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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants: The Perfect Summer Read

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For my very last blog post, I really wanted to read a book that had summer vibes, because I am so ready for summer break! While I was researching some books to read, I stumbled across this title. In case you’ve heard of it before, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was adapted into a popular movie as well! The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about four teenage girls who’ve been friends since they were babies – Carmen, Tibby, Bailey (called Bee), and Lena. They are all feeling pretty glum as summer break starts, as this is their first summer apart from each other. Carmen is visiting her dad, Bee is going to a soccer camp, Lena is visiting her grandparents in Greece, and Tibby is staying home. That’s when they discover a pair of magical pants! These pants seem pretty normal at first glance, just a pair of blue jeans. However, they fit all four girls (who have very different body types) perfectly. They decide to mail the Pants to each other throughout the course of the summer to s...
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Throne of Glass Review!

Hey guys, forever ago I made a review from the halfway point of Throne of Glass. Now I am back to tell you my final thoughts after finishing the series! First of all, these books are HUGE, but sometimes I wished they were longer because I enjoyed them so much. Sarah J. Maas is such an amazing world builder, and there are always so many twists in her stories. Because of the surprising changes, I can’t tell you much about the story or I will spoil the entire series.  Essentially, the story starts with a young assassin who was saved from a slave camp to participate in the king’s competition to find the best person to do his dirty work. From there, the story evolves to something so much bigger. There is romance, drama, sorrow, struggle, and so much happiness. After reading the first book, I could have never guessed just how much the story would change. This is absolutely my new favorite series. My favorite books in the series are Empire of Storms or Kingdom of Ash. As is typical fo...
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Warriors book series review

  Warriors by Erin Hunter is a book series about a bunch of cats with their own civilization in the forest. I read this series back when I was younger, and have just started to get back into them.  In Warriors , there are 4 groups of cats; Thunderclan, Riverclan, Windclan, and ShadowClan. Thunderclan is known for their bravery, Riverclan is known for their swimmers, Windclan is known for their speed, and Shadowclan is known for their deviousness. The clans can be compared to the different houses of Harry Potter. Each clan has their own leaders, 2nd in commands (deputies), medicine cats, and warriors. Leaders and 2nd in commands are in charge of keeping everyone in line. Medicine cats are there to prevent and treat injuries. Warriors are in charge of the hunting and protection of borders from cats of other clans. Most of the stories revolve around some kind of dispute between the clans; sometimes a cat from one clan has attacked one of another clan; sometimes one clan steals a...
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Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid

 First off, apologies for the late post! I had thought we were still in the third week of the blog cycle, but I guess I was mistaken... We have all read the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books when we were kids; the author Jeff Kinney does a great job at portraying Greg as a lazy, somewhat egotistical middle schooler, who often takes advantage of his best friend, Rowley Jefferson. But have you ever heard Rowley's side of the story? Diary of an Awesome Friendly kid by Jeff Kinney was published in April 2019, about 6 months after his book Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown , and portrays Rowley's relationship with Greg. The books' structure consists of multiple entries, each of which Rowley talks about his experiences with Greg. I will now overview the entries, and state points that stood out to me. The first few entries are about Rowley and Gregs' meeting. Rowley was in fourth grade when his Dad got a new job, so Rowley moved next to Greg. Even at their first meeting, Greg was ...
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Why Libraries Should be Used as a Third Space for Teens

A common dilemma for teens in this era is that there’s not a third space to hang out and spend time. The options are primarily school or things that cost money. While there are other options like the park or just walking outside, you can’t really do that in the winter and that brings the question if walking outside every day is really fun for teens.  I present libraries as an option to solve this problem. I know that lots of people think that libraries would be a really boring hang out spot, but it’s actually not! Not only can you look around at the books, but most libraries host all kinds of events that are completely free. Most people that live in the same area have a library card so it is easy to obtain. For example, the Champaign Public Library hosts a teen lounge almost every week day at 3 o’clock. There is also something called Club Fred that is marketed for teens where you can do crafts and fun activities. These are just a few of the options that the Champaign library alone ...
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All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

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                                All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven follows two broken teenagers, Finch and Violet, and their personal conflicts. Violet is grieving the loss of her sister and struggling to return to everyday life. Finch, on the other hand, lives with bipolar disorder and suicidal ideations, which he hides behind humor and impulsive behavior. The two grow close through a school project, and a relationship slowly forms between them as they bond over their shared hardships.               My favorite part of the book is how openly it centers around mental health. Both characters struggle with serious emotional pain and share the feeling of being “different” from the people around them. Jennifer Niven says the story was inspired by personal loss in her own life, explaining why the book talks about grief and ment...
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Why I Didn’t Like Paper Towns by John Green

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Paper Towns by John Green follows the life of senior Quentin “Q” Jacobsen in his last month of high school. His life is pretty normal, even a bit boring. That is, until his old friend Margo Roth Spiegelman comes back into his life (who, coincidentally, Q has loved all his life). They have a wild night of getting revenge on all of Margo’s enemies and breaking and entering into various places. But in the morning, Margo is just…gone. No note, no voicemail, nothing. Q then spends the rest of his senior year trying to find Margo by decoding the cryptic clues she left for him. I have a lot of things to say about this book, but one of the first things I notice in a book is the characters’ personalities. And I have to say, there was nothing special about the characters in this book. Q is your stereotypical “nerdy kid” who thinks way too much about everything. I guess he has some character development over the course of the book, but it’s kind of hard to tell. His best friends really don’t have...
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