Teen Read Week 2012: It Came From the Library

It's Teen Read Week from 14-20 October 2012 and the theme this year is It Came From the Library. To drum up the event, I asked for quick reviews of books and reading materials from the school community. The book or reading material must be something that enchanted, shocked, surprised, thrilled, angered and disturbed them. Of course, the books and reading materials must come from the library's collection.

One student from grade 12 immediately replied. Below is her book review of John Green's Looking for Alaska. Apparently, John Green is the spokesperson for this years Teen Read Week.

As a student who loves to read, I am constantly searching for interesting books that tempt you to read them all in one sitting yet leave you wishing it had never ended. It is not common to find books like these, but, as I learned, the Beacon Academy library is the perfect place to look.

 When Ms. Gagatiga handed me the novel, Looking For Alaska, I was not prepared for the thought evoking and pleasantly shocking adventure reading this book could be. The novel speaks of inner turmoil and the raging emotions that all teenagers face as well as the fragility of life itself. I would recommend teenagers read this book as I believe it has great insight into the minds and lives of the young and misunderstood. 

What stood out to me the most was one of the last words uttered by Simón Bolívar, “Damn it. How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?!” This quote was a main focus in the book and was very thought provoking. If you ever decide to read the novel you should definitely ask yourself, “what is the labyrinth and how do we escape it?” because you may not even realize you are trapped and in need of liberation. Hopefully this book will help you understand yourself, your life, and relationships as it has helped me. 

And because it's Teen Read Week, I'll be posting more reviews of Young Adult Literature in the coming days.