Starfell: Willow Moss & the Lost Day

Written by Dominique Valente

A book for readers in grades 3 and up reviewed by Priyanka

    

In Starfell: Willow Moss & the Lost Day, Willow Moss is a brave and resourceful witch whose only power is finding things. When last Tuesday goes missing, she and her friend Oswin must go and find it. 

This book is a fantastic tale for younger and newer readers. It is inspiring and paints a vivid picture of Willow Moss’ adventures. Young fantasy readers will be sitting on the edge of their seats with a single question: Who stole Tuesday?

The Outsiders

Written by S.E. Hinton

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Olivia

     

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a wonderful book about friendship and not judging people before getting to know them. I really loved this book because it seemed so realistic. Even though the author wrote it in 1967, the problems in the book are ones that we still face today. No matter where we go, people will always be broken into groups based on what they wear, where they come from, and what they like to do.

This book taught me that all people are basically the same, no matter where they come from. We can find similarities in each other just as easily as we can find differences. The Outsiders’ main characters struggle because they’ve been taught all their lives to hate other people who are not like them. They also have a problem with judging other people, even though they don’t want to be judged themselves. After a while, the characters begin to wonder what is truly right and wrong. 

The Outsiders also includes a poem by Robert Frost called “Nothing Gold Can Stay.” This poem is so meaningful because it talks about savoring each moment of life and not forgetting that things always change - sometimes for the better and sometimes not. 

As The Outsiders’ characters begin to grow up and change, they experience many sad things, but the book’s final message is about hope. The Outsiders made me think about things that I sometimes take for granted. It also taught me that everyone deserves a chance. 

Additionally, the fact that S.E. Hinton wrote The Outsiders when she was sixteen years old is inspiring. This showed me that, regardless of how old we are, what we look like, or where we come from, we are all capable of so much.