Review: Life Sucks

Life Sucks
by Michael I. Bennett and Sarah Bennett

Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Publication Date: April 9, 2019

LIFE SUCKS is not a story, but more of a (slightly comedic) guide to life. It goes into detail on many common problems one may have in their life, from home to family to friends and more. This book gives advice on how to deal with many issues, understanding these issues, and how what you need to do might differ from what you think you need to do. But my favorite section of this book is “What your parents say to try to help," “...and why it isn’t helpful at all." These sections are fairly self explanatory. 

As someone who felt his life sucked for the past year, I highly recommend this book to anyone who feels like their life sucks or is struggling with any of the mentioned topics. However, I would recommend this book even more to the parents of kids who are struggling. 

Review: XL

XL
by Scott Brown

Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 26, 2019

In his moving new novel, Scott Brown tells the story of 4’11” Will Daughtry. With best friend and stepbrother Drew and longtime crush Monica at his side, Will is set to conquer the world in spite of his short stature. But on the day of his sixteenth birthday, nothing goes right for Will and he is left wondering if he is destined to be invisible for the rest of his life. Then, against all odds, Will starts to grow. And grow. And grow. Suddenly, he’s no longer invisible. But that comes with its own set of problems, problems that Will must overcome with the help of his best friends. XL is a heartwarming novel about what a pain it is to grow up and how to embrace change.

It felt somewhat ironic that I, a 6’3” sixteen year old, was reading this book. I’ve never had to deal with the problem of being short, and so my eyes were really opened by Will’s strife. Throughout XL, I was rapt, each chapter leaving me more engaged with the story and yearning to find out more. The book’s only downfall was an ending that left me wanting just a bit more. Despite this, XL was a fantastic book, filled with humor, intelligence, and irrefutable truths. Let’s just say that the next book I read will have some big shoes to fill.

Review: The Nerdy Dozen

The Nerdy Dozen by Jeff Miller 
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication date: June 10, 2014

The book THE NERDY DOZEN by Jeff Miller started a little slow, but turned out to be a great book. There was constant action, and I didn't ever know what was going to happen next. Also, the idea that a nerdy group of kids could become pilots for the United States Air Force helped to create comedy in the book. I would definitely recommend this book to ages 12 and up because it is easy to read and has lots of comedy that is very appropriate. I would definitely read this book again.