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 31, 2011
Mrs. Lovi's Class
Mrs. Lovi's Classes Recommendations!
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"Do you think I would've done it?" I cried at one point. "If I had a gun, would I have shot Christy? Because when Nick said, "Let's go get this finished," and I thought he was going to, I don't know, embarrass her or maybe beat the crap out of her or something, I felt so good. So, like, relieved, I wanted him to take care of her." The Hate List by Jenifer Brown is a book about a girl named Valery or Val for short. In Val’s crappy world her “perfect” boyfriend Nick has just shot a portion of the student body, using her hate list. Among those he shot was Christy. Val saw Nick shoot her and rushes to Christy’s aid. Her previous hate and anger for the girl vanished. Valery hated Christy because she would always call Val sister death because she wore all black. As she tries to help Christy she realizes she has to stop Nick. She gets between him and his next victim and is accidentally. Horrified, he turns the gun on himself. Throughout the book, Valery is looking for forgiveness. Because she blames herself for not seeing the signs that Nick wanted to truly hurt people. She blames herself for making the hate list. She made the hate list as a healing process for her because she was being made fun of. Will she ever be able to forgive herself for making the hate list? Jenifer Brown does a very good job at showing Valery’s true feelings. I like how Valery is both sensitive and tough and brave at the same time. The writing style itself was very entertaining and kept me entranced throughout the book. The writing itself was so detailed it felt like I was in the room with Val, watching her life through her eyes. I was a little disappointed with the end of the book because it wasn’t the ending I was hoping for. I recommend this book to all who are willing to get emotional and maybe even cry a little bit during the book.. In this book I truly felt connected to the main character Valery. I don’t recommend this book who are easily frightened or scared. This book was sad, nerve-racking, depressing and hopeful all at the same time. I personally loved this book I’d give it a 10 out of 10. Cecsily - 1
West Mrs. Lovi, p. 1 Payback Time By: Carl Deuker The book Payback Time by Carl Deuker is a great book about a teenage, pudgy school newspaper writer named Dan. Well, Dan is his real name but most people called him Mitch from an embarrassing childhood story. In the beginning of the book, Mitch had recently become the new high school sports reporter for the school and local newspaper. When he had taken this job he received the partner of Kimi Yon, Kimi is what most people would call a perfect child and she was going to be Mitch’s photographer. As he began to talk to McNulty, the coach, all McNulty could talk about was the star player and quarterback Horst Diamond. As the first practice comes around for the football season Mitch and Kimi decide it would be a good idea to go and watch the practice. Before the practice they notice a big strong looking kid named Angel Marichal playing catch with his buddy and is throwing as if an NFL quarterback. But when the practice begins and the players throw in front of the coach, Angel is throwing lobs to his partner. Mitch doesn’t get it, why is Angel all of the sudden throwing lobs and not trying? He then gets the idea that Angel is trying to “fly under the radar”, Kimi gets the idea that Angel is an undercover cop in the high school trying to find the druggies in the school. Everyone has doubts about Angel. Who is he and what does he want? The writing style of Carl Deuker, the author, is very interesting and exciting. He uses sarcastic humor and suspense to keep the reader guessing. He also uses imagery to make it as if the reader is watching the movie. Throughout the book readers will experience times where they will have a very hard time putting the book down. Deuker uses suspense such as this, “The older guy motioned for Angel to move behind one of the cars in the lot, and then reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket and pulled something out. It gleamed silvery in the sunlight as he held it stiffly against his thigh. A gun? Was it a gun?” I recommend this book for anyone teenager who is ready for an exciting new kind of story with an interesting twist.
Looking for Alaska Book Review What is the purpose of a friend? Is it to have emotional support, have trust in someone, or is it plainly to just have fun with the person you enjoy being with the most? The book, Looking for Alaska, contains a series of transitions and changes in life from the view of a teenager named Miles Halter. The author, John Green, not only describes Miles as open minded, bright, and self conscious, but as a loyal friend to anyone he meets. One of the many friends that he encounters at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama is Chip Martin. Chip is known as being the strong leader in the group who formulates all of the mischievous plans. Going along with these mischievous plans is Chip’s best friend, Alaska Young. Now, Alaska is very different from anyone Miles has ever met before! She is mysterious, flirty, moody, very good at keeping secrets, and gets herself in trouble way too much. In this story of love and friendship, a quote by Simón Bolívar is mentioned repeatedly by the character Alaska Young. Bolívar said, "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?"(pg.126) This quote is brought up throughout the whole book and it signifies forgiveness because one has to forgive to get out of the labyrinth. Miles learns how to forgive when a tragic event happens to Alaska. It all started when Miles moved to Culver Creek for a fresh start to something new at the age of fifteen. Although Miles meets many new friends, he gets himself influenced very wrongly from his peers by smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol when Culver Creek has highly strict rules that include prohibiting drugs. Looking for Alaska, by John Green, has weaknesses and strengths. For an example there is way too much foreshadowing in the book and there is not enough figurative language. Although, after I read this book, I was very satisfied because the book was very detailed, the words were flowing because it was an easy level to read at, and it has a happy ending which is never a bad thing! So, even though the author lacked some aspects, he still came across as being very creative in his writing. There is never a dull moment in any scene and many moments are very emotional. Green was wise with the words he chose because it made moments more powerful. Overall, this book is surprisingly captivating, in-depth, entrancing and interesting. Looking for Alaska is meant for anyone ranging from a boy to a girl but mainly for high school students because they can relate to it. Read this book if you are seeking to read about change and friendship! It is well worth it! Vanessa-1
“Frankly Scarlett, I don’t give a damn,” are probably the most famous words ever written, coming from the epic tale of love, loss, sacrifice, and forgiveness found in the book Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, these seven words spoken by the infamous Rhett Butler, paint a tale of love burdened by the selfishness of the lovers. In essence they sum up the story of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O’Hara is used to a life of luxury and admiration from others. Known as the most beautiful girl for miles and miles around she demands the attention of all the young men she meets, although there is only one she truly loves, Ashley. To Scarlett Ashley is like Romeo, and she Juliet. Believing whole-heartedly that Ashley is going to propose to her Scarlett goes to a party at his house. But there she learns that he is to marry his cousin Melanie. While at the party she meets the illusive Rhett Butler, who she finds herself instantly hating. Letting her emotions get the best of her she makes the hasty decision to marry Charles, Melanie’s brother. All too soon she learns that Charles is to go off to war. As she prepares herself to tell him she is pregnant she receives word of his death. After deciding she needs a change of scenery, Scarlett’s mother sends her to Charles’s relatives in Atlanta. As fate would have it Scarlett quickly encounters Rhett again, and realizes that she actually likes him. As the city of Atlanta burns Scarlett finds herself desperately in need of help, and the only person she can think of to help her is Rhett. Asking Rhett to take her back to her plantation in Atlanta she learns of his plan to go to war. Receiving news that Atlanta was not all ruined Scarlett goes back to see what remains. Finding that the house she lived in still stands she decides to stay. After learning of her family’s debts she makes another hasty decision, she decides to marry a wealthy man named Frank in order to pay them off. Soon after their marriage Frank is killed and for the second time in her life Scarlett finds herself a widow. For the third and final time, Scarlett decides to marry again, who she marries and how the marriage works out are both things you must find out on your own. Mitchell writes this book in such detail you feel almost as if you are actually there. She develops deep connections between the reader and the character which make the book impossible to put down. Using her vivid imagination Margaret Mitchell weaves a tale like no other, one that should be read by everyone. Readers who enjoy literary classics should definitely read Gone with the Wind. Those who enjoy books about love and the many hardships one must endure to find, and keep, true love will absolutely love this book. While its length may seem intimidating anyone that gives it a chance will quickly fall in love with Gone with the Wind. ~ Mallory 1st hour
Brisingr “’Yes,’ said Eragon, and held the sword up toward the sky, admiring it. ‘Now I am truly a Rider.’” Author Christopher Paolini has yet again come up with a compelling fantasy-adventure book, a must read for any fantasy-lover. Paoline enchants the readers into another underdog story with a Dungeon and Dragons twist. Brisingr is the mixed product of sugar, spice, death, drama, love, fantasy, and everything nice. Eragon, a young and inexperienced rider, treks back and forth with his dragon, Saphira, between the elfish cities of DuWeldenvarden and the battle ground camps of the Varden, a rebel army fighting who else but the evil king, Galbatorix. He travels to the elves for training in the art of magic and travels to the Varden as morale booster or as the final blow that breaks the camel’s back. He trains day-in and day-out preparing for the one battle, the one single battle that decides the world’s fate between tyranny and freedom. During his travels to become a true Rider many discoveries are made including Oromis and Glaedr. Some discoveries sting while the others shock the world to its core. Eragon’s story is dedicated by the legacy of the fallen Riders who helped King Galbatorix to take control of Alagaesia. In just a few months Eragon’s whole is turned upside down after he discovers the legacy of the Riders and the fate of the world sits on his shoulders. He travels with Brom his original master and later known as his father, When he dies he travels around the world rescuing, training, and working for the Varden. Paolini creates a completely new world constructin an old tale with newer aspects of life. One of the many traits that make Paolini’s stories unique is the fact that he takes his time in creating completely new words and in this case a complete new language. He also depicts his fictitious world with that helps you find your way through the story. His descriptive writing style pulls in the reader and never lets go till the last word. He never repeats a situation and always gives the reader a break from the tension using major discoveries or humor from the wise-talking Saphira. Paolini brings back the fairy-tales to make the reader discover the wonder of fairy-tales. When looking for a quick read or a good relaxation, this book is the one to chose. - Suman 1st hour
The Glass Castle Jeannette Walls In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls shares a captivating memoir of her tragic past. Walls tells the story from her point of view so adequately that it seems as if she had just experienced these moments. With her aberrant father and her optimistic mother, she undertakes new challenges as she learns essential lessons. At a very young age, Walls moves from place to place with her siblings undergoing poverty stricken living conditions and hardly having enough food to eat. Walls writes about her deprived childhood, how her dad taught her everything she knew, and how her mom always tells her that their lives aren’t as bad as people in Africa. Her mother is an idealistic person who always thinks about how situations are going to end up well. "Why not?" Mom said. "Being homeless is an adventure." Her father, on the other hand, is a very brilliant man, but he has a drinking problem that makes him unpredictable and causes him to unleash his anger and rage on her mother, who merely accepts his addiction. Walls does an amazing job at describing the situations and moments with such great detail that it can make the reader picture a perfect image of how her childhood was really like. While reading this book I kept thinking back to my childhood compared to hers. It was very different knowing she barely had any toys or food and yet she had so much ambition. She has a way of writing that makes the book more meaningful than just regular old story about a person’s life. She takes readers to her own past memories and shares moments most people would never want to talk about. Readers won’t be able to put this book down. This novel should be read by everyone with its tales of difficulties, loss, and hints of bliss; it will make readers so immersed. This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read and highly suggest it to any reader looking for a good book. Jackie-1
Kristin Cashore sends her readers on an intense adventure of a lifetime with Graceling. This New York Times Bestseller explores the life of a teenage girl, named Katsa, who’s been graced with the ability to kill anyone or anything with her bare hands. Throughout the book, Katsa jumps through hoops in order to control her grace and potentially not use it at all. On page 8 Katsa thinks to herself, “She wouldn’t kill, not if she didn’t have to. A killing couldn’t be undone and she’d killed enough.” On this journey Katsa is trying to uncover the mysterious and seemingly pointless kidnapping of Prince Tealiff. Katsa travels through many kingdoms, some of which are ruled by cruel, ruthless kings, to solve this magical mystery.
Cashore uses text that isn’t that of our modern day language. She allows the reader to become swaddled in confusion and mystifies the reader with a mystery so intense, so frustrating, you won’t be able to set the book down. Cashore also allows the reader to form opinions about the characters, only to turn those opinions upside down with shocking secrets. Cashore follows Katsa on this lengthy, but spellbinding, tale that illustrates something that most people go through pains to avoid; not everything is as it seems.
If you’re into adventure and hardships so unbelievable that you have to second guess what you just read, pick up Graceling. Prepare to have your mind blown and your imagination stretched to the max.
Airhead By: Meg Cabot Em Watts is just your average overachieving brainiac...until disaster strikes. Rather than keeping up with the new trends, Em prefers the classic t-shirt and jeans. Instead of freaking out over celebrities, or the world’s most famous supermodel, Nikki Howard, Em plays video games with her best, and pretty much only, friend Christopher. But, Emerson’s life turns upside down the day she is forced to take her sister to the opening of SoHo Stark Megastore. However, Nikki Howard and a group of protesters arrive, causing a riot. This soon leads to a flat screen TV dropping on Emerson’s head. When she wakes up, she is confused and doesn’t remember the accident. She hasn’t found out yet is that Nikki Howard suffered a brain aneurysm at the same time as when the TV fell on her! If it wasn’t for the secret surgical procedure that saved the body of one and the mind of another, both of these teenage ladies would be dead. Now, Em’s brain ends up in the body of a famous teenage supermodel. Although Emerson isn’t ready to live in Nikki Howard’s body the rest of her life, she was stuck with it. In her new life as Nikki Howard, she gets to go to school, and find her best friend and secret crush, Christopher. The only problem is that Christopher is still upset about his best friend, a friend who isn’t actually dead. Will they reunite at last? The downside of this teen fantasy is the stretch the author asks the readers to make—the kind you would usually only make for mad-scientist horror movies. The author’s writing style has uncountable twists, which makes the story fun to read. Overall, the writer acts as if she is the one switching bodies. However, this crazy story teaches the audience to never give up no matter what. I would give the book a rating of an eight, because it was definitely a page turner. I recommend this book for girls who are between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. “It’s what’s on the outside that matters, not the inside,” Meg Cabot clearly states. If you’re dying to find out what it would be like to switch places with a supermodel, then I highly recommend this book! Katharine-2nd hour
“She loves giving the other kids a chance to be human; to watch me jump and twitch…” (Pg 15) Jerk California by Jonathan Friesen starts as a very melancholy book about a senior in high school going through life with Tourette Syndrome. His name is Sam Carrier. Sam goes through a regular life being harshly judged by most of the people around him. Sam’s stepfather is even treating Sam inconsiderately. Sam’s stepfather has not shown any respect to him same since he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome as a six year old boy.
In Jerk California Friesen puts many themes in his novel. The theme that stands out the most in this novel is a tie between two themes. One of the themes is don’t judge a book by its color, and the second theme is sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. These are the major themes that Friesen incorporated into this book because these themes are lessons that young kids and old adults are yet to learn. This book seems to start slow then it speeds up just as it is about to be too slow throughout the entire story. Friesen does not put a very sophisticated vocabulary in this book. Therefore I would recommend the book Jerk California to students in middle school and high school Tommy-2
Suzanne Collins has written a page turning adventure book that readers cannot put down. The Hunger Games includes adventure, mystery, and even a little romance. This book starts off in one of the twelve districts in the fictional world of Panem, where North America used to be. Katniss, a sixteen-year-old teenager, lives in the 12th district which is at the end of the line and has the worst circumstances. The people in this district have to mine for their jobs. Katniss lives with her mom and her little sister Prim. Katniss’s father died a while ago and Katniss has picked up most of the slack, which includes going out of the district’s boundaries to hunt food. Every year, the Capital hosts the Hunger Games where all of the districts send a boy and a girl to fight for their lives in the games to see which district wins. District 12 picks Peeta for their boy and Prim (Katniss’s little sister) to fight in the games. Katniss is furious and does not think this is fair so she volunteers to take her sister’s place. By doing this, she has to fight 23 other people in the Hunger Games. Will Katniss make it out of the Hunger Games alive and be able to go back to District 12? The Hunger Games is a book about family relationships, friendship, survival, and even fighting to stay alive. As the Hunger Games begin the importance of surviving is stated in these words, “Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun.” Collins has created a book that readers can’t put down. It is a nail biter because the reader can’t wait to see who is eliminated and if Katniss will make it out of the games. Even though it was predictable at certain points in the book, I could not put the book down. I would recommend this book to teenagers who like a little violence, with some mystery, but also with a little romance. If you want a good fast paced book that generates constant suspense, then this is your book. - Robbie 2nd Hour
Rikers High Five months and two and a half weeks can feel like years and years if you spend that time living in a jail known as Rikers Island. The book Rikers High by Paul Volponi describes jail as a rough place to stay but also funny. Rikers High is based around a 17-year-old African-American teen named Martin Stokes who is tired of jail and wants to go back home to his family. Martin is sent to Rikers Island on a charge of “steering” an undercover officer to a drug dealer in his neighborhood. Martin struggles with his attorney and isn’t able to get a proper court time so he has to spend an extra five months on Rikers Island. On the way back to Rikers Island after a day at the court, Martin finds himself in the middle of a brawl between two inmates where he gets cut on the face from the tip of the forehead to the eyebrow. This is when the two toughest weeks of Rikers begin for Martin. Something very horrific happens to one of Martins’ friends and Martin is slowly being pushed towards the “traps” and tries to avoid them to his best behalf. “...they have traps to keep you here, they put big holes in the floor, inmates and C.O. dig holes together, they don’t want you to ever leave...” Then the day of Martin’s court day finally comes and he is met with a surprise, the kid who cut his face is at the same court meeting as him! Will Martin get back at this guy or will he just let it go to be with his family? Volponi had a very simple style of writing. Volponi didn’t use any big vocabulary and this book was a very easy read. To read this book, it would be best if the reader knew or wanted to know a little more about jail Although this book was about a jail, Volponi made this book very funny with his many quotes, “I’d been sitting five feet from [the teacher] for a week, with a big cut on my face. But he still had no idea I was his student. He should have been a detective instead of a teacher. Then maybe the jail would be empty and some high school . . . would be full of kids.” I think the theme of this book was family first because Martin really wanted to get back at the kid who cut him, but he thought of his family and sisters first. I’d recommend this book to a guy audience because the jokes in this book are ones that only guys would find funny and also because girls aren’t that interested in prisons and jails. Overall, I would give this book a seven out of ten because it was very funny, but it didn’t seem to be that “attention grabbing” and it was an easy book to put down. -Marty 2nd our
Elizabeth Scott is an amazing author who writes thrilling and undertaking novels that draw you in so close they are impossible to put down. Living Dead girl has a one of a kind plot. In this book You will find that the main character has been abducted by a total stranger and has no way to escape, where she is tortured to do the unimaginable and can barley even remember her real family. How would you feel if you were being abused because you are hungry and asked for food, or even make one small mistake such as not telling your “master” you love him at the exact moment he wants to hear it? This is exactly what happens to Lucy as she is forced to change her name and do everything she is told. Otherwise she will have to face the fact that her family and everyone she knows and loves will be killed. A hard decision to face, Scott takes you down a road you never thought existed. “I don’t want to do it” screamed Lucy. No one would but Scott makes it all seem so real you are frightened for the innocent and helpless girl. The only way Lucy can be saved is by running away. She has no one to turn to and is scared to death. Can she get out? Or will she die in pain and despair just like the last girl named Lucy who was abducted? If you have the chance to save yourself, will you do it at all costs? That is one of many, many questions Lucy has to answer for herself even though she is just a weak and beaten up teenage girl. This is a good read for all ages, as it has vocabulary understandable for a general audience and does not focus on topics for one age group in particular. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a fast read. This book can be finished in much less then a week. You can’t put it down for more than two minutes without wanting to pick it right back up again and continue on Lucy’s astonishing journey. Jenna- 2nd hour.
