Illuminae by Amie Kaufman

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a review of an ARC from NetGalley

(The Walking Dead * 2001)/Battlestar Galactica?

It’s bad enough that Kady just broke up with her boyfriend Ezra. Now a rival corporation has launched an attack on the mining colony on the out-of-the-way planet she lives on. Then, the Terran Army ship that rescues them gets stranded in deep space, along with a paranoid computer and a mutating virus. Told through texts, ship reports, military dossiers, medical records and other ephemera (think World War Z) we follow Kady, Ezra and the survivors of Kerenza as they grapple not just with zombies, but with issues of morality and ethics in wartime.

A well-done countdown thriller, the plot moves quickly with a few nicely unexpected twists. Kady verges on a bit of a Mary Sue – she’s pretty, a brilliant hacker, able to leap small server farms in a single bound, but she’s still likable. The epistolary nature of the text is fun, but it does pose a problem for the action scenes; the authors try to get around this by having a “video analysis” but I found it distracting (would someone logging a security video actually record people wiping the sweat from their brow and give detailed description of longing looks?) But in general good fun. I’m actually sad to see it’s a trilogy; I thought the story was wrapped up neatly enough that I worry where they will take the characters next. ~Ms. Schoen

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Student Review: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (reviewed by Ariella R.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interested about young love? Some sad and touching moments? This book is for you. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green is about a girl named Hazel, who is a cancer patient, and her struggle with illness. She’s had cancer since a young age, and her parents thought it would be good for her to go to counseling groups. At the group, she meets a boy named Augustus Waters, who dealt with leg surgery shortly before. The two begin talking and soon become very close with each other. They start dating and trading their favorite things such as books. They both read the same book and travel to meet the author of Hazel’s favorite book.The part I liked a lot was when Hazel wasn’t self-confident about herself but Augustus proved her wrong: “‘I’m in love with you, I am.’ He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. ‘I’m in love with you, and I’m not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I’m in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we’re all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we’ll ever have, and I am in love with you.’” This is my favorite quote because Hazel thinks that Augustus doesn’t really like her, but he tells her he does in this long message. It sends out a positive message and makes her feel good about herself. Green makes this sound really real and relatable, because there are relationships in our world where the couple isn’t perfect. I would recommend The Fault In our Stars because it’s interesting and well written for young adults. ~ Student: Ariella R.

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Noggin by John Corey Whaley

Noggin by John Corey Whaley

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Noggin starts out with a crazy sci-fi premise: Travis Coates, a 16-year-old boy dying of cancer, has his head cut off and frozen in the hopes that one day, there will be a cure. Most people think this was just his way out of, but it actually happens, and Travis comes back – his head attached to a new (taller and stronger!) body.

While for Travis, it’s only been a long nap since he last saw his friends and family, for them it’s been five years, and they have to adjust from mourning Travis to celebrating the “miracle.” And while Travis’ birth certificate might say he’s 21, he’s still a high school student, only now he doesn’t know anyone in his class. Some things haven’t changed – he has to retake his math class for one. But other things will never be the same. His father is never home, working crazy hours that may be a cover for something else. His best friend, who shared his deepest secret when he thought Travis was dying, is now wishing that secret had stayed dead. And his girlfriend Cate, whom Travis truly loved, has fallen in love – and gotten engaged – to someone new.

While the premise is pure science fiction, this story is really about a regular boy in a regular high school, and how he copes with love and loss. It’s authentic and funny and made me cry, and I’m eagerly waiting to see what Whaley comes up with next.

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Student Review: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green (reviewed by Maria H.)

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, captures young readers’ interest by the characters for fighting for life and falling in love. Not only is this book a page-turner but also takes the reader on a journey through the life of a young girl with cancer. Hazel, one of the main characters, struggled with thyroid cancer that spread through her lungs since she was little. There is a tug of war that her parents win and make her go to a support group. At the support group she meets a young man Augustus close to her age that used to have cancer. Later on in the book Hazel and Augustus kindle a romantic and passionate relationship that leads to an intrigue with love. Reading more into the book, a relationship between the reader and the characters develop. The ending of the book has a little ironic twist to it. The Fault In Our Stars is a romantic novel with a tragic ending. This book gives the reader a sense that life comes with curveballs. I admired how the author kept the narrator Hazel herself. Hazel and Augustus were very believable because it was as if a girl told to story herself. In the very beginning when Hazel and Augustus meet each other he ignores that she has cancer and only admires how beautiful she is. In that point of the book I could already tell that Augustus had a true love for Hazel. The book connects to young readers as their journey through the book hopes to find love that lasts between Hazel and Augustus. I made a personal connection with the book because we both shared a tragedy. I would recommend this book to other readers because it captures a great interest. ~ Student: Maria H.

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