Check out the wide range of books our teen volunteers are reading and reviewing this fall! Do you see any of your favorites? 🙂

The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud (2014)

Reviewed by Braneeth

Summary
The Screaming Staircase is a thriller novel set in Victorian England. An event known as
“the Problem” has caused deadly ghosts to appear all over London. Only children possess the ability to see and hear these supernatural forces. Agencies employing these young ones are committed to eradicating England of “the Problem.” Lockwood & Co, one such agency, find themselves in a financial crisis after a mission gone wrong. However, when a famous industrialist shows up with a well-paying job, they are forced to accept to save their company. They must brave the mysteries and dangers of Combe Carey Hall, the most haunted house in London. Furthermore, there seems to be something more sinister at play regarding their mysterious client and his true intentions.

My Opinions
The Screaming Staircase is a great book, and one that I would recommend. The idea that
only children can see the ghosts is a very unique twist on common ghost stories. Despite being a ghost story, the feelings and emotions of the main character Lucy are very relatable as she navigates fear, love, and danger. The book has many plot twists leaving you in suspense and never knowing what will happen next.

My only critique would be that there is not much danger or suspense for the first half of
the book as the agency is introduced and the introduction is set. However, once they enter the haunted house the plot picks up dramatically and tensions rise. It’s well worth the wait and the ending is both unexpected but also appropriately rounds off the book.

The School for Good and Evil by Soman Chainani (2013)

Reviewed by Vaanya

The exquisite book, The School for Good and Evil, by Soman Chainani, is the first of six in the series. It takes you on adventures you could only dream of and it contains the splendor that you could only imagine. Once you have read the first book your thirst for more will make you run out to get the second!

There are two schools, one for Good, and one for Evil. Try to escape and you will always fail, the only way out is through a fairytale. Away from all of this is the village of Gavaldon, in the center of the endless Woods. Every four years two “readers” are chosen, one to go to the School for Evil, and one for the School for Good. The villagers all think they know who will be chosen and which schools they will go to, but they find out they are very wrong.

Sophie and Agatha are two completely opposite girls, but are still very close friends. Sophie has always dreamed of getting away from Gavaldon and into the School for Good. She wants a bigger and better life. Ever since her mother died heartbroken, she told herself she would find a prince. She is the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, and she thinks if she does enough Good Deeds the School Master will choose her. The villagers feel sure that she will end up going to the School for Good. Her friendship with Agatha started out as a good deed. Agatha, on the other hand, keeps to herself and she wants to continue to live on the grave hill with her mother, the complete opposite of Sophie. The villagers believe that she will go to the School for Evil.

One night both Sophie and Agatha get abducted by the School Master. When both of the girls reach the schools, they are awestruck at first, but then the School Master drops Agatha at the School for Good, and Sophie is not happy about it. Sophie has always wanted the life of a princess who lives with a prince. After ending up in a school that only seems to portray her nightmares, Sophie is desperate to go to Agatha’s place. After many tries, she gives up and tries to win the heart of a prince instead – Prince Tedros of Camelot. He thinks there has been a mistake in the placement of the students. In his mind Agatha is the witch and Sophie is his princess.

Meanwhile, Agatha is miserable in her new school, and she wants to find a way back to Sophie and her home in Gavaldon. Most of all, she wants to get away from Prince Tedros, who she keeps encountering. This school promises her a beautiful and wonderful life, but she knows what would happen if she fails it. Worst of all, every single hallway has a mirror and young girls from fairytale dynasties. They all remind her of who she can’t be, a beautiful princess with a perfect life and someone she loves who loves her back. Agatha needs to escape from this school, but she doesn’t see the opportunities that lay just in front of her.

The School for Good and Evil is an enchanting book filled with mystical fantasies and twists that have a little bit of foreshadowing so that it doesn’t come as a complete surprise to the reader. The first book tangles the reader into a web of magic and drama. The details are exquisite, from what the characters eat to how they interact with others. The book is not your typical fairy tale. There is adventure beyond measure, and mysteries that will lead you to read the next book. Each book does end on somewhat of a cliffhanger, but it has a bittersweet ending along with it.

“In the forest of primeval, a school for Good and Evil, twin towers like two heads, one for the pure and one for the wicked, try to escape you’ll always fail, the only way out is through a fairytale.”

El Deafo by Cece Bell (2014)

Reviewed by Sanya

The book El Deafo was written by Cece Bell and it’s a story about her own childhood! Cece gets sick and soon finds out she’s losing her hearing. Since she has to wear a big hearing device she always feels like the odd one out. Towards the end of the story she shares her “superpower” with the rest of the class and doesn’t feel ashamed anymore. 

I loved reading this book! El Deafo is a graphic novel so I could really see what was happening and what everything looked like. Even if this book hadn’t included pictures, Cece describes everything really well so it’s easy to follow along. My favourite character was Cece since she’s the main character, but I also liked Martha. Martha was one of Cece’s only friends that wasn’t mean and didn’t make a big deal about her hearing aids. 

Throughout the book Cece was ashamed of her hearing aids, so if you have ever felt like the odd one out you can understand how Cece felt. If you’re looking for an entertaining graphic novel to read you should definitely check this book out! I enjoyed reading El Deafo and I think it’s a great book for kids in elementary and middle school.

Far from the Tree by Robin Benway (2017)

Reviewed by Adharsha

This is a beautiful book which portrays the importance of family amidst the act of finding yourself. Three different teenagers, living not far away from each other, end up figuring out that they are half-siblings. As their paths converge, they learn more about each other and support each other through their struggles and times of difficulty.

Each of the characters is beautifully described and each of their stories touched me in a way no book has before. I loved every moment of this novel, and I loved Robin Benway’s unique and beautiful writing. This book made me cry, laugh, and wonder, through the amazing details and plot twists that would keep any reader invested.

I really, really, loved this book, and I know that anyone who picks up Far From the Tree will find it to be a heartwarming and truly stunning novel. Kudos to Robin Benway for taking me on such an emotional yet fantastic adventure. 🙂

• Rating: 20/10