What if you could see your future. What if every little thing you did, caused your future to change. In 1996 Emma and her best friend Josh receive an AOL computer disk but surprisingly Emma is able to log onto her facebook account fifteen years in the future. Each day something changes. What does their future hold?

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The Future Of Us by Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler

Not The End Of The World by Geraldine McCaughrean

Abigail H. — Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:07:48 GMT

Rating: Good (4)

"Not the End of the World" is one of the most thought provoking books I have read in the last year. Did Noah really get every kind of animal onto the ark? Did anyone else survive the flood? These questions and more are asked my Noah's daughter Timnah. It cuts to my heart in some places, and other times I want to shout in frusteration at the characters. The author has skillfully created a Noah's ark I had never imagined, but is her's also the correct one? Read this mistifying book that talks about the end of the world, but it turns out that the end of the world might not be as horrible as everyone thinks.

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Not The End Of The World by Geraldine McCaughrean