Teen Reviews of Adult NovelsWritten During Past Summer Reading Programs

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li JiangRating: Great!

This book is about a young teenage girl named Ji-li Jiang. She lives during the Cultural Revolution and faces many hardships. The Cultural Revolution was a time (1966-1976) when many innocent people were persecuted. Chairman Nao supposedly started the revolution to get rid of anti-communist influences in China. Ji-li Jiang’s family is very wealthy, and Ji-li’s grandfather was a landlord. To find out why this makes her life

miserable, read this book.

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison Rating: Great

Pecola is a young black girl growing up in the segregated 40’s. She is who the other black people gossip about for she is the poorest of the poor, the bottom of the bottom. In her world of poverty, crime and rape she hopes for one thing, blue eyes, for she’s considered ugly and blue eyes are an emblem of beauty. Only white privileged girls have blue eyes. She hopes that with blue eyes people will not think of how ugly she is, that they will only see her beautiful eyes. Yet it seems no amount of praying will get her the one thing that she thinks will make her happy; the bluest eye.

1776 by David McCullough

This book is non-fiction and it gives many details about the various aspects of the American Revolutionary War in the year 1776. Although this book is very long (386 Pages), it flies by quickly! The actions and adventures of the American Army make the “story” very interesting.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Once I read this book I was tempted to buy tubs of honey to eat, use and bath in like the calendar sisters do in this book. I really liked how May, June and August lived a creative lifestyle that revolved around their bees. I thought Sue Monk Kidd’s way of balancing the story with good issues and bad made the story more realistic. The overall feel of the book was nice and comforting. It told a story that racism was not something that had to be in the world, and I really enjoyed it.

Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah Rating: Great!

This book is an autobiography of Adeline Yen Mah, a physician and writer. Adeline is an unwanted Chinese daughter, who lives with her stepmother and father. Her stepmother, Niang, is extremely cruel and even throws Adeline in to an orphanage.

The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben SherwoodRating: Great!

This book is a great read. I loved the way the author incorporated real world records as the main character worked for the Book of World Records. This book shows the power of love and community. The plot was very interesting and there was also an exciting twist at the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone.

The Green Mile by Steven King Rating: Great!

One man, named John Loftey, is sentenced to death for the rape and second degree murder of two girls. However, he possesses a mysterious healing power. Even through the prison guard knows he is innocent, he has no way of proving it and must eventually

put the man with such great power to death.

The Green Mile is about a man, John, who possesses a unbelievable power. He has the power to breathe life into the dead. John is accused of a crime that he didn’t do. Tom, the jail keeper, painfully narrates this story. I thought this story had a dark demeanor, but was a very good read.

A Change of Heart by Jodi PicoultRating: Great!

In A Change of Heart, a carpenter is accused of the rape of a young girl and the murder of her step-father. Through the point of views of the mother, a priest, the criminal’s lawyer, and a prison mate, we discover how unusual this man is. He announces that he wants to give the young victim, who is suffering a heart disease, his own heart. Controversy hypes up this small New Hampshire town and we learn how all the main characters get involved. Twists and turns will keep anyone reading until the last page of the book!

A Fine Balance by Rohintno MistryRating: Amazing!

This fictional story is shared through the perception of the four main characters and their struggles in India in the 1970s. The caste system encourages horrible treatment to the underclass, sanitation is poor, and politics is corrupt. The chaotic events affect every single character in a unique way. This is a very intense, but well written story with graphic content. Although the description at times is gruesome, I loved how the author established the image of the character’s miseries which are still realistic for anyone to endure today. I recommend it to anyone up for a challenging novel that will change their understanding of underdeveloped countries forever (and is ready for very mature and graphic content).

The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseniRating: Great

The Kite Runner is a very powerful book about modern Afghanistan along with being a superb novel about how an Afghan man comes to forgive himself for a terrible mistake he made in his childhood. It also describes the current situation in Afghanistan and how the country is being destroyed by the Taliban. It describes how people are living in Afghanistan and dying. One scene that stood out to me was how a man was forced to trade his prosthetic leg to get money, he was so desperate. This novel was very well written, and one of the most moving books I have ever read.

