Reviewed by: OHS Substitute, Chase C.

In this graphic novel, George O’Connor tells the myth of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine (among other things), through colorful art and a form that is approachable to those learning about Ancient Greek myths. The start of the novel is dedicated to the story of Hestia, the Goddess of the Hearth (and the first Olympian). Her story, with themes of stability and order, is juxtaposed with the story of Dionysus, whose chaotic and avant-garde journey takes him from his adolescence in the woods with satyrs and the creation of wine, to his entry into the temple on Mount Olympus. The reader will get to enjoy bold and expressive art that brings these ancient myths to life. While the novel is engaging, readers unfamiliar with the series or Greek mythology may find it useful to reference preceding installments or external sources to fully grasp the Olympians’ interactions.

Reviewed by: OHS student, Rory C.

The novel, “Talk Santa To Me” by Linda Urban, is a short but satisfying story destined to become someone’s comfort book. Despite her Aunt attempting to ruin the family business and her past kiss coming back to haunt her, Francie continues to try and save the business while juggling her social life. This book has great comforting characters for anyone wanting to sit back and relax. It also has excellent pacing and it does not go too fast or too slow.

I like the characters and how they are simply teenagers. In my opinion, this book is a read for when you have had a bad day and want to read something easy but sweet. The characters help with that. The drama in place is also not super serious like some other books. If you’re trying to read something for only the romance, I would not recommend this book. I believe the romance is sweet but it is not the focus of the book. Some may like that more and others may not based on their preferences. It was not how the romance was not the main point of the novel for me but how it seemingly popped up out of nowhere. I thought there should have been more of a build up in chemistry however that never happened. It sort of felt like Francie gained a crush on the guy randomly a couple chapters into the book. Maybe I am missing something but she seemed way to focused on everything else going on in her life to even think about this guy. How could she get a crush on him like that? It’s like she mentioned him three times before she ended up liking him so much. The romance was cute but it had no build up and I could not see the connection. It felt forced.

If simple and cute books are your thing, then I would totally recommend this novel to you. Although I did not like this book as much, I have to admit it was fun to read. It was a different feeling from those high-action and thrilling fantasy books. I think this book has everything you would want for when you just want to read and not be so stressed about what is happening in the story!

Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Victoria O.

Let’s be clear: Daisy does not enjoy being special. How can she when what makes her so unique is the fact she can see swarms of dead people wandering the streets of downtown Toronto, drawn to sadness and despair like clouds of gray flies to honey? And now, the one source of happiness in Daisy’s life seems to have abandoned her: After their first fight as a couple, her boyfriend, Noah, has been spotted around town with a pretty white girl on his arm and is no longer answering any of her texts. 

Meanwhile: Brittney, an ambitious young content creator and aspiring filmmaker, works a dead-end internship for a scummy media corporation to help pay the bills so she doesn’t have to rely on her abusive, wealthy mother for support. As she continues work on her surprise hit YouTube series, Haunted, she and her best friend, Jayden, begin investigating the house that made her self-help guru mother famous, hoping to uncover its dark secrets and solve the mystery behind the tragic loss of life that occurred there 10 years earlier: The unexplained death of a young black girl named Daisy. 

Author Liselle Sambury interweaves themes of generational trauma and coming of age within a framework of compelling supernatural mystery, featuring two timelines with two equally intriguing protagonists. This thrilling haunted-house-turned-ghost-hunter novel will keep you up at night until the wee hours of the morning as you turn pages in a race alongside Brittney to find out just what happened to Daisy on the night she disappeared all those years ago… Recommended for those who loved Netflix’ The Haunting of Hill House and Sadie. 

Reviewed by OHS Student, Kloie P.

The Mayweathers and Hunts all officially meet each other in Cancún for an engagement party. However, old problems arise and relationships become tense, with the breaking point of someone mysteriously dying. This book has plenty of suspense- since the first page, tidbits of information is given of a murder that happens further along the two families week-long vacation in Cancún. In between, events leading up to the death explain backstory, as well as more side stories that account for certain distasteful relationships between characters.

This book keeps you guessing; you think you know everything, and think that you can probably draw a good conclusion, except more information is constantly revealed and keeps you pretty hooked. It also had some representation, which is always nice. However, I feel like the way the author portrayed how teenagers act is how they acted in 2005-2015 (and caused me to cringe a couple times). The vocabulary is also not that advanced. The latter kept me from finishing this book as quickly as I usually would, as it just felt somewhat bland to me.

I think anyone could read this book if they enjoy thriller (and are above maybe 5th grade?), and the vocabulary doesn’t have too many fancy words.

Reviewed by OHS student, Cyrus P.

River McIntyre is a young high school trans person who spends his life in Haley, Ohio swimming, raving about jellyfish, exploring life and love, and battling all forms of discrimination. He spends the most significant of his days at the local SeaPlanet swimming with fish and being queer. Giving the full scope of a coming of age novel this book puts the reader through the full athletic queer experience the perfect read for someone who wants to learn about marine biology and life as a queer person.

