tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45634013733826151742024-03-13T02:26:56.247-07:00Harker US Library Book BlogThe Harker US Library Book Blog is a collection of reviews written by members of the Harker School community, including teachers and upper school students. It is edited by upper school librarians Meredith Cranston and Amy Pelman.Harker US Libraryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06862386331967563195noreply@blogger.comBlogger379125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-84932490036489597042019-09-16T10:08:00.000-07:002019-09-16T10:08:03.206-07:00Tell Me Three Things (Reviewed by Hita T. '23)Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There are three things that Jessie Holmes is trying to come to terms with. One, her mother dies. Two, she moves in with her dad and his new fiancé (who he met online) to Los Angeles. And three, she keeps receiving messages from Somebody/Nobody (or "SN"), who claims to be her virtual guide in Wood Valley High School. Jessie can’t decideMs. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-38597472752272510412019-09-13T07:52:00.000-07:002019-09-13T07:52:27.629-07:00Nemesis by Brendan Reichs (Reviewed by Sofie K '20)Nemesis by Brendan Reichs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Every two years, Min dies. It's always the same man, time and time again. He appears sometime on her birthday, kills her, then she wakes up the next day as if nothing happened. She doesn't know why, or what Noah, subjectively the town's most attractive (and rich) boy, has to do with it, but it happens. On top of it all, a giant asteroid called theMs. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-46397068008140843202019-09-09T08:37:00.001-07:002019-09-13T07:52:58.203-07:00Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton (Reviewed by Anya W. '20)Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A cleverly built, intricately weaved world sets the stage for our peek into the life of a desperate gunslinger in a world that has no patience for women with minds like hers, and no future for people born in places like her homeland. Hamilton seamlessly accomplished what must have been an incredibly difficult narrative feat: creating a Ms. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-86065119604101911522019-09-05T15:53:00.002-07:002019-09-05T15:53:59.068-07:00Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi (Reviewed by Ms. Pelman)Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Told in alternating points-of-view: Penny, a college freshman and Sam a drop-out who works at a coffee shop. Penny is navigating her first year away from her mom (it's just the two of them, and their relationship is close, but rocky), and chasing her dream of becoming a writer. Sam is nursing a broken-heart, while trying to make ends Ms. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-7605128395167506182019-09-03T15:38:00.000-07:002019-09-03T15:38:59.232-07:00Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett (Reviewed by Anya W. '20) Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sancia Grado is quite possibly the best thief in Tevanne. Not in the least because of what exactly the metal plate in her head can do--but it's safer not to talk about that. She's still not quite sure how stealing a box from one merchant house turned her into the most wanted person in Tevanne, and the only one capable of communicating Ms. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-47281319840398896762019-05-17T12:42:00.000-07:002019-05-17T12:42:42.960-07:00Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen (Review by Anya W. '20)Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Viola Li has a Plan. After the end of her first trip with her aunt, to Africa, she's working on several more bake sales to raise money for the causes she's written about. A few more of her scheduled vacations, and she'll have just the right resume for acceptance as a journalism major to her dream school in Dubai. Except, as it turns Ms. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-53125157912790760952019-04-19T15:43:00.000-07:002019-04-19T15:43:58.116-07:00The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (review by Anya W. '20)The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
What's a girl to do when she's got too much to say and no one to pour it out to? Fill journal after journal with words turned into verse, spilling her story across pages for no eyes but her own. A diary of free verse is an indulgence Xiomara can allow, one not banned by the strict rules of her cold home, but what about a poetry club? A Ms. Pelmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16948876806628004600noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-71831105819967146052019-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:002019-01-23T11:44:40.318-08:00Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust (review by Sofie K. '20)Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
