Category: Uncategorized

Nearer My Freedom: The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano by Himself is about the life and adventures of a slave named Olaudah Equiano. Equiano was alive from 1745 to 1797 and in his lifetime lived in Africa, the Caribbean, America, and Britain, which are all places he describes in his autobiography. At the start of the book Equiano describes how his life was comfortable and pleasant in the Kingdom of Benin, until one day he was kidnapped from his family, never to see them again. Throughout his life he faced racism and prejudice, eventually gaining his freedom and then fighting for the freedom of his people. The book explains all this in detail by using Equiano’s own words to tell his story.

The writing style of this book was very creative. I would never have thought that taking lines from a memoir and turning them into a poem would create such a wonderful story. The historical paragraphs between each chapter were great, it helped me understand the importance of events that were unfolding in the time period. Equiano wrote the book using vocabulary that was very different from the English language used today. For example, he refers to his enslaver as his master, and I found this to be a bit confusing because sometimes I didn’t know which of his former or current enslavers he was talking about, however, it ultimately does not impede your understanding of the rest of the story. My only complaint is that I would have liked to read about the last ten or so years of his life, instead of having just a paragraph at the end of the book, but I suppose this is because Equiano never wrote about this.

The most memorable thing about this book in my opinion is Equiano’s ability to persevere and work hard. Throughout the book, he describes horrible events that he witnesses and he describes the brutality of some enslavers towards their slaves. Yet reading about how Equiano worked hard to achieve his dreams gave me a sense of optimism and hope. It made me feel content to know that in 1833, thirty-six years after Equiano died, his dream was finally achieved and slavery was abolished across the British Empire.

Reviewed by Tristan M., Twin Hickory Area Library

We Are Your Children Too tells the story of how a black community led by its students campaigned for change in Prince Edward County. The book starts by explaining the past history of the area and how Barbara Johns led a student strike in 1951, starting a nationwide campaign for change. It tells us how the handful of white supremacists that ran the county ruined the lives of black children. It explains how through the effort of people like Reverend Griffin and William Vanden Heuvel, the schools were finally reopened and integrated. It tells us how racism in America continues today, even though changes have been made, as it ends the story in 2020.

This book wonderfully outlines the struggles of the black community, some of which sadly continues to this day. What makes this book so compelling to me is the writing style, which portrays the struggles that individual people faced. It really helped me understand how the citizens on both sides of the cause must have felt about the events unfolding around them. The end of chapter 14 beautifully summarised the change in American culture throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.

The most memorable thing to me about this book was the individual stories about black students, especially the ones that traveled across the country and were taken in by families. Stories about how students were taken in by a holocaust survivor, a Tuskegee Airman, and a Japanese-Italian couple really struck a chord with me. This book changed the way I see the Civil Rights movement by showing me the effort and courage of everyone who fought for it, and how the work of random students like Barbara Johns can change history.

Reviewed by Tristan M., Twin Hickory Area Library

Tucked away in the frosty depths of the mountains, there lives a lively storyteller and his empathic daughter, Satu. He weaves stories together for her, telling Satu tales of love, glory, and wisdom. This storyteller, however, was once the commanding North Wind, who chose to lose his abilities and return to his mortal form out of love for Satu’s mother. The loss of his magic, conducted through dark means, prompted harsh ripples of impact and led to the world unraveling due to imbalance. Caught in a whirlwind of despair and dejection upon realizing the magnitude of the Unraveling, Satu ventures into a precarious voyage to capture the threads of her father’s loose power and reclaim her magic. Her determination to succeed meets a more sinister hunger, that of the Winter Lord, who seeks to steal the North Wind’s expansive yet devastating abilities for himself. Trapped in a desperate quest against the Winter Lord, Satu holds the quill in her own hand, willing to write her story and rise from the shadows which hid her for so long.

I believe that this title is a beautiful read as the author captures the emotions and aspirations of the main character, Satu, elegantly, utilizing sweet and meaningful metaphors to represent the events she faces in this novel. The plot is well thought-out and establishes a strong foundation for the impact the characters and their own stories will hold on each reader. I was able to connect to and understand Satu’s experiences and her astonishment towards her rewritten destiny while remaining eager to follow the paths the rest of the special characters would follow. The many layers this book carries did make it difficult for me to peel back these layers at times, although this element of this novel ultimately enhanced my experience with this book as a whole. Overall, I enjoyed the adventures this title took me on, and I highly recommend it to enthusiastic readers of fantasy and magic!

A memorable aspect of this title is the emotional journey it took me on, primarily regarding character development. Satu’s and the Winter Lord’s character development throughout the story is fascinating to witness, and holds many exciting twists and turns! The story unfolds into a brave sage where Satu was able to conquer her fears of following a destiny prewritten for her, rising up to face her personal hurdles for the good of the people when her entire world, as she knew it, was in complete peril. I admire and find it memorable how the author, Joanna Ruth Meyer, penned characters with such underlying depth.

Reviewed by Shreya S., Twin Hickory Area Library

Evie used to love reading romance books and dreaming about her own love story. However, this all came to an abrupt halt when her parents went through a nasty divorce. Her dad seemed to have no problem moving on while her mom was stuck in the past. This caused Evie to have a pessimistic outlook on love. This is when the visions began. After seeing a couple kiss, she is overcome with a vision of their entire love story. Every vision ends with devastation and heartbreak. She stops by a dance studio on her way to get rid of her curse. However, things do not go according to plan because while at the studio, she falls in love with dancing and her dance partner. Together they enter a dance competition and Evie has to decide if falling in love is worth the heartbreak.

Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon is a lovable book with charismatic characters. However, I do have a couple of complaints. First, I found the plot to be predictable which caused me to quickly lose interest in the story. Second, the characters were a little underdeveloped. This is because the only character that experienced any sort of growth was the main character. The others were unchanging, which added to the predictability of the story. Overall, this was a quick read that became a charming book, though I believe it could have been better.

Something very special about this book was the relationships between the characters. The author was able to depict characters that had colossal amounts of love for each other, while still allowing the relationships to feel real. Reading the affection they had for one another was enough to leave a warm feeling in your chest. These relationships were the highlight of the book as well as the week I spent reading it.

Reviewed by Lindsay G, Twin Hickory Area Library