Book Review: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

Arnold Spirit isn’t like most Indians in books. His clothes aren’t buckskin, but come from K Mart. His home isn’t the expansive wild American West, but a government house on the poverty stricken Spokane Indian Reservation in Eastern Washington. Arnold reads comics, wears coke-bottle glasses, has a terrible stutter, and consequently is the target for all the bullies on the reservation. Well, all but his best friend Rowdy whose fists are on Arnold’s side. But when Arnold decides to transfer to a rich Shool off of the reservation, after noticing that his history textbook was the same on that his mother had used when she was in school, Rowdy feels betrayed and Arnold looses his one ally.
At his new school the only other Indian is the mascot and Arnold anticipates disaster at every turn. Instead he quickly makes new friends and soon becomes a starter on the basketball team. Opportunities open for Arnold even as tragedy after tragedy befalls his family. But Arnold neither retreats back to his home nor leaves the reservation behind him. Arnold Spirit is one of the most original and likeable characters in teen literature, and this alternatingly hilarious and heartbreaking story will have you rooting for him like a brother.

Book Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Quentin has been in love with his neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman ever since they found a dead body when they were kids. Quentin backed away, saying that they had to go tell their parents. Margo walked closer for a better look. Ten years ago, Margo ditched Quentin for cooler friends.
Margo is confident, beautiful and fearless. She actually ran a way with the circus one time for three days, so it’s not a completely unbelievable surprise when she shows up at Quentin’s bedroom window on night dressed all in black like a ninja and asks that he accompany her on a night of revenge pranks and breaking into Sea World. The next morning, despite all of Quentin’s hopes, Margo has disappeared. It seems, though, she has left clues specifically for Quentin as to where she might be found. He enthusiastically begins following the clues and learns things about Margo that even her best friends don’t know. But as the clues lead to darker places, Quentin becomes afraid of what he might find.