"If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty."One kingdom, completely immersed in ice, the cruel outcome of an age-old curse. Two stories intertwined, each pivotal to the other. In one: a girl from the outside comes to power beside a widowed king, her glass heart colder than the eternal winter around her. InMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-814911812320533612018-12-21T12:03:00.000-08:002018-12-21T12:03:18.714-08:00The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (review by Anya W. '20)The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Five Parts by Douglas Adams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
On a rather boring Thursday, a rather boring (but mostly harmless) planet known as Earth is demolished by a Vogon construction crew to clear room for a new hyperspace overpass, along with most of its inhabitants, who rather unfortunately had yet to invent a method of faster than light travel Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-41332111602509114152018-12-20T13:53:00.000-08:002018-12-20T13:53:50.914-08:00Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee (reviewed by Anya W. '20)Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
It's tough to be an American born Chinese girl in San Francisco in 1906, and Mercy Wong knows all about it. But, for all that she was born and raised in chinatown, she'll let it shape her but not define her. So, after she finishes her last year at the only public school in the city open to kids from chinatown, she seizes the first opportunityMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-41466522852190650402018-12-13T15:46:00.000-08:002018-12-13T15:46:01.967-08:00Shine by Lauren Myracle (review by Anya W. '20)Shine by Lauren Myracle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Victim:Patrick -- Cat's ex-best friend, currently in a coma the hospital after being found beaten at the gas station where he works, the victim of a hate crime against gay people. The Investigators:The sheriff -- says it's probably some out of towners from a nearby college. Case closed.Cat -- has her own ideas about it. After all, the sheriff Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-7093770731357647592018-12-11T15:36:00.000-08:002018-12-11T15:36:21.076-08:00Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen (review by Anya W. '20)Skyscraping by Cordelia Jensen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Mira doesn't know what she would call a major turning point in her life. Was it the walk when she decided that this year's yearbook theme would be New York City? Was it the day she found her father in bed with his TA? Was it the day when she found out about her parent's open marriage? Was it the day she found out that her family had no time Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-25548771908600063702018-11-27T16:07:00.000-08:002018-11-27T16:07:30.508-08:00Powerless (The Hero Agenda, #1) by Tera Lynn Childs (review by Anya W. '20)Powerless by Tera Lynn Childs
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
A mark to determine it all: a Hero, a Villain, or nothing--like Kenna, daughter of the late head of the superhero league. Kenna is sick of living life as an extra, and as the only child of Dr. Swift, the superhero league's most loyal scientist, she has the resources to work on her project--even if it's not technically approved. She's Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-6722201857156087352018-11-26T09:04:00.000-08:002018-11-26T09:04:07.607-08:00The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani (review by Anya W. '20)The Village Bride of Beverly Hills by Kavita Daswani
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Priyanka's aunt told her she would be happiest if she didn't expect too much from marriage if she was obedient and kept quiet and kept the house. So a week after meeting Sanjay, like a good daughter, she packs up for a new name, a new family, and a new country. Of course then, when her new in-laws inform her that she is Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-64815258931987208542018-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:002018-11-19T08:57:57.905-08:00The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee (review by Tasha M. 20)The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
When Henry “Monty” Montague embarks on a Grand Tour of Europe with his best friend, he expects a year of glitz, of parties and flirting, and just generally enjoying himself. He does not expect to be the target of a manhunt. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is easily the best historical fiction I’ve ever read.Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-19664404029103069772018-10-22T16:09:00.002-07:002018-10-22T16:09:54.171-07:00Sourdough by Robin Sloan (review by Tasha M. '20)Sourdough by Robin Sloan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lois Clary, a typical Silicon Valley programmer, receives a sourdough starter from two brothers who are part of a small community called the Mazg. As Lois bakes with the starter, she observes strange effects - each loaf has a face in the crust. She quits her job and devotes herself to running a stall at a farmer’s market, where she encounters Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-74787193826744813132018-10-17T21:42:00.000-07:002018-10-17T21:42:01.656-07:00Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (review by Sofie K. '20)Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
