See That Beauty

             A Book Review by Madeleine Keiser

Image cover Winter in Sokcho

This book is about a young French-Korean women living in her hometown of Sokcho, South Korea. She works at a local inn, cooking and doing housekeeping. During one of Sokcho's harsh winters when rarely any visitors come, a french cartoonist arrives to stay at the inn. He hopes to find artistic inspiration from the town, and so she begins to accompany him on his tours of the area. While she's getting to know this new man, she also deals with her aging mother, distant boyfriend, and her own destructive thoughts. I enjoyed this book mainly because of how beautiful the language is. It draws you in with very strong imagery of the town of Sokcho. Both main characters see the town as beautiful, and you see that beauty with them. The women sees what she thinks is the true nature of Sokcho. The fish markets, neon signs, food, and everything she has grown up knowing. On the other hand the French man sees a natural beauty in the town, from the eyes of an outsider. He sees the beaches and snow covered mountains that surround Sokcho. I would recommend this book to an older teenage audience. As a a warning, it does deal with subjects such like eating disorders, and has heavy sexual scenes. This book is perfect for people who enjoy being consumed by books, and reading them frantically in the span of a couple hours. It's a very short read, and the narrator's thoughts can feel like a constant spiral, which gets you caught up with her. The obsession with her body and the cartoonist become all-consuming at points, and makes the book impossible to put down. I gave this book a 4.5/5 because I can't bring myself to give any book a 5 unless after reading it I just know it's my new favorite. If you read this book, and find yourself looking up "books like Winter in Sokcho" like I know you will, here are two beautiful books I found to have similar themes of obsession: Death in her hands by Otessa Moshfeh and The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides.

Reviewer: Madeleine Keiser, 12th grade

Title: Winter in Sokcho

Author: Elisa Shua Dusapin

Published in: 2016

Length: 160 pgs

Stars: 4.5/5

 

Image cover Winter in Sokcho

See That Beauty With Them

This book is about a young French-Korean women living in her hometown of Sokcho, South Korea. She works at a local inn, cooking and doing housekeeping. During one of Sokcho's harsh winters when rarely any visitors come, a french cartoonist arrives to stay at the inn. He hopes to find artistic inspiration from the town, and so she begins to accompany him on his tours of the area. While she's getting to know this new man, she also deals with her aging mother, distant boyfriend, and her own destructive thoughts. I enjoyed this book mainly because of how beautiful the language is. It draws you in with very strong imagery of the town of Sokcho. Both main characters see the town as beautiful, and you see that beauty with them. The women sees what she thinks is the true nature of Sokcho. The fish markets, neon signs, food, and everything she has grown up knowing. On the other hand the French man sees a natural beauty in the town, from the eyes of an outsider. He sees the beaches and snow covered mountains that surround Sokcho. I would recommend this book to an older teenage audience. As a a warning, it does deal with subjects such like eating disorders, and has heavy sexual scenes. This book is perfect for people who enjoy being consumed by books, and reading them frantically in the span of a couple hours. It's a very short read, and the narrator's thoughts can feel like a constant spiral, which gets you caught up with her. The obsession with her body and the cartoonist become all-consuming at points, and makes the book impossible to put down. I gave this book a 4.5/5 because I can't bring myself to give any book a 5 unless after reading it I just know it's my new favorite. If you read this book, and find yourself looking up "books like Winter in Sokcho" like I know you will, here are two beautiful books I found to have similar themes of obsession: Death in her hands by Otessa Moshfeh and The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides.

 

 

Reviewer: Madeleine Keiser, 12th grade

Title: Winter in Sokcho

Author: Elisa Shua Dusapin

Published in: 2016

Length: 160 pgs

Stars: 4.5/5

 

**Spoiler Warning**


I'll Give You the Sun Cover ImageI'll Give You the Sun

I recently read I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson, and it's now one of my favorite
books ever. I had this book sitting on my shelf for months, and I never got around to reading it,
but I wish I had sooner. It is a heartwarming story of two twins spanning their high school and
middle school years.

Throughout their childhood, Noah and Jude had been inseparable. They
were each other's best friends. In middle school they start to grow apart. Jude is going to
parties all the time, while Noah is constantly bullied by the same people Jude hangs out around.
Jude has lots of friends, and Noah has none. Jude even ruined the one friend Noah managed
to make.

 

Their mom encouraged their love of art, which lasted even after her death, and Noah's
biggest wish is to go to the local art school for high school, but when Jude gets in and Noah
doesn't, their relationship takes a huge hit. Noah goes to the public high school, and Jude goes
to the art school, and their roles are reversed. Noah has made a lot of friends, while Jude has
pulled away from people, including Noah.

When Jude enlists the help of a grumpy old artist to
make the sculpture of her life, a series of relationships and connections are unveiled that bring
the twins back together and uncovers secrets about their mom previously unknown.
This story was impossible to put down.

The hint of mystery and romance woven into a
tale of familial healing and love created an incredible novel. I also loved the writing because it
was so unique, and enhanced the story and characters so much. It captures the hopelessness
and confusion of being a kid, but was also hilarious at times. I've read a lot of contemporary
young adult novels, and this book is easily at the top of my list.

-Ella, Alameda TAB

Screen-Free Book Bingo for Grades K-8 cards + Book Covers

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Star Wars Poetry: the combo no one expected, but everyone can enjoy!

 

Written by Ian Doescher; illustrated by Tim Budgen 

Inspired by the beloved world of Star Wars, this collection of over 75 whimsical and original poems is a celebration of childhood, creativity, imagination, and the early years of Star Wars fandom.

Lyrics by Fred Rogers; illustrations by Luke Flowers

75 beloved songs from Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and The Children’s Corner are collected in this charmingly illustrated New York Times best-selling treasury.

 

 

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