Ricki

Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello and welcome to another book review. This time I will be reviewing a graphic novel which is unusual for me since I usually don’t read them. So please welcome… The Cool Code by Deirdre Langeland and illustrated by Sarah Mai! This is a really entertaining book with, in my opinion, captivating graphics! It is about a new kid at school, Zoey, trying to fit in so she codes an app to help her. The book is funny and has STEM topics.

Goodreads Summary

In this funny and heartfelt slice-of-life graphic novel for fans of Raina Telgemeier and Kayla Miller, when coding whiz Zoey goes from homeschooled to new school, she develops an app to help her make friends. Will the Cool Code help Zoey fit in? Or will it completely crash her social life? In an attempt to fit in, Zoey develops an app called the Cool Code with a cute llama avatar that will tell her everything from what to say to what to wear based on pop culture algorithms she’s uploaded. But when the app gives her ridiculous advice, awkwardness and hilarity ensues. With a few upgrades and a bit of debugging from the coding club, the app actually works-Zoey gets really popular… and gets her pulled in all kinds of directions, including away from her real friends. Life’s most complicated choices… is there a code for that?

My Thoughts

I loved the plot and thought that the coding app was really cool. I also loved the way it ended. The ending felt perfect. Additionally, I love that it is about a previously homeschooled girl who, with the help of her self coded app, tries to fit into 8th grade. It highlights how hard it is to fit into a new school, especially if you’ve never been to one before. It was a surprise to see what kids go through when they move somewhere new. Overall I think it was a really nice book that had a cool lesson, while including STEM topics and being funny. Right after I read this, I read the sequel, The Cool Code 2.0 : The Switch Glitch and it was also very fun! If you enjoyed the first book, then you should check out the second. Happy reading!

On Amazon, The Cool Code is recommended for kids aged 8-12. I mostly agree with this rating though I think it could also be interesting for teenagers up to fifteen. Especially those that are drawn to graphic novels. Some of the topics mentioned are coding, AI, making friends, and whether it is even important to be cool.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello and let me introduce you to Five Survive by Holly Jackson! I love this thriller that takes place in the middle of nowhere and think it would actually make for a nice rainy day or snowy day read. I read Five Survive with my mom in our book club and we both loved it! The fact that every chapter ends in a cliff hanger made us want to keep going! Since this book is so suspenseful, I also think it would be a good pick to get a reluctant reader hooked on books!

Goodreads Summary

Eight hours. Six friends. One sniper… Eighteen year old Red and her friends are on a road trip in an RV, heading to the beach for Spring Break. It’s a long drive but spirits are high. Until the RV breaks down in the middle of nowhere. There’s no mobile phone reception and nobody around to help. And as the wheels are shot out, one by one, the friends realise that this is no accident. There’s a sniper out there in the dark watching them and he knows exactly who they are. One of the group has a secret that the sniper is willing to kill for. A game of cat-and-mouse plays out as the group desperately tries to get help and to work out which member of the group is the target. Buried secrets are forced to light in the cramped, claustrophobic setting of the RV, and tensions within the group will reach deadly levels. Not everyone will survive the night.

My Thoughts

This is a truly amazing thriller! I feel like this would be more of a winter book than a summer book, so if you are looking for a book with “summer vibes”, this might not be it for you! Otherwise, this book is truly fantastic! I love Holly Jackson’s work, especially the Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series. I feel like it keeps you on the edge of your seat and fully immerses you into the book. For example, I was definitely holding my breath in multiple of the life threatening situations in Five Survive! My mom said that she liked “learning more about the characters, their relationships, and backstories.” We also always wondered who the sniper could be after. Questions like this led us to have really in-depth conversations, sharing our different perspectives and theories. We didn’t see the ending coming!

Five Survive is recommended for ages 14-17 and I mostly agree. I think that most adults would enjoy this (my mom did!) so almost any age can read it. As for the minimum age, I think it is fine to read for anyone who can handle murder, drugs, and guns/shooting. It is quite thrilling and a little scary.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**

Sofia is a 13-year-old brilliant reader who aspires to be a book reviewer. Since she was 8 years old, on select Saturdays, Sofia shares her favorite books with other young people her age! She is one of the most well-read youth that we know, so she is highly qualified for this role!

Dear readers,

Hello and welcome to my book review! The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling was a surprisingly good read for me! It is a book in verse which I am usually not very interested in but The Canyon’s Edge really hooked me! When I picked this book up from the library, I didn’t even know it was in verse and I only picked it up because it was on the Nutmeg Award (a book award that is given to a few kids books each year in Connecticut) shelf and I recognized the author. Since reading it, The Canyon’s Edge has made me think differently about my life and how lucky I am to have things that I often take for granted. This book is emotionally heavy so even though, in theory it is a short read, I found myself taking a second to process all of my feelings after every page.

Goodreads Summary

A novel in verse about a young girl’s struggle for survival after a climbing trip with her father goes terribly wrong. One year after a random shooting changed their family forever, Nora and her father are exploring a slot canyon deep in the Arizona desert, hoping it will help them find peace. Nora longs for things to go back to normal, like they were when her mother was still alive, while her father keeps them isolated in fear of other people. But when they reach the bottom of the canyon, the unthinkable happens: A flash flood rips across their path, sweeping away Nora’s father and all of their supplies. Suddenly, Nora finds herself lost and alone in the desert, facing dehydration, venomous scorpions, deadly snakes, and, worst of all, the Beast who has terrorized her dreams for the past year. If Nora is going to save herself and her father, she must conquer her fears, defeat the Beast, and find the courage to live her new life.

My Thoughts

This book has now found a very special place in my heart. I usually don’t read such emotional books, mainly because I find them boring, but that was not the case here! This book was pulling at my heartstrings while having me on the edge of my seat! The Canyon’s Edge has made me grateful for things that I didn’t think about before and opened my eyes even more to the tragedies in the world around me. This book was a nice break from reading mystery/thriller books and it was still exciting! I highly recommend it and think it is an essential read! Enjoy!

The recommended age on Amazon to read this book is 8-12 but I feel like it is more suitable for anybody over 10. This is because of the difficult topics and because I find it will be interesting for adults as well. Some sensitive topics included in this book are PTSD, gun violence, death/loss of a loved one, and flash floods.

**Thanks so much, Sofia!**