HARRY POTTER (Part 1) by J.K. Rowling

I0 was late to the game when it came to Harry Potter. I didn’t read any of the books until early high school. In one sense, I’m disappointed I missed out on the chance to read the books as they came out and get tickets to see the highly anticipated films as they premiered on the big screen. But in the other sense, I’m glad I waited because I feel like I have gotten to appreciate the series – the story, the characters, the worldbuilding – so much more.

THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis

Most people are familiar with C.S. Lewis’ writing one way or the other. Books from one of his most famed works THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA have been made into countless movies, stage productions, and merchandise, making this series (or primarily THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE) popular with old and young audiences alike. 

ANGEL EYES by Shannon Dittemore

I’ll start this review off by saying I tried to find this series to read years ago when I was in high school. From what I could tell at the time, it was going to be right up my fifteen year old self’s alley: a protagonist who’s a ballerina, a mysterious (and, yes, very good-looking) new boy in town, and some supernatural craziness going on. And I was so disappointed because I could not find them to read anywhere. So, I never read them… until this past summer. I stumbled across the entire series available on my Libby app. I decided it was as good a time as any to see if these books lived up to my high school expectations. 

YA 2021 Kick-Off: TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE

Most people are familiar with the YA trilogy To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, if not from the books themselves then from the wildly popular Netflix adaptations. Jenny Han tells the story of Lara Jean Covey, a shy, quirky dreamer who loves love but has never actually been in a real relationship.