Reviews of Banished and The Tragedy Paper

A girl with healing powers was running away with her aunt, brother, and dog from evil people who has visions. The story is exciting and intense. It involves killing, fire and guns, which makes the story more nerve wrecking. I would highly recommend this book to everyone who like reading books that has good and evil in it.

A boy is going to his senior year. He found out a set of tapes in about an albino boy's story of his first love and how things happened in the albino's senior year. I would recommend this book to people going to their junior or senior year, because you might relate and learn something from it.

~ Reviewed by a Homestead senior

None Of The Above, by I.W. Gregorio

None of the Above caught my eye just for the title, I saw it sitting on the library shelf and  remember thinking about the title. I was so happy I picked it up, because this book will leave you on a high of happiness for the rest of the day. It is so positive and shows us all that now matter what our chromosomes are we should all love each other regardless. This story follows high school student Kristin Lattimer or Krissy, starting out right around Homecoming for their school where Krissy thinks that everything in her life is fitting into place. But then she is diagnosed with AIS, or intersex and her life is suddenly turned upside down. (Intersex is when you are born with both male and female body parts, though intersex people can appear outwardly as a girl or as a boy. It is part of the LGBT+ community). Kristin now has to figure out how to navigate through her life discovering this new part of her and what new paths and ways to take in her life in and out of high school. 

I really liked (loved, even) this book because it was so diverse. This is the first, and only book I have picked up and fully enjoyed about the topic. It has amazing representation and the author is a doctor, so there was also a blend of doctor facts but the book did not overuse the medical facts and information. A side note is that the author also uses the older more unknown term hermaphrodite, which was done away with because it seemed like a more hurtful term, but in this case it is being reclaimed. Which I thought was pretty awesome and super cool of the author. (Although some characters do use the term with a more negative connotation). I really like that it explored the beauty in being intersex and being you. I also want to mention there are a few scenes in which Krissy is outed but I loved that there were people there to support her and help her. 

There isn’t really much I disliked about the book, this book is really amazing and I am so glad it was written. I wish there were more books like this and hope for more books alike to come. I would recommend this book to anyone honestly it was so captivating. You become captivated with this world and what happens to Krissy. This book gets a five out of five stars from me not only from it being diverse but it was just so positive and amazing and a truly awesome and funny story to read. I do still wish that there was another book coming as a sequel, but I still love it and will remember it forever.

~ Reviewed by Alexi V.

So Cute It Hurts series

This book has action along with romance that cirles around 2 twins and their high school life. This book also include fighting scenes and romance scenes where you really fall in love with your characters. I recommend this manga if you love scenes that make your eyes water and your heart yearn for more; if so go read "So Cute It Hurts" in your library today.

~ Reviewed by Rebecca A.

The Trials of Apollo

This book is the continuation of Percy Jackson. It is about how Apollo, the god of music, truth and prophecy, healing, the sun and light, plague, poetry, and more, got kicked out of the Olympics, and finding out the deepest secret of Python's reborn, and the inside story of Nero the Roman Emperor. If you like Percy Jackson series, you must read The Trials Of Apollo. It is the connection to another possible series: Greek vs. Rome. Maybe even Egypt will join, too.

~ Reviewed by Niyu J.