Teen Book Reviews
Submit a Teen Book Review
Teens in grades 6-12 can earn community service by reading and reviewing new YA books!
Rules:
- Teens can read and review 2 books per month
- Each book will be worth 2 community service hours
- Teens may review any new book from our YA selection
- The reviews should be between 100-250 words.
- The review should discuss elements such as how the plot flowed, writing style, flaws in the story and overall enjoyment of the book. Do not provide a summary of the book.
- Book reviews must be submitted electronically below.
Book review submissions will be reviewed by the Teen Department before community service is awarded. We reserve the right to deny community service credit if the review does meet the criteria presented above.
If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the Teen Department at 914-941-2416 ext. 336.
Guts by Raina Telgemeier
3 stars



Kyle’s Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong
3 stars

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
5 stars

The Long Walk by Stephen King
4 stars

The Fall of Rome by Martha Southgate
5 stars
Rashid Bryson, the main character in Martha Southgate’s Fall of Rome, is struggling to find motivation after his brother Kofi Bryson was killed. He seeks new challenges and decides to join a new school called Chelsea. Unfortunately, this new school is an all white school with minimal colored people attending there. He meets the only black teacher named Jerome Washington. He thinks he is helping Rashid succeed at Chelsea, but in the end his efforts will work against him. Teen readers will enjoy reading this book because it shows the struggles of dealing with a loss and dealing with people who try to bring you down. I highly recommend this book because it shows that many people will try to bring you down but the faster you get up the better.
The Maze Runner by Rick Riordan
5 stars
Thomas arrives at a place in a dark elevator with no memory whatsoever of his past. He doesn’t even know his last name. He is surrounded by about 50 teenage boys. Their leader Alby, welcomes him to the Glade. He learns that they are surrounded by a Maze, and the only way out of there is to solve it. Most of the boys have been there for years. Thomas goes on a quest to solve the Maze so he can free everyone, but it is not going to be easy as the Mazes creators, WICKED, made it close to impossible for them to succeed. With many sad, funny, and intense moments, this book will leave you with cliffhangers every chapter making you want to keep on reading. I would highly recommend this book for the teen reader who loves a book with action and drama.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
4 stars

Allegiant by Veronica Roth
4.5 stars
Insurgent by Veronica Roth
4 stars
Divergent by Veronica Roth
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
3 stars
The main character, Hazel knows she is dying of cancer. Despite the miracle that bought her a few years, Hazel never saw herself as anything but terminal. When she makes an instant connection with another survivor, Augustus Waters, at a youth support group, she was determined to not begin any sort of romance with him. She saw it as pointless. Regardless of her efforts to maintain their friendship nothing more than that, a friendship, it became impossible to deny that they were in love. Later in finding out Augustus’s painful secret, Hazel learns that loving others is worth it, even if it ends with some hurt. I definitely recommend this book, as it brings awareness to a sensitive and not talked enough topic. This tragic story about teens fighting cancer will leave your stomach-turning. Hazel’s story is not only about fighting cancer but also about deciding to love and be loved, even when you know it will cause pain.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
4 stars

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez
5 stars
Julia Reyes, a smart but rebellious teen who lives with her parents and older sister, Olga, the “perfect Mexican daughter”. It was always about being the Perfect Mexican daughter. But Julia was everything but that. The Perfect Mexican daughter was Olga’s role. The tragic accident that left Olga dead results in the broken hearts of many. No one seemed to acknowledge that Julia was also suffering. Instead of providing Julia comfort, her mother uses her grief to point out all of Julia’s failures. It’s not long before Julia finds out that Olga wasn’t the saint everyone thought she was. In attempting to discover Olga’s secrets, she came to a realization of why her parents were so afraid of Julia building a different life for herself. Julia became determined to find out Olga’s truth. Who really was Olga? Not only does this book go into the Mexican culture but it also uncovers the harsh realities connected with death, poverty, and immigration. I highly recommend reading this book as it also reveals the relationship between Mexican immigrant parents that are firm in following tradition and first-generation children who are “Americanized”.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
4 stars

One Of Us is Next by Karen M. McManus

4 stars
Three Things I Know to be True by Betty Cully
Three Things I Know are True by Betty Culley is a saddening book, focusing on the idea of recovering from tragedy. Throughout this brutally honest book, the main character must find peace in the fact that her family will never be the same. This book was fairly entertaining and very easy to read, despite the fact that it was written in verse. The author managed to get to her point rather fast, but in a way that wasn’t to blunt. My biggest critique of this book, however, was that it would pick up a side story or theme and never complete them. This was somewhat annoying. This is a very menial complaint, though. This book would not be something that I would recommend, but I would not advise you against reading it.
Maybe This Time by Kasie West

DRAMA by Raina Telgemeier
