Three Cups of Tea

By Zoe Jacobson, Age 14, Literary Editor of TweenTribune

Three Cups of Tea is the story of Greg who tries to climb K2, the world's second highest mountain. Greg gets lost on his journey but he is helped by the people of Korpe, who accept him, feed him and provide him shelter. To repay the people of Korpe, Greg promises to build them a school. The story describes the difficulties Greg faced while trying to fulfill his promise.

As Greg struggled in Nepal and then in Pakistan, he became more and more passionate about building the school. The people of Korpe were very poor. Without a school, their children had to study in the snow. Americans are very fortunate and take many things for granted, such as school buildings.

I really didn’t like this book. It was very far beneath my reading level, even though it was marked for middle school. I believe a fourth grader could easily read this book. Even if the fourth grader ran into trouble there is a glossary for the more "difficult" words.

I also felt as if it was just another memoir with a moral about being selfless and charitable.

Now don’t get me wrong—Greg did an amazing thing and changed the lives of hundreds of children. And without these selfless people the world would be a much colder place.

All I’m saying is that it just wasn’t a book filled with thrilling plot and dramatic characters. It didn’t make me clutch the edge of the pages reading and reading and never wanting to stop. It was merely part of my summer reading list for next year.

No thumbs.

113 things to do by 13

By Zoe Jacobson, Age 13, Literary Editor of TweenTribune

This book, written by the 14-year-old Brittany Macleod, is brilliant. It lists many things that any preteen or teen would want to do, including: best truth or dares, best makeup techniques, best hairdos, how to add fluff to your room and the newest, coolest songs. I bookmarked the best ideas.

But wait, there's more: How to fix your hair and play loads of games, celebrity confessions, the perfect pranks, great songs, how to do a facial mask, even the best food for a food fight. Even tips on how to have the perfect sleepover ever can be found here.

As a teenager, I wasn't prepared to like this book. I was afraid it was just some book written by some mother who lists stuff her lame children liked to do — like play with Play-Doh they made themselves. But I really loved this because it is different - it's written by one of us.

I think anyone can read this book — no matter what age — because all of us girls have a part in us that still believes in princesses and unicorns. Well, maybe not, but any girl could enjoy this book. It's a must read for any girl, no matter what age.