Teen P.O.V. (Point Of View)
We've received some really interesting reviews from teens since we introduced the Teen P.O.V., covering a wide range of subjects and reading styles. The titles in each review are linked to PamCat, our library catalog. The reviews are organized by rating with the most recent reviews at the beginning. Click on a title to go to that review.
Five Stars
The Book Thief
My Crazy Christmas
House of the Scorpion
The Incredible Journey
The Sight
Cut
Follow My Leader
The Sabriel series
The Warriors series
A Great and Terrible Beauty
sTORI Telling
Speak
Air Head
Fat Kid Rules the World
Annie on My Mind
Sacrifice
River Summer
Flora Segunda
To Kill a Mockingbird
Summer Promise
Annie's Baby
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys
The Cry of the Icemark
Twilight
Upstate
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
It's Kind
of a Funny Story
"Left Behind" series
The Princess Diaries
Girls in Pants
The Giver
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Big Empty
Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror
"Harry Potter" series and "A Series of Unfortunate Events"
The Hostile Hospital
Abraham Lincoln
The Giver
The Babysitter III
Teen Idol
Warriors into the Wild
Crooked
The Face on the Milk Carton
The Lost Girl of El Monte
"The Spiderwick Chronicles"
Wild Horse Killers
Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone
Moon Demon
A Good Courage
The Bad Beginning
Four Stars
20,000 Leagues under the Sea
The Bad Beginning
Where the Red Fern Grows
Ella Enchanted
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" series
Holes
God Don't Like Ugly
"Thoroughbred Club" series
Loves Music, Loves to Dance
Three Stars
Animal Farm
After the First
Death
The Rifle
Two Stars
One Star
The Reviews
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak received five stars from an enthusiastic 14-year-old reader who said, "I like this book, because it's very different. It makes you go thru different emotions. The book also changes your thoughts on life and yourself. The book shows you a different point of view on the German people during the WWII."
Nancy Farmer's House of the Scorpion received five stars from a 15-year-old reader who says, "Set in the near future, this book tells the story of a young boy struggling to overcome the social ostracization of being a clone while also becoming aware of other evils in the land of El Patron. It is an eye-opening book that draws attention to important moral issues and has a strong, fast-paced plot. One of the best books I have ever read."
Several readers raved about My Crazy Christmas by Allison Combs, giving it five stars and said it was "great for younger readers," "a great read with lots of excitement!,"a great children's book," and "...really cool! It's more for younger kids, but it's still good. Allison Combs's website is pretty cool too!"
Animal Farm by George Orwell disappointed a 14-year-old reader who gave it three stars and said "This book was okay, but it didn't make a lot of sense. The ending left you wondering what happened, and there is no sequel to explain it. You have to read it in high school, the only reason I read it, but at least it's short."
A 14-year-old reader gave Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford five stars because it's "A great book! Action at every turn, heartwarming, and funny. The movie is all right, but the book is better (as usual)."
The Sight by David Clement-Davies is rated five stars by a 14-year-old reader who says, "This book is really great. It is a bit dark, but it is still a wonderful book. The Vision at the end is so true. I would definitely read this book many more times!"
A 14-year-old reader gave Cut by Patricia McCormick
five stars because "I like this because it was a fast book. Also the details
were very good and had amazing emotion! :)"
Back to top
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea gets four stars from a twelve-year-old
reader who says "This book is very good. It can be a little confusing, and it
has a whole lot of technical information in it. It is a pretty good book, and I
think others would like it."
Back to top
A 12-year-old gave Follow My Leader five stars and said "This book is about a
boy who becomes blind in an accident. He has to learn Braille and eventually
gets a guide dog who becomes his best friend. This book is very heartwarming and
I definitely recommend it."
Back to top
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens rated only two stars by a 12-year-old
reader because "This book is awful!! It has a cycle: once the main character
becomes happy, something bad happens. The descriptions are entirely too long and
the characters are very strange. Some parts are good, though, but they are few
and far between."
Back to top
A 12-year-old reader gave The Giver by Lois Lowery one star because "This book
was very confusing. I re-read parts of it several times and still didn't
understand it. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
Back to top
The Sabriel Series by Garth Nix received five stars from a 12-year-old reader
who says "The three books in this series are truly works of art. Wonderful
characters and constant suspense make it great. You will soon be getting a white
cat and naming it Mogget."
Back to top
The Warriors series by Erin Hunter was given five stars by a 12-year-old reader
who says "This is an amazing series! The characters and descriptions are
wonderful. It is definitely a must read."
Back to top
Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty received five stars from a 13-year-old
reader who thought that "This book was suspenseful and exciting. I was hooked
from the first page, and then I just couldn't put it down."
Back to top
A 13-year-old reader gave Tori Spelling's sTORI Telling five stars because "it
was not an normal autobiography it was entertaining and exciting. The novel gave
me an indepth look into Hollywood."
