Student Book Reviews

A review of “Shiver” by MaggieStiefvate

BY BRITTNEY FRIES

If you were to curl up with a copy of Maggie Stiefvater’s “Shiver,” you would have a difficult time putting it back down. Taking place in Mercy Falls, Minnesota, good-girl Grace falls for Sam, a boy with a wolfish curse that comes when cold weather strikes the town.

Stiefvater’s characters are in-depth and have excellent background stories to fit with them. Because of the characters’ distinctly separate personalities, Stiefvater has successfully been able to change the point of view from character to character when beginning a new chapter. However, because some chapters are rather short, it can seem that the point of view changes too often. Scenes are also occasionally dragged out a bit too long. The detailed description of the settings and characters, though, makes up for that. The reader can almost see what is going on in front of their eyes and hear the emotions in every word. After giving us “Lament: Faerie Queen’s Deception” and “Ballad: The Gathering of Faerie,” Stiefvater has pulled it off again with “Shiver.” The novel has won the 2010 Midwest Booksellers’ Choice Award for Children’s Literature, Amazon’s Top 10 Books for Teens, and Glamour’s Best Book to Curl Up With, as well as many others.

The story of Grace and Sam doesn’t stop with “Shiver,” though. It is only the first of the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy; the other two books, the sequel, “Linger,” and the final book, “Forever,” are also wonderful books. So, if you’re in the mood for a story about werewolves and a relationship that is threatened to be lost, I would recommend picking up “Shiver” today.

“Beautiful Creatures” book review

BY COLLEEN HOFFMANN

At the midnight premiere of the wonderful movie “The Hobbit,” I watched a preview for a new film called “Beautiful Creatures.” Seeing that it was based on a book, I quickly bought a paperback copy. I was not disappointed. It all starts in Gatlin, South Carolina: a forgotten small town where nothing exceptional really happens. All of that changes when Lena Duchannes moves into town. Told from the main character Ethan Wate’s point of view, this book takes you through what happens when small-town life is interrupted by the supernatural. “Beautiful Creatures” is a stellar young adult story, covering love, loss, chaos, corruption and a little bit of everything else. I would highly recommend this book to any teenager who enjoys the supernatural.