Teen Programs and Services

Criteria

Items being reviewed must meet the following criteria:

• Must be available through the Port Colborne Public Library or a Libraries in Niagara Cooperative (LiNC) library.
• Must be an appropriate reading level.
• Books can be fiction or non-fiction, and in book, e-book, or audiobook format.

Additionally, reviews must meet the following criteria:

• Must be at least 250 words in length (or longer).
• Must contain an introduction to the book, a brief summary (without spoilers), a thoughtful review, as well as whether or not you would recommend the book.
• Must be an original review; use of AI or plagiarism will not be accepted.
• Contains no graphic, explicit, or offensive language.

Some minor edits or corrections may be suggested. 

All I Want for Christmas by Wendy Loggia is a light, festive young-adult Christmas romance that follows Baily Briggs, a teen who loves all things Christmas. The novel is set during the weeks leading up to Christmas, making it a perfect cheerful and cozy holiday read.

The story features Bailey Briggs, a teenage girl who works at a local bookstore and absolutely loves Christmastime. She enjoys all holiday activities, including skating, baking, sledding, and spending quality time with family. This holiday season, Bailey is hoping for the perfect holiday kiss from her long-time crush, Jacob Marley. However, this year brings unexpected challenges important decision-making when it comes to love.

Bailey has crush on Jacob Marley, a local boy who is known to be player. At the same time, Baily accidentally meets a new boy named Charlie, with has a charming British accent and is visiting for the holidays. As far as she is concerned, he appears perfect in every way. The story highlights the contrast between someone familiar and someone new, and highlights Bailey's uncertainty about love. Bailey begins to experience mixed emotions and confusion which leads to her reflecting on want she really wants in a relationship. While she desperately wants that perfect kiss under the mistletoe, she realizes she has some important decisions to make.

Overall, this novel is an enjoyable and relaxing read that is perfect for the holiday season. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy light romance and holiday-themed novels, especially during the winter months. I would rate this novel 4.5 stars.

Find "All I Want for Christmas" today in our catalogue.

“Snow lands on top,”

Suzanne Collins’ prequel to the New York Times bestselling YA series, The Hunger Games goes all the way back to the 10th annual Hunger Games, telling the story of the young future president of the country of Panem, Coriolanus Snow.

The story takes place ten years after the Dark Days, a war fought between the Capitol and the thirteen districts. The Capitol came out of the war the victor, and shortly after, created the Hunger Games, an annual punishment for the twelve surviving districts where two of their children, one boy and girl, would be reaped to fight to the death in an arena.

Many powerful families lost their wealth during the Dark Days, including the Snow family. Ten years after the events of the Dark Days, the Snow family has not recovered from the financial loss, especially not after the death of the family patriarch. Coriolanus Snow, soon graduating from the Academy, is determined to win the prestigious Plinth Prize scholarship for the University to ensure his future and that of his family. Only, a new provision has been added to the prize criteria. Instead of being granted the prize purely on the merit of their grades, the winner must be the greatest mentor in the 10th Hunger Games. As mentors, they must make their tributes more desirable to the Capitol crowds who pay their money to sponsor the tributes in the arena. Assigned the female tribute from District 12, the poorest and most malnourished district in all of Panem, Coriolanus knows the odds are not in his favour. However, his tribute, Lucy Grey Baird, proves herself a valuable pawn in his games when she makes a grand entrance at her reaping when she sings.

When I first read the original trilogy, I fell in love with the world of the Hunger Games immediately. Going into this book, I was very interested in learning more about the evolution of Panem over the years, and how it got to be how it was during the times of the 74th and 75th Games. Overall, this book just made me appreciate Suzanne Collins’ world building even more. Learning about the Covey and being able to connect all of the invisible strings between the events of the original trilogy and the prequel was something really special.

My only real complaint for this book would be that I feel like the third-person narrative was a bit flat in comparison to the original trilogy through Katniss’ perspective. However, I do believe that its purpose to show Snow’s inner thought process objectively was a well thought out choice to prevent the reader from sympathizing with him through his first-person perspective, and letting his true intentions shine through.

Overall, this installation in the Hunger Games series would be a 9/10 for me. I would totally recommend this read to anyone who loved the original trilogy!

