BHS is a YALSA Library this year! The students of the Book Club are reading Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) of books before they are available for sale! Then OUR students will review these books and help select the top 10 Young Adult Books of the year! We are one of 15 clubs in the country and the ONLY high school in Illinois reviewing for YALSA!
I Love My Librarians!!!
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Lovi's Classes Make Their Recommendations!
What do you think of these books!
For some tips on GREAT books to read, checkout the books that Ms. Lovi's classes are recommending!
Simply click on "comment" and then give us your feedback!
13 comments:
Anonymous
said...
The book Red Kayak by Prisilla Cummings is an adventurous book about a boy and his feelings of remorse. Brady has feelings of regret because he blames himself because of the people who live next door the Di Angelos when out on a red kayak and it over turned and their son dies and Brady blames himself. The book is about his short rise of fame and his long fall drop down. The book takes place by the Corsica River where he goes crabbing and makes a lot of money for it. Brady goes through a lot of emotional trauma. This book is how he copes with the trauma. The problems that occur could be easily solved by telling Mr. Di Angelo by not to go out in the river. Brady likes to crab that is when he gets a lot of nets and bait and goes out and gets a lot of crabs for a huge prophet. The style is written in mostly thoughts and quotes from his friends J.T and Digger. Also his mother and his father add to the mix of quotes and narration of what happens to his life that at one point was so perfect. Brady regrets making that mistake of not telling Mr. Di Angelo about how rough the river gets when the skies get gray. And now he has to live with this big weight on his shoulders having a death on his soul and he can not do anything about it. The style is narrated by Brady and he tells his story that all started with J.T’s green tea. The fight that cost Brady his whole life of trauma is about what is in green tea. I recommend this book who likes adventure and suspense. It is a thrilling page turner and has captivated many readers around the world. This book has many shocking twists and turns and is full of adventure and wonderful page turning thrills. If you like a thrilling page turner then this is a book for you. It is so irresistible I could hardly put the book down. Brady his mother and his father J.T, Digger, Carl (Brady’s cousin) have many problems and troubles. Who ever likes a thrilling page turner would like this book. This book is very adventurous and wild and anybody would like this good book. Joseph B. 6th
As School Library Journal says, “Action packed,” and Kliatt describes, ”Suspenseful and involving… Chance’s dilemmas will quickly draw in readers and keep them turning the pages.” Runner by Carl Deuker is well worth the read. Chance, a troubled teenager, is abandoned by his mother and trapped with his alcoholic father. He lives on a undersized sailboat called the Tiny Dance, which is not even big enough to move around in. The Tiny Dancer is docked in a marina in Seattle. He barley scrapes by in school and does not have many friends. His best and only friend, Melissa is a wealthier girl. But when Chance’s father loses his job, a marina employee offers Chance to help pay his rent. Chance has to transport mysterious packages for the unknown man. When Chance discovers what he is truly contributing to, its up Melissa and him to endanger their own lives to put an end to the crimes being committed. The author of Runner goes into immense detail of the subject. Every last aspect of the setting or character is described to the finest element. The novel is an exceedingly epic story guiding Chance through the good, and the evil. He works through many incredible issues and shows true compassion for friends and family. I would recommend this book to all kinds of people. It is great for serious, action loving readers who enjoy the twists and turns of an extraordinary tale. Anyone who reads the book Runner will be enlightened with true knowledge of friendship and love. Nick P. 6th Period