Back to top
An 11-year-old reader gave Speak five stars.
Back to top
A 12-year-old reader gave Airhead by Meg Cabot five stars.
Back to top
K.L. Going's Fat Kid Rules the World received five stars from an 11-year-old
reader who liked it "because I have a hard time reading and teacher told me to
try this."
Back to top
Nancy Garden's Annie on My Mind was rated five stars by a 13-year-old reader who
says "I will not spoil this book but, it was really good! I wish it was longer
or had a sequel to it because it was really good...this book is about two girls
who meet and start to have feelings for each other. I am not good at review and
I do not really know how they work but this is just what I think about Annie on
My Mind."
Back to top
A 12-year-old reader gave The Sacrifice by Katherine Benner Duble five stars
because "It is a fascinating account of one of the Salem witch trials. It is
based on a true story and really draws you into the time period. The late 1600's
really come to life in this book!"
Back to top
River Summers: Stories from the Rappahannock by Russell M. Francis was given five
stars by a 13-year-old reader who says "I liked this book, lots of good
stories."
Back to top
Flora Segunda received five stars from a 13-year-old reader who like the book
because of "its twists and turns and the surprise ending. It has a lot of
tension and does not stop with the constant action in the wild world of Flora
Segunda. She is a cunning character throughout the book and she never learns
from her mistakes... This book is a good read for those who are interested in
the fiction/fantasy novels in the YA section."
Back to top
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee was given five stars by a 14-year-old reader
who says "This book gives you examples of what racism was like...This is a
really great book and I think everyone should read it. I had to read it for
school and we had class discussion everyday on the book."
Back to top
Summer Promise by Robin Jones Gunn received five stars from a 13-year-old
reader.
A 14-year-old reader gave Annie's Baby by Beatrice Sparks five stars.
Back to top
Megan Meade's Guide to the McGowan Boys received five stars from an 11-year-old
reader who says "Megan really changes. Like, you watch her go from
COMPLETELY afraid of anything to do with boys to really understanding what is
going on. luv it! :)"
Back to top
A 14-year-old reader gave The Cry of the Icemark by Stuart Hill five stars.
Back to top
An 18 year old reader rated Stephenie
Meyer's
Twilight five stars because it is "just simply amazing" and that Meyers "does a wonderful job
describing the action and the characters" of a girl named Bella and vampire
boy Edward who fall in love. It also "leaves you hanging for more" and
"the second book 'New Moon' is even better than 'Twilight'! Check it out!
Highly recommended!"
Back to top
A 12 year old gave Lemony Snicket's
The Bad Beginning four stars because
it was "very interesting and you don't know if it's suspense or murder."
Back to top
A 14 year old reader likes
Where the Red Fern Grows "because it is about a
boy and his faithful hounds" and gives it four stars.
Back to top
A 15 year old reader gave Kalisha Buckhanon's Upstate five stars because
"of the way the girl chose to stay with her boyfriend even through thick and
thin. Although he was in jail (will see why clue - didn't do it), he
had the best of luck. When he got out, he became a good father and was a
good person. Trust me you will love this book if you read it!"
Back to top
A 14 year old reader gave Dragons of Autumn Twilight by Margaret Weis &
Tracy Hickman five stars because it's the first book of the "most amazing
and exiting series I've ever read (and that's saying a lot). These
books take you to the fantastic land of Krynn where elves, dwarves,
minotaurs and humans live to name a few of the races. This is the
ultimate series for people who like sword and sorcery books. Enjoy."
Back to top
A 14 year old reader gives Ned Vizzini's
It's Kind of a
Funny Story five stars. "This is a great book. Ned Vizzini represents
the life of a teenager exactly the way it is, without fake cliques added for
extra drama. This book includes some real issues that many teens endure each
day."
Back to top
Gail Carson Levine's
Ella Enchanted gets four stars from
a 13 year old reader. It's "a really good book, it kept me up and very
excited, the only bad thing is it was the exact same thing as Cinderella,
but other than that I loved it!"
Back to top
An 11 year old reader lives for the Left Behind series by
Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. "I love this series sooo much, I will
stay up all night just to find out what happens next, they are so intense
and unrealistic, yet realistic, they're AMAZING!!!" (five stars)
Back to top
The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot receives five stars from a
12-year-old reader. "This book is great for any teenage girl. It has a
great plot and at times this book makes me laugh out loud. Only after I had
read the book twice did I start to enjoy it. This book rocks!"
Back to top
The third installment of Ann Brashares's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,
Girls in Pants: The Third Summer of the Sisterhood, gets five stars
from a 14-year-old reader who likes this book "because it is AWESOME!
I love what the characters are like and what they do, and I ESPECIALLY love
the Traveling Pants!"
Back to top
Robert Cormier's gritty, suspenseful After the First Death is given
three stars by a 15-year-old reader who liked the the book because "it was a
page turner."