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks Do you believe in love at first sight? At First Sight by, Nicholas Sparks introduces Jeremy Marsh, a man who lives in New York City and works as a journalist for a Science magazine. He was given an assignment in Boone Creek, North Carolina. While he was in Boone Creek he met a librarian named Lexie Darnell and it was “love at first sight”. During their brief time together a baby was conceived, so Jeremy decides to propose marriage to her. He decides to leave all his friends behind and move to Boone Creek with his soon to be bride. However, he has a hard time adapting to his new life. Emotionally burned in a previous marriage, Jeremy is not certain that fatherhood is a right path. He has escaped the situation and doubts his ability to be a parent. Lexie prefers to keep secrets, and that causes tension in their relationship. Will their love continue to grow or will it die and fade off? Several friends have doubts about the future of Jeremy and Lexie which complicates their relationship. At First Sight is cliché in many ways, but overall it is a pretty decent book. The story provides an answer to the question of how we meet and cope with joy and tragedy. Life happens, and when it does, all of us need a support system to encourage us and keep us on the right track to not give up. At First Sight is a book for teens and grown ups. The book is romantic and definitely a page turner. I loved this book. It reminds readers to live life to the fullest and with the people they love. When the book was over I was very satisfied and to all the readers that enjoyed this book, there is another book that continues the story of the loving couple. At First Sight is an easy read book that older readers will enjoy.
Cintia/2 The Brothers Torres By: Coert Voorhe Liquor, girls, revenge, and respect! That’s all a guy dreams about right? Well, all of these are mixed into one novel, The Brothers Torres, by Coert Voorhees. In Voorhees’ novel, Frankie, the main character, has always looked up to his older brother Steve. Steve has the girls, the fame, and the “respect.” Frankie wants to be like him and he has the chance to prove to everybody that he could be a ladies man, be popular, and have the needed “respect.” Now it’s all up to Frankie, but will he take a chance with Rebecca, the prettiest girl in school? Steve talks to Frankie all the time about it but Frankie just can’t do it. Unlike Steve, Frankie has only two really good friends. Steve on the other hand has the soccer team and the Cholos. His in school friends are the soccer team but Steve also has out of school friends like the Cholos. In Borges everybody respects them and many people fear them too. Steve has been hanging out a lot with the Cholos even though he himself is not affiliated with them. Steve thinks that he has he best group of friends because whenever something is about to go down, the Cholos are there for him. They have his back. However, along with friends come enemies such as Dalton. Dalton isn’t very friendly towards either of the Torres brothers. Obviously Frankie doesn’t do much but Frankie is sick and tired of this lifestyle. How long can Frankie live with this? In The Torres Brothers, Voorhees expresses that retaliation isn’t the greatest option and that respect doesn’t always turn out to be positive. “Frankie starts to think that his brother may be taking this respect thing too far. Soon he’ll have to make a choice between respecting his brother or respecting himself.” This quote shows that sometimes people think that by having respect their life would be so much better but respect could be negative too. This also shows that respect shouldn’t be about whom you hang out with and respect does have limits. Voorhees wants readers to understand that leading is better than following and that respect isn’t just about hanging out with respected people and being feared. Because Frankie is the narrator, readers gain insight into many thoughts that the other characters in the book don’t know. Since this book is about two Hispanic boys it does have some Spanish in it. Also, to express the reality of this book there are some swears. However, Voorhees is so descriptive that readers can feel Frankie’s emotions and it is easy to picture the plot. I really liked this book just because I like more of the real life drama books. I would recommend this book mostly for guys since it relates a lot to them. At times it was hard to understand Frankie’s feelings because of gender issues but overall if you want an unpredictable book The Brothers Torres is for you.
What would you do to find a missing loved one? Harlan Coben captivates this struggle in a dark, suspenseful, mystery drama of our time titled The Woods. Coben intertwines the stories of two different characters in their mid-thirties having been each others “summer crush” twenty years ago and has been separated by that cruel, scarring summer. The main star of this story is Paul Copeland, a defense attorney with a dead wife and a murdered sister. When he is shown the dead body of someone he thought was murdered twenty years ago, and has been following Paul the whole time, he asks himself the question, “Is my sister still alive?” On the other hand, Lucy Gold is an alcoholic working as a professor in a university as she is hiding from her haunted past. However, an anonymous student of Lucy’s had been writing about Lucy’s past in an essay she assigned, bringing up unanswered questions. It has been twenty years and their night that summer is coming back to them once more. Lucy and Paul must figure out the truth behind that one summer night. Will they? The Woods portrays four or five different situations going on in the characters thoughts at a time. While it is very entertaining, it can become a little confusing. Coben shares Paul’s point of view in first-person and Lucy’s in third-person. This allows readers to get inside Paul’s mind and discover how complex he truly is. Lucy is much less complex but is still a character the audience will care for. Coben created a very dynamic story due to the fact that so many suspenseful situations are occurring at once. Overall, the basic theme of the novel is that there are strong connections between your closet family and friends. This is found when a long friend of Paul’s, Sosh states, “It’s been too long, but I thought you’d call today.” Each one of these events has some sort of mystery and suspense behind them. I was very engaged with the major twist at the ending of the book, but it was a satisfactory enough to be a good ending without any sequels. With many twists and turns that may be predictable to some, The Woods ends up being a story filled with crime, suspense, and mystery. This book would be enjoyable to anyone in favor of mystery and crime novels. -Kyle 2nd hour
Do you remember as a kid when you would always pretend to be a secret agent and go on missions to save the world? Well in Robert Munchamore’s engrossing novel Cherub: the Recruit James Choke has the opportunity to be a secret agent. James Choke is a boy that is twelve years old and two people that he loves in the world, Lauren and his mom. However due to a tragic drinking accident caused by Ron (his uncle who only goes to James’s house for his mom’s money) his mother is rushed to the E.R and after hours of mind boggling worry she dies. After his mothers death he is sent to the Nebraska house, a place for parentless kids, and is now roommates with someone named Kyle Blueman. After a while James is asked to join cherub (the British secret services) and he accepts later find out that it was Kyle, his roommate also a cherub agent, who has recruited him into the service. When James got to cherub his name changed to James Adams and needed to go through a grueling 100 day course. During this course James meets Kerry Chang, a girl who he has a strong friendship with by the end of the book. At the end of Basic Training James and the other new recruits go to Malaysia for a final partner hike, an over 188 kilometer hike, and in the end their results let Kerry and James pass. After excruciating boredom James is assigned a dangerous mission of being sent into an eco-terrorist hot spot to find out what is going on and what he can do to stop it. However the bomb might be ticking faster then James can move, will he be able to save the world Or will there be a world panic? In the well written book, Cherub: the Recruit, Munchamore does a great job of keeping the interest of the reader by using an amazing amount of description and a series of plot dilemmas that make you wonder what James will do. I do not recommend this to absolutely everyone. Especially if you don’t have enough time to sit down and read it. Also the fact that this book has a little bit of romance so it is not the book that you will want to read if your looking for a lovey-dovey book. However it is fast paced and full of action putting in a few laughs here and there so I recommend it for just about everyone else.
Feed Have you ever dreamed of a chip inserted in your brain that allowed you to have conversations with anyone and was always giving you opportunities to buy various items that you were thinking off? Feed by M.T. Anderson is painting us a picture of a dystopian society and it paints it very well. The book takes place in the distant future and everyone now has these fancy new gadgets called feeds. The feed is basically a lifeline for a person to be able to chat with their friends and purchase whatever they want without entering the store. Well, during Spring Break, Titus and his friends travel to the moon to try and find parties to go to. They meet a strange girl named Violet at a low-gravitational bar and they invite her to come to a party with them. They are at this club the Rumble Spot, when an anti-feed hacker hacks Titus and all of his friends feed’s causing them to shutdown and fail. They all wake up in the Hospital perfectly fine but without their feeds. They get them turned back on and everyone returns to Earth and everything goes back to normal… or so it seems. Violet that Titus is now dating seems to start malfunction and her body parts are starting to fail her. Will Violet return to normal or will her failing body parts be her demise? Read to find out. Titus is the main character/narrator of Feed and he is the son to an upper-class middle family. He enjoys his consumerist lifestyle which is him always giving up to the feed and buying from it which Violet is unhappy about. Violet is Titus’ girlfriend throughout the book. She lives with an eccentric father and throughout the book her body parts continue to fail her. The demise of human thought and the dependency of technology is the major theme because they are now relying on their feeds to talk to people and their need for the Feed is so great in the book it relates to how everyone is today with text messaging, cell phones, etc. "We Americans are interested only in the consumption of our products. We have no interest in how they are produced, or what happens to them once we discard them, once we throw them away." During Feed Anderson’s writing style was for the most part confusing for me because of all the futuristic slang that didn’t make sense to me. Although the writing style was confusing I felt that I was very engaged and I myself was inside the book talking with Titus and his friends. The author’s creativity was superb because he made me think of teenagers now a days even though he’s placed them in such a futuristic setting. I felt very satisfied after finishing my book even though the ending was completely shocking and it surprised me I still loved the ending. I would recommend this book for someone who is very into science fiction and politics because throughout the book there’s always an issue with whether the feed is a moral thing we should have or no. And the setting makes me think of sci-fi books.
The roaring Twenties: A decade of jazz, speakeasies and the Charleston. In Anna Godbersen’s new novel Bright Young Things, we follow three determined young women, in the spring of 1929, all trying to find their way in the big town of New York City. Eighteen-year-old Cordelia and Letty escape their little town in Ohio to pursue their dreams of making it big in NYC. Letty dreams of singing for the masses and becoming a national star. Cordelia, on the other hand, decides that finding her father will be her very first adventure in the Big Apple. During their escapades they both find themselves in trying but sometimes wonderful situations and relationships; one relationship in particular being with the eccentric and beautiful young Astrid Donald. “Every dawn seemed to promise fresh miracles, among other joys that are in short supply these days.”All of them learn to be careful who they trust in the big city, as they realize that you never know who is and isn’t looking out for you. Godbersen keeps the reader engaged throughout this page-turning drama with her effortless attention to detail and historical accuracy; she simply mesmerizes readers with her elegant descriptions. Having read Godbersen’s previous series The Luxe I was rather excited that she had come out with this new book Bright Young Things. I am pleased to say that Godbersen’s new novel has certainly met and exceeded my expectations. However, I do have to warn the men who read this review that Bright Young Things may not be a read for you. Girls who enjoy a good drama though will flock to this compulsively readable novel and find it simply spellbinding. Claire-2
Gordan Korman has written another extraordinary novel,so thrilling and fast-paced you can't put it down. Son of the Mob takes you inside the life of Vince Luca's secret life. Vince is an eighteen-year-old boy who is hiding his father's profession from the world. Vince is on his way to college in California, as for away from New York as possible. The storty starts with Vince driving to college with his best friend and his girlfriend. All three of them are attending different schools this fall. Vince is a film major at the University of Santa Monica and hopes that his new life in California will keep him away from the Mob in New York City. Unfortunately he's wrong. While Vince is keeping up with his school work and his social life,his "forgotten" life just keeps getting worse. Vince's brother flees to California, to protect his own life. While Vince's brother is there, several "uncles" start paying them visits. Anthony Luca (Vince's father) sarts having several problems in New York that somehow finds its way to Vince in California. Vince has life changing choices to make. What should he do? I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a thrilling original story, which takes the twists of modern day Romeo and Juliet. Vince's girlfriends father is an FBI agernt responsible for the Anthony Luca case, another story with the classic Romeo and Juliet forbidden love. With that being said, this is not just a romance novel. Son of the Mob kept me turning pages to see what exciting surprises would come next. If you are looking for a quick fast paced book this is it. -Joey,2
The book Peak by Roland smith is a great thriller and a fantastic read. It is a story of Peak Marcello a very stubborn and adventurous 14 year old who gets himself into a very sticky situation after climbing a New York City skyscraper. He’s made to go with his father to Mount Everest where he has a climbing business or go to juvenile hall for a year. Upon arriving at Mount Everest his father tells him he is going to climb the mountain because of his father’s failing business and it be a great promotion for his business. Peak then meets the most important person to help get him to the top, Sun Jo. A fellow teenager who also has quite a few personal problems as well. As the two makes their ascent they face many challenges and conflicts on the way and various dangers to reach their ultimate goal the peak. Throughout the book this quote pops up "You never know who the mountain will allow and who it will not” which exemplifies the abundant foreshadowing throughout this book provided by Smith’s cunning and witty charm. His suspenseful writing builds up Peak to be a great nail biter all the way to the end allowing a reader to really get engaged with the text. When I read this book I found myself tied into the plot as if I was there with Peak and Sun Jo and going through the very same dangers they were going through. After reading this book I was left with a very satisfactory feeling of the book that I have not felt with all the books I have read. This book in my opinion gets a 5 star for its gripping plot and great visualization though it can be a bit predictable and cheesy at times it’s what makes the read that much better. I would have to say that this book is for any teenager who is into thrillers and really likes to be pulled into a book and engage with the text. Smith’s goes to great lengths to attract teenagers to this book and does a great job to make that happen with this action packed suspenseful thriller. - Anthony 2nd Hour
"Did we kiss last night ?" "Yes." "Well, it wasn't memorable because I have no recollection of it." He laughs. "I was kiddin'. We didn't kiss." He leans in. "When we kiss, you'll remember it. Forever." In the book Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, everyone knows in Fairfield High School that the north-siders and the south-siders don’t mix at all. So when perfect Brittany Ellis and bad boy Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes get partnered up for the whole year for chemistry there is bound to be trouble. When they are together they break loose of all expectations and stereotypes. Brittany is the perfect kind of girl, she has life her life planned out. In school her repution is flawless, but that is only to hide her troubled life at home with her sister. Alex is the bad boy of the school no one is to mess with him. He defends who he is and the Latino Blood’s, his second family. All Alex wants to do is break loose of all his gang ties. In the outside they are alike they seem tough, but apperences can be wrong. Everything takes place in Fairfield in the outskirts of Chicago. Their love is forbidden by everyone they know. Their friends, their parents, they can’t tell any one. “Mujer, tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. If it’ll make you happy for me to leave you alone for the rest of your life, say the word”. Even though they aren't supposed to they fall for each other. The author offers several detail in the book but not that much to bored the reader. The book is really hard to put down the reader wants to keep reading. The book was not confusing in any way when they viewpoints changed from Brittany to Alex there was no confusion. Its really disappointing when you get to the end because the reader doesn’t want it to end. This book has a lot of creativity it’s not like fairy tales but a real modern romance story. If I would have to give the book points out of ten it would be for sure ten. I would recommend this book to a female audience who enjoy romance. This is a must read book. -Zaira, 1st hour
Unwind by Neal Shushterman Unwind is a book about a disturbing image of the future. Image in utopia where everyone is good, and those who make mistakes are punished. "Would you rather die, or be unwound?" -Neal Shusterman Unwind. When someone is unwound they are literally taken apart while they are awake. While this seems horrible there is still a way out. If you can escape the cops until you are 18 you are home free and you can not be unwound, two of these children is a boy named Connor and a girl named Risa throughout the book they do whatever it takes to get away from the cops and survive until they are 18. But one lucky day they are taken to a place where hundreds of unwinds hide in a place called the graveyard. This is run by an old man who is just trying to do the right thing. Will Connor and Risa get caught? who's Lev? and what will happen to the graveyard? The way the book was written was just great. The book was written in 3rd person, the author was trying to warn the audience about one of the worse possible ways the future could end up. This is very true since we could just take the easy way out of disease and prosthetics, and instead of curing disease or making better technology we could just cut teenagers up and give it to other people. This is a great message to receive, though it was written to target a more teenage audience rather then an adult audience. I would rate the book 5 stars out of 5 or a 10 out of 10, it was a very good plot. But I should warn you that there is some general profanity in the book. So if you don't want to read swears then don't read this book.
