Children of all ages are invited to join Richmond Public Library’s free online Summer Reading Club. Register at www.bcsrc.ca, and then record your reading progress weekly to earn virtual badges. Complete all of the challenges to earn a medal at the end of summer.
Have you read a great book lately? Write a book review for a chance to win a book prize from the library! Several reviews will be chosen to be published in the Richmond News throughout the summer as well. Here are this week’s featured reviews:
The Peculiar by Stefan Bachmann
Reviewed by Richard Yu, 11
A boy named Bartholomew and a girl named Hettie are brother and sister. They are changelings and have to hide from people. A changeling is the child of a faery and a human. Mr. Lickerish wants to use Hattie as a door to get all the wild faeries to destroy London. Mechanical birds transport letters to Mr. Lickerish. Mr. Jelliby caught one and it said: "Take it to the moon". There is a giant airship that Lickerish is in and he has plans to open the door.
I like this book because of how it switches between the characters and eventually the two plots become one, and this book did it very well. It is a great book for kids who like magic and cliff hangers. The sequel is also out which finishes the story. I recommend this book for ages 10 and up.
The Way Back Home by Allan Stratton
Reviewed by Renee, 11
The book is about a teenage girl named Zoe Bird. She feels unwanted in her family, but it's not just her, she feels like her granny who is also unwanted. She takes matters into her own hands and runs away with her granny, but little does she know; this would be a roller coaster of a lifetime for everyone.
I enjoyed reading it mainly because Zoe is somewhat relatable. This book really is a work of art as the story such as when her parents didn't believe Zoe hits hard. I almost cried and when I finished it, I was sort of disappointed. The juicy plot left me wanting more. So, keep doing what you do Allan Stratton! I liked your book!
Krista Kim-bap by Angela Ahn
Reviewed by Cara Cheng, 11
This book is about a girl named Krista. She is Korean and has a best friend Jason, loving mother and father, older sibling, and a downright cold grandmother. It is Heritage Month at Krista's school and she decides to talk about Korean food. The hard thing though, is that she has to ask her grandmother to help her because her parents do not cook Korean food. All they do is buy it from a store. Her grandmother is what you would call "old fashioned" and she does not like Krista for the way she dresses and thinks that she is never going to find a good husband. Her grandmother teaches her how to make kim-bap and Krista is starting to warm up and become closer to her grandmother. Maddison is what you would call the "popular girl". She always wears sparkly shoes and dresses very nicely. Through all of the chaos, Krista starts becoming friends with Maddison. Krista is not really used to being friends with girls because she has always hung out with Jason who is her best friend. Things get weird between Krista and Jason and they stop communicating and things start to get awkward. Krista learns in the end that it is okay to be different and have other friends.
I like this book because it teaches me that it is okay to hang out with other people. It also teaches me a lesson that it is okay to be different and having boys as friends is okay. I recommend this book to people who are new to chapter books because it is very funny and is a very good read. I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope whoever reads Krista Kim-Bap enjoys it too!
For more information, visit the library’s website at https://www.yourlibrary.ca or call 604-231-6412.
