Lake Forest High School Library

Scout Approved Reads: Outliers

  Scout Approved Reads! –  Books recommended by students and staff of LFHS. What book can’t you put down? Let us know and get featured!

Tess highly recommends Outliers as a “very interesting and eye opening book if you are someone that’s interested in learning about success stories and how certain people got to the place they are in now.”

Check out the following description from Goodreads, (cli…

Banning books silences stories. One week a year, libraries set aside a week to recognize the freedom we all have to read without censorship. The Office for Intellectual Freedom releases a yearly list of the top 10 most challenged books based on media stories and voluntary reporting.

We compared top 10 lists from the past decade with the most popular books at the LFHS library. Here’s a list of…

So Many Books, Not Enough Time

Although we’re surrounded by books all day, the library staff doesn’t have as much time to read as we’d like. Summer break is the perfect time to catch up on all the books that made it to our “to read” list throughout the school year.

Here’s a peak at which books the LFHS Library staff read over the break and would recommend for your next reading break. 

Ms. Pausch

“I’m currently reading Crazy…

Every Summer Has a Story

What story has defined your summer? Climbing mountains? Exploring an urban jungle? Maybe a new job complete with colorful characters? There’s something about this time of year that sets it apart from the rest – the days are longer, and with those hours come endless opportunities.

There are plenty of stories to behold in the pages of books as well. In case you’re still looking for some summer…

This summer, there’s a whole lot of time to catch up on fun reads. You know — those delicious, can’t stop reading type of books. From romances to mysteries, here’s the scoop on what you might like to read next, courtesy of Brightly Books.

Just Out

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian

¨For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser…

Best Books: Sarah and Kate

LFHS Class of 2020 members Sarah and Kate recommend their favorite books. Sarah’s is Power Play by Danielle Steel. “It has an interesting plot and you never know what the main character is going to do,” she says.

Kate’s best book is The Help by Kathryn Stockett. She says, “I like how it combines historical fiction, romance, and everyday stories.”

Goodreads Reviews:

Fiona Carson has proven herself…

Oh the Places You’ll Go (Through Books)

Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri once wrote, “That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Whether you find yourself in planes, trains, or automobiles traveling to experience new places and cultures or you’re sticking close to home this summer, books always make good companions. Even though the LFHS Library is closed for the…

Marc, LFHS class of 2018, has a best book titled Man’s Search for Meaningby Viktor E. Frankl. He says, “It provides an amazing perspective on the sociology and psychology of prisoners in the concentration and death camps of the Holocaust. While following the story of Mr. Frankl and his survival of these horrific events you learn many enlightening concepts that I still ponder on long after reading…

Let the Graduation Stories Commence

Commencement – it’s what we call the ceremonies that take place this time of year. Speeches are given, accomplishments celebrated, and students are called to walk across the stage, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. Here is a quintet of graduation stories that capture an essence of life beyond high school.

Kill All the Happies by Rachel Cohen

“This is it. Graduation.…

LFHS sophomore Marilyn has a favorite book called Sophomores and Other Oxymorons, book #2 in the David Lubar series Sleeping Freshman Never Lie.

Check out the Goodreads review below:

¨An honest and funny follow-up to the popular Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, award-winning author David Lubar pens a tale that perfectly captures the ridiculous, tumultuous, and sometimes heartbreaking truths about…

Stressed? We’ve Got a Book for That!

With AP testing wrapping up and finals on the horizon, we can feel the stress levels rise among our library patrons. It’s no surprise that a librarian would turn to a book to escape a hectic day, but did you know reading is a scientifically proven way to de-stress?

If you choose the right book and setting, you can decrease your stress levels by 2/3rds in just 6 minutes, according to cognitive…

The best book of Elliott, LFHS Class of 2019, is The Gift of Rain by Tan Twan Eng. He explains,¨The book explores relationships formed and broken in a setting during World War 2, taking place in Malaysia. The narrator’s voice matures throughout the story, as he witnesses the loss of loved ones to Japanese invasion and violent diplomacy.¨

Goodreads Synopsis:

¨Set during the tumult of World War…

We’re #1! First Books in a Series

As we head into summer with lots of time to read, here are seven first books in a series you may want to try. Some are award nominees as well as favorite librarian picks – you decide which #1 book looks like the next best read for you. Click on the book titles to read the Goodreads’ synopsis.

Leviathan

Part of Scott Westerfeld’s trilogy, the award-winning Leviathancomes highly recommended by Ed…

Julia, LFHS Class of 2021, has a favorite mystery called The May Queen Murders by Sarah Jude. ¨It has a great mixture of romance, mystery, murder, and thriller. Not only that but it’s very descriptive and makes you feel the same emotions the main character goes through,¨ she says.

Goodreads Review: ¨Stay on the roads. Don’t enter the woods. Never go out at night. Those are the rules in Rowan’s…

Sincerely Yours: Stories Connecting to Readers Through Letters

Dear Reader,

Here’s a vocabulary word that you might not be familiar with: epistolary (adj): a literary work in the form of letters. Sometimes narrators are speaking directly to the reader, but in the case of epistolary novels, readers get the story through letters, diary entries, text messages – they take the usual form of storytelling and turn it on its head. Some of the books listed below…