“ You know something? I like your spirit. I really do,” said the fat man. “But I don’t have time to play games. So listen, and listen carefully. You’re in trouble, and I can get you out of that trouble. I’m offering you a job, kid. Very good pay; very short hours. When somebody offers you easy money, you should at least hear him out.” The Runner by Carl Deuker is an action packed novel about a regular teenage underachiever, Chance, who lives in Seattle, Washington and finds himself to be involved in a terrorist act. Watch as he and his deadbeat dad struggle to pay the moorage fees for their old, rusty, weather-beaten sailboat. You see, Chance is offered a job to transport packages without him knowing that they are full of illegal materials. However, the pay is good and it is a difficult offer to pass up when Chance has to support himself and his father. As if this weren’t enough, Chance is completely alone in life. He has no friends and he has to fight to keep people from knowing about his poor lifestyle. One person in particular, Melissa, takes a liking to Chance because of his controversial outburst in his World Issues Class. Melissa begins to try to befriend him but Chance initially shuts her out. He has trouble doing so because he has no friends so he is willing to accept her request. After finding out what exactly he’s transporting in these packages, he reluctantly finds himself in need of both his father’s and Melissa’s help. In addition to the complexity of the characters and the storyline, Deuker is outstanding at making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. When I read this book, I can see the Tiny Dancer, the rickety old sailboat that Chance and his father call home. Without any trouble, I can see his father with greasy hair, a stubby beard, a bottle of vodka in his right hand, and a cigarette in his left. Melissa too, with long dark hair and perfect posture, the generic suck-up. Carl Deuker is a spectacular descriptive writer so if you want to feel like you were almost written into the story and are with the characters as they go through life, you will without a doubt in my mind, fall in love with this book. -Matt W. Period 6
David Gilman emphasizes both nature and action in the book The Devil’s Breath. David Gilman is a very adventurous man from the UK. Throughout his many professions such as a firefighter to a photographer, his journeys have taken him across the world. Max is a 15-year-old boy with many secrets about him yet to be found. When his father goes missing in the mysterious wilderness of Africa, Max is called to duty to find him. Throughout his travels in Africa, he meets many different kind of people and discovers the true value of nature and indigenous people. He has yet to know that his father’s disappearance is something much more than he expected. Gilman writes in a very suspenseful and enthusiastic tone, leaving the reader with very mixed emotions. In these radical feelings you will feel the realistic harshness that people and nature withhold. I felt very interested by this book, wanting it to never end. I would recommend this book to anyone. The book would appeal to almost every different kind of people.
Stephen King, author of many well known novels, is one of the most respected people in the world. He has written many classics, including, The Shining. I have read two books by Stephen king the first being The Gunslinger, which is the second book of the dark tower series. The other book, which this review is about is The Dead Zone. In this book, the main character named “Johnny”, who lives in New Hampshire around 1975, is going out with a fellow teacher named Sarah, after dropping her off at home after a date he gets in a car crash and is put in a terrible coma which lasts for 4 years. During the time Johnnys in the coma, his mother Vera becomes a religious nut while his father, Herb, keeps in touch with Sarah and even goes to her wedding. When he finally wakes up his whole life has changed. The other change is that he has second sight.
Stephen King uses a very intriguing way of writing that always keeps the reader from putting the book down. He is a very a very descriptive writer as well so if you like descriptive writing then this is the book for you. I for one really enjoy reading his books because he basically paints a picture in your mind with words. This book kind of freaked me out at some moments but overall it was not a bad book. I would give it an 7.5 out of 10 stars. I thought this was an very descriptive and interesting book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Stephen Kings writing style or someone who likes depressing books because it isn’t a very happy novel and if you have ever read Stephen King, you should know it will probably be a little scary. It is a very well written book and if you get the chance to read it, you may be surprised .
