The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

All in all, a great read. The Return of the King is the last book in the Lord of the Rings trilogy by Tolkien and it is necessary to read the first two in order to understand the last. The Return of the King is definitely the most action-packed of the trilogy and is an intense, heart-gripping read. This book has it all; character development, plot twists, intricate themes, philosophical questions, and of course plenty of medieval-style fighting. The characters and action in this book started a revolution in fantastical epics and for good reason. Each character is well-developed with specific recurring character traits that contribute and are pertinent to the story. The story is told with parallel plots and two distinct character groups: Frodo and his accomplices and Gandalf and his company. Each group faces distinct challenges that threaten the immediate well-being of those involved and the freedom of those they protect. Within the groups, the characters develop together and have truly interesting relationships such as the great but tested friendship of Sam and Frodo or Gollum’s mixed feelings of gratitude and hate towards his master. Each character reaches a level of development parallel to the climax of the plot and incredibly important to the culmination of the story. It is perhaps the greatest amalgam of plot and character development ever written. All high-school students should read this great trilogy, 5/5 stars. - Thomas K., Zach D., Max H., Class of '13

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

I read Philippa Gregory's most popular novel, The Other Boleyn Girl, a few years ago, and while it was interesting, I couldn't fully throw myself into it. I felt the same way with The Constant Princess. It was a really captivating and historically-accurate novel, and though I wasn't fully invested in it as I read, I really enjoyed it and found a new love for Catalina/Katherine. I would recommend it to anyone interested in the time period. - Emily R., Class of '13

The Fellowship of the Ring by J. R. R. Tolkien

Set in Middle Earth, this story of courage and brotherhood sets in action one of the greatest stories ever told. In a world once ruled by a Dark Lord Sauron 3,000 years prior, a small hobbit inherits his uncle’s estate and with it a single golden ring. Unknowingly he possesses this dark lord’s ring; this ring contains Sauron’s hatred, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One of the most meaningful messages of this book is that no matter how small one may seem they have the ability to save the world. This is obviously portrayed when Frodo, a hobbit or halfling, is tasked with the duty of destroying this ring and forever riding the world of evil. The Fellowship of the Ring is the first installment of the trilogy known as The Lord of the Rings, in The Fellowship is the first book in this series and within it Frodo starts his quest. Will the fellowship destroy the ring of power? Will Frodo resist evil? Will the world be torn apart by war? Find out in The Two Towers. This story is a great embodiment of the evil we all face and how no matter what one may look like on the outside their characteristics are internal and those are the most powerful. We would recommend this book to any avid reader, the reading is a little dry at time however the visual adjectives place this book in a group all of it’s own. Tolkien truly woven a web of magnificence in this book when his pen first touched paper. Truly a story for the ages. - Nick G., Class of '13

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

This book was so amazing. The main character, Pat, tries to find his memory and sanity throughout the book by watching his beloved Eagles. He then meets Tiffany, a widow, and she helps him understand why his love, Nikki, will never come back to him. Throughout the whole book Pat tries to improve himself by exercising like crazy so that Nikki will come back. He does not understand why no one will tell him the truth about Nikki, or what crime he committed. Pat is a truly heartwarming character who's so loving. I'd recommend this book to anyone and everyone because it's truly amazing. - Deborah C., Class of '13

Eragon by Christopher Paolini

The book Eragon by Christopher Paolini is a great book that follows a farm boy’s journey to manhood and freedom. He finds a dragon egg in the woods. His entire world is turned upside down when he is hunted by the evil king and his demon servants that want to use Eragon's and his dragon Saphira’s new found powers in order to enslave the world. Eragon and Saphira have are forced to join, Brom, the town storyteller with a hidden past after his uncle is killed by the kings servants. Eragons last hope at freedom is to travel across giant mountains, vast plains, and a never ending desert in order to reach the rebel group the Varden all while being chased by the Empire. Eragon was a great book that I highly recommend for anyone with a love of fantasy books. Even though the book was a bit long there was never a dull moment and is a great start to an even better series of books. It is amazing to me that Christopher Paolini finished Eragon when he was just sixteen years old. I believe that Eragon is quickly becoming a classic of the twenty first century. Paolini is a literary genius that wrote one of the most original series of the time and I can't wait to read his next book. - Daniel S., Class of '13

Stickman Odyssey by Christopher Ford

Listen, I cannot stress to you enough how pointless this book is. I can't believe this book was actually published and is in our PR library. It's not necessarily a children's book, but its not entertaining for a high schooler either.... I seriously don't understand what the author of this book was thinking when he wrote this book and I have a hard time thinking any one would ever enjoy it. I chose to read this book because I was looking for something Mythology related and this just so happened to be the easiest book to read. It will take you literally about an hour to read. Very easy and fast but you may feel dumber after your done reading it. Its just a bunch of stickman pictures, with no comedy whatsoever. If your looking for an easy read and a book to finish in a night, this may be the option for you. However, you will hate it and want to put it down the whole time. - James D., Class of '13

