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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
By: Max Richmond
01/10/2025

Optimism is good for your health. According to Harvard University, “research tells us that an

optimistic outlook early in life can predict better health and a lower rate of death.” However,

pessimism is good every now and then, as it reminds people to be cautious and be deliberate

in their actions. Many philosophers from the beginning of civilization have theorized of a perfect

society, and each one’s version is different. However, many authors have since stirred in a bit of

pessimism and developed these theoretical societies further, only to find them to be quite cruel,

unnatural, or simply inhumane. Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, was one of these

pessimists, intent on disproving the idea of everyone simply getting along and never having any

conflict. Huxley had written several philosophical works before creating Brave New World in

1932, and wrote for thirty years after, finishing off his legacy with Island, which is Huxley’s version

of a true utopia.

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The novel itself is based around the concept of manufacturing humans in a factory to make

them as agreeable and orthodox as possible through the use of subliminal messaging,

pharmaceuticals, drugs, and other such manipulative things. The book follows no character

in particular, but rather an event that stirred the overwhelming harmony that the people of Brave New World experience. However, the book changes the character it’s following so abruptly and so often that I found it hard to keep track of who was currently the subject of the text. Someone else who had read the book before me had actually written notes in my copy to keep track of who was talking and which paragraphs were in each setting. However, I found nothing else negative about the book. 

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Although Brave New World has an official lexile rating of 840L, I would personally bump it up to 1000L. I struggled in some sections in the book, and my lexile is well over 840L, which is why I moved it higher. The book is around 260 pages and takes about 8 hours to read. If I had to give it a movie rating, I would classify it as a TV-14 book. Overall, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is an eight out of ten book for anyone who wants to take on the challenge of reading it without notes. I recommend reading another book from the dystopia genre before this one.

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Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker
By: Maya Lovria
12/20/2024

Seven fox kits in the Antler Wood beg their mother for a really scary story, but none of hers are scary enough. So, they disobey her instructions and go seek the storyteller in Bog Cavern. Their mother says that the story they would hear there would scare the white into their tails.

 

The storyteller’s story is about two little fox kits named Mia and Uly. Mia and her mother have to flee

after what happens to her siblings. Uly has to escape from his father, who despises him and tries to get

his mother to kill him because of his forepaw, which had been curled against his chest since birth. The

storyteller tells the seven fox kits about them, and the horrors they have to face.

 

The story they hear soon proves to be too much for most of them. One by one, the frightened kits scurry

home to their mother, until there is only one left. 

 

“The first flees the teacher with dark, gooey eyes.

The second from six sisters whose tongues tell lies.

The third escapes a woman who peels foxes skins

The fourth slinks away from the Golgathursh’s grin.

The fifth wets the ground when he smells Mr. Scratch.

The sixth turns tail when the Paw finds its match.

The seventh little fox in the wood all alone, facing down a ghost beneath branches of bone.

One little fox stays the whole night through.

But can she make it to the end?

Better yet, can you?”

 

Seven Stories for Young Foxes is a very good book. However, it might be a little too much for younger readers, so some students should probably steer clear of it until they’re older. It is told in eight parts, and between each part you can read the kits’ reaction - and after almost all of them, one leaves. I would recommend this book for people 10 or 11 and up, but it depends on the person. This book is a great choice for people who love a good horror story.

 

About the Author: Christian McKay Heidicker

 

Christian McKay Heidicker wrote Scary Stories for Young Foxes, which won the Newbery Medal, and its sequel, Scary Stories for Young Foxes: The City. He also wrote the Thieves of Weirdwood series. He lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

Sources:

The book, Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/scary-stories-for-young-foxes 

https://www.amazon.com/Scary-Stories-Young-Christian-Heidicker/dp/1250181429 

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
By: Max Richmond
12/06/2024

Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is an absolute classic and has been considered one since its release in 1869. His books have been published in over 100 languages, but 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea is one of Verne’s best, and our school library has a copy. Jules Verne was a French author who wrote and published over 60 books. 

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Originally written in French, 20,000 Leagues under the Sea has around 270 pages depending on the

edition, but may be a 15-20-hour long read. It has an official lexile rating of 1100 and will definitely

teach you some new vocabulary along the way.

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The main storyline of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea follows three men who are taken aboard

the submarine of Captain Nemo, who dubbed his vessel, the Nautilus. They travel across every

body of water on Earth, finding the largest pearls in the world, travelling beneath volcanoes, and

exploring geothermal vents. 