Such A Pretty Girl Imagine being a young girl of fifteen whose past has drastically changed her future. Meredith Shale is fifteen and her father, Charles Shale, was put in prison when she was eleven years old because he raped her and five other boys. Her mother, Sharon Shale, does not see what she does not want to see. She believes that Charles is innocent; she still loves him as if nothing had ever happened. Andy Muese is Meredith’s boyfriend. He is paralyzed from the waist down and is also one of Charles’ victims. His paralysis is more emotional than physical. Andy and his family are also highly religious and his condo is a haven for Meredith while her father returns home. Nigel Balthazar, a retired police officer who actually arrested Charles. He now lives around the corner from the Shale’s and keeps an eye on Meredith to make sure that she is safe. The setting of Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess is at the condo complex where all the characters live. It takes place in present day life. The plot thickens the second Charles returns home from prison. Meredith is scared of what her father has done and what he has become. (Page 1) “They promised me nine years of safety but only gave me three. Today my time has run out.” To me, the author’s style of writing is great because it is easy to read and it keeps you reading. Overall, I am impressed with how well it was written and how vivid the descriptions were. I think that the theme of the novel is loneliness because she had almost nowhere to run. Another theme is hope because Meredith had hope of escaping and Andy had the hope of walking again. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense, crime and sitting on the edge of their seats. It is an overall great novel with a magical ending. I would give this book a ten out of a ten because it was filled with everything I could have wanted in a book. I promise that you will not want to put this book down. -Taylor S. 7th period
Mystery. Action. Death. Despair. Just a handful of a few of the characteristics of Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings. Brady Parks is a 13 year old boy living with his mother, father and sister on the waters of Eastern Maryland. One day during a normal average day of school is pulled from class to be used in a SAR (Search and Rescue) mission involving the disappearance of his neighbors after they decided to go on a kayak ride in the presence of an upcoming storm. Brady found him…but by this time it was too late. He had been killed by hypothermia, although his mother survived. After Brady found the sunken kayak he noticed a series of strategically placed drill holes in the hull. Quite the burden to have to carry if you ask me. As the mystery gets deeper and more stunning, so does the book and the staging or new and more shocking discoveries make the book unable to put down. Red Kayak isn’t just one of those mystery books that uses detective work to find things out. Instead Brady looks in the right place at the wrong time and finds things on accident that he never would have imagined before. Reading this book will leave you both shocked and awed only to leave you wanting more. To put it simply it’s a mystery in a mystery. There is also a lot of “is there something around that corner that I really don’t want to see?” The plot line will leave you enthralled, the suspense will have you mesmerized, and the climax will knock you off your feet. My recommendations go to anybody who likes very suspenseful, mystery books. I swear by it, you will not regret reading this story. I couldn’t put it down, and I know you won’t be able to either.
The Chaos Codes Review "On a shelf of rock hidden behind the water fall was a pyramid. Its four sides were massive stems of rock, like a staircase leading up in to the very heart of the volcano." Justin Richards wrote a modern day novel that causes us to question what we know or should I say what we think about the world and history. The Chaos Codes is a historical that falsifies history. In the quest of finding treasure that would give grant enough power for someone to take over the whole world. Using the knowledge of an extremely ancient civilization that is thought to be Atlantis. With that information they will be able to predict the future, view the past, and ultimately alter the present. The main character Matt is an average teenager that like computers. His awareness of technology eventually leads him to discover who will consider the knowledge of the ancients and use them. In his adventures Matt has discovered that his dad is missing and that he has probably been taken by criminals. He is later brought to a water fall pyramid because it is thought that he knows too much about his dad's mysterious disappearance. In the pyramid he learns that his dad is being held captive in the same place. After deciphering a puzzle they discover a treasure in a far-off land. Richard uses a easy to fallow way of writing that gives the right amount of description. In this work of his he uses common words that anyone can understand. The positive aspect of the book is that the plot is one that is filled with action and suspense. The worst part of the book is that the story has no deeper meaning. It uses no literary devices which causes it to be like a children's book. Another negative feature is that the twist with the Atlantis people is a little bit unrealistic. The book also goes through some tough to fallow thought processing in order to find the treasure. I would recommend this book to anyone who like stories resembling the modern movie National Treasure. The other criteria is that you must read at lower reading level because it is written in the format of a children’s book. The action scenes are exciting but not completely explained. So in conclusion I would recommend the book in question to any elementary school kid that like action, treasure hunting, and has plenty time to waste on an adequate book.
