Teens: did you know that you can earn community service credit for writing a book review and submitting it to us? Today, we’ll hear from three teens who did just that, and get their different takes on the same book. Find out more about how to earn community service hours from home at cheshirelibrary.org/teens/.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Reviewed by Jocelyn C.

Beartown is a novel that discusses extreme topics that aren’t usually talked about in books and also needs an extreme trigger warning! To start off the book, we see the small town of Beartown, Sweden preparing for and anticipating the semifinal hockey game. With the 17 year old hockey star Kevin Erdal, the junior hockey team might finally have a chance to win. This wing could lead to an economical boost for the entire town. Peter Anderson of Beartown, was a NHL star in Canada, but eventually returned back to his hometown with his wife Kira, and their kids Maya and Isak. The whole family suffered a tragic loss when their son Isak died from a childhood illness at a very young age. This definitely affected the family for the rest of their lives.

Sune, the A-team coach thought that something was missing on his hockey team. This is when he discovers Amata and recruits him. Amat faces many struggles. He is sort of an outcast, and when his friends find out that he is moving up, they aren’t too thrilled. Amat is bullied in the locker room, on the ice, and even outside of school and the rink. Amat, though, refuses to give up and plays in the semifinal. Maya has had a crush on Kevin for the longest time, but Amat has a crush on Maya. While Amat attempts to ask out Maya, Kevin rudely interrupts and invites Maya and her best friend Ana to his party. This is where things take a turn for the worse.

At Kevin’s home full of drunk teenagers and no parents, Kevin makes a bet with one of his friends that he will be able to sleep with the GM’s daughter. This does not go over well. While the two of them are extremely drunk, Kevin lures Maya up to his bedroom where he sexually assults her. With the encouragement of Ana, Maya tells her parents right before the hockey final, and Kevin is arrested just as they get on the bus to leave. No one knew what happened and they were all extremely confused. Everyone claims that she was lying, little do they know Amat walked in and saw the whole thing. After the hockey season is over, Sune starts an all girls hockey team to change the town’s sexist hockey culture. Everyone steps in to teach the young girls to play so they can become the next Beartown hockey stars. This novel is extremely well written and has an incredible message behind it.

5 stars.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Reviewed by Ella K.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman is a novel centered around a local hockey team from the small Swedish town of Beartown. The sport of hockey is incredibly important to the town and the entire social hierarchy revolves around the team. The star of the hockey team, Kevin, is the most popular guy in town. His rich parents have funded his obsession with hockey since he was young. The town, being extremely isolated, has a struggling economy. All hopes lie with the hockey team to win the championship in order to get a new school centered around hockey built within the town.

The entire town is rooting for Kevin and the team, but things change after a house party takes a turn for the worst and the lives of the entire town are uprooted. This book has great commentary on the harmful effects of locker room talk and prevalent issues in society. Loyalty versus morality is also an important theme that is discussed throughout the story. This book made me emotionally invested in the characters and I felt things for the characters when they went through the hardships that they did. Backman writes the characters extremely well and you cannot help but get caught up in the small world of Beartown.

Anyone who is even remotely interested in realistic fiction should pick up a copy of this book. Not only is its commentary on society important, but it is also a book filled with suspense and intrigue. Backman’s writing discusses the influences and inner workings of a small town that can be detrimental on the health of its children. All in all, the book is well written and well worth the read. It is important to understand the negative effects of the mob mentality and how the internet can be harmful to one’s mental health. All these things and more are prevalent issues in the small community of Beartown.

5 stars.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Reviewed by Juliana J.

Beartown was an absolutely jaw-dropping book to be able to read, and I would read it again in a heartbeat. Set in Beartown, Sweden, a has-been hockey town that wishes to revive itself, the book is written in third-person and jumps from multiple perspectives between characters in the novel. The book grapples with mature themes from the mindset of a teenage girl, as well as her parents, and some of her peers. The imagery used throughout made the book even more tantalizing, and I felt myself wanting to read the whole book in one sitting on many occasions. The subtle foreshadowing leaves you even more curious about how the novel will turn out, and what conclusion will be brought forth. Styles such as plays on words and usage of dramatic irony kept the novel interesting, and there wasn’t a dull moment for me as I read through the entire book.

