The Sun is Also a Star, by Nicola Yoon

Natasha and Daniel are fated to be together. But he's a Korean-American on his way to Yale (second

best to his brother's Harvard) and she's a Jamaican-American about to be deported. Through one long day of chance encounters, college interviews, immigration lawyers, shoplifting ex-boyfriends, parent meetings, and the scientific method, Daniel and Natasha fall into the kind of love they think will only happen once in their lifetimes.
This book is for the hopeless romantic in all of us. The chapters are short moments in time, told not only from the perspective of Daniel and Natasha, but also from the points of view of people they encounter throughout the day, like a security guard and a paralegal, and the impact of these encounters on each person. As in her prior book, Nicola Yoon wraps everything up in a way that is both unexpected and very satisfying. Recommended for everyone that believes in lasting love at first sight.

Review of A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin

This is the first book in the series. If you've ever watched the TV series, it might not be as interesting IMO because reading a book after you've watched the movie ruins the experience. But if you haven't watched GOT yet, this is a really good book because it's more complicated than the TV series, and the characters are more real and in-depth. For example, I figured out the parents of a character, a fact that was only revealed 6 or 7 seasons into the TV series, just from reading the first book. That's how complex this book is. But it isn't like reading a textbook; I usually don't like reading fiction or fantasy but this book just blew me away. 9/10 would recommend.

~ Reviewed by a Homestead junior

Review of Poison Study, by Maria Snyder

Poison Study is about a strong female protagonist being selected to be the poison taster to the Throne of Glass, you will love this book as much as I do. I am waiting for the chance to read the second book!
Commander. Throughout the book, she proves her worth as a poison taster as well as a heroine, dauntlessly facing unexpected challenges even with a deeply troubled past. I absolutely loved this book. It was full of plot twists, which I adore, and was extremely well written. Not to mention the magic and romance. It was perfect. I rate it ten out of ten and recommend it to anyone who loves a bad-ass heroine with intelligence and strength. If you liked Throne of Glass, you will love this book as much as I do. I am waiting for the chance to read the second book!

~Sunaina N., 9th grade

The Girl from Everywhere, by Heidi Heilig

Nix is a little bit pirate and a little bit time traveler, and a lot confused by her relationship with her father, her best friend and her future. She's been a passenger on her father's ship, the Temptation, for her whole life, as he's been seeking the perfect map that can bring them all back to a time before Nix's mother died. But if the past gets changed, what will happen to the present, and the future? Nix may not be the same person, or even exist at all. She's torn between trusting her father and trusting her instincts. Worse, she becomes embroiled in a political upheaval -- something she knows from the future takes place in the present where she is -- and she finds her loyalties and morals tested by the decisions she has to make.
This book is a very engaging mix of fantasy/sci-fi and historical fiction (much of the action takes place in Hawaii in the 1880s), with some mythology tossed in. The title is a little misleading (the story is much more about Nix's present and future than her origins) but she does need to decide if she wants to learn to Navigate herself and what that might mean. This book also has a lot of consideration of the impact of time travel, which can sometimes be hard to follow (like when Nix meets a crucial character whose own present depends on choices she might or might not make in the future). The adventure always keeps the book moving, however, and it ends very satisfyingly, wrapping up this story pretty neatly but also setting up for the sequel which is coming soon. Highly recommended!

Review of We All Looked Up, by Tommy Wallach

The heart of this book is love and what it means to be human. When an asteroid potentially threatens the survival of humanity, four high school seniors with very different experiences of life ponder what their futures hold. The characters first define themselves by their labels (overachiever, slacker, athlete ...) but when they think the future may or may not actually come to pass, and they may only have a few months left before the world really ends, their priorities change, sometimes dramatically. What would you do if days were numbered not only for you, but for everyone?

The author is a musician, who also released a companion album to the book. I really enjoyed the book, but once I listened to the album, I found a whole new layer of meaning and depth.

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas

A badass, book loving, sassy assassin goes to the castle to fight as the King's Champion. Romance, falls in love with a lot of hot main characters, etc. It's not deep, inspirational writing, but serves more as high-quality junk food–the really addicting kind. Warning– do NOT start this book like I did before finals. If you have good self-control, you will still end up reading 1.5+ hours every day. At least.

~ Reviewed by Amanda S., Homestead 11th grader

Gravity, by Brian Clegg

 

As the title might suggest, this book was about gravity and how it affects our lives on Earth and in the Solar System. In this book, you will learn about the science behind gravitational pull and how gravity affects your life.

~ Posted by a Homestead 11th grader