Literature Extravaganza

In my previous blog, I discussed Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. After finishing the excellent read, I started another fantasy novel which was recommended to me by Mariam Vaid, Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Published in 2016, this book is the first in the Witchlands series. Truthwitch is a story about the adventures of two young girls who are best friends, Safiya and Iseult. The two live in a world full of magic, and their country is currently going through a time of high tensions and bordering on war. As I read the book, many components of the book stand out to me, but my favorite aspect of this book is the way it portrays the concept of magic. Many books, movies, and television shows include magic in their fictional worlds. Sabrina, The Teenage Witch follows a girl who can make things appear from the tip of her finger. She can create potions to make magic happen. Her family members are witches and wizards as well, and they perform magic in the same manner. A similar concept...

        I am Zlatan: My Story On and Off the Field by David Lagercrantz is the autobiography of the great soccer player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. It tells an inspirational rags to riches story. Zlatan was a little immigrant kid in Sweden with not much money and many family problems using soccer to cope with his problems.   Now he is a very rich soccer superstar, making money in the big leagues of soccer  . This book is inspirational, entertaining, and funny, and because of those things, I think that this is a good book.         One of the reasons I think this book is good is because of its entertaining aspect. The book talks about specific stories rather than summarizing over a certain amount of time, which I find to be a lot more interesting. He will skip over a long period of time, in which not much happens, so he can talk more about funny encounters with friends, managers and other players. Zlatan also adds a lot of personality to the boo...

Under a Painted Sky  was written in 2015 by Stacy Lee. It is a moving tale set in 1849 that tells the story of a Chinese American girl named Samantha. With her father, she runs a dry goods store in Missouri and dreams of someday moving to New York to become a professional violinist. However, her vision is crushed after a tragic accident leaves her without family and in great danger. Samantha manages to escape to the Oregon Trail with a runaway slave named Annamae. Disguised as two young men headed for the California gold rush, the two girls face the unknown, but manage to find unexpected allies along the way.  Under a Painted Sky  is a tale about loss, perseverance, and the power of friendship. I found it to be a beautiful, moving story that had an engaging plot, interesting characters, and an excellent moral. Stacy Lee does a great job of getting readers to sympathize with her characters, which leads to greater investment in the story. She provide...

Recently in independent reading I started All Involved by Ryan Gattis. All Involved is a realistic fiction novel that takes place in California in 1992 during the Los Angeles riots. The riots lasted six days and was caused by California police officers exerting unnecessary force against Rodney King who was an African American man. Due to all the riots that broke out Los Angeles was thrown into chaos. During this time the police were extremely busy managing the riots that they were no longer able to control the rest of the city. All Involved focuses on a specific instance where outside of the riots, gang violence occurred and effected innocent people.             At the beginning of All Involved , Ryan Gattis shows a good example of a brother who is killed because his brother is in a gang. Ernesto Vera starts off his day working at a taco truck. After work he heads home and is encountered by gang members who have a grudge against his brother. They then...