“People always love people more when they're dead.” In Will’s world, it’s kill or be killed. In this world, you don’t grieve or cry over deaths, you get revenge. That’s what he thinks as he steps onto the elevator, gun tucked in his waistband, ready to kill the man who took his brother’s life. And then the elevator stops, and someone he longMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-41227861622863860672018-10-15T21:37:00.000-07:002018-10-15T21:37:02.456-07:00To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough (review by Sofie K. '20)To Catch a Killer by Sheryl Scarborough
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
There’s always that one kid in every high school that everybody knows for some reason, whether good or bad. That’s Erin Blake, found next to the dead body of her mother when she was just two years old, now obsessed with finding the culprit with the help of her two friends and biology teacher. But when another murder and some Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-70567175804513256592018-10-14T21:34:00.000-07:002018-10-14T21:34:13.845-07:00Warcross by Marie Lu (review by Tasha M. '20)Warcross by Marie Lu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Marie Lu’s Warcross at first seems like an overdone virtual reality dystopia, but provides a somewhat original take on the topic. Emika Chen, a hacker barely able to pay rent, shocks the world by “glitching” into the international tournament of Warcross, the most popular virtual reality video game. The creator of Warcross enters her into the tournamentMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-79413087473865358422018-09-13T08:27:00.000-07:002018-09-13T08:27:04.786-07:00The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (review by Sara Y. '21)The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas showcases the current struggles and protests of African Americans through the perspective of a relatable teenage girl, Starr. While driving back from a party, Starr witnesses the death of her childhood friend Khalil after a Caucasian police officer pulls them over and shoots him. Khalil was unarmed. Starr Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-3574615306400385152018-09-04T14:00:00.000-07:002018-09-04T14:00:04.137-07:00Amatka by Karin Tidbeck (review by Sophia G. '21)Amatka by Karin Tidbeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Amatka by Karin Tidbeck is a rare treasure that avoids all the cliches other modern dystopias tend to fall into. The world we are transported to is foreign and yet not so. We follow a woman who relocates to a foreign colony because of her job change. In her exploration of her new surroundings, she begins to question the order from which she came. Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-69992579159939773212018-08-29T10:40:00.000-07:002018-08-29T10:49:59.599-07:00The Odyssey by Homer (review by Sachi B. '21)The Odyssey by Homer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Written by Homer, The Odyssey, is an epic covering the journey of the hero Odysseus to reach his home, Ithaca. Odysseus constantly faces hardships due to a multitude of reasons such as the gods being against him and the urges of women to have him as a husband. Despite being gone for twenty years due to the Trojan War, he continuously perseveres to Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-30347502949946458522018-07-16T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-29T10:50:30.062-07:00A Line in the Dark by Melinda Lo (review by Sofie K. '20)A Line in the Dark by Malinda Lo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Jess Wong and Angie Redmond are best friends, but Jess wishes they could be more. The two are practically inseparable... until a pretty girl named Margot Adams walks in to the Creamery Angie works at and practically steals Angie from Jess. In an instant, Jess’s world is torn to shreds when Angie falls for Margot and the two start dating. IfMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-72910356698240559642018-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:002018-08-29T10:50:45.292-07:00Timekeeper by Tara Sim (review by Sofie K. '20)Timekeeper by Tara Sim
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Timekeeper is set in an alternate version of Victorian era England, where clocktowers (like Big Ben) in each city control the passage of time. As long as the clocks are running smoothly, so does everything else. However, if they were to stop working... that would spell trouble for the poor souls who live in that area. Danny Hart is a clock mechanic: Mrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4563401373382615174.post-74834271898899418582018-07-11T21:29:00.003-07:002018-08-29T10:51:09.158-07:00You by Austin Grossman (review by Tasha M. '20)You by Austin Grossman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Austin Grossman’s You promises a fresh perspective on video games, with emphasis on how they are created and how they affect players, but ultimately fails to deliver. Russell, the protagonist, begins working as a game designer and attempts to find a bug in the code by playing through other games by the company, Black Arts Games. The writing is mostlyMrs. Cranstonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04846690008931383611noreply@blogger.com0