KJ's Book Reviews

  In Five Years Written by Rebecca Serle Originally published in 2021 251 pages Rate 9/10 My summary of  In Five Years      Dannie has been friends with Bella for as long as they both can remember. Though their personalities aren't the same, they are two peas in a pod. Bella is an artist who follows her heart's desires and Dannie is a lawyer who loves to play by the rules. Bella falls in love with many people and hasn't found anyone to settle down with. Dannie has been in a seemingly happy relationship with David for the past two years.      The night Dannie and David get engaged, Dannie dreams a vivid dream about a stranger. In the dream she checks the clock and it reads 2025; five years later from where she just was. Confused by what this vivid dream might mean, she goes to talk to Bella about it. The only problem is, the stranger in the dream is Bella's newest boyfriend. My opinion on  In Five Years     There was a couple of sexy...

  The Midnight Library Written by Matt Haig Originally published in 2020 288 pages Rate 10/10 My summary of The Midnight Library Life has been very hard for Nora the past couple of years both her parents are dead and her only sibling won't even talk to her ever since their falling out after she decided to leave their band. Within 12 hours of her deciding to end her life she looses her job, her cat dies, she gets yelled at by a former band mate, her brother avoided her while he was in town, and best friend won't text her back. Nora feels that her life is meaningless and over until she shows up to a place called "The Midnight Library" where she can choose the life she wants to live. The possibilities are endless, the shelves go on forever, but will Nora be able to find the life she's always wanted to live before time runs out? My opinion on The Midnight Library This is exactly the type of book I needed. It seems that the multi-verse has been becoming a very popular ...

  Son Written by Lois Lowry Originally published 2012 390 pages Rate: 9/10 My summary of Son     Claire grew up in the same village as Jonas (main character in The Giver ). Even though she was about two years older than him, they knew of each other. Claire was assigned Birthmother as her calling, but after a complication during her delivery, they moved her over to work in the Fish Hatchery. Claire can't seem to forget about her experience during delivery and goes off to figure out where her "product" went and why things are the way they are in the village she grew up in.     Similar to Jonas, she stopped taking the pills which were meant for taking away emotions. She finds her son and begins to visit him as much as she can without being caught. However, because of her risky delivery, the baby is being monitored carefully and if he doesn't progress soon, they will "release" him. She questions what to do with the baby, should she try to run away with it? My op...

  Messenger Written by Lois Lowry Originally published in 2004 169 pages Rate: 8/10 My summary of Messenger     Matty comes from a family that never really knew how to take care of each other. So after discovering a secret village, he decides to stay and live with one of his friend's parents. In this new village he learns how to take care of himself and others. This village is not like other places, it's more welcoming and people look out for one another. That is until people become fixated on the trading market. People look different after they make a trade, they start to act differently too. Matty notices the change and seeks help from the Leader and the Seer of the village.     The villagers want to close off entry to everyone because they are concerned about supplies. However, Seer's daughter is in another village and he won't be able to hear from her ever again if this happens. Matty is sent out to deliver the message of the closing village to everyone...

  Gathering Blue Written by Lois Lowry Originally published in 2000 215 pages Rate: 7/10 My summary of Gathering Blue     Kira is a cripple who lives in a village where every person defends for themselves. Typically, if a person isn't born 'perfect' or if they face any major injures they are left for dead. Kira was an exception, because of her grandfather's status at the time. There is a sort of government that intervenes if hostile fights break out and such, but they mostly leave the village alone aside from the Gathering ceremony that takes place once every year.      Kira is orphaned at the beginning of the book after her father died from beasts and she watches her mother die from sickness in the Field of Leaving. Now that no one is around to stick their neck out for her life, she tries proving herself useful by creating intricate fabric designs. However, once villagers die, the village burns the person's houses down. Kira plans to rebuild...

  The Giver Published in 1993 Page 225 Written by Lois Lowry Rate 8/10 My summary of The Giver     The story follows a young boy named Jonas who lives in a utopian society as he learns his place within the community. Once children turn twelve they are considered adults and are assigned to do the same job for the rest of their lives. There are many rules within the society Jonas lives in, however, when he gets his assignment as The Reciever of Memory, his instructions say he can break almost all the rules he grew up with. With the help of The Giver, Jonas soon uncovers how his utopian society might actually be a dystopian society.  My opinion on The Giver     The narrative was a third-person point of view, because of that it was easy to follow along. The world within this book was pretty well thought out, the community functioned incredibly well, and because of that, it wasn't hard to understand the setting. The third-person point of view was also slightly m...

  That's Not What Happened Published in 2018 325 pages Written by Kody Keplinger Rate 9/10 My summary of That's Not What Happened     After a horrendous school shooting, a rumor about what really happened to Sarah spreads like wildfire. Lee, Sarah's best friend, not only has to deal with the trauma from the shooting, but with the lies that follow her best friend's 'noble' death. After three years, the survivors still keep in touch, aside from one, Kellie, the girl who tried to share the truth about Sarah's death. Lee was too nervous to say anything about what really happened and back Kellie up then, will the truth ever reach the surface, and if it does, will anybody listen? My opinion on That's Not What Happened     When I read the book cover, I thought only six people survived the shooting and that's why I was initially intrigued, soon after, I found out I misread what "survivor" meant. The six survivors were the people who were in the sam...