Author: WilliamTheLibrarian

This story is about two girls, Kayla Asher and Betsy Hopewell, two people who are so different yet so similar in more ways than you would think. Kayla lives in a crime ridden part of town, in a shady neighborhood, in a seedy government housing complex with her mother who is a recovering drug addict. Betsy is not only forced to hide her true identity, but is constantly at death’s door, as a single screw-up could mean she kicks the bucket, courtesy of a mysterious man she has to check in with every twenty-four hours. Kayla dreams of finding herself a better life, and Betsy just wants to live to see tomorrow. Kayla decides to take justice into her own hands, and Betsy’s remaining days are slowly counting down. Kayla learns a little lesson about unforeseen outcomes. Betsy has already learned her’s. When the two girls meet, all we be determined; and only one will survive.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was very confusing at first, but towards the end everything started making sense and it all tied together very nicely. I do think, however, it plays with the suspension of belief a little too much, as I have an extremely hard time believing that anything like that could have any potential for happening in real life. All things considered though, the twists and all the hidden meanings that become clear once you finish the book definitely make it worth a read.

The most memorable part about this book would definitely be the part were the two girls meet, which I obviously can’t go into more detail about, because that would be a spoiler. You’ll just have to read the book for yourself.

Dahlia Sherif, 9th grade – Deep Run High School, Twin Hickory Library

After a bridge collapses in a tragic accident, four complete strangers, Scott, Skyler, and the siblings Alexa and Jason, meet each other in a hospital whilst anxiously waiting to hear the fate of their loved ones. For Alexa and Jason its their parents, for Skyler its her sister who like a parent, and for Scott its Aimee, who, know matter what their relationship status may be, he still loves very much. No one is quite sure what to do next. No one knows what this may mean for their futures. Everyone is panicked and worried and Alexa and Jason’s relationship is still strained even now when they need each other most. All they can do is pray and hope for the best. All they can do is wait.

I think that the concept is fantastic, but I don’t like the author’s writing style and choice of words. Not to mention he constantly uses the abbreviation “O.K.” instead of the full word, which never fails to consistently bother me with its unprofessionalism, and he uses that word a lot. I’d italicize the “lot” in that last sentence for emphasis, but I don’t think that is possible on Google Forms, so you’ll just have to imagine it yourself. Back to the point, about Jason’s secret, I’m critical of it because, as of late, it’s been popping up a lot in stories as part of the plot, thus making it a cliché, but I’m also fine with it, because it is a legitimate issue that some teens will be able to relate to, so I’m pretty conflicted.

Nothing about this book particularly stood out to me as memorable. This is not so much because its a bad book, but more to do with all of the important moments containing more or less the same intensity of emotional impact, at least for me.

Dahlia Sherif, 9th grade – Deep Run High School, Twin Hickory Library

Meet Me at the Well is a book made up of nine retellings of stories from the Bible. Specifically, stories focusing on women. This book tells the tales of fourteen biblical women, Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Jocheved, Zipporah, Deborah, Jael, Hannah, Naomi, Ruth, and Esther. Each story is described in an effective way, and the authors make sure to point out relations to the modern world, carefully explain details that may be confusing, and pose important questions. Meet Me at the Well includes helpful introductions, the locations of the stories in the Bible, artwork, poems, questions with answers, and a piece of writing from a certain point of view to go along with the main reading. This book does not have a specific plot or setting, but rather showcases and connects numerous ones.

This book was absolutely marvelous. Not only did it re-tell biblical stories in an understandable and interesting fashion, but it went in-depth and discussed the story, sharing different opinions and aspects with the reader. Meet Me at the Well highlights the heroism of each female while keeping the stories unbiased, also explaining faults in the characters. The main readings were a joy to read, and the sections with questions and explanations were informative and helpful. Artwork and poetry accompanying the tales set a good mood, and were gave a pleasurable break from the educational content. The writing style itself was also fantastic, clear and concise with a good, balanced amount of information packed into sentences.

The most memorable thing about Meet me at the Well is the small question and answer sections throughout each story. They come in the form of small boxes on the edge of the main text, but sometimes appear as entire pages once a story is completed. After posing a question, the section provides a thorough explanation and general background knowledge on the story. These bits grant the reader a greater scope of understanding and heighten their sense of awareness towards each story.

Ksenia Avrutina, 8th grade – Moody Middle School, Gayton Library

Lock and Key: The Downward Spiral is a take on the classic characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes series. However in this telling, both Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty are teenagers attending a boarding school known as Baskerville Academy, which is the main setting of the story (along with the Moriarty’s house). Unlike in other iterations of Sherlock Holmes, Holmes and Moriarty are rivals rather than enemies. Holmes is a socially awkward, incredibly intelligent teenage boy, who uses logical deductions to solve mysteries. James Moriarty is nearly the exact opposite: charismatic, logical almost to a fault, and morally ambiguous. Together with Moria, James’s sister, a sarcastic and smart girl, they team up to discover the mystery behind Moria’s and James’s father’s “accidental” demise. While trying to follow the trail of information their father left them, they have to deal with two mysterious organizations working to follow the trail too.

Overall, the book was an entertaining read. All of the mysteries presented within the story were engaging and never over stayed their welcome. Most of the characters in the book were compelling, and the dynamic between the three main characters, Sherlock, James, and Moria, kept my interest. James and Sherlock might have been full on enemies if Moria didn’t exist. Moria has a crush on Sherlock and her brother James is all that’s left of her family. However, there are a few characters that are frustrating because their actions seem inconsistent with their personalities and loyalties. Although part of the mystery (and the appeal of the book) is figuring out who to trust, it often leads to a few characters whom seem to have no discernible personalities. The book also suffers from a huge cast of side characters who become hard to keep track of.

With the brilliance of both James Moriarty and Sherlock Holmes, there are many clever ways the characters solve mysteries. One of my favorite moments is when James Moriarty believes he is being followed by bodyguards from his father’s organization. In order to figure out whether or not his belief is true, he asks one of his friends to tackle him and beat him. When James is tackled by his friend, his body guard appears to stop the boy from hurting James. It’s such a clever way to test his suspicion and it stood out to me as one of the most memorable moments in the book.

Aiden Gibson, 7th Grade – Moody Middle School, Gayton Library