Teen Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Teen reviewer Sierra N, 13, read and loved Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, by J.K. Rowling.

Here is her review:

"I loved this book (and the whole series) because it's all about adventure, magic, romance, villains, heroes, and all the bits and pieces that make up a good book. This book is all about Harry Potter and his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He finds friends and enemies. Harry was involved in a horrible murder--that of his parents--which he miraculously survived. The accused? Lord Voldemort (aka He Who Must Not Be Named). Harry was not killed, but was left with a lightning bolt scar that somehow connects him to Voldemort."

Sierra would recommend Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (and the whole series) to others.

Teen Reviewer: Stormbreaker, by Anthony Horowitz

Teen reviewer Marissa N., age 13, read Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz on a friend's request. She found this adventure story to be very entertaining. 

This is her review:

"The plot is about Alex, a typical boy who wants a normal life, but his uncle gets into a mysterious car crash and his (Alex's) life is flipped upside-down. With secret gadgets and intense training from M16 Secret Service, Alex is put into the life as a teen spy. Alex develops from a nervous teenager only worried about sports and grades to stopping villains. Along the road, Alex faces many challenges and it is intriguing to find out how he uses his special tools to get out of life or death situations. At the beginning, you might get a little bored, but wait a little longer and you won't be able to put it down!"

Marissa would recommend Stormbreaker to others.

Book Review: Vintage Veronica by Erica S. Perl

Huge puffy tulle underskirts, buttery soft  1930s flannel pajamas and a high school girl who is trying to find where she fits in with her divorced parents, her eccentric co-workers and her former friends, while dressing in clothes from the past.

Veronica is ecstatic when she gets a summer job at her favorite store,  Dollar-a-Pound, the "largest vintage clothing store in the northeast", sorting through the items brought in on consignment, and keeping her eyes open for those special outfits, like a pirate looking for hidden treasure. She works with some interesting characters who all seem to have an element of mystery to their lives: Claire, her boss who misses a lot of work with no explanation; Lenny (a.k.a.'The Nail') who is pale and quiet, but possibly interested in being more than friends with Veronica. And then there are Zoe and Ginger: are they really the archetypal mean girls just  pretending to be Veronica's friend in order to make her life a misery? Or could they somehow  have good reasons for behaving so badly? Hard to imagine!

This is a fascinating, quirky story, and readers will quickly come to like Veronica,  and then want to keep reading to discover if she can be confident enough to stand up for herself and live the life she deserves, while keeping her uniqueness intact.
SM

Thank You Volunteers!

Just a shout-out to say our Teen Volunteers are the best! Thank you to everyone who has helped out this year, whether assisting with a project or program or simply helping with shelf reading. 

You're all awesome, and we're very grateful for all you do to help us out!

Closed for the Holidays!

Just a reminder:

Oxford Public Library will be CLOSED for the Holidays on Wednesday December 24 & Thursday December 25.

Regular business hours will resume Friday December 26.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Guest Review: Snowed In, by Rachel Hawthorn

Guest Reviewer Joette B. read Snowed In, by Rachel Hawthorn. She found this Michigan-based coming-of-age story entertaining.

"(In Snowed In), A mother and daughter leave Texas to start a new life on Mackinaw Island, MI in the winter. They are going to open a bed and breakfast in a historic Victorian home. It tells the story of a teenage girl adjusting to new hardships, winter, and falling in love. It's interesting to read more about winter on Mackinaw Island and teenage relationships"

Joette B. would recommend Snowed In to others.

Eleven, by Patricia Giff

What if your life wasn't really what you thought it was?

Young Sam is plagued by this question when, while snooping in his grandfather's attic for his birthday present, he discovers an old newspaper clipping containing a photo of his younger self. The only words Sam, who suffers from near-crippling dyslexia, can identify are his first name and the word "MISSING". Suddenly his whole world comes crashing down. If he is, indeed, "Missing," then where are his parents? Who is the man he has been calling "grandfather" all these years? Was he kidnapped? Who is SAM? 

Could these questions be the source of Sam's recurring nightmares about a castle a boat and a storm at sea?

If ONLY he could read that article!!

Then Sam is paired up with the surly and unapproachable Caroline for a class project. The two form an unlikely friendship, and Sam recruits Caroline, who loves to read, to help him solve the mystery. But time is running out. Can the two uncover the answers in time? 

Eleven, by Patricia Giff, is a fantastic, fast-paced mystery aimed at the tween audience, but older readers (even adults) will love it too and enjoy piecing together the clues as Sam and Caroline unravel them. There is a sense of urgency throughout this story, but readers will breathe a sigh of relief when all is revealed and things aren't as bad as they first seemed (the book ends happily). 

You won't be able to put this one down! --AJB