There are many plot twists throughout the novel, but they were all executed well. The book had excellent examples of friendships displayed throughout, especially for the age group. They had moments of heartbreak in friendship– finding out your friend isn’t who they thought they were, feeling abandoned or hurt, as well as moments of peace and solidarity– standing by them when no one else would, and forgiving past mistakes. One of my favorite parts of the book was the use of repetition in subtle themes hinted at throughout the book. The novel also puts a great stress on the presence of ‘locker room talk’, which is a toxic mindset. Beartown helped to showcase some of the greatest damages of how locker room talk can affect young people and their adolescent years, even extending further into adulthood. It also brings to light important discussions such as how to handle adult-themed topics as a friend, a sister, a parent, or even a peer.

5 stars.

There are only 365 days in a year, but it seems as if there are a million “holidays” assigned to them, some of them bordering on ludicrous (National Ask Your Cat a Question day?). 

January 20 is National Cheese Lovers Day. January 2 was also National Swiss Cheese Day, which, all things considered, must make it a truly Holey Day.  (Yes, that was cheesy).

Swiss Cheese is actually a misnomer. Any cheese made in Switzerland is considered a Swiss Cheese. What Americans refer to as a “Swiss Cheese” is actually an Emmental cheese that contains “eyes” – trademark holes caused by gasses created during manufacture. The more holes, the more taste, with a curing time of 6-18 months to achieve its creamy flavor. An Emmental cheese without holes is sometimes called a “blind” cheese. Over the years, the holes in Swiss Cheese (as we know it) have gotten smaller, making manufacturers wonder if the holes aren’t caused by particulate matter getting in the cheese – tiny bits of hay or detritus that get in the milk, aiding in the production of gas. Modern sterile manufacturing eliminates those contaminants, not giving the gasses something to bond with. Emmental, Emmenthal, and Emmenthaler are all correct names for the cheese.

Many foreign foods are trademarked – Champagne is only Champagne if it comes from the Champagne region of France, otherwise it’s a sparkling wine. Roquefort Cheese can only come from Roquefort (or it’s a Blue Cheese). Bourbon can only come from Bourbon County, Tennessee, otherwise it’s just whiskey. Gruyere lost its trademark name in the US, with the courts deciding that Americans don’t know the location of the cheese, only the taste of that style, no matter the manufacturer. Thus, Swiss Cheese – er, Emmental – can be made anywhere, including Wisconsin. A good Swiss doesn’t have to come from Europe, which makes the price more palatable.

Have you ever thought of making your own cheese? Many of them are rather simple to make  (cottage cheese takes just three ingredients – milk, salt, and vinegar, which replaces the old-fashioned rennet from the cow’s stomach), and all of them will be fresh without chemical preservatives. It’s easier than you think! Unlike canning, mistakes aren’t likely to kill you. Try it as a winter project – you might just discover a new (and tasty!) hobby!

And just to prove that cheese makers aren’t as uptight as you might think, check out this study, where Swiss researchers exposed ageing cheeses to different forms of music (Hip Hop, Stairway to Heaven, and Mozart’s Magic Flute opera). They used mini transmitters to conduct the energy of the music directly into the cheese, so that no energy was lost. (No, I’m not making this up) The cheese was eventually blind-taste tested twice, with similar results each time. The hip-hop exposed cheese was decided to be markedly fruitier and with a stronger taste. The question arises, then, what happens to cheese if you use Swedish Death Metal, or perhaps Raffi?

Check out these instruction books for doing your own experiments with cheese. Your choice of music is up to you!

Grilled Cheese Please!

American Cheese

Artisan Cheese Making at Home

Home Cheese Making

The Whole Fromage

One Hour Cheese

Tasting Wine And Cheese

The Telling Room

Kick off the new year with a Winter Reading Challenge! Kids and adults of all ages are invited to join this online reading program with chances to win prizes! 

From now until February 28, you’ll earn points for reading and completing special missions. Once you reach a certain number of points, you’ll get a completion prize and be entered into your age group’s grand prize raffle. 

Want to sign up? Visit our ReadSquared reading challenge website athttps://cheshirelibrary.readsquared.com, download the ReadSquared app, or visit the Library in-person. Grab your signup prize next time you’re in the Library, then log in to track your progress any time until the program ends on Tuesday, February 28. 

The Winter Reading Challenge is sponsored by the Friends of the Cheshire Public Library.