Book Review:   Bibliography- Blume, J. (2014). Forever . Antheneum Books for Young Readers. ISBN 1481414437   Plot Summary- Katherine and Michael are in love, and Katherine knows it’s forever, especially after she loses her virginity to him. But when they’re separated for the summer, she begins to have feelings for another boy. What does this say about her love for Michael? And what does “forever” mean, anyway? Is this the love of a lifetime, or the very beginning of a lifetime of love?   Critical Analysis- This novel explores the thrills and risks of a teenage couple’s first sexual relationship . Although it has been the topic of many controversial book conversations, I think it is a well written book that can serve as a model of what a healthy teenage sex life could be. The storyline isn’t harsh and doesn’t scold or shame people, so I think it is very relevant to today’s teens. The novel is written in first-person, which makes it feel almost ...

  Book Review:   Bibliography- Myers, W. D. (1999). Monster (C. Myers, Ill.). Harper Collins Publishers.      ISBN 0060280778          Plot Summary- Sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is on trial for murder. A Harlem drugstore owner was shot and killed in his store, and the word is that Steve served as the lookout. Guilty or innocent, Steve becomes a pawn in the hands of "the system," cluttered with cynical authority figures and unscrupulous inmates, who will turn in anyone to shorten their own sentences. For the first time, Steve is forced to think about who he is as he faces prison, where he may spend all the tomorrows of his life. As a way of coping with the horrific events that entangle him, Steve, an amateur filmmaker, decides to transcribe his trial into a script, just like in the movies. He writes it all down, scene by scene, the story of how his whole life was turned around in an instant. But despite his...

 Book Review: Bibliography- Nayeri, D. (2020). Everything sad is untrue: (a true story) . Levine Querido Publishers. ISBN 1646140001   Plot Summary- In an Oklahoman middle school, Khosrou (whom everyone calls Daniel) stands in front of a skeptical audience of classmates, telling the tales of his family's history, stretching back years, decades, and centuries. At the core is Daniel's story of how they became refugees, starting with his mother's vocal embrace of Christianity in a country that made such a thing a capital offense, and continuing through their midnight flight from the secret police, bribing their way onto a plane to anywhere. Anywhere becomes the sad, cement refugee camps of Italy, and then finally asylum in the U.S. Implementing a distinct literary style and challenging western narrative structures, Nayeri deftly weaves through stories of the long and beautiful history of his family in Iran, adding a richness of ancient tales and Persian folklore. ...