23 Favorite Books of 2023 By Amelia Bai and Annabella Mi

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

“Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin. “This book was so interesting. It follows the lives of two 'ordinary' people– Sam and Sadie, from birth to their late thirties, and how their lives constantly change and intertwine with each other. It follows their successes, experiences, loves and failures. It was really well written.” - Amelia Bai, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Every Last Word” by Tamara Ireland Stone. "This was the book that got me out of my reading slump. The plot illustrates the main character’s OCD and at her worst, how it controlled her without even knowing. I found it interesting that a person's own thoughts can be more powerful than their own actions. For me, this book was more fun than fun night.” - Annabella Mi, seventh grade

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

“A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder” by Holly Jackson. "There was a new plot twist every chapter, and it was constantly exciting. There were so many details and clues to be unveiled and discovered. It never gets boring, and there’s not really a low point in the book. I really liked the fact that it wasn’t hard to follow, and the writing style was really nice.” - Morgan Chen, eighth grade

Courtesy of Hannah Hoff

The Order of the Phoenix” by JK Rowling. “There’s all my favorite stuff, like good characters and a good plot. It’s really interesting because lots of new things keep happening that keep my interest in the story.” - Hannah Hoff, seventh grade

Courtesy of Anoushka Prasanna

“The Naturals” by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. "I liked this series because the plot was well written and planned out. It’s about a group of people who track down serial killers. It was intense and thrilling.” - Kanishka Gupta, eighth grade

Courtesy of Hikaru Iida

I really like the book called “Iitai Koto Ga Arimasu (I want to say something)” by Utumi Nanoko and Natusima Tuthika. "It makes me think about my future and relationship with my family. This book is about a girl and her family. Her family makes her do homework, laundry, cleaning, wash the dishes, and take care of her older brother. But her brother doesn't need to do anything, and the girl wants to say something about it." - Hikaru Iida, seventh grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“If He Had Been With Me” by Laura Nowlin. "Honestly, I can’t tell if it was really badly written or really well written. I liked it though, because they make this elaborate love story, then something happens at the end– which is a plot twist. I would recommend this if you like romance novels.” - Sarah Hoffert, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Charlie Thorn and the Lost City” by Stuart Gibbs. "It’s very mysterious and it is written by a good author. It’s basically a book about a 12 year-old that is almost smarter than Einstein." - Rohit Giddu, sixth grade

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

“Mostly Murder” by Sir Sydney Smith. “It’s interesting and medical. The author was in charge of multiple big forensic pathology labs, so it’s really interesting to read about his multiple cases.” - Lilliana Amjad Klass, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Animal Farm” by George Orwell. "It’s a great satirical piece, an allegory to the soviet union at the time— the animals represent it very well." - Andrew Long, seventh grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. "I liked how it highlighted things that aren’t always talked about in books-- especially racism in the south. Not only that, it was written very well in general. There were hidden meanings everywhere. I’ll also mention how well it was executed. The book was narrated by Scout but the events seemed to be from the past, as in it was narrated by older Scout recounting memories. At least that’s how I perceived it, so that’s pretty cool. It’s definitely the type of book that gets more interesting the deeper you understand it." - Izzy Choi, eighth grade

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

“The Giver” series by Lois Lowry. “It is very immersive and interesting. I liked the ending especially, since it foreshadowed the next few books well.” - Ben Lin, eighth grade

Courtesy of Jay Tavane

“The One and Only Bob” by Kathrine Applegate. “It’s fun—it’s a sequel to one of my favorite books of all time, “The One and Only Ivan.” The story is action packed and it’s really fun.” - Jay Tavane, seventh grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

The “39 Clues” series. "It’s suspenseful and exciting. The main characters go through an adventure around the world to gain power, [and] they fight competitors in a contest.” - Edwin Liang, seventh grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Everyday" by David Levithan. "This was a great book. It was really emotional and I could feel each character’s emotion, and it left an impression on me.” - Halynn Kim, eighth grade

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

My favorite book I read in 2023 was “Gleanings: Stories from the Arc of a Scythe.” "It has a lot of subtle references to people and events in the original arc of a Scythe trilogy, and I thought those were fun to read and connect." - Lucas Ha, seventh grade

Courtesy of Amelia Bai

“The Silence of Bones” by June Hur. “It really goes through the old dynasties of Korean culture and introduces various jobs. The main character does a great job explaining what life in Joseon (old Korea) would be like as a female detective.” - Judy Choi, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“The Secrets of Mental Math” by Arthur Benjamin and Michael Shermer. “It’s really useful—it teaches you a lot of math tricks and how to do mental math really well.” - Gyurin Hwang, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

My favorite book of 2023 was “Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?” by Bill Martin, Jr. "I read it at least 100 times (toddlers really like repetition), but it remains a favorite because it's easy to have the kids read it with me rather than just me reading to them. They can look at the pictures and say the words with me. It's a classic. Never gets old." - Jennifer Inaba, science teacher

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“The Art of Deception” by Nicholas Capaldi and Miles Smit. "It has interesting topics. Basically how to tell you are getting lied to and how to lie to people." - Tayden Li, sixth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Ground Zero” by Alan Gratz. "It teaches about the tragic events of 9/11, and it’s a very entertaining book in general. It teaches about other interesting events such as the Afghanistan War too.” - Efe Ozgurel, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“The Scythe” by Neal Shusterman. “Because it’s really interesting; there’s a lot of action, and the plot and the character and the setting.” - Ethan Chen, eighth grade

Courtesy of Annabella Mi

“Northwind” by Gary Paulsen. "I think it’s a really gripping story of resilience. I especially liked how the main character embraces his new found freedom, and the way he has such a strong determination for survival. I would highly recommend this book." - Amogh Velivela, eighth grade