Silverwing By: Kenneth Oppel Imagine you are separated from your family and you might not ever see them again. This is the situation that Shade is faced with in the book Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel. Shade is a bat, one of the smallest in his colony and he is always being picked on by some bats in his colony. One day Shade tries to prove to everyone that he is not just a little runt, so goes to see the sun. However in the end he pays the price in the end. After Shade tries to see the sun, an owl comes to their roost and asks for them to sacrifice the one that saw the sun. After Frieda, the elder bat, would not give him up the owls burned down their roost. Soon after the Silverwings left the roost, Shade got lost in a storm and to save him from the storm he lands on a boat. After he wakes up the next day he meets this one girl who is a little bigger than him and her name is Marina. Following the path his mother gave him he has to find out the mystery behind the bands. He also has to go through the winding terrain to find Hibernaculum and get through the dangers along the way. The author uses a lot foreshadowing in the book, such as when Zephyr said you will have any enemy that will help them and close to the end of the book what he said came true. What’s cool about the book is that the humans don’t talk throughout it, so if you don’t like listening to the people ramble on and on about random junk you don’t want to know about. Instead you are learning it from an animal point of view. I really liked the end of the book because it left a couple of question that a sequel could answer. This author was very simple, he went into a good amount of detail without getting me bored. I think it was one of the best reads I have ever read. I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t like getting really bored reading to many details and someone who doesn’t like having too many unanswered questions. I would also recommend this to anybody who likes outdoors and someone who likes learning from different perspective. Stephen J. 7th hour
Can you imagine being stuck in the middle of helping your dad or your friend? Peak Marcello was in that exact position. He is a 14-year-old kid you loves to climb about anything. Peak has to go live with his dad in Kathmandu by court order because he was caught climbing a skyscraper. His dad has a surprise when they arrive in Kathmandu. The surprise was to climb Mount Everest. Peak tells about his adventure climbing up the mountain. Along the way he meets many new people like Sun-jo and they become very good friends through out the book. And the question is does he make it to the top or not??? I love the way that Roland Smith wrote the book. He doesn’t go into much detail, so you don’t get bored very easily. Also, I liked that there weren’t very long chapters, so you don’t get suck in the middle of a chapter, which I hate! The book has many cliffhangers at the ends of chapters because it made me keep on reading to find out what’s going to happen next. I enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book because it was very exciting to read his adventure and struggles. The end in my opinion was the best overall, but you’ll have to read to find out. The theme of the book is to make you think about what you appreciate and care about the most in your life. The tone of the book was mostly of excitement and tiredness because Peak was writing the story. I would recommend this book to about anybody because of many reasons. First, it wasn’t that hard of a book to read and understand. Second, it was a refreshing and exciting book that was hard to put down! Lastly, it was interesting what goes on climbing Mount Everest. I would defiantly recommend this book to people who love to climb because it talks about Peak’s experience in climbing and tells you tips. This book gets you thinking about what you really appreciate in life. Brendan G., 7th
13 comments:
The book Red Kayak by Prisilla Cummings is an adventurous book about a boy and his feelings of remorse. Brady has feelings of regret because he blames himself because of the people who live next door the Di Angelos when out on a red kayak and it over turned and their son dies and Brady blames himself. The book is about his short rise of fame and his long fall drop down. The book takes place by the Corsica River where he goes crabbing and makes a lot of money for it. Brady goes through a lot of emotional trauma. This book is how he copes with the trauma. The problems that occur could be easily solved by telling Mr. Di Angelo by not to go out in the river. Brady likes to crab that is when he gets a lot of nets and bait and goes out and gets a lot of crabs for a huge prophet.
The style is written in mostly thoughts and quotes from his friends J.T and Digger. Also his mother and his father add to the mix of quotes and narration of what happens to his life that at one point was so perfect. Brady regrets making that mistake of not telling Mr. Di Angelo about how rough the river gets when the skies get gray. And now he has to live with this big weight on his shoulders having a death on his soul and he can not do anything about it. The style is narrated by Brady and he tells his story that all started with J.T’s green tea. The fight that cost Brady his whole life of trauma is about what is in green tea.
