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The book begins after the Hunger Games which takes place in the second book in the series (Catching Fire). Katniss Everdeen, the book’s main character, is in district thirteen (led by President Coin) which is now the base that is underground for the rebellion against the Capital and President Snow. Katniss and the others including her sister Prim, her mom, and Gale, Katniss’ hunting partner, and friend take classes and try to better themselves for the rebellion. However, Peeta Mellark, who was the co-Hunger Games winner with Katniss was captured after the games by the capital.

Left Out by Tim Green is a realistic fiction novel about a new kid moving into a new school with cochlear implants. The kid’s name is Landon Dorch, he is in the seventh grade, and he is one of the tallest and biggest kids in his grade, so he joins the football team. However, the kids on the team make him feel unwanted because of his hearing problems. He also has little to no football knowledge and doesn’t play in the games. Then, he makes a surprising friend named Brett.

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles tells the story of two special education students who initially dislike each other. When their guidance counselor mandates that they stay together for the predictable future, they are not overjoyed. After all, they barely got along during their first encounter and it seems like they won’t get along in the future either. Soon, however, they see past their differences and into the persons they have really become. They realize that their situation is mutually advantageous: Biddy needs help as a Russian immigrant and Quincy has her own secret to hide.

This novel is a great read. Its a great book that will keep you wondering what will happen to young Stanley Yelnats. Full of friendships, mystery, treasure, and more. I highly recommend this novel for young teen readers. After reading you can also watch the movie that corresponds with the novel. I think that the characters in this book are great role models in all different ways. They each represent a different struggle they have been through and how that has shaped their personality. 

The Distance From Me to You by Marina Gessner (pen name of Nina de Gramont) tells the story of McKenna, the protagonist of the novel, who decides to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail after hearing that her dad did the same. She had originally planned to hike with a friend, but when that friend mysteriously pulls out of the arrangement, McKenna is left by herself to survive in the wilderness. Then she meets Sam, who has taken to the Appalachian Trail to escape his troubled family.

The Hunger Game story is broken up into three books. The first book is The Hunger Games and takes place in a different universe where the United States of America is broken up into thirteen districts which all have different jobs to provide for the capital. Some of these include mining and farming. Each year for the entertainment of the rich in the capital, the Hunger Games takes place. From each of the thirteen districts, one female and one male is chosen to represent their district and have to fight to be the last one alive in a rural environment.

On a Clear Day by Walter Dean Myers is a dystopian novel that tells the story of Dahlia, a sixteen year old who lives in the Bronx in the year 2035. Her society is divided into classes based on wealth. At the top are the big corporations that control much of the world’s access to essential resources. Meanwhile, the people at the other classes have no hope of moving up the social ladder. While Dahlia doesn’t have the courage to work to dismantle the social structure at first, she is eventually contacted by a secret American group that aims to free the world from corporate hegemony.

We Were Liars is an amazing fictional story written by E. Lockhart. The book takes place in Massachusetts with the main protagonist who is a seventeen-year-old teenage girl. Her grandfather owns a private island where her whole extended family always spends the summers away from everything. Cadence has been going there since she was a little kid and has a very close bond with three others there. She even ends up falling in love with a friend of her cousin who recently started going there with her.

All American Boys, by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely  All American Boys is several years old but it's as timely as ever. Reynolds narrates Rashad, a black teen who gets mistaken as a shoplifter at the corner bodega. Kiely narrates Quinn, the white friend (and a witness to the incident) of the cop, who beats up and arrests Rashad.

Have you read a good book that you want to share with others? Send us an email, with your review to teens@sayvillelibrary.org, along with the book title and author. Submitting book reviews can count toward your community service credit. Each review earns 1 hour of community service.

The New David Espinoza, by Fred Aceves