Don Camillo and His Flock by Giovanni Guareschi

Don Camillo and His Flock written by Giovanni Guareschi is the second book in this Italian author’s series. Written in the 50's, the book focuses on the everyday feuds of communism and religion in a small town in the Po river valley located in Italy. Don Camillo, the town's priest, has an interesting relationship with Peppone, a communist and the town's mayor. Both Don Camillo and Peppone are enemies and friends. Although, this book does not follow a central theme it is definitely one of my favorites and I would recommend it to anyone in a blink of an eye. - Elaine W., Class of 2013

Book Club Meets to Discuss 'Daughter of Smoke and Bones' by Laini Taylor

Book Club met this past Wednesday to discuss Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. Everyone really enjoyed this fantastical novel full of magic, foreign locales, blue hair, love, death, war and rebirth. Almost everyone loved the unexpected twists at the end, prompting the focus to briefly shift to the book’s sequel, Days of Blood and Starlight, which half of the club members had already read. And rumor has it it’s even better than the original. (This prompted one book club member to share her dad’s words of wisdom: Only read dead authors. There are no sequels.)

Some questions and topics that prompted the most discussion:
1) If you could “collect” a language (or two), what would it be? Why?
2) Explain the significance of the book’s title.
3) The unique idea that magic exists because of/fueled by pain.
4) Should every YA book be turned into a movie?

Mr. Seiler offered his own tagline for the book, turned upcoming movie: “War is universal. Literally.”

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is on the new 2014 Abe Lincoln Award nominee list, so if you haven’t read it yet, be sure to check it out!

The final Book Club meeting of the school year will be held on Wednesday, May 15 after school in the library. We will be discussing Barbara Kingsolver’s Pigs in Heaven.

Miss Liebovich

Teen Tech Week - Check In @ Your Library

The PR Library just finished their promotion of Teen Tech Week today, Friday, March 22nd. This week the library staff was encouraging students to look at the PR Library Mobile Apps! A raffle was held for students that took time to use the Mobile Apps this week. The winner of the raffle was sophomore Jimmy B. who downloaded the Destiny Quest app to his phone and also checked out an ebook on Poland for a project he is working on for Mr. Petersen's 19th & 20th Century History Class. Congratulations!

PRHS Abraham Lincoln Award Voting Party!

This past Wednesday we shut down the library 6th period to host a pizza and voting party for the 30 (of 46!) students who read at least 4 of the 22 nominated 2013 Abe Lincoln books. While chowing down, the students voted for their favorite book on the list of nominees, and about half of them shared aloud why they loved their chosen title.

We played a fast game of trivia, picked 3 raffle winners (Congrats to Alex, Lydia & Hannah!) and recognized Lydia with a Double Deuce certificate for reading ALL 22 nominated books!


PR’s winner was a tie! Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher AND Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld In a close second place, Dark Song by Gail Giles and in third, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.

We’re eagerly awaiting Friday, March 22 when ISLMA (Illinois School Library Media Association) announces the state-wide winner!

In the mean time, get started reading the 2014 nominated list of books, which we have on display down in the library! (http://www.islma.org/grantWinners/Abe2014MasterListUpdatedFeb12.pdf)

Miss Liebovich

Why we loved the 2013 nominees…

Leviathan
“The creativity shown in this alternative historical fiction novel really captivates the reader and forces them to think about WWI. It’s fresh, innovative, and thought-provoking. Original.” –Sara

Thirteen Reasons Why
“It was a really moving book, creatively written, and I feel like it’s a good way to show the thought process of someone who is suicidal.” –Katie

Little Brother
“It shows the power and depth anyone has over technology and brings to light real-world techniques the government uses to gain control over its citizens.” –Tatiana
“Along with being a funny and action-filled book, Little Brother made me feel empowered as a person.” –Rachel

North of Beautiful
“This book shows how important it is to accept yourself no matter who you are, where you come from, or what you look like. Accepting yourself is a powerful thing, and the journey the main character takes is such an inspiration.” –Deanna

The Monstrumologist
“It was completely original, it was not post-apocalyptic , and it was incredibly interesting.” –Ana

Finnikin of the Rock
“It had a very good storyline and had twists and turns that both made it suspenseful and impossible to put down.” –Alex

Will Grayson, Will Grayson
“I thought it had a beautiful message and is very humorous throughout the story. Also, I love the way the story was unpredictable.” –Stacey

Anna and the French Kiss
“I thought it did a great job capturing teenage emotions with a fun twist. It was sweet and also interesting by including French culture.” –Leah