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    Good Kids (2016)

    Good Kids (2016)

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    Movie

    I watched this movie on Netflix awhile back. It's a good movie if you are looking for something...

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Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here
6
7.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I would like to preface this by saying I only read a SNEAK PEEK, not the full book.

Scarlet was suggested to me as a cross between Veronica Mars (who I love) and Daria (who I know next to nothing about). Scarlet writes and reads fanfic about her favourite television show, Lycanthrope High. It's one of those books where you connect with the main character because they <i>get you</i>. The tv show, movie, book comic or video game character that you fall in love with feels like a real person - and Scarlet understands that. Her straight-laced best friend, Avery, not so much. It's a unique take on the high school experience with an awkward protagonist you want to know more about. I suggest you check it out.
  
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Gender Studies
8
9.0 (29 Ratings)
Book Rating
I had read a few chapters earlier in the day before I jumped in bed to read – fast forward a few hours and it was way past my normal bedtime... and the book was done. Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda was a cute contemporary book that once you pick it up, you won’t want to put it down.

Simon and his friends are typical, relatable high school students that deal with relationships, family dynamics and the difficulty of navigating adolescence. The students at the school have a tumblr in which they can gossip or post secrets. It was there that Simon stumbles across a post that he relates to and decides to contact the author. Throughout the novel, Simon is corresponding the other boy in his school although neither know the other’s identity. It was nice to experience them getting to know one another before they’ve ever even met.

I read the Upside of Unrequited prior to reading Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so I had a reverse experience with the character cameos. We hear a little from Abby through her conversations with Molly, so it was nice to see her as an important character in Simon’s tale. One funny scene in Upside was when Molly and Abby were skyping while Simon was over. He asked her a very important question, which House did Abby belong to. It wasn’t important to the plot, but after reading this book and getting to know Simon I loved it even more.

Despite life’s ups and downs, the conclusion to this novel was the happy end that you can expect from a YA contemporary. I would highly recommend it to young adult/teen fans of contemporary books that are set in high school and have diverse characters.
  
The Confession
The Confession
John Grisham | 2010 | Fiction & Poetry, History & Politics, Law, Thriller
8
7.5 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
John Grisham always has a way of making you want to jump through the book and slap someone.
Keith Schroeder is a Lutheran minister from Topeka, Kansas. One Sunday, a man on parole, attends services at his church. The next morning this man, Travis Boyett, comes to Keith and makes a bold confession.

Miles away in Sloan, Texas, Dante Drum an African-American ex-high school football player, sits on death row waiting for his execution. He was accused of raping and murdering the Caucasian cheerleader from his school. From the beginning, Dante has claimed his innocence. But with a forced confession and an eye witness, the execution will go on.

After Travis makes his startling confession to Keith, he tries all that he can to make the situation right.

Will the truth set Dante free??
  
Anger Is a Gift
Anger Is a Gift
Mark Oshiro | 2018 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Young Adult (YA)
10
8.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
This book has left me speechless, in awe, and in tears. The timeliness of it with the #MarchFor OurLives can not be understated. It reminds us that minorities have been faced with violence for too long and often at the hands of those who are supposed to serve and protect. The diversity of the characters is truely a quilt of the underrepresented within this country. The care and compassion that Oshiro uses to create such deep characters makes a true impact on the reader. As a middle and elementary school teacher I don't think I could use this book to teach but I can recommend it. I think this book needs to be in every high school library in the country though and possibly used in the curriculum . It is a discussion that needs to be opened.