It’s Not About the Bike by Lance ArmstrongRating: Great!

It’s Not About the Bike is an autobiography of Lance Armstrong. Armstrong has broken the record for the most victories in the Tour de France. But Lance sees his greatest success as his triumph over cancer. His odds to beat cancer were about 3% when he was at his worst. Lance Armstrong is a hero and a real role model.

This book is an interesting summary of Lance Armstrong’s life from early “teenhood” to his first Tour de France victory (and includes his struggle with cancer). It was very honest and well written. However, since he had testicular cancer, sometimes the details were a litter (or very) disgusting! I also learned some very interesting things such as how his mother was such an awesome part of his life, and how he used to be a tri-athlete. Another interesting thing was “survivorship”, which was when Lance didn’t do anything but eat tacos and play golf.

Lance Armstrong‘s book was a very inspirational story to me. It showed me what it meant to have guts, be brave, and have endurance. I loved every part of the book. My favorite part about it was his mother.

Every Second Counts by Lance Armstrong Rating: Good

Every Second Counts is the sequel to Lance Armstrongs first novel, It’s Not About the Bike. Every Second Counts is about the years where Lance is riding the Tour de France. This book would be a great read for people who play sports and admire people who work hard to become the best.

Without You: A Memoir of Love, Loss and the Musical RENT by Anthony Rapp Rating: Great

This book is the auto-biography of Anthony Rapp. Anthony played Mark Cohen in the original workshop version of the late Jonathan Larson’s RENT, the off-Broadway version, the Broadway version and in the new movie directed by Chris Columbus. Anthony describes the hardships in fantastic detail, including the death of many loved ones and his struggle to get his mother to accept his sexual orientation. He also shares with the readers his triumphs and success including shows of RENT, having it move to Broadway and sharing the love. Believe that even if you are not a fan of Rent or Anthony, you will enjoy this book.

The Color Purple by Alice WalkerRating: Great!

The Color Purple is about a young woman named Colie who is married to a man who is referred to as ‘Mister’. She was separated from her sister, who writes her letters throughout the story. As her sister writes letters to her, she writes letters to God. She is faced with many obstacles throughout her life, but manages to eventually overcome them.

The Historian by Elizabeth KostovaRating: Amazing!

Although there are over 800 pages in this story, every page is worth the time. This is a thrilling tale of a young daughter of a historian who discovers a terrible secret about Dracula….he is still alive and indeed a vampire. After she is exposed to the secret, she abandons her sheltered life for a life-threatening journey to find her father and long lost mother before Dracula gets to them. Anyone who appreciates historical fiction,

vampire stories, romance, action, mystery, or eastern European history, you will love this story.

The Last Song by Nicholas SparksRating: Good

This is not like the movie you saw in theaters with Miley Cyrus! Here, the purple haired protagonist spends her summer with her father and brother in North Carolina, which is the last thing she ever wanted. Ever since the divorce, she underwent some teenage angst and even though she is a

good person, she made some bad decisions. As the summer passes by, she builds a better relationship with her father, becomes involved in a romantic relationship, saves sea turtle eggs, and gets in trouble with the cops for a crime she didn’t do! Will she be spared from legal punishment, sustain her relationships, and go to Juilliard School of music for her gift at piano?

Moneyball by Michael LewisRating: Great!

I liked that this book was about baseball all the way through. I also like it because it proved that money doesn’t make a good baseball team, and what makes a good baseball team is a smart general manager who makes good trades and drafts the right player. There was only one thing I didn’t like was how long it was. It felt like it took forever to finish it but it was all worth it when I was done reading.

Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren WeisbergerRating: Great

I was a bit confused when I read the first page because the author just plunges the reader into Bettina’s life. However, as I progressed through the book, I got interested in how Bette would get through obstacles thrown at her. The way Lauren Weisberger twisted the plot to reveal who Bette liked was quite a surprise. Also, Bette was a person who I believed lots of people would connect to, making the story better. The ending was my favorite part.