Each week throughout the summer, the Juneau Public Libraries, in collaboration with the Friends of the Juneau Public Libraries and local businesses, award young readers various prizes for writing book reviews about their favorite summer reads. During the first week of this fun summer reading program activity, the Juneau Public Libraries received 74 different book reviews from 32 different young readers under the age of 18. Here is a summary of the top book reviews from this week’s winners.
From the Downtown Library:
“I Am Albert Einstein,” by Grace Norwich: “One fascinating part of this book is how Albert was just average but he worked so hard and asked so many questions, he became a genius.” — Carmen Farr, age 10
“The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey,” by Trenton Lee Stewart: “One fascinating part of this book (is) when Mr. Benedict ‘hypnotized’ S.Q. so that he could escape with the children. The clues/riddles that Mr. Benedict left were complicated. It was interesting how they solved them.” — Kareena Bathija, age 13.
From the Douglas Library:
“The Search for the Zipperump-a-zoo.” by Mercer Mayer: “One fascinating part of this book is that it had great illustrations, with a silly, memorable plot. Very creative, fascinating titles for the ‘beasties’. The zipperump-a-zoo’s personality was one of my favorite traits.” — Journey Rettinger, age 11
“Josephina Hates her Name” by Diana Engel: “One fascinating part of this book is Josephina’s friends didn’t want to swap her name and she didn’t like her name until Grandma told her the story of her name. Sometimes I don’t like my name.” — Sincere Ellis, age 6.
From the Mendenhall Valley Library :
“Emma Kate,” by Patricia Polacco: “I would recommend this book to everyone who doesn’t know how special an imaginary friend can be.” — Rachel Wood, age 10
“At the Beach,” by Huy Voun Lee: “I liked ‘At the Beach’ because it teaches you Mandarin Chinese!” — Kyra Wood, age 10
“Junie B., first grader (at last!),” by Barbara Park: “One fascinating part of this book is when Junie B gets glasses and shows them for show and tell.” — Rhiana Conklin, age 9
“Baby Wolf” by Mary Batten: “One fascinating part of this book is how the wolf pack works together to kill a moose.” — Adriana Blanton, age 5
