Going Bovine By Libba Bray

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The book, Going Bovine by Libba Bray, orbits around the illusions of 16 year old Cameron Smith as he is slowly taken over by Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the human equivalent to mad cow’s disease. His story begins after he accepts a quest offered by Dulcie, a literal pink “punk rock” angel, to engage in an exorbitant adventure find Dr. X, the time traveling physicist who triggered the end of the universe via his excessive trips across dimensions through the means of wormholes. Along with Gonzo, his neurotic hospital roommate affected with dwarfism, the sudden appearances of Dulcie, and random signs of guidance, Cameron goes on a utopian road trip to Disney World, the location of Dr. X’s secret laboratory. En route, they meet Balder, a Norse god cursed to appear in the form of a lawn gnome, escape the ever appearing theoretical fire dragons commanded by the Wizard of Reckoning, encounter a mysterious cult, meet the acquaintance of several physicists and fight against a notorious snow globe corporation. At their final destination, Cameron realizes his true identity and twist that shakes the reader’s entire perspective of the book is revealed. The book offers valuable insight to the true meaning of life and leaves the reader wondering even after the last page, regardless of the number of times, has been turned.

 

The novel brings up unpopular yet eye-opening perspectives on modern education, religious cults, as well as American materialism, and includes several references to wormholes and string theory. Its overall bold quirkiness and unpredictable storyline also added to the book’s appeal. The unexpected twists and turns of the plot made the book more intriguing and harder to put down. Although the book supports several disliked opinions and contains varying degrees of profanity, it offers stimulating views on various topics trending in modern culture. The book invites the reader to be more curious as to how a character ends up. I would recommend this book to readers interested in profound, vivid and yet cryptic dark comic tragedy.

 

Reviewed by Sritharini R.

 

Also Known As by Robin Benway

Book trailer

Margaret is a normal name for a normal girl right? Wrong. In fact, it is the exact opposite. The only reason her parents named her Margaret was because it has so many different nicknames: Peggy, Maisie, Molly, Margie, Meg. The list is endless. She has traveled the world with her parents, cracking safes for the world’s premier spy organization. But when Maggie is sent to New York City for her first solo assignment, her life is transformed. Suddenly she’s attending a private school and befriending Jesse, the cute son of a potential national security threat… while trying not to blow her cover.  It had me laughing every five minutes. This is book is unbelievably funny. While reading this book I got a lot of looks from people, all thinking that I had officially gone crazy. But I mean who wouldn’t think that if they saw a girl laughing at a book by herself, right? So make sure that when you do read it, you are either very good at holding in your laughter or you’re alone, because I assure you, that there is absolutely no way you can read this book without laughing at least once. This book is a hilarious portrayal of a teenage spy’s day to day life. It had a great mix of realistic conflicts and humorous disasters. This book is the perfect combination of dramatic diva a girl that is too mature for her age. It showed interesting and relatable situations at home and at school. Overall, this book was something that almost everyone can relate to, from teenage girls to parents. I had recently finished reading a book and was looking for a book to read next. I searched up “girl” on the school catalog computer and 658 books popped up. Working in the library gives you some down time to waste. So as I was scrolling through them all, I came across a book titled “AKA” (Also Known As).  The cover was a forest green and the letters A, K, A were written in pink with a magnifying glass on the back. Of course, I went to the shelf and picked it up. Once I read the summary, I decided I would give it a go. As soon as I got the the second line on the first page, I knew that there was no way I was putting this book down until I finished it. When the first sentence is, “ I cracked my first safe when I was three.” who in their right mind would put that book down? The book is filled with humorous sarcastic comments and hilarious dramatics.  I would give it to pretty much anyone who can read. This book is relatable to everyone, including your grandparents and parents. This book is for anyone who likes mystery, spies, romance, action and non-fiction. It has mix of all of the above and much more. This book is really amusing and entertaining that everyone would enjoy.

 

Reviewed By Prathista Annapareddi

 

It’s kind of a funny story by: Ned Vizzini

Summary: The book is about a boy named Craig who after being subject to sheer amounts of social and academic stress, reaches anxiety and depression levels pushing him to a a near suicide scenario. Instead, he checks himself into a mental ward, leading to discoveries about himself and the patients of the ward that help better his perspective on life and how to relax. Eventually, succeeding in getting over his depression and re-integrating back into his normal life.

Why I picked it out: The comments and summary on the back were very appealing to me, as well as the cover art.

Why did I keep reading: The style of writing is very dialogue and thought based on a first person perspective. You really got into the head of Craig, and the way he judged and analyzed everything. Very intriguing. Also,  the amount of comedy in the book turned it into a “non-depressing” book about a depressed guy.

Who would I give it to next: A good friend, or anyone that’s curious about depression without wanting to read about tragic cases.

Reviewed by: Nima A.

The Book of Story Beginnings by Kristin Kladstrup

Summary: A story about time travel…Oscar, a young 12 year old living in 1914 travels to the future (60 years) and meets his grandniece, Lucy. After they become acquainted, they both strive to fulfill their mission, which is to save Lucy’s Dad by gathering information from both time periods and defeating fate.

Why I picked it up: Cover looked interesting

Why I kept reading it: Many cliffhangers, intricate storyline,easy to visualize and interesting.

Who I would give it to next: My friends

Reviewed by: Ankita U.

