Teens Write Reviews

These are all book and music reviews written by teens and librarians in our community. Click on the titles to find the items in the Sarasota County Library Catalog.

You can send your reviews to us at this e-mail address: jhitchco@scgov.net. Please include the title and author or artist, a three or four sentence review, and your first name.

Sep 13
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Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell When searching for a book we always ask ourselves how we would like to feel once we are done reading. Whether it is that fuzzy feeling of happiness or the feeling of endless tears falling from our eyes. Island of the Blue Dolphins is a surprising book that leaves you wanting more. The adventures that are keeping you at the end of your bed making you read faster, are never ending. This book holds the key to every emotion. It has moments of happiness but before you know it jumps to curiosity. Than something dreadful happens and you feel sadness with a twist of anger and rage. You can’t help but want to jump into your book to help the character who is struggling. This story is about a girl named Karana, and how she survived after being left on an island. This island once had a village which sheltered her family and friends at one time. This was before the island was visited by strangers that came on strange looking boats that looked like clouds above the ocean. These strangers are the reason Karana was left behind, it was them who started a battle over the otters. The Chief of the Village was presented a miracle after a battle that left their village weak, another group of strangers had arrived at the island but these were not enemies these were good men. With that the Chief told the village that they had to leave the island and take only what they needed. In the hurry of the gathering and departing to the rescue boat they had forgotten about one small boy who had made it to the beach but had forgotten his spear in the village. That little boy was Karana’s brother who by the time made it back to the shore of the beach the boat had already departed off the shore. Karana thinking only of her brother and not of her freedom jumped off the boat and swam back to shore where her brother awaited her. It is now when the book takes off and makes a turn into excitement and desperation to know what will happen next. What she will soon realize is she will be left alone on that beloved island year to year with one question on her mind: Will she remain on this island alone for the rest of her life or will she venture on her own in the same direction her people were heading towards. -Nicole

Island of the Blue Dolphins
by Scott O’Dell

When searching for a book we always ask ourselves how we would like to feel once we are done reading. Whether it is that fuzzy feeling of happiness or the feeling of endless tears falling from our eyes. Island of the Blue Dolphins is a surprising book that leaves you wanting more. The adventures that are keeping you at the end of your bed making you read faster, are never ending. This book holds the key to every emotion. It has moments of happiness but before you know it jumps to curiosity. Than something dreadful happens and you feel sadness with a twist of anger and rage. You can’t help but want to jump into your book to help the character who is struggling.

This story is about a girl named Karana, and how she survived after being left on an island. This island once had a village which sheltered her family and friends at one time. This was before the island was visited by strangers that came on strange looking boats that looked like clouds above the ocean. These strangers are the reason Karana was left behind, it was them who started a battle over the otters. The Chief of the Village was presented a miracle after a battle that left their village weak, another group of strangers had arrived at the island but these were not enemies these were good men. With that the Chief told the village that they had to leave the island and take only what they needed. In the hurry of the gathering and departing to the rescue boat they had forgotten about one small boy who had made it to the beach but had forgotten his spear in the village. That little boy was Karana’s brother who by the time made it back to the shore of the beach the boat had already departed off the shore. Karana thinking only of her brother and not of her freedom jumped off the boat and swam back to shore where her brother awaited her. It is now when the book takes off and makes a turn into excitement and desperation to know what will happen next. What she will soon realize is she will be left alone on that beloved island year to year with one question on her mind: Will she remain on this island alone for the rest of her life or will she venture on her own in the same direction her people were heading towards.

-Nicole