Find "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" today in our catalogue.

There has been a string of gruesome murders in the sleepy town of Tarker's Mills, Maine, and, strangely enough, they have only been occurring on the nights of full moons. Everyone in the town suspects a regular man, a vagabond, perhaps, of being the killer. That is, until an eleven-year-old boy named Marty comes face-to-face with the killer and finds that he is no ordinary man, but a werewolf. Gaining the reputation as the boy who literally cried werewolf after having fought him off, he made it his secret mission to hunt down the werewolf once and for all.

I found the structure of the book unique, as it takes on a sort of calendar-style format where each chapter occurs in a different month. This formatting kept the book at a fast pace, as we weren't waiting for the werewolf to attack, as we more or less start every chapter on the night of a full moon. However, the first several chapters felt like fodder, with characters being introduced only to be immediately killed afterwards.

Marty, the young main protagonist, also happens to be in a wheelchair. A recurring issue throughout the novel was the boy's family's brash insults about Marty's disability. Often, the insults were so absurd and nearly comical that my focus was taken from the book, and I was unable to really relate to any of the characters. While King's intentions were to flesh out a more sympathetic character in Marty, I feel as though these lines of dialogue served no real purpose in furthering the plot of the book.

Overall, this book would be a 3.25/5 star rating for me. This likely is not a book I would have chosen to pick up had it not been penned by the King of Horror.

Find "Cycle of the Werewolf" today in our catalogue.

Divergent by Veronica Roth is an amazing book. Personally, I think it is one of the best book series I've ever read. I feel like the author did an awesome job at helping you relate to and understand all of the different characters' personalities and ways of thinking. The way Veronica Roth writes makes it so easy to vividly imagine everything you are reading.

The story follows a 16-year-old girl named Beatrice Prior, who lives in a world so interestingly different from the one we know today. Her society is split into five different Factions, each living by what virtue they believe is the most important. In the beginning, Beatrice lives a selfless life in Abnegation (the Faction she was born into) with her mother, father, and brother, Caleb. In Beatrice's world, when you turn 16 you must choose a Faction you will dedicate your life to.

Beatrice has no idea what she will choose and relies heavily on the aptitude test. But it all goes downhill when Beatrice finds out she is Divergent (this means more than one Faction suits her) and the choice may be the most dangerous decision of her life.

Veronica Roth is obviously an extremely great writer. She did an unbelievable job creating this amazing book and it's difficult to believe someone could even think of the incredible Divergent world. When you read this book you can just tell she has such an extraordinarily creative mind. I absolutely loved this book and I hope you decide to read it too!

Find "Divergent" today in our catalogue.

In Panem, the former site of North America, there is a very wealthy city surrounded by twelve districts, known as the Capitol. Each year, the Capitol hosts the Hunger Games, a brutal, heavily televised event where two teens from each of the twelve districts will be chosen to fight to the death. The Games are used by the Capitol as a tool to instill fear in the Districts, by reminding them of what happens to those who rebel against them. By the end of the Games, there is expected to be only one victor. The victor of the Games will be rewarded with fame, riches, and extra food for their district.

The plot centers around 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who has been anointed the female tribute from District 12 after volunteering to take her sister's place in the Games. A skilled hunter, Katniss still lacks the training that some of the tributes from the wealthier district had. District 12 is viewed as the loser district, as their only victor in the past thirty years is the town drunk. Before leaving for the Games, Katniss' little sister, Prim, makes her promise that she will win so she can come home.

I found that Suzanne Collins' greatest strength in her writing was her ability to humanize her characters even while slaughtering them like animals. Even through all the action of the back-to-back killings, Collins managed to make all of the characters easy to empathize with. A lot of the books I read have some sort of bloodbath within its pages, and this writing feature distinguishes The Hunger Games from other books I have read.

There are also some parallels that can be drawn between Panem and our reality. The Capitol prohibits any communication between each of the Districts, creating a divide between them. This is similar to the divide that the elite in the world try to put between the average citizens, making them believe that they're enemies and not allies by pitting them against each other.

The Hunger Games is the first book I have read in a long time that I have rated a full 5/5 stars. This is a series that has been on my to-read list for a long time now, and I am kicking myself for not having read it earlier. The novel is a modern classic and should be regarded as essential reading for everyone of all ages.