I recommend this book who likes adventure and suspense. It is a thrilling page turner and has captivated many readers around the world. This book has many shocking twists and turns and is full of adventure and wonderful page turning thrills. If you like a thrilling page turner then this is a book for you. It is so irresistible I could hardly put the book down. Brady his mother and his father J.T, Digger, Carl (Brady’s cousin) have many problems and troubles. Who ever likes a thrilling page turner would like this book. This book is very adventurous and wild and anybody would like this good book.
Joseph B. 6th
As School Library Journal says, “Action packed,” and Kliatt describes, ”Suspenseful and involving… Chance’s dilemmas will quickly draw in readers and keep them turning the pages.” Runner by Carl Deuker is well worth the read. Chance, a troubled teenager, is abandoned by his mother and trapped with his alcoholic father. He lives on a undersized sailboat called the Tiny Dance, which is not even big enough to move around in. The Tiny Dancer is docked in a marina in Seattle. He barley scrapes by in school and does not have many friends. His best and only friend, Melissa is a wealthier girl. But when Chance’s father loses his job, a marina employee offers Chance to help pay his rent. Chance has to transport mysterious packages for the unknown man. When Chance discovers what he is truly contributing to, its up Melissa and him to endanger their own lives to put an end to the crimes being committed.
The author of Runner goes into immense detail of the subject. Every last aspect of the setting or character is described to the finest element. The novel is an exceedingly epic story guiding Chance through the good, and the evil. He works through many incredible issues and shows true compassion for friends and family.
I would recommend this book to all kinds of people. It is great for serious, action loving readers who enjoy the twists and turns of an extraordinary tale. Anyone who reads the book Runner will be enlightened with true knowledge of friendship and love.
Nick P. 6th Period
“ You know something? I like your spirit. I really do,” said the fat man. “But I don’t have time to play games. So listen, and listen carefully. You’re in trouble, and I can get you out of that trouble. I’m offering you a job, kid. Very good pay; very short hours. When somebody offers you easy money, you should at least hear him out.” The Runner by Carl Deuker is an action packed novel about a regular teenage underachiever, Chance, who lives in Seattle, Washington and finds himself to be involved in a terrorist act. Watch as he and his deadbeat dad struggle to pay the moorage fees for their old, rusty, weather-beaten sailboat. You see, Chance is offered a job to transport packages without him knowing that they are full of illegal materials. However, the pay is good and it is a difficult offer to pass up when Chance has to support himself and his father. As if this weren’t enough, Chance is completely alone in life. He has no friends and he has to fight to keep people from knowing about his poor lifestyle. One person in particular, Melissa, takes a liking to Chance because of his controversial outburst in his World Issues Class. Melissa begins to try to befriend him but Chance initially shuts her out. He has trouble doing so because he has no friends so he is willing to accept her request. After finding out what exactly he’s transporting in these packages, he reluctantly finds himself in need of both his father’s and Melissa’s help.
In addition to the complexity of the characters and the storyline, Deuker is outstanding at making the reader feel like they are a part of the story. When I read this book, I can see the Tiny Dancer, the rickety old sailboat that Chance and his father call home. Without any trouble, I can see his father with greasy hair, a stubby beard, a bottle of vodka in his right hand, and a cigarette in his left. Melissa too, with long dark hair and perfect posture, the generic suck-up. Carl Deuker is a spectacular descriptive writer so if you want to feel like you were almost written into the story and are with the characters as they go through life, you will without a doubt in my mind, fall in love with this book.
-Matt W. Period 6
David Gilman emphasizes both nature and action in the book The Devil’s Breath. David Gilman is a very adventurous man from the UK. Throughout his many professions such as a firefighter to a photographer, his journeys have taken him across the world. Max is a 15-year-old boy with many secrets about him yet to be found. When his father goes missing in the mysterious wilderness of Africa, Max is called to duty to find him. Throughout his travels in Africa, he meets many different kind of people and discovers the true value of nature and indigenous people. He has yet to know that his father’s disappearance is something much more than he expected.
