The Happy Hippo Readers

  As we’ve recently started a new unit on poetry, I’ve been motivated to read a book related to poetry. Long Way Down is a book that is written fully in verse. The book has been in the back of my mind for a very long time. In 6th grade, I first attempted to read the book, but stopped halfway. The book was interesting, but I never felt like I was able to really break down and understand what was happening and what everything meant. I kept the book in the back of my mind, but recently, I came back to the book, and it mesmerized me immediately. Like I mentioned, the book is written fully in verse. When author of the book, Jason Reynolds, was asked about why he wrote his novel fully in verse, he answered, “Well, first and foremost, I love poetry. It was my first discipline.” Many books that are written in verse sometimes end up sounding unnatural and weird, but Jason uses verse very well to create a unique style that catches the reader's attention. The plot of the book also makes th...

       I think it's easy for me to say that my current favorite author has to be Karen M. McManus. After reading One of Us is Lying  I picked up The Cousins  at the library during Spring Break. When I was reading this book, I kind of thought it was, "Meh," but that may be because of my high expectations for this book as I loved One of Us is Lying.     The Cousins  centers around three cousins (hence the title), Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah, who were cut off by their wealthy grandmother, Mildred, for an unknown reason. Milly, Aubrey, and Jonah didn't really know each other well despite being related. Sure, they met a handful of times, but they never really  got to know each other. One day, these three cousins receive an unusual invitation in their mail, an invitation to work at Mildred's island resort for the summer. Being forced to go by their parents (as their parents wouldn't take no for an answer) Milly, Aubrey, and Jo...

Key Words: Kindness from strangers, letters Unlike other works by Keigo Higashino, the book The Miracles of the Namiya General Store showed more of a warm fairy tale than those tempting murder mystery stories he usually writes. While other books showed despair and poignancy in life, this story tells readers that there is still hope and love. It proved to readers that, beyond friends and families, kindness can also be offered by strangers. Sometimes, the beauty of distance can help people create connections while keeping a decent level of privacy. Briefly, the story of The Miracles of the Namiya General Store follows three decadent delinquents who accidentally end up in the Namiya General Store seeking refuge after their most recent crime. There, they discovered a letter from the past asking for advice. Out of curiosity, the trio responded. To their surprise, not only did their correspondents respond quickly, but more and more letters came flooding into the general store. Through counse...