Reviews by Category: Inspirational

Teen Review
For Everyone by Jason Reynolds

For Everyone

By Jason Reynolds
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Varun R.
Aug 19, 2022

Jason Reynolds has something to say to all of the dreamers out there. Something that’s
been at the back of his head, holding him back for as long as he can remember. He’s finally ready
to let it go for the world to see. But first, he needs you to know something. He doesn’t know
anything about making dreams come true. He’s been dreaming all his life, and he has yet to see
everything come together. That’s something that all dreamers know about. The feeling of
dreaming, of everything you want to be and everything you can be. The feeling of being a

Teen Review
Once Was Lost by Sara Zarr

Once Was Lost

By Sara Zarr
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Anna S.
Aug 10, 2022

Sam is a pastor's kid, which means a lot of things in the small town of Pineview. One
thing it means is that her mom always has to seem perfect, and she turned to
alcohol. Another thing that means is that no one wants to be her friend because they
think she will tell her dad about what they do. Sam is overall, really lost when her
mom has to go to rehab for her drinking and she is even more lost when a girl that
goes to her church goes missing. Sam is really confused in this messy time of her life
and all she wants is to be found.

Teen Review
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha

By Hermann Hesse
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Kendal A.
Apr 19, 2022

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse, is a philosophical fiction book. Siddhartha is the story of a young boy, the son of a Brahmin, who leaves his town to go on a spiritual journey to enlightenment. He explored many regions in India, in 625 BC. He finds himself in many situations, he becomes a Samana, and business, a ferryman, a father. The book follows his whole life, through all of his relationships and experiences.

Teen Review
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

Siddhartha

By Herman Hesse
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Kayla F.
Apr 2, 2022

Siddhartha is a philosophical book by Herman Hesse that is centered around the rise of Buddhism.  It follows Siddhartha on his search for enlightenment and the benefits of teachers.  I think that Hesse brings up important topics and there is a lot to discuss from this book. However I find Siddhartha as a character to be obnoxious, self-centered, and rude which makes it hard to enjoy a book with a main character that you don’t enjoy.

Teen Review
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

Hidden Figures

By Margot Lee Shetterly
Star Rating
★★★★

Rated by
Kenken
Jan 27, 2022

3 African American women changed the way of science, space, and math forever. Katherine Johnson was the first African American woman to lift into space. The women created history and changed history forever. I absolutely loved this book. The background behind this book is so much. Seeing that three women helped create history is mind blowing. This book is for kids who want to be inspired who can learn that anything is possible if you believe. This 10 out of 10 book is a top favorite of mine.

Teen Review
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

By Ocean Vuong
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Lisa J.
Nov 19, 2021

Little Dog knows his mother cannot read, her education put to an abrupt end after the destruction of her schoolhouse by a napalm raid in her native Vietnam. So when he addresses this letter to his mother, he speaks not only to her but also to himself, straining to break free of his past. The words and phrases he knows his mother cannot understand spill out like secrets, truth, or something that lies somewhere in between.

Teen Review
The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give

By Angie Thomas
Star Rating
★★★★★

Rated by
Danielle H.
Oct 21, 2021

This book is about an African American girl named Starr Carter who lives in two different worlds with her school being predominantly white and located in a suburb and where she lives which is understood to be the ghetto. When she tries and figures out her different worlds, there is suddenly a traumatic event where her childhood best friend is fatally shot by a police officer. In order to take revenge and bring justice for her friend, she starts to protest and advocate for justice about police brutality against African Americans.

Teen Review
Fix by J. Albert Mann

Fix

By J. Albert Mann
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Marium K.
Oct 6, 2021

When 16 year old Eve gets major back surgery to fix her scoliosis, she is left alone to deal with the aftermath. She reminiscences about the times she spent with her best friend, Lidia. Throughout the story, she struggles with medicine addiction, loss, and disability.

Teen Review
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up the Universe

By Jennifer Niven
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Justyna H.
Oct 6, 2021

In the young adult novel Holding Up the Universe, Libby Strout and Jack Masselin live two separate lives with the same goals: to be wanted in society. Libby, formerly known as “America’s Fattest Teen” who was cut out from her house after a massive panic attack, and Jack, a high school boy living with Prosopagnosia, the inability to recognize faces, even the people he loves, come together through a demoralizing prank.

Teen Review
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

By Maya Angelou
Star Rating
★★★

Rated by
Noor H.
Oct 6, 2021

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a memoir. Maya talks about her experiences growing up as an African American. She has to face discrimination and family problems, and tries to find her place in society. Finally, she is able to break certain barriers that society has created. Is she truly able to find her place?

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