Find "The Hunger Games" today in our catalogue.

I listened to the audiobook, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and it is a powerful, poetic narrative with themes of gritty realism paired with supernatural elements.

The story follows fifteen-year-old Will, who has a strong sense of principle that leaves him bent on avenging his brother’s murder, only to be confronted by the ghosts of his past in an elevator; hence the name, Long Way Down.

I am not one to read or listen to books in my free time, nor do I typically enjoy it; however, I was a fan of the unique style of narrative and fast pacing; it kept me hooked throughout the book as someone who struggles to sit still. The book features some real and powerful themes, such as grief, violence, and revenge; it also highlights the importance of self-understanding and questioning what we follow blindly. Broadly, the setting is an American neighbourhood ridden with gangs and gun violence, which are very real things that pair perfectly with the themes set by the author.

The only piece of criticism I have is that he could have spent a little more time developing the backstory and personalities of some of the supporting characters to strengthen our sense of their relationship with Will. Apart from my one criticism, my overall thoughts on the book are very positive. I really enjoyed listening to the fast-paced narrative style of free verse poetry, narrated by Jason Reynolds himself.

If I were to recommend this book to someone, I would recommend it to someone who enjoys a blend of supernatural elements and gritty, realistic themes; 4 stars out of 5.

Find "Long Way Down" today in our catalogue.

Powerless is honestly a really great book for anyone that loves a bit of drama, fantasy, and romance. This book is inspired by Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games series and Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen series. So, if you have read and enjoyed those books, you will love this one.

The story follows a young woman named Paedyn Grey who lost both her father and mother when she was very young. Paedyn lives in a kingdom where people possess powers. The only problem is she is one of the few people who don't have any powers and that makes her dangerous—or in danger.

Before her father died he taught Paedyn how to fake a power and this training helped her survive… along with her ability to steal so easily. Paedyn also has another strength that her father taught her. She can fight. But some fights can draw attention and that is exactly what happened to Paedyn one terrible night that changed her life forever. People saw and she gets sucked into the Purging Trials. This means that Paedyn is practically forced into competing in dangerous and sometimes deadly “trials” while also trying to not blow her cover about being an ordinary.

Paedyn begins to fall into complicated relationships with both of the princes, soon-to-be-King, Kitt and future-enforcer, Kai. This makes trying to survive the Purging Trials so much more difficult since Kai is also competing in them. Kitt unknowingly gives Paedyn information about the king and the way he runs the kingdom that she didn't know about. She starts to learn more about the exclusion for people like her and what the king does to them and realizes she isn't okay with it. Paedyn struggles to fight back with a resistance while also trying to keep her loyalty to the princes. Lauren Roberts did such a wonderful job creating this incredible series.

After the first few chapters you will absolutely love Paedyn and Kai! If you aren't used to reading larger books you may feel a little intimidated but trust me this book will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole read! This book also is told from two different perspectives which really makes it so much of a better read! I really hope you enjoy it!

Find "Powerless" today in our catalogue.

Shatter Me is a dystopian novel by Tahereh Mafi about a girl called Juliette who has a strange, dangerous power. She has been locked up and kept away from everyone because of it. The world she lives in is controlled by an organization called the Reestablishment, which is trying to take control and fix society. Juliette’s life starts to change when another person is put in her cell. She then has to figure out who she can trust and what is actually happening.

One thing I really liked about this book was the writing. It was different from any previous books I've read. Juliette has a lot of ideas, some of which are repeated or crossed out. It was really confusing to me at first, but I eventually got used to it. I ended up really enjoying the book since it made it feel different from anything I had ever read.

I also liked the personalities very much. Juliette felt more grounded because she isn't perfect and sometimes she doubts herself. I liked her progression throughout the story. Because you aren't always sure who to trust, the other characters added to the intrigue.

Overall I would highly recommend Shatter Me to anyone who likes dystopian novels especially those who like romance and action. I found the story quite interesting and loved to learn about Juliette's experiences. I liked the characters, the story and the unique writing style so I would give it 5 stars. I was captivated by it and wanted to read more.

Find "Shatter Me" today in our catalogue.