I like the “sciencey” aspects to the book and the ways that River connects those aspects to themselves. At times I felt that it was egregiously queer. Gay to a fault – making the issues seem too forced at times. Queer people and athletes may like this book. They should read it because it’s a great, full journey and keeps you invested in the lives of these people while teaching you about marine biology.

Reviewed by OHS Student, Connie C.

The book “The Quiet and the Loud” highlights the importance of addressing your mental health and your personal needs, and raises awareness to ongoing problems in our world. Set in Australia, we follow Georgia, a girl who finds peace in kayaking and art. As we watch her overcome her past struggles and her present struggles we learn what is truly important in life. The heavy emphasis of art and poetry makes this book both touching and beautiful. As well as the common reoccurrence of mental health/abuse makes this book relatable and deep.

I like how this book is extremely relatable and how you can see things that are happening in real time in the book. I also like how poetic/artistic is it and how it battles important topics of mental health, relationships, and climate change. I dislike how poorly they built the setting. I had to guess they lived in Australia but I didn’t know exactly until like halfway through the book where the header said “Sydney”… That made me really confused. And (since it dealt with tough topics) it was not the most interesting book and I found myself getting bored really easily and I really wanted the book to end.

I think people who are interested in reading books about LGBTQ+ romances and mental health/climate change topics.

True to form, Ellen Hopkins latest book pulls readers right in! Sync follows twin siblings, Storm and Lake, as they try to navigate their circumstances of being pulled apart and sent to different foster homes, repeatedly throughout their adolescent years. Although the siblings are physically forced apart their connection cannot be broken, not through time spent in juvenile detention or on the streets. Fortunately for each, they have people to love and care for no matter the circumstances.

Lake is placed with a foster family who is very conservative and expects her to follow suit; however, she has a girlfriend and wants to challenge the ideals consistently pressed upon her within the foster home. Storm is placed with a loving, caring foster father, but ends up in juvenile detention after trying to seek revenge on someone who sexually assaulted his long-time girlfriend.

In the worst of circumstances, the siblings are unable to connect – trying to keep tabs on each other through their caseworkers. Although things seem pretty hopeless for both twins, they continue to persevere.

Students who like to read about difficult topics and trauma will be pulled in by these characters and their circumstances. Ellen Hopkins knows how to tug on a reader’s heartstrings. If you have other books by this author in your collection, you will want to add this as well.

Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Sandy H.

This coming of age story will connect readers with the difficulties of being a teenager as well as showing how family struggles impact life. Brynn Kwan balances friends, family, and boys on top of struggles to let an unattainable persona go. Meanwhile pain rears its head. In this book, the protagonist (and her father) has chronic pain resulting from a health disorder which is a young adult topic not frequently encountered, for this primary reason I appreciated reading the book.

Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Sandy H.

This novel will be a hit with young adult readers who enjoy coming-of-age struggles.

Kat Evans tries to get a date, deal with friends, and manifest self-acceptance, while trying to think of everything through the lens of feminism. Meanwhile she’s also rabidly documenting everything in her diary. This young adult fiction dives deep into the anxieties, dreams, and ideals of a teenager trying to make her way through high school – so believable, the anxiety just oozed off of the pages!

Reading it as an adult, I liked being reminded of how tough it really is to be a teenager.

This book was really difficult to read because of the content; it’s very powerful, but will need content warnings if added to a high school collection.

The main character, Virginia, is a victim of sexual assault and abuse – but she is keeping it hidden. Instead, she displays risky behaviors with drinking, drug use, and sex. As the reader, we are not made aware of the extent of the abuse, and the fact that there are multiple abusers, until much later in the book. Instead we follow Virginia’s journey of self-loathing desire to feel love.

As details about Virginia’s story unfold, other victims come forward – all of which are close friends of Virginia’s and all were groomed by the same abuser.

This book should be considered for high school libraries only.

It is set in Washington State and has some local references, which I always appreciate.

Reviewed by OHS Student, Eliza T.

This book beautifully combines a soft romance with the challenges of having divorced parents.

Bailey and Charlie first meet on a plane when they are both flying to live with their other parent. They meet again when they are older, and their initial hate blossoms into a beautiful romance as they connect through their shared parental experiences.

This book is perfect for those looking to better understand the life of a child of divorce, or those who just want to cozy up for a sweet romance. I loved the banter throughout the book, as Charlie and Bailey learn that the other might not be so bad. Bailey’s mom’s boyfriend has a daughter, and I think there could have been more conflict there, where it felt very understated.

Reviewed by OHS Substitute, Megan C.

This is a fast paced thrill-ride where main character Luna competes in a competition to live without technology in exchange for a cash prize that her struggling family needs desperately. As the competition continues the stakes become high when Luna’s classmates begin disappearing. Worried for her safety, Luna must decide to continue with the competition or give up the potential cash prize.

In addition to the fast pace, I appreciated the reference to 80s/90s music. This book also highlights the role of social media in our lives and encourages readers to question it’s value.

This would be a great addition to any high school library.