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Captain Nemo and his crew have adapted completely to life underwater, mining coal and sulfur

from submarine deposits and turning it into electricity to power the ship. (At the time the book

was written, electricity and its generation were still quite new. In fact, the Steam Age hadn’t even

been reached yet!) Captain Nemo can go anywhere, as long as it’s underwater. He travels between

mainland seas, back out to the Ocean, under islands, and explores the pole. However, his three passengers are not so happy under the sea.

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M. Aronnax, our main character, is a nautical professor who thoroughly enjoys seeing how the ship works and the wonders of the water, as many scientists would. His servant, Conseil, follows M. Aronnax everywhere, even if it may cost him his life. The third member of the group is Ned Land, a harpoonist who wants nothing more than to get back to land where he can enjoy the many things only available there. Conseil also shares Ned’s unease, but it won’t be easy to escape as they are trapped beneath about three kilometers of water at all times. Their conflict is resolved, but not without a price. What I can say, though, is that they all traveled at least 20,000 leagues under the sea.

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A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
By: Max Richmond
10/18/24

I got A Calamity of Souls for my birthday about two months ago, and I originally used it to fall asleep because the book has a relatively slow start. However, the pace picks up after the second lawyer of the story is introduced, and it keeps

this pace throughout the rest of the book. The main plot of this legal thriller follows two lawyers trying

to defend a black man accused of murdering the prestigious white Randolph family. As the book says

on page 58, “In Freeman County [Virginia, 1968] it didn’t get much easier than convicting a black man

in a court of law, particularly one so obliging as to be at the scene of the crime.” 

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The author, David Baldacci, certainly did his research in order to provide an accurate courtroom

experience, and he does a fantastic job of introducing how different legal terms and systems work

without directly explaining them, allowing the reader to understand what’s happening in the

courtroom without giving unnecessary explanations or requiring the reader to have a law degree.

There are multiple subplots about other types of division such as nationality, social class, and

learning speed. Since the story is set a year after the Loving v. Virginia legalized marriage between

races, it also tackles how these divisions affect relationships. In addition to all of this, the

novel discusses how war and disease can permanently affect people.

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A Calamity of Souls is overall a great book and an amazing introduction to legal thrillers if you’re looking for a

new genre. I sincerely recommend that you pick up this book. It is 477 pages long and was a ten-hour read in total for me, but it will most likely be a twelve-hour read for you. This book is around $30.00 USD for a hardcover copy, but there are fifteen copies at the Rochester Hills Public Library if you don’t want to spend any money. I would like to mention that the book does contain mentions of violence, guns, cigarettes, abuse, and it has some swearing. I would place this book at TV-14 if it was a movie or show, so if you don’t want to read something like this, I recommend looking at our "All Ages" section.

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Uprising by Jennifer A. Nielsen
By: Maya Lovria
10/04/24

Lidia, a twelve-year-old girl, stands outside her grandfather’s house as Nazi planes fly overhead. A bomb that is dropped nearby leads to her, her parents, and her brother, Ryszard deciding to return to their house in Warsaw. The damage caused by the bombing is shocking for Lidia, but her house is still standing. When they reach their house, her father, afraid of more bombings of Warsaw, tells her and her mother to wait in the shelter near it. Meanwhile, he and Ryszard collect essentials from it.

 

Soon after, Lidia’s father leaves to join the Polish army and fight back against the Nazis. Shortly after that, the rest of Lidia’s family are joined by their former maid and her mother, who are Jewish and need a place to stay. Lidia and the rest are able to move back into the damaged house now that Poland is occupied fully by the Nazis. Over time, Lidia starts fighting back by attending a secret school and smuggling food to the Jewish people being held in the Warsaw Ghetto. As she gets older, she finds out about her brother’s involvement in a resistance against the Nazis and she wants to do more.

 

Lidia joins, and starts out running messages for the resistance. Eventually her tasks become more and more dangerous. Does she have what it takes?

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Uprising is based on the true story of Lidia Durr Zakrewski, who really did join a resistance as a teenager. She was aged down by a few years in the book, but many characters in the book either were real people or were based on one or more real people in her life. Lidia was a messenger for the entirety of the Warsaw Uprising and ended up earning the Polish Cross of Valour.

 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading historical fiction or just who likes a good book.

I enjoyed reading Uprising a lot and hope that if anyone reading this article decides to give it a try, they like it

too.


 

About the Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen

 

Jennifer A. Nielsen lives in Utah where she was born and raised. She has written many fiction books, such

as the Ascendance series (The False Prince, The Runaway King, The Shadow Throne, The Captive Kingdom,

and The Shattered Castle), and many historical fiction works including: Uprising, Iceberg and Words on Fire.

 

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Sources:

 

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