At the Library

Recently, I have been assigned a book project for my AP Enlight Literature and Composition class. In this project I had to choose a book to read, and connect it to three poems, one critical essay, one non-fiction piece, and four critical lenses. The book I chose was We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach. WALU reminds me a lot like the 1985 movie The Breakfast Club. It starts with the four main characters all living their own lives in high school. They all fit into a clique of some sort, each with a totally different socio-economic status. Much like The Breakfast Club, they all come together during the same situation, but instead of detention, it's the end of the world. It was very interesting to watch the development of each character, and their views.

From the beginning I noticed that the theme 'terror unites” was very bold within my pieces. The characters in WALU all bonded from the same fear of the end of the world, which connects to the non-fiction piece I read called 'Shared pain brings people together” by Brock Bastain. In his study, he found that people who share the same painful task have stronger bonds, and more sense of loyalty to each other. I find this really interesting because Bastain even said 'sharing a spicy meal can have positive effects on a human relationship” which just makes me laugh when I think of it.

Overall I really enjoyed reading this book because it has a constantly twisting plot that held my attention from the first time I laid eyes on it, and it sheds light on some major problems that continue to happen in today's society. So if you really like a dramatic, modern novel about teenagers facing possibly the end of the world, I highly recommend this book.

New Materials at the Library

Adult Fiction

Strangers and Cousins by Leah Hager Cohen

Genesis by Robin Cook

The Andromeda Evolution by Michael Crichton

Westering Women by Sandra Dallas

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Hindsight by Iris Johansen

Conviction by Denise Mina

The River Murders by James Patterson

A Small Town by Thomas Perry

American Spy by Lauren Wilkenson

Large Print Fiction

Code of Honor by Tom Clancy

The Patient One by Shelley Shepard Gray

Tidelands by Philippa Gregory

Twisted Twenty-six by Janet Evanovich

The River Murders by James Patterson

Chances Are by Richard Russo

Juvenile Fiction

The Friendship War by Andrew Clements

Narwhal on the Sunny Night by Gordon Korman

Notorious by Gordon Korman

Easy Children's

Please Don't Eat Me by Liz Climo

Where Sadness Is At Your Door by Eva Eland

The Cool Bean by Jory John

Potato Pants by Laurie Keller

Crunch the Sky Dinosaur by Greg Pizzoli

Porcupine's Pie by Laura Renauld

This is a Ball by Beck Stanton