Back to top
Here's another fan of Lois Lowry's The Giver, a 13-year-old reader
who enthusiastically gives it five stars because it "KEEPS YOU ON YOUR TOES
AND NEVER GETS BORING."
Back to top
The Hound of the Baskervilles receives five stars from a 14-year-old
reader who says, "[I]t is full of suspense, so you are always on your toes."
Back to top
J.B. Stephens's The Big Empty gets five stars from a 12-year-old
reader who thinks "it is exciting and once you start reading it you can't
stop!"
Back to top
A 19-year-old reader thought that Matt Groening's Bart Simpson's Treehouse
of Horror was "funny," the pictures were "colorful and clear," and the
dialogue was "very clear to understand."
Back to top
Both J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series and Lemony Snicket's A Series of
Unfortunate Events gets five stars from a 15-year-old reader who loves the books.
Back to top
J.K. Rowling's newest Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, gets four stars from a 13-year-old reader who says
the book was better in the middle "when all the action began going on."
The book may start out a little tame and end up somewhat sad, but "[i]f you
want a thrilling read, read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince."
Back to top
The Hostile Hospital by Lemony Snicket gets five stars from an
11-year-old reader who says "I LOVED IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!."
Back to top
Tanya Stone's biography of Abraham Lincoln gets five stars from an
enthusiastic 11-year-old reader who says, "It is a good book, and I just
like everything about it."
Back to top
An 11-year-old reader rates The Giver by Lois Lowry five stars.
Back to top
R.L. Stine's The Babysitter 3 gets five stars from a 12-year-old
reader who says that "it is extremely exciting and suspenseful!"
Back to top
A 12-year-old reader rated Meg Cabot's Teen Idol five stars.
"It is funny and it makes you more attached each time you turn the page !!!!
I could read it over and over again!!!! I recommend it to all
teens!"
Back to top
A 13-year-old reader says that Ann Brashares's
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series is a "must read" and "one of the
best [series] I have ever read," but "it is very hard to find at libraries
though." Five stars. (Don't worry, reader, we'll get some more
copies in soon!)
Back to top
Another 13-year-old reader gave
Holes by Louis Sachar four stars.
Back to top
A 13-year-old reader gave
Warriors: Into the Wild by Erin
Hunter five stars.
Back to top
A 17-year-old reader gives Mary Monroe's
God Don't Like Ugly four
stars, and says "It's real. It is hard reading, but it's good."
Back to top
A fifteen year-old reader told us that
Crooked by Laura McNeal was
"awesome," and that it was "current and had a well-written plot. Read
it!" Five stars
Back to top
A 13-year-old reader gave Caroline B. Cooney's
The Face on the
Milk Carton five stars because "it was very suspenseful and kept you
wanting to turn the pages to see what happened next."
Back to top
Tammy, an 18-year-old reader, gives Benita Bishop's The Lost Girl
From El Monte five stars. This is a diary of a girl who hangs out
with the wrong kind of guys at first and then decides to change her life for
the better. "There are some really funny things that happen in this
book and then there are some sad events that I found myself relating to. All
teens experience heartbreak and depression and it's interesting to read a
true story about how someone else dealt with this experience." Tammy
recommends this book for teen girls ages 13-19.
Back to top
A 14-year old reader who doesn't usually like to read says that
Tony Terlizzi & Holly
Black's series "The Spiderwick Chronicles" took her to a land of belonging
and magic. "[I]t was so great to read these books." Five stars
Back to top
A 13-year-old who loved Mel Ellis's The Wild Horse Killers gave it five stars because "of the word choice the author uses" and its precise story line that doesn't leave off anywhere. "Overall it's just a good book."
Back to top
A 12-year-old reader wrote in to say that J.K. Rowling's
Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone was "just really fun to read" and gave it five stars!
Back to top
A 19-year-old reader who loves horses rated
Joanna Campbell's
"Thoroughbred Club" series four stars.
Back to top
A 15-year-old reader gave Mary Higgins Clark's
Loves Music, Loves to
Dance four stars because she "makes you think that you know who the murderer is and in the last
chapters it totally changes around."
Back to top
An 11-year-old reader wrote in "I like this book [Moon Demon by
Lynn Ewing] because it was very good and had a lot of excitement and
adventure. I recommend this book to just about everyone, even guys. They sell
them as a series at book stores but u have to read 1 then 2...so on and so
forth or u wont get it and the 11th book will be coming out in June or July
this year!"
Back to top
An anonymous reader rated Stephanie S. Tolan's
A Good Courage five
stars.
Back to top
A 14-year-old reader really appreciated
The Bad Beginning by Lemony
Snicket and gave it five stars, because it shows what it's like to lose a
loved one.
Back to top
A 19-year-old reader gave Gary Paulsen's
The Rifle three stars
because there's more action in western novels for young adults than in those
written for adults.
Back to top
Thanks to everyone who has filled out a review. We really
appreciate hearing what you think of our collection!