Gilman writes in a very suspenseful and enthusiastic tone, leaving the reader with very mixed emotions. In these radical feelings you will feel the realistic harshness that people and nature withhold. I felt very interested by this book, wanting it to never end.
I would recommend this book to anyone. The book would appeal to almost every different kind of people.
Jack S, 6th Period
Stephen King, author of many well known novels, is one of the most respected people in the world. He has written many classics, including, The Shining. I have read two books by Stephen king the first being The Gunslinger, which is the second book of the dark tower series. The other book, which this review is about is The Dead Zone. In this book, the main character named “Johnny”, who lives in New Hampshire around 1975, is going out with a fellow teacher named Sarah, after dropping her off at home after a date he gets in a car crash and is put in a terrible coma which lasts for 4 years. During the time Johnnys in the coma, his mother Vera becomes a religious nut while his father, Herb, keeps in touch with Sarah and even goes to her wedding. When he finally wakes up his whole life has changed. The other change is that he has second sight.
Stephen King uses a very intriguing way of writing that always keeps the reader from putting the book down. He is a very a very descriptive writer as well so if you like descriptive writing then this is the book for you. I for one really enjoy reading his books because he basically paints a picture in your mind with words. This book kind of freaked me out at some moments but overall it was not a bad book. I would give it an 7.5 out of 10 stars. I thought this was an very descriptive and interesting book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Stephen Kings writing style or someone who likes depressing books because it isn’t a very happy novel and if you have ever read Stephen King, you should know it will probably be a little scary. It is a very well written book and if you get the chance to read it, you may be surprised .
Andrew R, Period 6
Peak
Roland Smith
Peak Marcello is a young teenage boy who lives with his mother and sister, he has not
seen his father in many years. He’s is trying to find a place where he can just be himself, and
spread his tag, a blue mountain top or “peak”. Peak is not trying to spread his tag so that
everyone knows who he is he just wants the lonely window washers or a random person to see it
and wonder how it got there. The place peak gets away to just so happens to be the top of a
skyscraper, Peak is an expert climber because of his mother and his father teaching him. As Peak
is tagging he gets caught and is arrested while on the very top of a very tall skyscraper. During
Peaks trial, he is sentenced to some time in juvie, but before the judge can make a final decision
Peaks father bursts into the court room and comes up with a wild plan for peak to not go to juvie
and go climb Mt. Everest with his crew and be the youngest to ever climb the mountain. Roland
Smith has a way of hooking you into the book and at the end of the book he always makes you
wish it kept going and going. Roland writes from Peaks point of view, and does an outstanding
job at it, he does this in other books to. The hook that got me is that Peak has to scale the 29,028
foot Mt. Everest, facing loads of challenges and obstacles, also he has to deal with some close
encounters with death and a bit of trouble with foreign law. Peak is a great book I recommend it
to all, and all of Roland Smiths other books, He is a great author and story teller, Peak should be
shared with all. Also Roland Smith wrote some other great books such as Jack’s run and Zach’s
Lie.
Brian S, 7thP.
Such A Pretty Girl
Imagine being a young girl of fifteen whose past has drastically changed her future. Meredith Shale is fifteen and her father, Charles Shale, was put in prison when she was eleven years old because he raped her and five other boys. Her mother, Sharon Shale, does not see what she does not want to see. She believes that Charles is innocent; she still loves him as if nothing had ever happened. Andy Muese is Meredith’s boyfriend. He is paralyzed from the waist down and is also one of Charles’ victims. His paralysis is more emotional than physical. Andy and his family are also highly religious and his condo is a haven for Meredith while her father returns home. Nigel Balthazar, a retired police officer who actually arrested Charles. He now lives around the corner from the Shale’s and keeps an eye on Meredith to make sure that she is safe. The setting of Such a Pretty Girl by Laura Wiess is at the condo complex where all the characters live. It takes place in present day life. The plot thickens the second Charles returns home from prison. Meredith is scared of what her father has done and what he has become. (Page 1) “They promised me nine years of safety but only gave me three. Today my time has run out.”