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Summary:  Vampire Academy is a place where Dhampirs and Moroi(vampires) go to be safe and have a normal life. The Dhampirs are there to train as the guardians for the royal Moroi and the Moroi in return give the Dhampirs a place to live. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir while her best friend Lissa is a Moroi. Rose must overcome the fact that she is no longer in the outside world and has to protect Lissa. She also finds a love interest that might end up working out but we may never know until the end.

Why Ipicked it  up: I picked the book up because my friend suggested it to me.

Why I kept reading it: I picked the book up because my friend suggested it to me.

Who would I give it to next: I would give it to anyone who loves a good vampire book with some troubles and best of all romance.

Reviewed by Akshita D.

Kitty Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Summary:  Jaz has to move from LA to Venice right before her senior years starts because her dad wanted to do research on soap. Jaz thinks that they had to leave LA because she was getting in to too much trouble so she avoids trouble as much as possible. She acts like a model daughter and goes to Italian class because her dad wanted her to learn Italian while she was there. In her class, she became friends with a girl named Arabella who was constantly worried that she was going to get killed by whoever is following her. Jaz does not want to get involved because it sounds like trouble, but one day Arabella is found dead. The police thinks she committed suicide because people saw her jumping into the lake but Jaz knows she didn’t so sneaks around to solve the mystery.

Why I picked it up:  When I was in middle school, my friend recommended the book, Bad Kitty, which is the first book of this series and I really liked it. A few months ago I went to the library and found out that there was a second book so I decided to read it.

Why I kept reading it:  I kept reading this book because it was crazy and funny. Also since it is a
mystery, I didn’t want to stop reading until I knew who killed Arabella.

Who would I give it to next:  I would give this book to anyone who likes humorous mystery stories. Even people who do not really like mystery will probably enjoy this.

Reviewed by Amy H.

You Killed Wesley Payne by Sean Beaudoin

Summary: Dalton Rev is a private detective, who is charged with finding out who is guilty for the murder of Wesley Payne. He navigates the vicious hallways of Salt River High School, learning about a war brewing between the two biggest cliques of the school, and how it can be advantageous to his investigation.

Why I picked it up: The book was in the New Books section, where I usually find books to read.

Why I kept reading it: This book was hilarious. Not hilariously bad, just hilarious. It was funny, sarcastic, and fast-paced, just the way I like them.

Who I would give it to next: Everyone. I’d get as many copies as I could and throw them randomly at everyone I see. Literally.

Reviewed by Sheila K.

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar

Summary: There is a student that is named Scott and he is starting his first year of High School as a freshmen. He has to deal with so many things during his first year of high school. He has to deal with homework, sleep, friends, love, clubs, bullies, and so much more. He also has to balance his school life with his personal life. In the end he finally gets his life all worked out and he starts to enjoy high school.

Why I picked it up: I was recommended to read it for a class

Why I kept reading it: It was actually very addicting. There were a lot of different problems popping up and the things he does to solve them are very amazing

Who would I give it to next: I would give this to all my friends and suggest them to read it because it is a really interesting book.

Reviewed by: Dhruv P.

How I Paid For College: A novel of sex, theft, friendship & musical theatre by Marc Acito

This hilarious book follows a 17-year-old sexually confused, dramatic, New Jersey boy as he tries to find a way to get into the prestigious acting school, Julliard. Edward’s summer turns into a story of this teenager’s exploits and follows him all summer long.

Edward’s dreams were crushed when his father refuses to pay for college. Unable to contact his mother who randomly decides to go on hippy vacations for long periods of time, he is in a tight spot. He cannot get a scholarship because his father earns too much nor is he capable of keeping a job. Plus he has an evil stepmother who has recently walked in on his life. When teens are in trouble, who do they turn to? Their peers of course! Edward goes to his misfit friends to help him get the tuition money. Also he must balance his high school life, keeping his father unsuspicious, and his confused sexual life.

Through spending time with his very eccentric friends, he not only finds a way to get into his dream university, but also gains more than mere materials. In his exploits Edward learns the value of friendship, hard work, and “how you’re not really a man until you can beat up your father”. This book is told in 1^st person as Edward describes his life hilariously as he sees it. The story flows slowly and gracefully to the climax! If you have a sense of humor, then I suggest you read this book about a flamboyant, theatrical teen and his buddies spending their summer together.

Submitted by Nat R.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Experiencing life with friends, desires and family is something every teenager goes through. However, the way Tyler Miller experienced it was like no other teenager. Tyler Miller goes from being an average unnoticed guy to the tough guy of school. He graffitied the school and receives probation over the summer and falls in love with the queen bee Bethany Miller. From there his life is simply twisted. Laurie Halse Anderson writes about the pros and cons about the life of an average teen and how he deals with his family and friends.Twisted is a book that I would recommend to young adults who love reading about romance and do not mind rough tragedies and incidents that occur throughout the book. Love finds ways to go wrong is the main theme of this book and making everything better is the other struggle faced. Tyler is determined to make things right again but he must face many obstacles first. Personally, I did not like the book very much even though the plot drew me in. After the first few chapters, the story revolved around topics which were very severe and it ruined the enthusiasm. Even if this book was not the best, it certainly has very important lessons for the youth pertaining to why and how one should make careful decisions.

Reviewed by: Meetali K.