Ashley, 6th hour Perfect Chemistry By: Simone Elkeles What extent would someone go to to prove their loyalty towards another? In Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles, a boy named Alex and a girl named Brittany are assigned to be lab partners. However, while Alex is a Mexican gang member, fierce looking with dark eyes and very strong, Brittany, (blonde haired and blue eyed) is a picture-perfect girl with a picture-perfect life. When Alex makes a bet with his friends that he could “get in her pants,” Brittany and Alex begin to get to know each other and actually fall in love. Brittany and Alex break the status quo and they both make sacrifices to be with each other. By doing this, they both grow a strong loyalty towards each other. When Brittany and Alex fall in love, Brittany makes a note to tell Alex she doesn’t approve of his gang and what they do. But Alex knows that if he quits his gang, the Latino Blood, he has to go through much pain and possibly death. Is Alex willing to make those sacrifices? “’I’ll never be able to meet your expectations.’ ‘What if I tell you I won’t have any expectations?’” This is a quote of Brittany telling Alex that she will give up what she morally believes in order to be with him. This book was always exciting and suspenseful, and filled interesting characters. But, in this book, there are also numerous times were they use inappropriate language. I like this book because of the enticing plot and the way I could relate to it to the play of Romeo and Juliet. I recommend this book for teenagers, girls and boys because girls would love it for the romance and boys because of the gangs and violence. This book could also be great for young adults who love a good romance. This book is definitely not for children because of the inappropriate use of language.
Cassandra Clare has written an excellent fantasy book, City of Bones, the first book in the series The Mortal Instruments. In this book the main character, Clary Fray, seems to be a slightly short, ordinary, average teenage girl. Her mother, Jocelyn Fray, is an artist and has a boyfriend named Luke who is not described very well. Isabelle is a tall, thin, dark-haired, beautiful, and skilled girl who becomes Clary’s friend. Alec is a dark-haired and good at fighting with weapons. Jace is blond-haired and very skilled at killing demons. Jace was adopted by Isabelle and Alec’s parents and is like a brother to them. Hodge is a smart adult and is Isabelle, Alec, and Jace’s mentor. Simon is Clary’s brown-haired best friend who wears glasses and also smart. Valentine is an evil character who is the main antagonist in the book. The entire story takes place in New York. Clary’s problems start when she is at a dance club with her best friend Simon. She notices a blue haired boy going into a room with a girl. She notices two boys following after. She sees one of them take out a knife before going in and tells her friend to get a security guard. She looks in the room. The people in the room realize that Clary can see them and this is where Clary meets Isabelle, Alec, and Jace. They claim to be killing a demon. Clary is unbelieving at first but after she realizes that the blue haired boy has certain inhuman features and that after he is killed he disappears into thin air. Clary’s friend comes back with a security guard and she realizes that only she can see the people. A few days later Clary’s mother is kidnapped and there are demons in her apartment. Now she has to team up with people she met a few days ago in order to find her mother and get her back. One theme of the book is that when things get confusing, remember to look at the big picture. Jace says, “That’s not my home. This is my home now.” Jace was considering leaving with his father, Valentine, but decide not to because he realized that his real father had never been a good father to him. Overall Clare’s writing style in the book describes every character very well and adds details to the text that enhance the way it looks when you image the scenes in the book. This makes the book slow at first when all of the characters are getting introduced, but gets more exciting as it goes on. The author was very creative with the characters and mythical creatures in the book. Overall my satisfaction with the book was a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 except for the exceptionally slow rise of the plot and sudden rise before the climax. I recommend this book to anyone who likes good fantasy books about topics of mythical proportions.
Cassandra Clare has written an excellent fantasy book, City of Bones, the first book in the series The Mortal Instruments. In this book the main character, Clary Fray, seems to be a slightly short, ordinary, average teenage girl. Her mother, Jocelyn Fray, is an artist and has a boyfriend named Luke who is not described very well. Isabelle is a tall, thin, dark-haired, beautiful, and skilled girl who becomes Clary’s friend. Alec is a dark-haired and good at fighting with weapons. Jace is blond-haired and very skilled at killing demons. Jace was adopted by Isabelle and Alec’s parents and is like a brother to them. Hodge is a smart adult and is Isabelle, Alec, and Jace’s mentor. Simon is Clary’s brown-haired best friend who wears glasses and also smart. Valentine is an evil character who is the main antagonist in the book. The entire story takes place in New York. Clary’s problems start when she is at a dance club with her best friend Simon. She notices a blue haired boy going into a room with a girl. She notices two boys following after. She sees one of them take out a knife before going in and tells her friend to get a security guard. She looks in the room. The people in the room realize that Clary can see them and this is where Clary meets Isabelle, Alec, and Jace. They claim to be killing a demon. Clary is unbelieving at first but after she realizes that the blue haired boy has certain inhuman features and that after he is killed he disappears into thin air. Clary’s friend comes back with a security guard and she realizes that only she can see the people. A few days later Clary’s mother is kidnapped and there are demons in her apartment. Now she has to team up with people she met a few days ago in order to find her mother and get her back. One theme of the book is that when things get confusing, remember to look at the big picture. Jace says, “That’s not my home. This is my home now.” Jace was considering leaving with his father, Valentine, but decide not to because he realized that his real father had never been a good father to him. Overall Clare’s writing style in the book describes every character very well and adds details to the text that enhance the way it looks when you image the scenes in the book. This makes the book slow at first when all of the characters are getting introduced, but gets more exciting as it goes on. The author was very creative with the characters and mythical creatures in the book. Overall my satisfaction with the book was a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 except for the exceptionally slow rise of the plot and sudden rise before the climax. I recommend this book to anyone who likes good fantasy books about topics of mythical proportions.
“In the cap’s pockets there’s hash, Tuinals, some coke. I greet the police with a flourish of the cap and throw the pills and hash into the bushes. Hello officer.” This is the dramatic start to Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones’ book called Life. Starting with a great hook this book attracts readers into what becomes the start of his life. Beginning as a kid in London, Keith is bullied in school, smokes his first cigarette, and finds his way into music. Leaning music from a place he would stay after school Keith was always interested. Passing through school and finding a band was easy for him. Keith had a life of excitement and scary vulgar moments. Sometimes staying up night after night writing songs or just plain hopped up on drugs, Keith found his way in to the band and into glory. This book takes the reader through overdoses and losses of family and friends. And his good and hard times of life. It left nothing uncovered. Keith wrote his book very well although it is hard getting through many boring parts. This 500 page book could have easily been written in 200 but Richards Poured his soul into it which made it one of a kind. In order to read this book you need to love autobiographies. After completely reading this book I would give it an honest rating of 8 out of 10. It was a great book that had interesting and funny moments, but it was not one of those books that kept you captivated. The book weaved in and out of boring and interesting parts. The beginning especially was pretty slow. This book took you through the ups and the downs of Keith’s life while keeping it interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good detailed autobiography
The riveting story Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers captures the amazing perspectives of how soldiers lived during the Vietnam War. Two of the main characters are Richie and “Peewee”. Richie is very down to earth; he wants to do his part in the war and help out his country. He gets very nervous once he actually gets to Nam, though. Peewee is very hardheaded; he likes to charge into situation after situation. He also claims, “a good cong is a dead one.” The story is set in violence-stricken Vietnam. The book takes the reader all around the country from villages to the densely packed forests, with even the occasional swamp. Fallen Angels follows Richie’s squad through every single battle. The reader gets to hear about how bad the conditions were and how dangerous it actually was during this time period. “What to tell god? That I’m scared? That I am so scared my heart may stop any moment?” This just shows how scary it was walking through the jungle, not knowing if the enemy is watching your each and every move. Myers does a very good job of bringing the reader into the situation. He makes readers feel like they are the man waiting at night, guarding the camps from watchful eyes in the jungle. Myers describes the fear that each man experiences with such great detail that it will send chills down the reader’s spine! Readers can picture what the terrain must have looked like as the soldiers waded through the rice paddies and the swamps. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about war life and what really happens in wars, not just what the media makes up sometimes. “The war was supposed to end before Christmas, but every man in Vietnam knew that the war was not going to end that quickly”. Sean-6
"Mom, I need your help. Please call." This is what Kelly, a sixteen year old girl, says to her mom, Jane, on a voicemail after she disappears from her room one night. Trapped is very alike to the world we live in today: drama, love, and suspense. Kelly is a sixteen year old girl who is a huge risk taker and is up for anything the world throws at her. Also, not only is Kelly risk taking, she is a very strong girl who battled through leukemia as a child and luckily survived. Single mother, Jane Hartley, currently lives with Kelly in the state of New York. Jane is very loving and is always looking for what’s best in Kelly's interest. Even though Ms.Hartley tries, Kelly still wants to be herself and make her own decisions like any other teenager. Kelly thinks she is in love with a boy named Seth, and goes on thrill-seeking adventures with him, but little does she know he has a dark side that she has yet experienced.
As the novel goes on, the theme becomes more and more obvious. The theme would definitely have to be "Don't judge a book by its cover." The author really makes this theme stick out like a sore thumb because of how in depth he goes about Seth and what he has not been honest about. With the book being very upbeat, it really builds up the suspense. In the novel Trapped, Jordan, makes the reader more interested, by getting into conversations between Kelly and her mom. By him doing this it causes a ton of dramatic irony. The dramatic irony occurs because Kelly knows the decisions that she is making are wrong, but lies to her mom and soothes her by saying that what she is doing is not a big deal and that she should not worry. Nervousness, anxiety, and joy are all parts of this novel. Knowing this situation can happen to anyone, this tale ends up as a vision of love and trust.
Parents and teenagers especially should consider reading this novel. After reading this novel you will reconsider your priorities and sit down with your family and take interest in what is happening around them. If you are not an avid reader, but want to become one, this novel by Chris Jordan is undoubtedly a good place to start.
Is there more to this world than what our eyes perceive? In the book City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Clarissa Fray will soon learn that nothing is as it seems. Clarissa, a 15 year old from New York, has always thought that her mom was just a simple painter. But she will soon figure out that the world of demons, angels, and wizards is all real. Clarissa can see things no one else can see. ‘Of course I can see you,’ Clarissa said, ‘I’m not blind, you know.’ ‘ but you are,’ Jace said, bending to pick up his knife ‘You just don’t know it.’ This quote is from a club scene where Clarissa is the only one in the entire club can see them. But when her mom disappears and no one can find her, Clarissa will have to rely on three shadowhunters Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and her best friend Simon to find the legendary mortal cup before, the corrupted shadowhunter returns from the grave to get his revenge. Clare has a writing style that builds the tension in the story with all of her plot twists so much that you will not want to put it down. Clare uses a vast vocabulary throughout the entire book. She has an imaginative approach to the classic stories of vampires, werewolves, demons, and angels. This is one of the best books I have ever read and I can’t wait to finish the other two within the series. I would recommend this book to any one that has the stomach for detailed gory scenes yet doesn’t mind taking it slow from time to time to build on the characters and love interest. Read this book if you enjoy plenty of plot twists that will just keep you engaged within the story.
“In the cap’s pockets there’s hash, Tuinals, some coke. I greet the police with a flourish of the cap and throw the pills and hash into the bushes. Hello officer.” This is the dramatic start to Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones’ book called Life. Starting with a great hook this book attracts readers into what becomes the start of his life. Beginning as a kid in London, Keith is bullied in school, smokes his first cigarette, and finds his way into music. Leaning music from a place he would stay after school Keith was always interested. Passing through school and finding a band was easy for him. Keith had a life of excitement and scary vulgar moments. Sometimes staying up night after night writing songs or just plain hopped up on drugs, Keith found his way in to the band and into glory. This book takes the reader through overdoses and losses of family and friends. And his good and hard times of life. It left nothing uncovered. Keith wrote his book very well although it is hard getting through many boring parts. This 500 page book could have easily been written in 200 but Richards Poured his soul into it which made it one of a kind. In order to read this book you need to love autobiographies. After completely reading this book I would give it an honest rating of 8 out of 10. It was a great book that had interesting and funny moments, but it was not one of those books that kept you captivated. The book weaved in and out of boring and interesting parts. The beginning especially was pretty slow. This book took you through the ups and the downs of Keith’s life while keeping it interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good detailed autobiography
Son of the Mob By: Gordon Korman If you have ever heard the saying “it’s like a mob prince dating an FBI agents daughter”, this is what Son of the Mob is truly about. Vince Luca is the son of Anthony Luca (or Honest Abe Luca) who is the head of a powerful mob. Vince tries hard not to be involved in his fathers’ business. Kendra Blightly is the daughter of an FBI agent and she is dating Vince Luca, they struggle to keep their relationship hidden from their families. June Cleaver is Vince’s mother who is always has a kitchen and a dark side you would never have guessed was there. Ray Francoine is Vince’s favorite mobster and he gives Vince plenty of help throughout the story. Vince begins to get caught up in his fathers business because he tells a few people he would help them out and they end up being a big burden for Vince. I think the books theme is about following your own path because throughout the story Vince’s family tries to convince him to join the mob and he refuses because he wants his own life. Vince’s Dad said “if you’re not motivated by what I do, then fine. But you’re seventeen years old now. Its time to get motivated about something.” I think the authors writing keeps you pulled into the story with many cliff hangers, the author writes many unexpected conflicts which made me enjoy the book and wish it was not over. The only negative thing is that there was not too much space between the conflicts. I would recommend this book to everyone -Alec p.6
Kendall The book Wake by Lisa McMann describes a girl named Janie who is just like a normal teenager other than the fact that she has to take care of her alcoholic mother, Also Janie also has to deal with a unique talent that forces her into other people's dreams. Whenever she is in the same room as a person that is dreaming she will black out and fall into the other people’s dreams. She gets a look at peoples private lives by doing this, and can tell peoples darkest secrets. She also has problems trusting people after what she sees in her dreams, which leads to her only having one true friend. In this story Janie falls into a dream that is different from most others. This dream is a nightmare that feels real. Then she finds out that this dream is by a boy that is almost as much of an outcast as she is which leads to Janie liking him, especially when he takes care of her while she is in a dream. However, then she gets sucked into his drama, being an undercover cop in the middle of a major drug bust. When she meets his captain, Captain right away knows that she is a “dream catcher,” Captain shows this by saying “You’re a regular Martha Stubin," which is Janie’s mentor who was also a dream catcher who recently passed. As a result to this Janie learns to embrace what was given to her which is this books theme. This book is an amazing read for most people, although I would have to recommend it to people who like books that have a love story with a slight bit of action and anticipation in it. Lisa McMann’s writing style is very good because she keeps the reader hooked by starting out interesting right a way and making the plot twists clear. Also she shows the dreams clearly by making them italics and having similar traits to it.
The book, 24 girls in 7 days by Alex Bradley, is a great story about a teenager named Tommy who is being forced by his friends to find a date for prom. Tommy is having some trouble finding some girls to go to prom with him, so his friends make a website advertising that he will go on a date with anyone who e-mails him to prom. This seems like a good idea, until a ton of girls signed up! Now Tommy must date all 24 girls in only 7 days to find out which one is the right girl for him. He gets a wide variety of girls, such as outcasts all the way to very popular girls who don’t want to be embarrassed. However, while all of this is going on, a mystery e-mail address messaging him things that clearly understands what Tommy has to go through, and leave Tommy desiring who this person is. Who is this mystery address, will Tommy find the girl of his dreams? That’s for you to read. I really liked how this author did a great job on putting us in Tommy’s mind. I have never felt so attached to a character as I did with Tommy because of how Alex Bradley writes this story. The mind of the character can become very humorous when the character is put in uncomfortable situations, and you can notice how Tommy’s’ thoughts begin to change dramatically throughout the book. The theme of this book is to always be open to new ideas, because Tommy was never in such a good position until he was forced into drastic measures to get girls. The only problem I had with this book was that the author was over descriptive in Tommy’s thoughts and sometimes got off topic and went to a flash back, thus losing my train of thought of what was currently happening in the book. Although this happened rarely, it still was a major flaw in the book. Still I would recommend this book to anyone who is at least 12 and older. Ryan- 6th Hour 24 Girls In 7 Days
Acceleration By: Graham Mcnamee If you enjoy fast-paced mystery novels, then you need to check out Acceleration by Graham McNamee. Duncan finds himself stuck in a job that he hates. He works in dull, lonely basement, and sorts through the lost and found at the Toronto Transit. While he is working, he finds a diary that belongs to a madman and wannabe serial killer. As he reads the diary he discovers that there are 3 women that the man is stalking and planning to murder. Duncan isn’t sure what he should do. He looks for clues in the diary to identify the madman. He tried to take it to the police but, as he expected, they wouldn’t take him seriously. Duncan has no clue what he is getting himself into, but he takes it upon himself to save these 3 girls. What could possibly go wrong? Readers won’t ever want to put the book down. The story never ceases to surprise readers with its many plot twists as readers learn more about the madman, and also more about Duncan’s guilty conscience. Graham does a great job at building suspense throughout the whole book, and he provides a very clear detailed picture of what is going on. One example of this is, “He’s going to grab her before she can make it to the safety of the lights ahead on the main street. My heart stutters in shock, I break into a jog. I’m still twenty feet back when Jumbo reaches her. He grabs her from behind and lifts her in the air like she weighs nothing. I hear her let out a breathless yelp. And with a little, effortless toss he spins her in the air and catches her, so she’s facing him”. But not only is this book intense and suspenseful, the reader will enjoy the humor that Duncan has, and his relationship with his mom and friends. I would recommend Acceleration to anybody. You’ll be happy that you took the time to read this book. Nathan-2
So you only have 1 year to live, what do you do? In the book Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Ben Wolf is a senior who goes to the doctor for his annual check up, and later realizes that he has a very rare blood disease that is going to kill him within the next year. He decides not to tell anybody, he threatens his doctor that if he tells anyone he would get sued. Ben’s brother, Cody, is the quarterback for the school’s varsity football team, they are both seniors. Dallas Suzuki is just another girl in the senior class, until she starts talking to Ben, once these two begin talking the book gets a lot more interesting and there are a lot of surprises that come up. Rudy McCoy is also another character that is introduced in the book; he is the town drunk and knows it, Rudy is a very unpredictable person. Another important character is the coach, who is a great help for when Cody and Ben’s mom goes out of control on her substance abuse. Ben, Cody, and Dallas all go to Trout High School which is in Trout Idaho, and this takes place somewhere in modern time. The book’s major theme can be Live as if you’ll die today, this is a good theme because once Ben finds out he will die, and he does as much as he can to make his life more fun and meaningful. So will Ben tell, or will he die with his secret? A couple strengths about the book is you always want to keep reading more, it is very interesting and if you stop reading it will always be an interesting part you are leaving off at. One of the weaknesses of the book is that the author has very bad grammar and awkward sentence structure. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a book with a lot of surprises, and a lot of dramatic events.