To me, the author’s style of writing is great because it is easy to read and it keeps you reading. Overall, I am impressed with how well it was written and how vivid the descriptions were. I think that the theme of the novel is loneliness because she had almost nowhere to run. Another theme is hope because Meredith had hope of escaping and Andy had the hope of walking again.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves suspense, crime and sitting on the edge of their seats. It is an overall great novel with a magical ending. I would give this book a ten out of a ten because it was filled with everything I could have wanted in a book. I promise that you will not want to put this book down. -Taylor S. 7th period
Mystery. Action. Death. Despair. Just a handful of a few of the characteristics of Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings. Brady Parks is a 13 year old boy living with his mother, father and sister on the waters of Eastern Maryland. One day during a normal average day of school is pulled from class to be used in a SAR (Search and Rescue) mission involving the disappearance of his neighbors after they decided to go on a kayak ride in the presence of an upcoming storm. Brady found him…but by this time it was too late. He had been killed by hypothermia, although his mother survived. After Brady found the sunken kayak he noticed a series of strategically placed drill holes in the hull. Quite the burden to have to carry if you ask me. As the mystery gets deeper and more stunning, so does the book and the staging or new and more shocking discoveries make the book unable to put down.
Red Kayak isn’t just one of those mystery books that uses detective work to find things out. Instead Brady looks in the right place at the wrong time and finds things on accident that he never would have imagined before. Reading this book will leave you both shocked and awed only to leave you wanting more. To put it simply it’s a mystery in a mystery. There is also a lot of “is there something around that corner that I really don’t want to see?” The plot line will leave you enthralled, the suspense will have you mesmerized, and the climax will knock you off your feet.
My recommendations go to anybody who likes very suspenseful, mystery books. I swear by it, you will not regret reading this story. I couldn’t put it down, and I know you won’t be able to either.
The Chaos Codes Review
"On a shelf of rock hidden behind the water fall was a pyramid. Its four sides were massive stems of rock, like a staircase leading up in to the very heart of the volcano." Justin Richards wrote a modern day novel that causes us to question what we know or should I say what we think about the world and history. The Chaos Codes is a historical that falsifies history. In the quest of finding treasure that would give grant enough power for someone to take over the whole world. Using the knowledge of an extremely ancient civilization that is thought to be Atlantis. With that information they will be able to predict the future, view the past, and ultimately alter the present. The main character Matt is an average teenager that like computers. His awareness of technology eventually leads him to discover who will consider the knowledge of the ancients and use them. In his adventures Matt has discovered that his dad is missing and that he has probably been taken by criminals. He is later brought to a water fall pyramid because it is thought that he knows too much about his dad's mysterious disappearance. In the pyramid he learns that his dad is being held captive in the same place. After deciphering a puzzle they discover a treasure in a far-off land.
Richard uses a easy to fallow way of writing that gives the right amount of description. In this work of his he uses common words that anyone can understand. The positive aspect of the book is that the plot is one that is filled with action and suspense. The worst part of the book is that the story has no deeper meaning. It uses no literary devices which causes it to be like a children's book. Another negative feature is that the twist with the Atlantis people is a little bit unrealistic. The book also goes through some tough to fallow thought processing in order to find the treasure.
I would recommend this book to anyone who like stories resembling the modern movie National Treasure. The other criteria is that you must read at lower reading level because it is written in the format of a children’s book. The action scenes are exciting but not completely explained. So in conclusion I would recommend the book in question to any elementary school kid that like action, treasure hunting, and has plenty time to waste on an adequate book.
