Review: The Secret Language of Sisters

The Secret Language of Sisters
By Luanne Rice


Genre: Realistic Fiction
Pages: 352
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary (from the back cover): When Ruth Ann (Roo) McCabe responds to a text message while she's driving, the car flips. She winds up in a hospital bed, paralyzed. Roo has locked-in syndrome--she can see and hear everything around her, but no one knows it. She's trapped inside her own body, screaming to be heard.

Mathilda (Tilly) is Roo's sister and best friend. She'd texted Roo and inadvertently caused the accident. Now, Tilly must grapple with her guilt and her growing feelings for Roo's boyfriend, Newton--the only person who seems to get what Tilly is going through.

But Tilly might be the only one who can solve the mystery of her sister's condition... if there's time.

Review: I saw this book and decided to read it because it talks about sisterhood and I have two younger sisters of my own. I am so glad that I did! This book really shows what it is like to be a sister. Luanne Rice shows all of the joys, pains, sadness, and struggles of sisterhood through her two main characters in a way that I have never read before. The book is very relatable and enjoyable which makes it fun to read. I had a good time reading this book and really thought about what it meant to be a sister. Would I go to the same lengths that Tilly does for her sister? The sister that is her best friend and family?

I would recommend this book to read.

Review: The Giver

The Giver
By Lois Lowry


Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 240
Rating: 4 out of 5


Summary (from the back cover):  Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community.

When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now it's time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no going back.

Review: I had to read this book for English class last year and liked it decently enough. I was thinking something along the lines of, "It has a good plot, good characters, it was entertaining, yep, it was a good book. Welp, onto the next one." But then this last week I saw it in the library and decided to read it again just for fun and it was so much better!

I remembered why I liked this book so much! Jonas is an excellent main character with so much curiosity and kindness that it carries the plot better. The Community's setting gives the book an even better edge because of how the people work. All they know is their lives. They have no idea what is going on in the rest of the world and frankly, they don't even know what lies beyond the Community. The people have no memory of pain, loss, or sadness and so it makes the world seem so much simpler. I enjoyed this book thoroughly and would recommend it to others to try. My only complaint with it was that the ending was a little weird because of how Lois Lowry describes it. The ending also doesn't wrap up the story as much as I would like it to which also made it less appealing.