Nick,6th hour Mrs.Lovi One of the survivors Ever get in trouble for something you didn’t do? How does it make you feel? For Joey Champbell it isn’t a little thing like passing a note in class or getting accused of stealing pencils from the teachers’ desk. No, Joey was accused of starting a fire, along with his friend Maureen, which killed 24 of his classmates even though there is no hard evidence. The think he did it because he and Maureen were the only ones in the class to survive. They didn’t understand Joey’s mom died a year ago in a fire, so when he felt the urge to get out of the school you can understand why. Everyone who saw the fire they just saw two kids out of a whole class who are left and decided to pin it on them. Now he must survive the whole summer in his fenced in yard. Trying to avoid the groups of people walking by yelling and throwing rocks, prove himself innocent, and forget about this whole mess. All he has to comfort him is a notebook, witch he writes in everyday, and Preston his cat. In One of the Survivors, Susan Shaw does a great job of getting in Joeys’ head and letting you know what is going on up there. The book is a journal kept by Joey, she does a good job of keeping you captivated with the question “is Joey innocent?” The main theme for the book is stick to what you know is right and don’t be affected by others. Through out the whole book Joey is always questioning if what he know is right. Maureen and his father have this same question later in the book as well. “Don’t listen to them, they just want an explanation for what happened. You know you didn’t do it so who cares what they say.”- Joeys Father always says to pick his sons sprit up when he is questioning himself. Over all I believe that this was a good book, its not one of the best ones I have read but its certainly not the worst. I recommend this book to students in middle school and above because of the fact that it deals with death and it is in the form of a journal.
Gym Candy Have you ever wanted to be bigger, faster, stronger? Carl Deuker explores the dark corners of football and weight lifting in his novel, Gym Candy is a story about Mick Johnson, a young football player who discovers the pressures and failures of high school football while the weight of his dad’s failures and expectations are on his shoulders. Mick will do anything to impress his dad. But he is freshman on a varsity squad and is struggling at adjusting to a faster and stronger game. In the beginning of the season Mick hardly plays and his dad doesn’t even care about his games, his dad wont show up to the games anymore. One day at practice right before the playoffs Coach Downs announces that the starting running back has been kicked off the team because he was caught at a party drinking. That the coach tells Mick he’s got the starting position. Later that night Mick goes home and tells his dad the great news but his dad isn’t very excited he tells Mick “its about time” which really upsets Mick, but he wont tell his dad because he doesn’t want to disappoint him. At a very critical point in the end of the game, in the first play off game Mick is stopped one yard short of the goal line on fourth down and the season is now over. Naturally Mick puts the weight of the loss on his shoulder, like any real athlete, but now the pressure from the loss and all that pressure from his dad is really adding up and taking a toll on Mick’s mental health. Now Mick decides working hard isn’t enough anymore he has got to find a way to get bigger, faster, stronger. He sees a guy in the back of the gym who he is heard some stuff about, he decides to go talk to him and he doesn’t know what he is about to get himself into. This novel is a great example of a young mans struggle to grow up in his dads shadow and expectations. And what happens when he doesn’t fulfill his father’s expectations and falls a little short. I think this is the very best book I have ever read I recommend it to anybody, especially football players. This book has action, drama, suspense, glory and failure all wrapped up in it. Its brutally honest and can relate to many parts of life. -Ryan
Percy must find his enemy Luke in order to stop him from reviving the evil Titan Lord Kronos from the depths of Tartarus. When Percy goes into the labyrinth he meets a few new friends that are important in beating Kronos in the war that is inevitable. Percy also meets so many enemies that they will eventually make his world collapse around him and his friends. Percy must trust some of his arch rivals at camp in order to succeed in The Battle of The Labyrinth.
Rick Riordan makes all his books in the Percy Jackson series exciting and makes you want to read them all through the night. The Battle of The Labyrinth is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series and is the best out of the five. The Battle of the Labyrinth is a gripping book with action, adventure, comedy, and even a little romance for those who want it. Percy Jackson is the main character and is narrating throughout the whole book.
I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. This is a great read for all ages. I would not suggest this book if you do not like action, but if you do this is the book for you. If you want a good book to read make it this book.
Casey, 2nd hour, Ms. Lovi Imagine a world where your parents could have you’re body harvested and stripped of all its blood, skin, organs, hair, everything! They would have you preserved and donated to those who need the parts, and claim that somehow, you’re still “alive”. Imagine if they could have you Unwound. The book Unwind, by Neil Shusterman, is an incredible, exciting, action packed, sci-fi thriller. The three main characters, Connor, Risa, and Lev all find that they’re different, but drawn together by their tales of tragedy. All of them are sent to be unwound, and all of them managed to escape, whether it be by kidnapping a kid on his way to being unwound and causing a highway calamity, escaping a crashed bus, or befriending an outlaw. The three travel across the country, not knowing how or where they will end up. Will they survive until they are safe at their eighteenth birthday? The Answer can be found within the pages of this sci-fi masterpiece! I found myself on the edge of my seat the whole time. Towards the end, I actually put an hour or two of my time aside to read this book. I found it very interesting, but that constant feeling of “what is going to happen next?” was always lingering in my mind. This book is great for a reader who likes a good thrill. But is also not afraid to explore the rather unexplainable part of the human imagination. The world Shusterman depicted is so vivid, yet so obscure, once you understand what is going on, its almost as if it were real, when actually it is extremely far from reality. I was very pleased with this book and cant wait to read more from this incredible author.
Imagine; being separated from your mom because she has a sickness you’re not sure if she’ll die from or not, being alone with your dying grandpa because you have no one else to watch over you, hearing all about how everyone and anyone is dying from yellow fever all across America. The book Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson, takes its readers through the story of Mattie Cook’s adventure of yellow fever. Mattie Cook is only 14 when her mother gets yellow fever and has to move out of Philadelphia. Mattie goes to leave Philadelphia, but her and her grandfather run into many problems which leaves them unable to make it out of Philadelphia. As the story progresses, Mattie gets yellow fever and her grandfather dies. This story takes its reader through the rough life of a 14 year old who isn’t sure what to do anymore. But she has to stay strong, to make sure she can find her mother and keep her coffee shop open. Anderson’s writing style is mostly modern, it has a few eighteenth century words here and there, but for the most part its’ modern. My reading experience of this book was pretty quick, I read this story in about a week and I absolutely loved it. I would definitely rate this book a 9 out of 10 because I wish it was longer or at least had a sequel! This book satisfied me completely and I would like to read more books that are like this. I recommend this book to people who are looking for a story that is heartbreaking but is also very uplifting at the same time. Fever really makes its reader think about how lucky they have it.
Unwind “Tell him you won’t unwind him!.. Tell him! Tell him now!” What is unwinding? Why is it such a big deal? In the time period of this book ‘Unwind’ by Neal Shusterman, parents have the choice to “get rid of” there kid. They can decide until the child is eighteen. When they are eighteen they are safe. “Unwind” tells the story of Connor, Risa, and Lev. They all have something in common. They are seventeen and are being unwound. In the book they face many obstacles and manage to escape all of them, except for one event that wasn’t planned out. They end up becoming a team for a little while. After a couple days and months they all find there way into a series of safe houses. These safe houses will take them to the graveyard. In the graveyard they all find there own special place. One thing leads to another and they end up at Happy Jack Harvest Camp. The last place they would ever want to be. Themes of this book are luck, fate, and destiny. Every act they make will affect them. The characters all find a way to manipulate their actions into getting what they want. One crucial act, not thought out, may cost them their soul. This book is good at keeping the action going. Some parts of the book are to long and extensive. I would recommend this book to people who like an intense journey and a reason for it. -noel 1st hour
POP -Matt, 2nd hour, Mrs. Lovi “ Crash! They didn’t see it happen, but the sound was unmistakable. When they got to the fence, there sat the football: in the passenger seat of a Toyota Camry, clearly visible through the shattered side window.” POP is a terrific book written by Gordon Korman. This is about a boy in high school trying out for the varsity football team as a quarterback. Marcus just moved from Kansas, where he was the star quarterback for his old high school. Marcus goes to a park called, Three Alarm Park, where he meets a middle-aged man named Charlie. He starts to play catch with Charlie and finds out that he is very good at throwing and very good at tackling. Later on Marcus meets a cheerleader named Alyssa who he really likes. He knows that she likes him. Troy starts to dislike Marcus because of this. Then, Marcus finds out who Charlie really is and Marcus gets more use to his new high school and makes the starting quarterback for The Raiders. Korman writes this action packed football story as the reader. He also has short, very detailed, chapters. When I had to read in class, I almost couldn’t go to my next class it was so good. Korman can really write novels that engage the reader in every chapter. In POP, all twenty- eight chapters were the same; they were terrific. The creativity of Korman’s writing is amazing. Especially, when he talks about the football going through the Camry’s window and about the “pop”. Readers can really see actual pictures in their heads from those little captions of the book. I would rate this book as an eight and a half out of ten. I would really recommend this book to male sports players, especially football players. Have a fun and enjoyable time reading POP.
V.C. Andrews has written numerous novels for many years. They have been beautifully written with passion and tremendously good plots. If There Be Thorns is a novel about the truths behind our complicated world and its impact on the people involved. The Dollangers are back! Catherine and Chris Dollanger, a stunningly beautiful couple, now parents of two, are tested with the problems and shocks of raising a family. Bart and Harry Dollanger, the sons of Cathy and Chris, face the cruelties of life knowing that the true marriage bond their parents had created was a sin. Harry is paralyzed from a tragic fall while pursuing the dreams of his mother for ballet. Bart Is a naturally angry child growing upto be just as livid knowing about the nasty truth between their parents. Throughout the story, Harry falls in and out of love. But who will really accept him for who he is and ignore the tragedy struck upon his past? Will Bart ever get over the thought of what his mother did to his biological father? Andrews has written this sequel in a way which ends up touching millions of hearts. The story of the Dollanger family is so complex with its twisted tragedies and mindful mishaps. In the book, Andrews includes notes written to and from Cathy to her husband. To keep the story captivating, each chapter is put through a different person’s perspective. This tale ends with the gaining, and losing of love, trust and faith. This story is so remarkably written; it will not let you down. Throughout all of your typical mysteries and romance novels, this is one that is definitely on top of the list. Read If There Be Thorns to unlock the secrets of the Dollanger family.
“I felt like just taking the gun out and throwing it away and giving up so I could get the mess over with.” It all began when all Lil J’s stress is gathering up, Stealing drugs, and doing whatever he can to dig up some money. There Lil J’s friend Rico pops in and introduces Lil J to the big world of quick money. Everything is supposed to be done nice and simple, but then one dope deal goes wrong. “I felt like crying, like just running down the street and letting them shoot me-anything and everything at the same time.” With a gun shot to the arm, Lil J ends up trapped in an abandoned crack house where he meets a puzzling man named Kelly who then shows Lil J a very disturbing channel on the television. Is Lil J seeing the future? Or is Lil J just going insane? Throughout the story Lil J continuously gets into more and more trouble and does not solve his problems, but instead just try’s to runaway from them which shows he chooses escape over fate. Walter Dean Myers generally is a great author. He has a great writing style by how he uses his language and gets the reader glued into the book. Throughout Walter Dean Myers’ books he always uses great description and trys his best to specify things as mostly as possible. The creativity level is by far superior than others, he produces realistic depictions that feel very pragmatic that also relate to true events in his lifetime. Overall, I was very satisfied with this astonishing book and never was disappointed. Walter Dean Myers’ books are like magnets because there is never unexciting or uninteresting events. This book would most commonly be recommended for males because of the violence. Dope Sick is an incredible book that will keep readers on the edge of their seats!
Have you ever felt adventurous? Well then you’ll love Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The story of Chris McCandless and his trips hitchhiking around the United States. After collage he wants to live his life on the road. His adventure starts when he losses his car in a mud slide driving around a national park. After this event he has this crazy idea about hitchhiking his way all the way to Alaska. He burns all his money and his wallet and goes under a new name Alexander Supertramp. His journeys will take him down the Colorado river in to Mexico in a canoe and all around the western parts of the united states. He get jobs every now and then to get a little cash to help keep him supplied for his journey. One time he got a job with an old friend in Fargo, North Dakota working at a grain elevator. Once he gets enough money he feels like it is time to head towards Alaska. Once he gets there he knows he wants to live off the land but he doesn’t know how to do it. This story explain what happens to Chris McCandless before his eventually death in northern part of Denali National park.
This book is a true story of Chris McCandless. This story is written in small segment of other peoples account that all fit together like a puzzle. The places he goes, the people he meets and they all think he is crazy but they grown fond of him. I liked the way the story explains why Chris wanted to live the way he did, free and open. I personally like this book because of the man’s adventurous state of mind. I recommend that you read this book, it is consider to be a great book and II agree with that. If you ever feel like picking up a good wilderness survival book or a book about traveling the open road this book would work great for both. Hector 1st
“I looked back down at the picture, at Rogerson’s eyes, remembering again how dark almost black, they’d seemed the night he hit me.” In Dreamland, Caitlin is the second child, and her parents pay an excessive amount of attention to her older sister, Cass. But when Cass runs away, Caitlin is put on a pedestal that she cannot reach up to. To make her mother happy and proud again, Caitlin tries out for the cheerleading team and makes it. Everyone now thinks that she is the “new” and “improved” Cass, but she hates having to be compared to her sister each day. Ever since her sister left, she feels in need of someone by her side. When she met Rogerson at a party, she feels as if he is different from anyone she has ever known. Rogerson is a dark mysterious, secretive type of a person. He is a very impatient person who cannot stand the thought of him being stood up. When they start dating everything is going well, until the night of Caitlin’s award ceremony. Rogerson got impatient and when she said jokingly “Atop being a cry baby.” It put such rage in him he hit her. She did not know what to do, what to say. She can’t tell her mom because she is afraid if she does she will never see him again. She feels that if she loses him she would not be the same without him. Why would someone so innocent want something so dangerous? “You see something scary; you should stand up and step toward it, not away from it. Instinctively, reflexively, in a raging fury.” –Lee Child, a famous British actor and author. In Dreamland, fear is a major theme. Both Caitlin and Rogerson are afraid to see an ending come to their relationship. Caitlin is afraid of being alone since her sister left, afraid that her mother is going to go insane knowing Cass is gone, afraid that she won’t be loved like her sister was, and afraid of losing Rogerson forever. Same goes for Rogerson; he’s afraid that Caitlin knows too much of his life, afraid that she’ll leave him, and that no one will understand his life like she does. In one of the chapters when Caitlin was looking at a picture she took of Rogerson, her teacher told her “It looks like you know him a little better than he’d like you to.” The meaning behind this is Rogerson has a secret and Caitlin is close to figuring it/him out, and he does not want her to find out. I loved that the author was so strong and clear with her choice in words in this book. One thing I did not like is that the ending of the book is a cliffhanger, and when your reading it you expect there to be another to follow along with Caitlin’s life, but there isn’t. This book is a dramatic, but sad story, it is so detailed you will be screaming out of frustration.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cover the Super Bowl as a reporter? Well Susan Carol Anderson and Stevie Thomas do. In the book Cover Up by John Feinstein, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol are fourteen-year old reporters who cover all of the big sporting events. Susan Carol and Stevie get calls cover the Super Bowl; Susan Carol is a TV star and Stevie is a journalist in the TV business. When they get to the Super Bowl Susan Carol is invited to an exclusive party where she meets one of the team’s doctors. The doctor was drunk and told Susan Carol that his team had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Once Susan Carol heard this she told Stevie. Stevie and Susan Carol then met the team’s quarterback (Eddie Brennan). Stevie, Susan Carol, and Eddie go on a mission to keep the team’s good reputation and save Eddie’s reputation. Feinstein keeps the action going from chapter to chapter. He likes to create images in your head as you read further and further into the story. Such as when he describes Eddie Brennan “Eddie was a good looking guy, with feint beard and a nice haircut.” With all the images that Feinstein creates it was easy to follow the book and to picture the city that the kids were in. The reading experience was magnificent. Feinstein has created a story where readers didn’t have to assume anything. For example readers don’t have to assume what’s going on or what does this person look like? Every word had equal importance in describing something, like when describing the city or the characters. If you like stories that are fast-paced, vivid and are about sports then I highly recommend this book. This book will change the way readers view big sporting events and how tough a reporter’s job can be during these big sporting events
Blake McNamara “ I now walk into the wild.” These were the closing words in a postcard by Chris McCandless to Wayne Westerberg. In fact these are the last words Wayne Westerberg will hear from Chris. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a true story about a young man, Chris McCandless, who goes on a journey. Walt and Billie McCandless are Chris’s parents who later Chris becomes angry with. Lastly Carine McCandless is Chris’s sister who Chris was very close with. Chris Leaves his family and friends in Atlanta and travels around the United States, including Mexico. The book follows the travels of Chris McCandless through the 1980’s and 1990’s. On his journey he meets a man named Wayne Westerberg who lives in Carthage, South Dakota. When Chris was in Carthage Westerberg employed him and they became good friends. Forgiveness is important in the book. McCandless was a very compassionate person, who cannot ignore the fact that people are starving and he feels a personal responsibility to help them. Yet his actions are selfish and cause a great deal of pain to the people that love him most. Especially his parents who he was never able to forgive. The authors Writing style was hard to follow and I was very confused with some of the text in the book. I give him credit though he is a very creative writer. I Thought it was a good book, it was written very well. The only problem for me was it was of very high reading level. I would recommend this book to a college student or a senior in high school.
Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy, has produced a sequel titled Catching Fire. Catching Fire takes place after Katniss had won the Hunger Games for her district, along with Peeta, the baker’s son. Katniss has been showing fake affection toward Peeta, for publicity reasons, although she pretty much despises him. Deep inside, I believe that she has feelings for her long time childhood friend, Gale. Gale is just a normal townsperson in their city, but gale likes to go hunting. Leaving the city limits is not allowed, but gale likes to take chances. A few times a week, gale will sneak out of the city and do some hunting in the forest with Katniss. Before the hunger games, and before anything happened, Katniss was just like any other person in the town. She used the time she spent hunting with Gale to get food for her family. But now that Katniss lives in a certain part of town, the rich part, and has a huge house, she has all of the food that she could ever need. Her and Gale don't see each other as much, and they grow apart a little. At the end of the first book in the series, Katniss defies the Capitol and this really just starts a rebellion. Life becomes completely unstable in the other districts. Not too far into the book, Katniss gets a visit from the president of all the districts, President Snow. He comes to tell Katniss that she needs to "Dampen the rebellion, or the ones you love will be hurt". This stirs Katniss up internally, and she starts thinking about what she can do. Although I thought this book was ok, I would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the first book, The Hunger Games. If you do not read the first book, and try to read the second, you will be lost because there is vital information missing. Overall, I believe that Catching Fire, was a terrible book compared to The Hunger Games, because it just dragged on at times, and was pretty much impossible to read if you didn’t read the first book in the series. Even if you did read the first one, it was still rather difficult to understand. Hopefully the author, Suzanne Collins, will be able to pull it back together with the next book Mocking Jay which I have yet to read. -Chris
Book Review for A Thousand Splendid Suns “Then Leila struck the wall. Crashed to the ground, on her face and arms, a shower of dirt and pebbles and glass. The last thing she was aware of was seeing something thud to the ground nearby. A bloody chunk of something. On it, the tip of a red bridge poking through the thick fog.” This is only the beginning of the decisive situation that the two women Laila and Mariam are in. In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Mariam is a girl who is in deep poverty in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her journey begins when her mother dies. Laila is a middle class girl living in Kabul as well. Her journey begins when her house is bombed. This is where these ladies paths cross. Both of them betrothed to a man name Rasheed. This brings up the theme which is to never give up no matter how bad the situation gets. This is the suggested theme to me because both girls are stuck upon horrible situations, and yet they keeping on fighting no matter how bad it got for them. But then comes the accident that changes both of their lives dramatically. I think that this book is an amazing story of men and women fighting for their lives in the midst of war. At the beginning of the book it dragged a bit, but as it went on I gained more and more interest towards it. The author really put creativity into this book by all of the bonds created and all of the scenarios that go on at once between the two different girls. I would definitely suggest this book for a higher level reader because it is a somewhat difficult read but very intriguing. - Alex 1st Hour
Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson. Biography. What would it be like to experience a war such as Vietnam? The air would be humid, there would be a scorching heat, and there would be battle everywhere you step foot. Carlos Hathcock experienced this on a daily basis in the true story Marine Sniper written by Charles Henderson. This book depicts the life of Carlos Hathcock as a Marine Sniper in the Vietnam War. Hathcock’s life story is very fascinating and is well interpreted by Charles Henderson. Charles Henderson writes so that the book has a fast pace. However, it is not too fast to where the reader cannot keep up. This is a very strong technique Henderson used because it flows very well. The only time there is the slightest confusion is when he would give a few flashbacks of Hathcock's previous life. The flashbacks range from Hathcock’s child life to his relationship with his wife. This approach is very intriguing because now the reader can see the war aspect to his life and the personal side of his life through the clever usage of flashbacks. In addition to the author’s style of writing, in Marine Sniper the reader can learn what skills Carlos Hathcock acquired as a true marksman. He is known for having his “93 confirmed kills” a very impressive statistic for the marksman. However, that’s just one fascinating statistic. Hathcock has had a good eye for shooting since he was a child. He would go hunting with a .22 rifle and rarely fail to bring back food. The book clearly states, “Today, he hunted the Japanese, much the way he stalked squirrels and rabbits with his J. C. Higgins .22-caliber, single-shot rifle, which he had gotten for his tenth birthday. He rarely missed a shot.” The reader will be not be disappointed with this book due to the very interesting stories of Carlos Hathcock. The theme of Marine Sniper is that even the most brute men still have a heart of gold. This theme is clearly seen when the book gives the reader flashes of Carlos Hathcock’s life. Almost any reader would enjoy this book especially if the reader enjoys biographies of war heroes. I personally would recommend this book to anyone. -Curtis 1st hour
Nick Period 1 The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven By Alex and Kevin Malarkey Book Review
“Kevin, I don’t think Alex made it. I think that Alex has gone to be with Jesus. I am so sorry, brother.” Kevin and Alex Malarkey were driving home from church one Sunday morning together, so Kevin, Alex’s dad, decided to surprise Alex and take him to the park for being a good boy and going to church. After going to the park, they decided to take a short cut. They were very unfamiliar with the area, and when coming to a intersection it appeared that no other cars were crossing, or so Kevin Malarkey thought. When crossing the intersection, another collided into the side of their car which sent Kevin ejecting out of the car, and severely injured Alex.
“Then I looked to the front passenger seat, and the devil was looking into my eyes. He said, “Yeah, that’s right, your daddy is dead, and it’s your fault. I went to Heaven shortly after the car hit us, but I am not sure of the exact moment I actually left my body. I do know that when I was in Heaven, everything was perfect.” Alex even though he is only seven he is a very spiritual person when it comes to his religion. He experiences a very tragic situation that not many of us get to face in our life time. However, Alex came back from death and now he shares
his story of life and death. What happens after death? Read it to find out.
This true story is told mainly by Kevin Malarkey, but Alex also has multiple inserts in the book. However, Alex only writes about his experiences with God, and death. This book was life changing for my belief in the Christian faith. It made me believe that even more strongly that Jesus is real and that I don’t have to be afraid to die, because there is a afterlife. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because there were some parts in the book that dragged on, but overall any believer in the Christian faith, should read The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, by Kevin and Alex Malarkey.
Monster Blood Tattoo By: D. M. Cornish Cornish has written an amazing book for fantasy readers. In Monster Blood Tattoo , Rossamünd is a boy with a girl’s name, the hero of the story who doesn’t have the best of luck, but never gives up. Rossamünd is an orphan who just got hired by the Emperor as a Lamplighter. But on the day he was supposed to leave for his new job he got on the wrong boat. which set every thing into motion It starts when he meets Europe, a monster fighter with magical powers, and again everything heads downhill from there. Corinth’s book is amazing. Corinth writes a page turning book that will captivate any fantasy reader in a second. He helps readers visualize the characters by giving them a sketch that shows what any new character introduced looks like. Corinth makes Rossamünd a character who doesn’t share the same viewpoint as everybody else does about monsters to the point where he feels sympathy for them, which is a crime. He is more of a undecided character. Which helps solidify the greatness of this book. Only people who like to read fantasy books should read this book. I have read a fantasy book that was quite like this, it is amazing. This book will be known as one of the best fantasy books in a long time. If you like reading fantasy and have never read this book read it now. Ian 2 hour
Lurlene McDaniel has written three marvelous love stories. Those stories are Don’t Die, My love, I’ll Be Seeing You, and A Rose for Melinda. The book I read which is A Rose For Melinda really captures the picture of what true love is. McDaniel has a great form of writing when she brings in different formats and different ages of people in love. She also shows how its possible to fall in love when you’re so young. In A Rose for Melinda, two youngsters fall in love at such a young age of eight years old. Through the entire story Jesse and Melinda send letters and emails to eachother. But once Jesse moves to California, who knows how much longer that love will last. It will be a long time until they see eachother again. Melinda and Jesse don’t see eachother for a very long time but they still try to stay in touch. All of the sudden, Melinda is diagnosed with leukemia. No one knows if she will live or die. Jesse is left on edge because he can’t see her and all he can do to help her is talk to her on the phone and help her through the devastating situation. McDaniel really does a great job with this story A Rose for Melinda. I really recommend reading this because it opens your heart to new things and gives you a better understanding of what love really is and how it can save lives.
Brittnie Martino Lovi 2nd hour Rough Draft In the book Sold by Patricia McCormick, “Simply endure to triumph” are words that 13 year-old Lakshmi from Nepal lives by. Lakshmi is told she will become a maid in the big city and takes a long trip with her new “auntie” to the city. But, when Lakshmi is taken to “Happiness House” she soon learns that she will not be a maid. Mumtaz, the owner of Happiness House is a harsh sex brothel ruler. At Happiness House, life is almost never happy, and is filled with a life that no one wants to live. Sold is one of my new favorite books, but it is not for people who are over emotional. At many points, I felt like crying for Lakshmi and I’m a pretty strong person when it comes to reading books. Patricia McCormick’s writing style was wonderful because it was in poetry format, so, it was easy to read page by page and not want to skip anything. To read Sold you don’t have to really be deeply engaged, but, it just happens because the book is so interesting. McCormick didn’t really have to put any creativity into the book because it was a mash-up of true stories, but, I really became attached to Lakshmi’s personality. As previously stated, Sold truly is a great book, I highly recommend it. Although, I would only recommend it to people who are strong enough to handle it because it gives you nightmares about what life would be like being her. Brittnie, 2nd hour.
Paper Towns Imagine the intensity of trying to find a lost friend as fast as you can in a race against time, when no one knows why she ran away. This is what happens in Paper Towns by John Green. This book takes place in modern day Orlando, Florida. The main character, Quentin, is a smart senior in high school who used to have a friend named Margo Roth Spiegalman. Margo is one of the main characters in this book and she is a popular girl in high school. Margo was always a mischievous girl and always seemed to be finding a way to get herself in trouble. She ran away two weeks before senior graduation and no one knows why. Quentin has two dorky best friends; their names are Radar and Ben. They are both dorky kids who are helping Quentin find Margo with the clues that she left him. Thnight before she disappears, Margo sneaks into Quentin’s room around midnight and tells him to get in his car. Margo then gets Quentin to take her around the town so she can prank her friends. Margo seemed to hate her friends because they always fought and made rumors about each other. Towards the end of the night they break into one of the tallest buildings in Orlando, which is wear Margo finally explains to Quentin what she thinks a paper town is Margo says, “You See how fake it all is. It’s not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It’s a paper town. I mean look at it Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all of the houses that were built to fall apart.” It shows how she does not like how things are and wants to leave to other places. After a night of pranks and breaking into an aquarium for fun, everyone realizes that on the next school day Margo isn’t there anymore. Margo had planned out how she could get away from Orlando and go to a town she feels she belongs in, because she had always described Orlando as a paper town, where there was no individuality. Margo had always loved mysteries ever since she was a small child, like the time she and Quentin found a dead man in the forest. She always wanted to run away and have people try to find her, like it was a game, but this time it wasn’t. In the book, Paper Towns, by John Green, the theme is to always keep trying no matter how hard it gets. I think this is the theme because it took weeks for Quentin to find Margo and he had to follow the little clues she left behind. The strengths in this book are that there is always something very exciting or funny about to happen that keeps you entertained. The weakness would have to be that for a while when Quentin was just reading clues, it seemed to slow the pace of the book down a lot and there was little action. I would recommend this book to a reader that loves mysteries and a strong story of friends in high school that go through a lot for each other. Andy-1
The smell of disgusting nail polish, overwhelming Florida heat, and the brutality of a drunken mother. this explains the life that Jason porter is living. in this book there are a few major characters. The major character is Jason Porter. Jason is constantly being abused by his mother because she is always drunk. Jason’s mom, Jason’s mom is a drunk hooker looking for sex and drugs. she abuses Jason till he thinks he’s going to kill himself. Jason’s Dad, Jason’s dad is a very unique Character, he’ very skinny because he cant keep himself from smoking and doing drugs. This story takes place in the Florida projects and jay is abused every other day. Jayson gets abused so much that he thinks of killing himself. “as I walked outside I ran my hand over the smooth, cold railing thinking of what it would be like to fly to heaven” this is a quote from Jayson’s perspective after his mom brutally beat him. the theme of this book is horror because we don’t know what goes on in other places in the world. when I read this book I was horrified to find out how this boy was treated but I still couldn’t put the book down because it was so good. the authors style of writing is very different form other authors. he writes as if the book is a poem but at the same time it isn’t. he makes the perspective seem like it is actually from Jayson Porter. I would recommend this book to people who want to read a good thriller and just an overall good book. mostly I would recommend this book to people who like those books about everyday life that they don’t know about.
Luke Lovi period 2 I Love You Beth Cooper “Thanks. You hit me with your car. That was pretty cool.” Larry Doel created a masterpiece when he wrote the story I Love You Beth Cooper. The year is 2007. The location is Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Dennis, a senior in high school, is going through the tough times of puberty while trying to impress the girls he loves. He has a lot of acne, he sweats profusely, and he has very few friends. The one thing he has going for him is that he is very smart. As the valedictorian of his high school graduation class he has to give a graduation speech. It was one nobody would ever forget. Standing there, giving a speech he does not want to give, he does something that will change his life forever. “I love you, Beth Cooper” Dennis announces during his commencement speech. She is the head cheerleader, the most popular girl in school, and his one true love. The crowd goes quiet as everyone’s eyes are fixated on Dennis. The thing is though; Beth Cooper did not even know Dennis existed until that moment. Dennis, the geeky fellow he is, tries his hardest to be cool when he talks to Beth for the first time in the hallway at school after the ceremony. Dennis gets up the nerve and awkwardly invites Beth to his house for a party later that night. That night Dennis and his best friend, Rich, wait anxiously for Beth’s arrival. When Beth arrives Dennis does not realize what he is getting into when he answers the door. A night ensues that Dennis will never forget in this hilarious comedy. Parties, fights, romance, and numerous awkward situations await Dennis as he learns that Beth Cooper is not the girl he thought she was. Doel was very creative in his storytelling by showing an illustration of Dennis and how his look changes throughout each chapter such as showing his mosquito bites as well as his black eye. He also made Dennis a very likable character. You cringe whenever he would embarrass himself and smile whenever he would do something brave or cool. Doel has Dennis be more than just your smart, nerdy kid. Dennis is a very relatable character who I grew to admire. Though this was a very funny book, I really wish that Doel would have had a much more interesting plot because it was very predictable. In my opinion, the book, I Love You Beth Cooper, is a little dry and needs a little more pizzazz. All in all, I thought that I Love You Beth Cooper was a great book that I would recommend to people of all ages who love a good laugh.
“How can fifteen year old Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different than a life lived forward?” In Elsewhere Main character, Elizabeth Marie Hall, also known as Liz, dies in a hit and run car accident and ends up on a cruise ship sailing to a world named Elsewhere. The problem is she isn’t aware that she is dead until she watches her funeral like a TV show. Surprisingly, Liz’s favorite band’s lead singer, Curtis Jest, ends up on the same boat, which helps comfort Liz in such a confusing time. When Liz arrives in Elsewhere she is greeted by her grandmother, Betty, whom she has never met, and to her surprise her grandmother is in her thirties because in Elsewhere people age backwards. Liz isn’t exactly planning to befriend anyone until she meets Owen, who Liz grows quite fond of! The book’s main theme is to move forward into the future but never forget the past. Liz tries moving forward into a new life in Elsewhere, but she can’t help but look back at her old life. Most people in Elsewhere also struggle with this problem, seeing that it’s a hard adjustment going from living on earth, to the afterlife in Elsewhere! There was much strength in this book. To start with, I loved each dynamic character because of their strong emotions. I enjoyed this because some characters tend to be more static in other books. The characters all were going through such a hard time and Zevin really portrayed their emotions well! I loved Zevin’s way of writing. She used such brilliant vocabulary and always had an interesting way of looking at situations, everyone in Elsewhere looked at dying and being there like it was a great thing. Seeing that the emotions had to be so complex it must have been difficult. Zevin’s view of the afterlife was really cool to read about because you never really hear many alternatives for heaven and hell. I couldn’t wait to finish the book, in a good way! It always had a new obstacle popping up, you just had to keep going! But what will happen when Liz has the choice to go back and live on earth or stay in the afterlife world called Elsewhere? Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.