Ben P. 7th period (above)
Silverwing
By: Kenneth Oppel
Imagine you are separated from your family and you might not ever see them again. This is the situation that Shade is faced with in the book Silverwing by Kenneth Oppel. Shade is a bat, one of the smallest in his colony and he is always being picked on by some bats in his colony. One day Shade tries to prove to everyone that he is not just a little runt, so goes to see the sun. However in the end he pays the price in the end. After Shade tries to see the sun, an owl comes to their roost and asks for them to sacrifice the one that saw the sun. After Frieda, the elder bat, would not give him up the owls burned down their roost. Soon after the Silverwings left the roost, Shade got lost in a storm and to save him from the storm he lands on a boat. After he wakes up the next day he meets this one girl who is a little bigger than him and her name is Marina. Following the path his mother gave him he has to find out the mystery behind the bands. He also has to go through the winding terrain to find Hibernaculum and get through the dangers along the way.
The author uses a lot foreshadowing in the book, such as when Zephyr said you will have any enemy that will help them and close to the end of the book what he said came true. What’s cool about the book is that the humans don’t talk throughout it, so if you don’t like listening to the people ramble on and on about random junk you don’t want to know about. Instead you are learning it from an animal point of view. I really liked the end of the book because it left a couple of question that a sequel could answer. This author was very simple, he went into a good amount of detail without getting me bored. I think it was one of the best reads I have ever read.
I recommend this book to anyone who doesn’t like getting really bored reading to many details and someone who doesn’t like having too many unanswered questions. I would also recommend this to anybody who likes outdoors and someone who likes learning from different perspective. Stephen J. 7th hour
Peak
By: Roland Smith
Can you imagine being stuck in the middle of helping your dad or your friend? Peak Marcello was in that exact position. He is a 14-year-old kid you loves to climb about anything. Peak has to go live with his dad in Kathmandu by court order because he was caught climbing a skyscraper. His dad has a surprise when they arrive in Kathmandu. The surprise was to climb Mount Everest. Peak tells about his adventure climbing up the mountain. Along the way he meets many new people like Sun-jo and they become very good friends through out the book. And the question is does he make it to the top or not???
I love the way that Roland Smith wrote the book. He doesn’t go into much detail, so you don’t get bored very easily. Also, I liked that there weren’t very long chapters, so you don’t get suck in the middle of a chapter, which I hate! The book has many cliffhangers at the ends of chapters because it made me keep on reading to find out what’s going to happen next. I enjoyed the beginning and middle of the book because it was very exciting to read his adventure and struggles. The end in my opinion was the best overall, but you’ll have to read to find out. The theme of the book is to make you think about what you appreciate and care about the most in your life. The tone of the book was mostly of excitement and tiredness because Peak was writing the story.
I would recommend this book to about anybody because of many reasons. First, it wasn’t that hard of a book to read and understand. Second, it was a refreshing and exciting book that was hard to put down! Lastly, it was interesting what goes on climbing Mount Everest. I would defiantly recommend this book to people who love to climb because it talks about Peak’s experience in climbing and tells you tips. This book gets you thinking about what you really appreciate in life.
Brendan G., 7th
"All I know is that I have two choices - stay wrapped in blankets and get on with
dieing, or get the list together and get on with living." Jenny Downham has written a
spectacular novel that really hits home. Before I Die is a story about a young lady's
experience with leukemia. Tessa is a wondering fifteen-year-old who has made a list of
tasks to accomplish before she dies. In addition to her adventures, we learn about Tessa's
extremely creative and unusual way of thinking. Tessa knows she is dieing but she wants
to make the most of the rest of her life. As she attempts things on her list, she meets and
gets to know her neigbor Adam, along with learning about herself. The relationships in
the story are very deep and heartfelt, which makes readers think very deep.
In addition to this wonderful story, Downham uses a unique of writting. As
Tessa's life is getting shorter and she is getting weaker, things space out more. To
me, this symbolizes how Tessa is struggling to live. This book is very captivation for
readers and at times can be a tear - jerker. Readers will smile at all the wonderful
moments in the story and will also be depressed sometimes in the story. The book
will take you through a rollercoaster of emotions.
Deepthinkers and generally deep people should read this book. This book will not
change you, but it just may give you another point of view on life. When looking for an
amazing book, make sure you grab this one.
6th Hour
-Pamela C.
Post a Comment