Angie 6th hour Just Listen Book Review New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen, has written a heart opening novel for young adults. Just Listen depicts the hard life of a High School teenager. The book follows Annabel Greene as she endures the hardships of being a full-time model, an ex-best friend who is out to get her and a new found relationship with an unexpected person. Owen Armstrong was just a person Annabel sat near at lunch and admired from a far until he helped her when she needed it. Owen has a Sunday morning radio show of unusual music and is the last person Annabel thought she would end up kissing in a carwash. Annabel struggles with finding herself after the worst summer of her life. She realizes the only person she needs to be is herself. Owen has an obsession with music and it rubs off on Annabel. After he gives her a pile of CD’s he tells her “’… don’t think, or judge. Just listen.’ ‘And then what?’ ‘And then,’ he said, ‘you can make up your mind.’” The authors writing style is unique. She tells the story in the present and flashes back until the whole story is put together. Dessen writes the book from the perspective of Annabel.. The book left me satisfied, it had a good closing and it made reading it worth while. I would recommend this book to a young adult girl. Reading this novel will give you a different outlook on the lives of the popular girls or the girls that seem to have it all because she was pretty, popular and a model. This book will change you for the better
Net Force: The Deadliest Game By: Tom Clancy Are online computer games really that safe? In this book your life is on the line when it comes to this computer game. The main characters in this book are Megan O'Malley and Leif Anderson. Megan and Leif are being sent in to the world of Sarxos to investigate the game. Megan and Leif is investigating strange things such as certain players computers being destroyed by people who break into their houses, to keep them from becoming too good. Chris Rodriguez, the creator of the game does not want others to be better than him so he sends people to stop the players before it happens. It is up to Megan and Leif to stop the burglars before they do more than just destroy computers. “Nothing is worse than believing a lie,” said Mr. Winters. That is the theme of this book because if Megan or Leif believes something that is not true their whole investigation with be wrong. Clancy has a unique style when it comes to his writing. He is very descriptive when he introduces a new character. The thing like most about his writing is that he always lets the reader know the setting. Another good thing about his writing is that it is easy to follow most of the time. Very few times I have to reread something because I did not know what was going on. One thing that I do not like about his writing is that there might be to many things going on at one time. I recommend this book for anyone who is into mysteries. I would recommend this more to guys, even though almost every character is a girl, because it is about computer games. If you are a girl that loves mysteries then you might also like this book. I give Net Force a three and a half out of five stars. Michael-6
What if you found out you only had one year left to live? What would you do? How would you react? Ben Wolf is in this situation in Deadline by Chris Crutcher. It is his senior year in high school, and he wantws to put his mark on his school.. Ben has just been diagnosed with a rare blood disease and refuses any treatment. He doesn’t want to live his last year hooked up to a bunch of machines and is ready to do whatever he wants. “I’m blessed with nothing to lose.” This book sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not set it down. I could feel that Crutcher could relate to me or any other teenager. I thought the book was amazing. His overall creativity and detail was superb. Not to mention it teaches you some life lessons such as to live everyday as if it were your last. Overall, the book deserves a ten out of ten. It was an exciting and fun book to read and you will enjoy the characters and their personality. I would recommend this book to fans of drama, comedy, and sports. All in all, Crutcher did a wonderful job on Deadline and you need to pick it up today.
What would you do if you were able to see the date people will die? If you could just look into their eyes and see their fate? In the book Num8ers by Rachel Ward, a girl named Jem (a dark sided girl) acquired this special power. Early on in the book, when Jem was little, she noticed that her mother died the day that she was supposed to, the date in Jems head. “As we sat there eye-to-eye, her number was there, stamped on the inside of my skull: 10102001. Four years later, I watched a man in a scruffy suit write it down on a piece of paper: Date of Death: 10.10.2001.” Ever since her mom’s death, Jem has been living with her aunt, still seeing the numbers. As Jem moves on to high school, she meets this guy named Spider. She does not want to become close to him though, because she notices that his death date is coming up soon. However, Jem starts to grow fond of Spider and they start to like each other. One day they go to downtown London, and Jem noticies that everybody around her has the same death date, 12082010. She and Spider rush away from the area, which later explodes into pieces. Jem and Spider later realize that the explosion was caused by a terrorist attack, and that they have been spotted fleeing the area, people assumed that it was them who set of the bomb. This event leads Jem and Spider on a journey across the country while stealing cars and embarking on dangerous terrain, trying to evade police and stay incognito, all of when Spiders death date is getting closer and closer. Can Jem and Spider escape the police? Will Jem be able to save Spider from dying? Read the book to find out. Throughout the book, Jem realizes that it is hard to keep a secret. Many times she becomes more weary of her ability, and ends up telling Spider. I would rate this book an 8 out of 10. This book is a compelling thriller with a lot of action and suspense, but gets hard to follow because it is written with a lot of British slang. I would recommend this book to an average high school reader. If you like reading suspenseful dramas, this is your book. Overall, this book is a great find and should be read by any student looking for a great read. David-1
How would you feel if one of your biggest dreams came true? Good, right? Well, that’s what, blogger, Str-S-d thought too. But, it turns out that it’s not as great as the blogger would have expected. The book, Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser, describes how revenge isn’t always a great solution. What happens when the anonymous blogger’s dreams become a nightmare? Wish You Were Dead takes place in the town of Soundview, where it is very quiet and safe. Nothing exciting really happens around there. This is Where Str-S-d begins blogging about wanting Lucy Cunningham, a popular girl, to disappear. One night, Lucy is at a party and she needs a ride home so she calls for a ‘Safe Ride’. Her friends, Madison and Tyler are sent to drive Lucy home. They decide to drop her off then leave before she is in her house; that’s when Lucy is snatched away in the dark. “ By the time she tried to scream, she’d taken a second breath, and the cry that left her throat, muffled by the rag, was so weak and faint that it sounded like the bleating of some distant forlorn animal.” The blogger continues to blog their wishes and they continue to come true while eventually, others are taken as well. The town becomes frantic, especially Madison because her closest friends are being taken away. She has to wonder if she will be next. This book was chilling and it keeps the reader wanting more. The author’s writing was not too complex, but not too easy. It is absolutely balanced when it comes to word choices. The creativity was so good; it really kept the attention level strong. This book was very good towards the end and it was so twisted throughout the entire book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good book, because it is creepy and exciting. It also contains romance and friendships as well. -Daphne,1
64 comments:
"Do you think I would've done it?" I cried at one point. "If I had a gun, would I have shot Christy? Because when Nick said, "Let's go get this finished," and I thought he was going to, I don't know, embarrass her or maybe beat the crap out of her or something, I felt so good. So, like, relieved, I wanted him to take care of her." The Hate List by Jenifer Brown is a book about a girl named Valery or Val for short. In Val’s crappy world her “perfect” boyfriend Nick has just shot a portion of the student body, using her hate list. Among those he shot was Christy. Val saw Nick shoot her and rushes to Christy’s aid. Her previous hate and anger for the girl vanished. Valery hated Christy because she would always call Val sister death because she wore all black. As she tries to help Christy she realizes she has to stop Nick. She gets between him and his next victim and is accidentally. Horrified, he turns the gun on himself. Throughout the book, Valery is looking for forgiveness. Because she blames herself for not seeing the signs that Nick wanted to truly hurt people. She blames herself for making the hate list. She made the hate list as a healing process for her because she was being made fun of. Will she ever be able to forgive herself for making the hate list?
Jenifer Brown does a very good job at showing Valery’s true feelings. I like how Valery is both sensitive and tough and brave at the same time. The writing style itself was very entertaining and kept me entranced throughout the book. The writing itself was so detailed it felt like I was in the room with Val, watching her life through her eyes. I was a little disappointed with the end of the book because it wasn’t the ending I was hoping for.
I recommend this book to all who are willing to get emotional and maybe even cry a little bit during the book.. In this book I truly felt connected to the main character Valery. I don’t recommend this book who are easily frightened or scared. This book was sad, nerve-racking, depressing and hopeful all at the same time. I personally loved this book I’d give it a 10 out of 10.
Cecsily - 1
West
Mrs. Lovi, p. 1
Payback Time
By: Carl Deuker
The book Payback Time by Carl Deuker is a great book about a teenage, pudgy school newspaper writer named Dan. Well, Dan is his real name but most people called him Mitch from an embarrassing childhood story. In the beginning of the book, Mitch had recently become the new high school sports reporter for the school and local newspaper. When he had taken this job he received the partner of Kimi Yon, Kimi is what most people would call a perfect child and she was going to be Mitch’s photographer. As he began to talk to McNulty, the coach, all McNulty could talk about was the star player and quarterback Horst Diamond. As the first practice comes around for the football season Mitch and Kimi decide it would be a good idea to go and watch the practice. Before the practice they notice a big strong looking kid named Angel Marichal playing catch with his buddy and is throwing as if an NFL quarterback. But when the practice begins and the players throw in front of the coach, Angel is throwing lobs to his partner. Mitch doesn’t get it, why is Angel all of the sudden throwing lobs and not trying? He then gets the idea that Angel is trying to “fly under the radar”, Kimi gets the idea that Angel is an undercover cop in the high school trying to find the druggies in the school. Everyone has doubts about Angel. Who is he and what does he want?
The writing style of Carl Deuker, the author, is very interesting and exciting. He uses sarcastic humor and suspense to keep the reader guessing. He also uses imagery to make it as if the reader is watching the movie. Throughout the book readers will experience times where they will have a very hard time putting the book down. Deuker uses suspense such as this, “The older guy motioned for Angel to move behind one of the cars in the lot, and then reached into the inner pocket of his leather jacket and pulled something out. It gleamed silvery in the sunlight as he held it stiffly against his thigh. A gun? Was it a gun?” I recommend this book for anyone teenager who is ready for an exciting new kind of story with an interesting twist.
Looking for Alaska Book Review
What is the purpose of a friend? Is it to have emotional support, have trust in someone, or is it plainly to just have fun with the person you enjoy being with the most? The book, Looking for Alaska, contains a series of transitions and changes in life from the view of a teenager named Miles Halter. The author, John Green, not only describes Miles as open minded, bright, and self conscious, but as a loyal friend to anyone he meets. One of the many friends that he encounters at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama is Chip Martin. Chip is known as being the strong leader in the group who formulates all of the mischievous plans. Going along with these mischievous plans is Chip’s best friend, Alaska Young. Now, Alaska is very different from anyone Miles has ever met before! She is mysterious, flirty, moody, very good at keeping secrets, and gets herself in trouble way too much.
In this story of love and friendship, a quote by Simón Bolívar is mentioned repeatedly by the character Alaska Young. Bolívar said, "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?"(pg.126) This quote is brought up throughout the whole book and it signifies forgiveness because one has to forgive to get out of the labyrinth. Miles learns how to forgive when a tragic event happens to Alaska. It all started when Miles moved to Culver Creek for a fresh start to something new at the age of fifteen. Although Miles meets many new friends, he gets himself influenced very wrongly from his peers by smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol when Culver Creek has highly strict rules that include prohibiting drugs.
Looking for Alaska, by John Green, has weaknesses and strengths. For an example there is way too much foreshadowing in the book and there is not enough figurative language. Although, after I read this book, I was very satisfied because the book was very detailed, the words were flowing because it was an easy level to read at, and it has a happy ending which is never a bad thing! So, even though the author lacked some aspects, he still came across as being very creative in his writing. There is never a dull moment in any scene and many moments are very emotional. Green was wise with the words he chose because it made moments more powerful. Overall, this book is surprisingly captivating, in-depth, entrancing and interesting. Looking for Alaska is meant for anyone ranging from a boy to a girl but mainly for high school students because they can relate to it. Read this book if you are seeking to read about change and friendship! It is well worth it!
Vanessa-1
“Frankly Scarlett, I don’t give a damn,” are probably the most famous words ever written, coming from the epic tale of love, loss, sacrifice, and forgiveness found in the book Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, these seven words spoken by the infamous Rhett Butler, paint a tale of love burdened by the selfishness of the lovers. In essence they sum up the story of Gone with the Wind. Scarlett O’Hara is used to a life of luxury and admiration from others. Known as the most beautiful girl for miles and miles around she demands the attention of all the young men she meets, although there is only one she truly loves, Ashley. To Scarlett Ashley is like Romeo, and she Juliet. Believing whole-heartedly that Ashley is going to propose to her Scarlett goes to a party at his house. But there she learns that he is to marry his cousin Melanie. While at the party she meets the illusive Rhett Butler, who she finds herself instantly hating. Letting her emotions get the best of her she makes the hasty decision to marry Charles, Melanie’s brother. All too soon she learns that Charles is to go off to war. As she prepares herself to tell him she is pregnant she receives word of his death. After deciding she needs a change of scenery, Scarlett’s mother sends her to Charles’s relatives in Atlanta. As fate would have it Scarlett quickly encounters Rhett again, and realizes that she actually likes him. As the city of Atlanta burns Scarlett finds herself desperately in need of help, and the only person she can think of to help her is Rhett. Asking Rhett to take her back to her plantation in Atlanta she learns of his plan to go to war. Receiving news that Atlanta was not all ruined Scarlett goes back to see what remains. Finding that the house she lived in still stands she decides to stay. After learning of her family’s debts she makes another hasty decision, she decides to marry a wealthy man named Frank in order to pay them off. Soon after their marriage Frank is killed and for the second time in her life Scarlett finds herself a widow. For the third and final time, Scarlett decides to marry again, who she marries and how the marriage works out are both things you must find out on your own.
Mitchell writes this book in such detail you feel almost as if you are actually there. She develops deep connections between the reader and the character which make the book impossible to put down. Using her vivid imagination Margaret Mitchell weaves a tale like no other, one that should be read by everyone.
Readers who enjoy literary classics should definitely read Gone with the Wind. Those who enjoy books about love and the many hardships one must endure to find, and keep, true love will absolutely love this book. While its length may seem intimidating anyone that gives it a chance will quickly fall in love with Gone with the Wind.
~ Mallory 1st hour
Brisingr
“’Yes,’ said Eragon, and held the sword up toward the sky, admiring it. ‘Now I am truly a Rider.’” Author Christopher Paolini has yet again come up with a compelling fantasy-adventure book, a must read for any fantasy-lover. Paoline enchants the readers into another underdog story with a Dungeon and Dragons twist. Brisingr is the mixed product of sugar, spice, death, drama, love, fantasy, and everything nice. Eragon, a young and inexperienced rider, treks back and forth with his dragon, Saphira, between the elfish cities of DuWeldenvarden and the battle ground camps of the Varden, a rebel army fighting who else but the evil king, Galbatorix. He travels to the elves for training in the art of magic and travels to the Varden as morale booster or as the final blow that breaks the camel’s back. He trains day-in and day-out preparing for the one battle, the one single battle that decides the world’s fate between tyranny and freedom. During his travels to become a true Rider many discoveries are made including Oromis and Glaedr. Some discoveries sting while the others shock the world to its core.
Eragon’s story is dedicated by the legacy of the fallen Riders who helped King Galbatorix to take control of Alagaesia. In just a few months Eragon’s whole is turned upside down after he discovers the legacy of the Riders and the fate of the world sits on his shoulders. He travels with Brom his original master and later known as his father, When he dies he travels around the world rescuing, training, and working for the Varden. Paolini creates a completely new world constructin an old tale with newer aspects of life. One of the many traits that make Paolini’s stories unique is the fact that he takes his time in creating completely new words and in this case a complete new language. He also depicts his fictitious world with that helps you find your way through the story. His descriptive writing style pulls in the reader and never lets go till the last word. He never repeats a situation and always gives the reader a break from the tension using major discoveries or humor from the wise-talking Saphira. Paolini brings back the fairy-tales to make the reader discover the wonder of fairy-tales. When looking for a quick read or a good relaxation, this book is the one to chose.
- Suman 1st hour
The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls
In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls shares a captivating memoir of her tragic past. Walls tells the story from her point of view so adequately that it seems as if she had just experienced these moments. With her aberrant father and her optimistic mother, she undertakes new challenges as she learns essential lessons. At a very young age, Walls moves from place to place with her siblings undergoing poverty stricken living conditions and hardly having enough food to eat. Walls writes about her deprived childhood, how her dad taught her everything she knew, and how her mom always tells her that their lives aren’t as bad as people in Africa. Her mother is an idealistic person who always thinks about how situations are going to end up well. "Why not?" Mom said. "Being homeless is an adventure." Her father, on the other hand, is a very brilliant man, but he has a drinking problem that makes him unpredictable and causes him to unleash his anger and rage on her mother, who merely accepts his addiction.
Walls does an amazing job at describing the situations and moments with such great detail that it can make the reader picture a perfect image of how her childhood was really like. While reading this book I kept thinking back to my childhood compared to hers. It was very different knowing she barely had any toys or food and yet she had so much ambition. She has a way of writing that makes the book more meaningful than just regular old story about a person’s life. She takes readers to her own past memories and shares moments most people would never want to talk about.
Readers won’t be able to put this book down. This novel should be read by everyone with its tales of difficulties, loss, and hints of bliss; it will make readers so immersed. This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read and highly suggest it to any reader looking for a good book.
Jackie-1
Samantha
Period 2
Graceling by: Kristin Cashore
Kristin Cashore sends her readers on an intense adventure of a lifetime with Graceling. This New York Times Bestseller explores the life of a teenage girl, named Katsa, who’s been graced with the ability to kill anyone or anything with her bare hands. Throughout the book, Katsa jumps through hoops in order to control her grace and potentially not use it at all. On page 8 Katsa thinks to herself, “She wouldn’t kill, not if she didn’t have to. A killing couldn’t be undone and she’d killed enough.” On this journey Katsa is trying to uncover the mysterious and seemingly pointless kidnapping of Prince Tealiff. Katsa travels through many kingdoms, some of which are ruled by cruel, ruthless kings, to solve this magical mystery.
Cashore uses text that isn’t that of our modern day language. She allows the reader to become swaddled in confusion and mystifies the reader with a mystery so intense, so frustrating, you won’t be able to set the book down. Cashore also allows the reader to form opinions about the characters, only to turn those opinions upside down with shocking secrets. Cashore follows Katsa on this lengthy, but spellbinding, tale that illustrates something that most people go through pains to avoid; not everything is as it seems.
If you’re into adventure and hardships so unbelievable that you have to second guess what you just read, pick up Graceling. Prepare to have your mind blown and your imagination stretched to the max.
Airhead By: Meg Cabot
Em Watts is just your average overachieving brainiac...until disaster strikes. Rather than keeping up with the new trends, Em prefers the classic t-shirt and jeans. Instead of freaking out over celebrities, or the world’s most famous supermodel, Nikki Howard, Em plays video games with her best, and pretty much only, friend Christopher. But, Emerson’s life turns upside down the day she is forced to take her sister to the opening of SoHo Stark Megastore. However, Nikki Howard and a group of protesters arrive, causing a riot. This soon leads to a flat screen TV dropping on Emerson’s head. When she wakes up, she is confused and doesn’t remember the accident. She hasn’t found out yet is that Nikki Howard suffered a brain aneurysm at the same time as when the TV fell on her! If it wasn’t for the secret surgical procedure that saved the body of one and the mind of another, both of these teenage ladies would be dead. Now, Em’s brain ends up in the body of a famous teenage supermodel.
Although Emerson isn’t ready to live in Nikki Howard’s body the rest of her life, she was stuck with it. In her new life as Nikki Howard, she gets to go to school, and find her best friend and secret crush, Christopher. The only problem is that Christopher is still upset about his best friend, a friend who isn’t actually dead. Will they reunite at last?
The downside of this teen fantasy is the stretch the author asks the readers to make—the kind you would usually only make for mad-scientist horror movies. The author’s writing style has uncountable twists, which makes the story fun to read. Overall, the writer acts as if she is the one switching bodies. However, this crazy story teaches the audience to never give up no matter what. I would give the book a rating of an eight, because it was definitely a page turner. I recommend this book for girls who are between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. “It’s what’s on the outside that matters, not the inside,” Meg Cabot clearly states. If you’re dying to find out what it would be like to switch places with a supermodel, then I highly recommend this book!
Katharine-2nd hour
“She loves giving the other kids a chance to be human; to watch me jump and twitch…” (Pg 15) Jerk California by Jonathan Friesen starts as a very melancholy book about a senior in high school going through life with Tourette Syndrome. His name is Sam Carrier. Sam goes through a regular life being harshly judged by most of the people around him. Sam’s stepfather is even treating Sam inconsiderately. Sam’s stepfather has not shown any respect to him same since he was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome as a six year old boy.
In Jerk California Friesen puts many themes in his novel. The theme that stands out the most in this novel is a tie between two themes. One of the themes is don’t judge a book by its color, and the second theme is sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. These are the major themes that Friesen incorporated into this book because these themes are lessons that young kids and old adults are yet to learn. This book seems to start slow then it speeds up just as it is about to be too slow throughout the entire story. Friesen does not put a very sophisticated vocabulary in this book. Therefore I would recommend the book Jerk California to students in middle school and high school
Tommy-2
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins has written a page turning adventure book that readers cannot put down. The Hunger Games includes adventure, mystery, and even a little romance. This book starts off in one of the twelve districts in the fictional world of Panem, where North America used to be. Katniss, a sixteen-year-old teenager, lives in the 12th district which is at the end of the line and has the worst circumstances. The people in this district have to mine for their jobs. Katniss lives with her mom and her little sister Prim. Katniss’s father died a while ago and Katniss has picked up most of the slack, which includes going out of the district’s boundaries to hunt food. Every year, the Capital hosts the Hunger Games where all of the districts send a boy and a girl to fight for their lives in the games to see which district wins. District 12 picks Peeta for their boy and Prim (Katniss’s little sister) to fight in the games. Katniss is furious and does not think this is fair so she volunteers to take her sister’s place. By doing this, she has to fight 23 other people in the Hunger Games. Will Katniss make it out of the Hunger Games alive and be able to go back to District 12?
The Hunger Games is a book about family relationships, friendship, survival, and even fighting to stay alive. As the Hunger Games begin the importance of surviving is stated in these words, “Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun.” Collins has created a book that readers can’t put down. It is a nail biter because the reader can’t wait to see who is eliminated and if Katniss will make it out of the games. Even though it was predictable at certain points in the book, I could not put the book down.
I would recommend this book to teenagers who like a little violence, with some mystery, but also with a little romance. If you want a good fast paced book that generates constant suspense, then this is your book.
- Robbie 2nd Hour
Rikers High
Five months and two and a half weeks can feel like years and years if you spend that time living in a jail known as Rikers Island. The book Rikers High by Paul Volponi describes jail as a rough place to stay but also funny. Rikers High is based around a 17-year-old African-American teen named Martin Stokes who is tired of jail and wants to go back home to his family. Martin is sent to Rikers Island on a charge of “steering” an undercover officer to a drug dealer in his neighborhood. Martin struggles with his attorney and isn’t able to get a proper court time so he has to spend an extra five months on Rikers Island. On the way back to Rikers Island after a day at the court, Martin finds himself in the middle of a brawl between two inmates where he gets cut on the face from the tip of the forehead to the eyebrow. This is when the two toughest weeks of Rikers begin for Martin. Something very horrific happens to one of Martins’ friends and Martin is slowly being pushed towards the “traps” and tries to avoid them to his best behalf. “...they have traps to keep you here, they put big holes in the floor, inmates and C.O. dig holes together, they don’t want you to ever leave...” Then the day of Martin’s court day finally comes and he is met with a surprise, the kid who cut his face is at the same court meeting as him! Will Martin get back at this guy or will he just let it go to be with his family?
Volponi had a very simple style of writing. Volponi didn’t use any big vocabulary and this book was a very easy read. To read this book, it would be best if the reader knew or wanted to know a little more about jail Although this book was about a jail, Volponi made this book very funny with his many quotes, “I’d been sitting five feet from [the teacher] for a week, with a big cut on my face. But he still had no idea I was his student. He should have been a detective instead of a teacher. Then maybe the jail would be empty and some high school . . . would be full of kids.” I think the theme of this book was family first because Martin really wanted to get back at the kid who cut him, but he thought of his family and sisters first.
I’d recommend this book to a guy audience because the jokes in this book are ones that only guys would find funny and also because girls aren’t that interested in prisons and jails. Overall, I would give this book a seven out of ten because it was very funny, but it didn’t seem to be that “attention grabbing” and it was an easy book to put down.
-Marty 2nd our
Elizabeth Scott is an amazing author who writes thrilling and undertaking novels that draw you in so close they are impossible to put down. Living Dead girl has a one of a kind plot. In this book You will find that the main character has been abducted by a total stranger and has no way to escape, where she is tortured to do the unimaginable and can barley even remember her real family. How would you feel if you were being abused because you are hungry and asked for food, or even make one small mistake such as not telling your “master” you love him at the exact moment he wants to hear it? This is exactly what happens to Lucy as she is forced to change her name and do everything she is told. Otherwise she will have to face the fact that her family and everyone she knows and loves will be killed. A hard decision to face, Scott takes you down a road you never thought existed. “I don’t want to do it” screamed Lucy. No one would but Scott makes it all seem so real you are frightened for the innocent and helpless girl. The only way Lucy can be saved is by running away. She has no one to turn to and is scared to death. Can she get out? Or will she die in pain and despair just like the last girl named Lucy who was abducted? If you have the chance to save yourself, will you do it at all costs? That is one of many, many questions Lucy has to answer for herself even though she is just a weak and beaten up teenage girl. This is a good read for all ages, as it has vocabulary understandable for a general audience and does not focus on topics for one age group in particular. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a fast read. This book can be finished in much less then a week. You can’t put it down for more than two minutes without wanting to pick it right back up again and continue on Lucy’s astonishing journey.
Jenna- 2nd hour.
Mirely-2
At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks
Do you believe in love at first sight? At First Sight by, Nicholas Sparks introduces Jeremy Marsh, a man who lives in New York City and works as a journalist for a Science magazine. He was given an assignment in Boone Creek, North Carolina. While he was in Boone Creek he met a librarian named Lexie Darnell and it was “love at first sight”. During their brief time together a baby was conceived, so Jeremy decides to propose marriage to her. He decides to leave all his friends behind and move to Boone Creek with his soon to be bride. However, he has a hard time adapting to his new life. Emotionally burned in a previous marriage, Jeremy is not certain that fatherhood is a right path. He has escaped the situation and doubts his ability to be a parent. Lexie prefers to keep secrets, and that causes tension in their relationship. Will their love continue to grow or will it die and fade off?
Several friends have doubts about the future of Jeremy and Lexie which complicates their relationship. At First Sight is cliché in many ways, but overall it is a pretty decent book. The story provides an answer to the question of how we meet and cope with joy and tragedy. Life happens, and when it does, all of us need a support system to encourage us and keep us on the right track to not give up. At First Sight is a book for teens and grown ups. The book is romantic and definitely a page turner.
I loved this book. It reminds readers to live life to the fullest and with the people they love. When the book was over I was very satisfied and to all the readers that enjoyed this book, there is another book that continues the story of the loving couple. At First Sight is an easy read book that older readers will enjoy.
Cintia/2
The Brothers Torres
By: Coert Voorhe
Liquor, girls, revenge, and respect! That’s all a guy dreams about right? Well, all of these are mixed into one novel, The Brothers Torres, by Coert Voorhees. In Voorhees’ novel, Frankie, the main character, has always looked up to his older brother Steve. Steve has the girls, the fame, and the “respect.” Frankie wants to be like him and he has the chance to prove to everybody that he could be a ladies man, be popular, and have the needed “respect.” Now it’s all up to Frankie, but will he take a chance with Rebecca, the prettiest girl in school? Steve talks to Frankie all the time about it but Frankie just can’t do it. Unlike Steve, Frankie has only two really good friends. Steve on the other hand has the soccer team and the Cholos. His in school friends are the soccer team but Steve also has out of school friends like the Cholos. In Borges everybody respects them and many people fear them too. Steve has been hanging out a lot with the Cholos even though he himself is not affiliated with them. Steve thinks that he has he best group of friends because whenever something is about to go down, the Cholos are there for him. They have his back. However, along with friends come enemies such as Dalton. Dalton isn’t very friendly towards either of the Torres brothers. Obviously Frankie doesn’t do much but Frankie is sick and tired of this lifestyle. How long can Frankie live with this?
In The Torres Brothers, Voorhees expresses that retaliation isn’t the greatest option and that respect doesn’t always turn out to be positive. “Frankie starts to think that his brother may be taking this respect thing too far. Soon he’ll have to make a choice between respecting his brother or respecting himself.” This quote shows that sometimes people think that by having respect their life would be so much better but respect could be negative too. This also shows that respect shouldn’t be about whom you hang out with and respect does have limits. Voorhees wants readers to understand that leading is better than following and that respect isn’t just about hanging out with respected people and being feared.
Because Frankie is the narrator, readers gain insight into many thoughts that the other characters in the book don’t know. Since this book is about two Hispanic boys it does have some Spanish in it. Also, to express the reality of this book there are some swears. However, Voorhees is so descriptive that readers can feel Frankie’s emotions and it is easy to picture the plot. I really liked this book just because I like more of the real life drama books. I would recommend this book mostly for guys since it relates a lot to them. At times it was hard to understand Frankie’s feelings because of gender issues but overall if you want an unpredictable book The Brothers Torres is for you.
The Woods Book Review
What would you do to find a missing loved one? Harlan Coben captivates this struggle in a dark, suspenseful, mystery drama of our time titled The Woods. Coben intertwines the stories of two different characters in their mid-thirties having been each others “summer crush” twenty years ago and has been separated by that cruel, scarring summer. The main star of this story is Paul Copeland, a defense attorney with a dead wife and a murdered sister. When he is shown the dead body of someone he thought was murdered twenty years ago, and has been following Paul the whole time, he asks himself the question, “Is my sister still alive?” On the other hand, Lucy Gold is an alcoholic working as a professor in a university as she is hiding from her haunted past. However, an anonymous student of Lucy’s had been writing about Lucy’s past in an essay she assigned, bringing up unanswered questions. It has been twenty years and their night that summer is coming back to them once more. Lucy and Paul must figure out the truth behind that one summer night. Will they?
The Woods portrays four or five different situations going on in the characters thoughts at a time. While it is very entertaining, it can become a little confusing. Coben shares Paul’s point of view in first-person and Lucy’s in third-person. This allows readers to get inside Paul’s mind and discover how complex he truly is. Lucy is much less complex but is still a character the audience will care for. Coben created a very dynamic story due to the fact that so many suspenseful situations are occurring at once. Overall, the basic theme of the novel is that there are strong connections between your closet family and friends. This is found when a long friend of Paul’s, Sosh states, “It’s been too long, but I thought you’d call today.” Each one of these events has some sort of mystery and suspense behind them. I was very engaged with the major twist at the ending of the book, but it was a satisfactory enough to be a good ending without any sequels.
With many twists and turns that may be predictable to some, The Woods ends up being a story filled with crime, suspense, and mystery. This book would be enjoyable to anyone in favor of mystery and crime novels.
-Kyle 2nd hour
Do you remember as a kid when you would always pretend to be a secret agent and go on missions to save the world? Well in Robert Munchamore’s engrossing novel Cherub: the Recruit James Choke has the opportunity to be a secret agent. James Choke is a boy that is twelve years old and two people that he loves in the world, Lauren and his mom. However due to a tragic drinking accident caused by Ron (his uncle who only goes to James’s house for his mom’s money) his mother is rushed to the E.R and after hours of mind boggling worry she dies. After his mothers death he is sent to the Nebraska house, a place for parentless kids, and is now roommates with someone named Kyle Blueman. After a while James is asked to join cherub (the British secret services) and he accepts later find out that it was Kyle, his roommate also a cherub agent, who has recruited him into the service. When James got to cherub his name changed to James Adams and needed to go through a grueling 100 day course. During this course James meets Kerry Chang, a girl who he has a strong friendship with by the end of the book. At the end of Basic Training James and the other new recruits go to Malaysia for a final partner hike, an over 188 kilometer hike, and in the end their results let Kerry and James pass. After excruciating boredom James is assigned a dangerous mission of being sent into an eco-terrorist hot spot to find out what is going on and what he can do to stop it. However the bomb might be ticking faster then James can move, will he be able to save the world Or will there be a world panic?
In the well written book, Cherub: the Recruit, Munchamore does a great job of keeping the interest of the reader by using an amazing amount of description and a series of plot dilemmas that make you wonder what James will do. I do not recommend this to absolutely everyone. Especially if you don’t have enough time to sit down and read it. Also the fact that this book has a little bit of romance so it is not the book that you will want to read if your looking for a lovey-dovey book. However it is fast paced and full of action putting in a few laughs here and there so I recommend it for just about everyone else.
-Connor
Evan/2
Feed
Have you ever dreamed of a chip inserted in your brain that allowed you to have conversations with anyone and was always giving you opportunities to buy various items that you were thinking off? Feed by M.T. Anderson is painting us a picture of a dystopian society and it paints it very well. The book takes place in the distant future and everyone now has these fancy new gadgets called feeds. The feed is basically a lifeline for a person to be able to chat with their friends and purchase whatever they want without entering the store. Well, during Spring Break, Titus and his friends travel to the moon to try and find parties to go to. They meet a strange girl named Violet at a low-gravitational bar and they invite her to come to a party with them. They are at this club the Rumble Spot, when an anti-feed hacker hacks Titus and all of his friends feed’s causing them to shutdown and fail. They all wake up in the Hospital perfectly fine but without their feeds. They get them turned back on and everyone returns to Earth and everything goes back to normal… or so it seems. Violet that Titus is now dating seems to start malfunction and her body parts are starting to fail her. Will Violet return to normal or will her failing body parts be her demise? Read to find out. Titus is the main character/narrator of Feed and he is the son to an upper-class middle family. He enjoys his consumerist lifestyle which is him always giving up to the feed and buying from it which Violet is unhappy about. Violet is Titus’ girlfriend throughout the book. She lives with an eccentric father and throughout the book her body parts continue to fail her. The demise of human thought and the dependency of technology is the major theme because they are now relying on their feeds to talk to people and their need for the Feed is so great in the book it relates to how everyone is today with text messaging, cell phones, etc. "We Americans are interested only in the consumption of our products. We have no interest in how they are produced, or what happens to them once we discard them, once we throw them away." During Feed Anderson’s writing style was for the most part confusing for me because of all the futuristic slang that didn’t make sense to me. Although the writing style was confusing I felt that I was very engaged and I myself was inside the book talking with Titus and his friends. The author’s creativity was superb because he made me think of teenagers now a days even though he’s placed them in such a futuristic setting. I felt very satisfied after finishing my book even though the ending was completely shocking and it surprised me I still loved the ending. I would recommend this book for someone who is very into science fiction and politics because throughout the book there’s always an issue with whether the feed is a moral thing we should have or no. And the setting makes me think of sci-fi books.
Bright Young Things
By Anna Godbersen
The roaring Twenties: A decade of jazz, speakeasies and the Charleston. In Anna Godbersen’s new novel Bright Young Things, we follow three determined young women, in the spring of 1929, all trying to find their way in the big town of New York City. Eighteen-year-old Cordelia and Letty escape their little town in Ohio to pursue their dreams of making it big in NYC. Letty dreams of singing for the masses and becoming a national star. Cordelia, on the other hand, decides that finding her father will be her very first adventure in the Big Apple. During their escapades they both find themselves in trying but sometimes wonderful situations and relationships; one relationship in particular being with the eccentric and beautiful young Astrid Donald. “Every dawn seemed to promise fresh miracles, among other joys that are in short supply these days.”All of them learn to be careful who they trust in the big city, as they realize that you never know who is and isn’t looking out for you.
Godbersen keeps the reader engaged throughout this page-turning drama with her effortless attention to detail and historical accuracy; she simply mesmerizes readers with her elegant descriptions. Having read Godbersen’s previous series The Luxe I was rather excited that she had come out with this new book Bright Young Things. I am pleased to say that Godbersen’s new novel has certainly met and exceeded my expectations. However, I do have to warn the men who read this review that Bright Young Things may not be a read for you. Girls who enjoy a good drama though will flock to this compulsively readable novel and find it simply spellbinding. Claire-2
Son of the Mob
Gordan Korman has written another extraordinary novel,so thrilling and fast-paced you can't put it down. Son of the Mob takes you inside the life of Vince Luca's secret life. Vince is an eighteen-year-old boy who is hiding his father's profession from the world. Vince is on his way to college in California, as for away from New York as possible. The storty starts with Vince driving to college with his best friend and his girlfriend. All three of them are attending different schools this fall. Vince is a film major at the University of Santa Monica and hopes that his new life in California will keep him away from the Mob in New York City. Unfortunately he's wrong. While Vince is keeping up with his school work and his social life,his "forgotten" life just keeps getting worse. Vince's brother flees to California, to protect his own life. While Vince's brother is there, several "uncles" start paying them visits. Anthony Luca (Vince's father) sarts having several problems in New York that somehow finds its way to Vince in California. Vince has life changing choices to make. What should he do? I would highly recommend this book to anybody who wants to read a thrilling original story, which takes the twists of modern day Romeo and Juliet. Vince's girlfriends father is an FBI agernt responsible for the Anthony Luca case, another story with the classic Romeo and Juliet forbidden love. With that being said, this is not just a romance novel. Son of the Mob kept me turning pages to see what exciting surprises would come next. If you are looking for a quick fast paced book this is it.
-Joey,2
Book Review For Peak
The book Peak by Roland smith is a great thriller and a fantastic read. It is a story of Peak Marcello a very stubborn and adventurous 14 year old who gets himself into a very sticky situation after climbing a New York City skyscraper. He’s made to go with his father to Mount Everest where he has a climbing business or go to juvenile hall for a year. Upon arriving at Mount Everest his father tells him he is going to climb the mountain because of his father’s failing business and it be a great promotion for his business. Peak then meets the most important person to help get him to the top, Sun Jo. A fellow teenager who also has quite a few personal problems as well. As the two makes their ascent they face many challenges and conflicts on the way and various dangers to reach their ultimate goal the peak.
Throughout the book this quote pops up "You never know who the mountain will allow and who it will not” which exemplifies the abundant foreshadowing throughout this book provided by Smith’s cunning and witty charm. His suspenseful writing builds up Peak to be a great nail biter all the way to the end allowing a reader to really get engaged with the text. When I read this book I found myself tied into the plot as if I was there with Peak and Sun Jo and going through the very same dangers they were going through. After reading this book I was left with a very satisfactory feeling of the book that I have not felt with all the books I have read. This book in my opinion gets a 5 star for its gripping plot and great visualization though it can be a bit predictable and cheesy at times it’s what makes the read that much better.
I would have to say that this book is for any teenager who is into thrillers and really likes to be pulled into a book and engage with the text. Smith’s goes to great lengths to attract teenagers to this book and does a great job to make that happen with this action packed suspenseful thriller.
- Anthony 2nd Hour
"Did we kiss last night ?"
"Yes."
"Well, it wasn't memorable because I have no recollection of it."
He laughs. "I was kiddin'. We didn't kiss." He leans in. "When we kiss, you'll remember it. Forever."
In the book Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles, everyone knows in Fairfield High School that the north-siders and the south-siders don’t mix at all. So when perfect Brittany Ellis and bad boy Alejandro “Alex” Fuentes get partnered up for the whole year for chemistry there is bound to be trouble. When they are together they break loose of all expectations and stereotypes. Brittany is the perfect kind of girl, she has life her life planned out. In school her repution is flawless, but that is only to hide her troubled life at home with her sister. Alex is the bad boy of the school no one is to mess with him. He defends who he is and the Latino Blood’s, his second family. All Alex wants to do is break loose of all his gang ties. In the outside they are alike they seem tough, but apperences can be wrong. Everything takes place in Fairfield in the outskirts of Chicago. Their love is forbidden by everyone they know. Their friends, their parents, they can’t tell any one. “Mujer, tell me what you want and I’ll give it to you. If it’ll make you happy for me to leave you alone for the rest of your life, say the word”. Even though they aren't supposed to they fall for each other.
The author offers several detail in the book but not that much to bored the reader. The book is really hard to put down the reader wants to keep reading. The book was not confusing in any way when they viewpoints changed from Brittany to Alex there was no confusion. Its really disappointing when you get to the end because the reader doesn’t want it to end. This book has a lot of creativity it’s not like fairy tales but a real modern romance story. If I would have to give the book points out of ten it would be for sure ten. I would recommend this book to a female audience who enjoy romance. This is a must read book.
-Zaira, 1st hour
Unwind by Neal Shushterman
Unwind is a book about a disturbing image of the future. Image in utopia where everyone is good, and those who make mistakes are punished. "Would you rather die, or be unwound?" -Neal Shusterman Unwind. When someone is unwound they are literally taken apart while they are awake. While this seems horrible there is still a way out. If you can escape the cops until you are 18 you are home free and you can not be unwound, two of these children is a boy named Connor and a girl named Risa throughout the book they do whatever it takes to get away from the cops and survive until they are 18. But one lucky day they are taken to a place where hundreds of unwinds hide in a place called the graveyard. This is run by an old man who is just trying to do the right thing. Will Connor and Risa get caught? who's Lev? and what will happen to the graveyard?
The way the book was written was just great. The book was written in 3rd person, the author was trying to warn the audience about one of the worse possible ways the future could end up. This is very true since we could just take the easy way out of disease and prosthetics, and instead of curing disease or making better technology we could just cut teenagers up and give it to other people. This is a great message to receive, though it was written to target a more teenage audience rather then an adult audience.
I would rate the book 5 stars out of 5 or a 10 out of 10, it was a very good plot. But I should warn you that there is some general profanity in the book. So if you don't want to read swears then don't read this book.
-Alex, 6th period
Ashley, 6th hour
Perfect Chemistry
By: Simone Elkeles
What extent would someone go to to prove their loyalty towards another? In Perfect Chemistry, by Simone Elkeles, a boy named Alex and a girl named Brittany are assigned to be lab partners. However, while Alex is a Mexican gang member, fierce looking with dark eyes and very strong, Brittany, (blonde haired and blue eyed) is a picture-perfect girl with a picture-perfect life. When Alex makes a bet with his friends that he could “get in her pants,” Brittany and Alex begin to get to know each other and actually fall in love. Brittany and Alex break the status quo and they both make sacrifices to be with each other. By doing this, they both grow a strong loyalty towards each other. When Brittany and Alex fall in love, Brittany makes a note to tell Alex she doesn’t approve of his gang and what they do. But Alex knows that if he quits his gang, the Latino Blood, he has to go through much pain and possibly death. Is Alex willing to make those sacrifices? “’I’ll never be able to meet your expectations.’ ‘What if I tell you I won’t have any expectations?’” This is a quote of Brittany telling Alex that she will give up what she morally believes in order to be with him.
This book was always exciting and suspenseful, and filled interesting characters. But, in this book, there are also numerous times were they use inappropriate language. I like this book because of the enticing plot and the way I could relate to it to the play of Romeo and Juliet. I recommend this book for teenagers, girls and boys because girls would love it for the romance and boys because of the gangs and violence. This book could also be great for young adults who love a good romance. This book is definitely not for children because of the inappropriate use of language.
Cassandra Clare has written an excellent fantasy book, City of Bones, the first book in the series The Mortal Instruments. In this book the main character, Clary Fray, seems to be a slightly short, ordinary, average teenage girl. Her mother, Jocelyn Fray, is an artist and has a boyfriend named Luke who is not described very well. Isabelle is a tall, thin, dark-haired, beautiful, and skilled girl who becomes Clary’s friend. Alec is a dark-haired and good at fighting with weapons. Jace is blond-haired and very skilled at killing demons. Jace was adopted by Isabelle and Alec’s parents and is like a brother to them. Hodge is a smart adult and is Isabelle, Alec, and Jace’s mentor. Simon is Clary’s brown-haired best friend who wears glasses and also smart. Valentine is an evil character who is the main antagonist in the book.
The entire story takes place in New York. Clary’s problems start when she is at a dance club with her best friend Simon. She notices a blue haired boy going into a room with a girl. She notices two boys following after. She sees one of them take out a knife before going in and tells her friend to get a security guard. She looks in the room. The people in the room realize that Clary can see them and this is where Clary meets Isabelle, Alec, and Jace. They claim to be killing a demon. Clary is unbelieving at first but after she realizes that the blue haired boy has certain inhuman features and that after he is killed he disappears into thin air. Clary’s friend comes back with a security guard and she realizes that only she can see the people. A few days later Clary’s mother is kidnapped and there are demons in her apartment. Now she has to team up with people she met a few days ago in order to find her mother and get her back.
One theme of the book is that when things get confusing, remember to look at the big picture. Jace says, “That’s not my home. This is my home now.” Jace was considering leaving with his father, Valentine, but decide not to because he realized that his real father had never been a good father to him. Overall Clare’s writing style in the book describes every character very well and adds details to the text that enhance the way it looks when you image the scenes in the book. This makes the book slow at first when all of the characters are getting introduced, but gets more exciting as it goes on. The author was very creative with the characters and mythical creatures in the book. Overall my satisfaction with the book was a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 except for the exceptionally slow rise of the plot and sudden rise before the climax.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes good fantasy books about topics of mythical proportions.
Cassandra Clare has written an excellent fantasy book, City of Bones, the first book in the series The Mortal Instruments. In this book the main character, Clary Fray, seems to be a slightly short, ordinary, average teenage girl. Her mother, Jocelyn Fray, is an artist and has a boyfriend named Luke who is not described very well. Isabelle is a tall, thin, dark-haired, beautiful, and skilled girl who becomes Clary’s friend. Alec is a dark-haired and good at fighting with weapons. Jace is blond-haired and very skilled at killing demons. Jace was adopted by Isabelle and Alec’s parents and is like a brother to them. Hodge is a smart adult and is Isabelle, Alec, and Jace’s mentor. Simon is Clary’s brown-haired best friend who wears glasses and also smart. Valentine is an evil character who is the main antagonist in the book.
The entire story takes place in New York. Clary’s problems start when she is at a dance club with her best friend Simon. She notices a blue haired boy going into a room with a girl. She notices two boys following after. She sees one of them take out a knife before going in and tells her friend to get a security guard. She looks in the room. The people in the room realize that Clary can see them and this is where Clary meets Isabelle, Alec, and Jace. They claim to be killing a demon. Clary is unbelieving at first but after she realizes that the blue haired boy has certain inhuman features and that after he is killed he disappears into thin air. Clary’s friend comes back with a security guard and she realizes that only she can see the people. A few days later Clary’s mother is kidnapped and there are demons in her apartment. Now she has to team up with people she met a few days ago in order to find her mother and get her back.
One theme of the book is that when things get confusing, remember to look at the big picture. Jace says, “That’s not my home. This is my home now.” Jace was considering leaving with his father, Valentine, but decide not to because he realized that his real father had never been a good father to him. Overall Clare’s writing style in the book describes every character very well and adds details to the text that enhance the way it looks when you image the scenes in the book. This makes the book slow at first when all of the characters are getting introduced, but gets more exciting as it goes on. The author was very creative with the characters and mythical creatures in the book. Overall my satisfaction with the book was a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 except for the exceptionally slow rise of the plot and sudden rise before the climax.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes good fantasy books about topics of mythical proportions.
“In the cap’s pockets there’s hash, Tuinals, some coke. I greet the police with a flourish of the cap and throw the pills and hash into the bushes. Hello officer.” This is the dramatic start to Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones’ book called Life. Starting with a great hook this book attracts readers into what becomes the start of his life. Beginning as a kid in London, Keith is bullied in school, smokes his first cigarette, and finds his way into music. Leaning music from a place he would stay after school Keith was always interested. Passing through school and finding a band was easy for him. Keith had a life of excitement and scary vulgar moments. Sometimes staying up night after night writing songs or just plain hopped up on drugs, Keith found his way in to the band and into glory. This book takes the reader through overdoses and losses of family and friends. And his good and hard times of life. It left nothing uncovered.
Keith wrote his book very well although it is hard getting through many boring parts. This 500 page book could have easily been written in 200 but Richards Poured his soul into it which made it one of a kind. In order to read this book you need to love autobiographies. After completely reading this book I would give it an honest rating of 8 out of 10. It was a great book that had interesting and funny moments, but it was not one of those books that kept you captivated. The book weaved in and out of boring and interesting parts. The beginning especially was pretty slow. This book took you through the ups and the downs of Keith’s life while keeping it interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good detailed autobiography
The riveting story Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers captures the amazing perspectives of how soldiers lived during the Vietnam War. Two of the main characters are Richie and “Peewee”. Richie is very down to earth; he wants to do his part in the war and help out his country. He gets very nervous once he actually gets to Nam, though. Peewee is very hardheaded; he likes to charge into situation after situation. He also claims, “a good cong is a dead one.” The story is set in violence-stricken Vietnam. The book takes the reader all around the country from villages to the densely packed forests, with even the occasional swamp. Fallen Angels follows Richie’s squad through every single battle. The reader gets to hear about how bad the conditions were and how dangerous it actually was during this time period. “What to tell god? That I’m scared? That I am so scared my heart may stop any moment?” This just shows how scary it was walking through the jungle, not knowing if the enemy is watching your each and every move.
Myers does a very good job of bringing the reader into the situation. He makes readers feel like they are the man waiting at night, guarding the camps from watchful eyes in the jungle. Myers describes the fear that each man experiences with such great detail that it will send chills down the reader’s spine! Readers can picture what the terrain must have looked like as the soldiers waded through the rice paddies and the swamps. I recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about war life and what really happens in wars, not just what the media makes up sometimes. “The war was supposed to end before Christmas, but every man in Vietnam knew that the war was not going to end that quickly”.
Sean-6
Trapped by Chris Jordan
"Mom, I need your help. Please call." This is what Kelly, a sixteen year old girl, says to her mom, Jane, on a voicemail after she disappears from her room one night. Trapped is very alike to the world we live in today: drama, love, and suspense. Kelly is a sixteen year old girl who is a huge risk taker and is up for anything the world throws at her. Also, not only is Kelly risk taking, she is a very strong girl who battled through leukemia as a child and luckily survived. Single mother, Jane Hartley, currently lives with Kelly in the state of New York. Jane is very loving and is always looking for what’s best in Kelly's interest. Even though Ms.Hartley tries, Kelly still wants to be herself and make her own decisions like any other teenager. Kelly thinks she is in love with a boy named Seth, and goes on thrill-seeking adventures with him, but little does she know he has a dark side that she has yet experienced.
As the novel goes on, the theme becomes more and more obvious. The theme would definitely have to be "Don't judge a book by its cover." The author really makes this theme stick out like a sore thumb because of how in depth he goes about Seth and what he has not been honest about. With the book being very upbeat, it really builds up the suspense. In the novel Trapped, Jordan, makes the reader more interested, by getting into conversations between Kelly and her mom. By him doing this it causes a ton of dramatic irony. The dramatic irony occurs because Kelly knows the decisions that she is making are wrong, but lies to her mom and soothes her by saying that what she is doing is not a big deal and that she should not worry. Nervousness, anxiety, and joy are all parts of this novel. Knowing this situation can happen to anyone, this tale ends up as a vision of love and trust.
Parents and teenagers especially should consider reading this novel. After reading this novel you will reconsider your priorities and sit down with your family and take interest in what is happening around them. If you are not an avid reader, but want to become one, this novel by Chris Jordan is undoubtedly a good place to start.
Cody-6
Rob 6th
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Is there more to this world than what our eyes perceive? In the book City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, Clarissa Fray will soon learn that nothing is as it seems. Clarissa, a 15 year old from New York, has always thought that her mom was just a simple painter. But she will soon figure out that the world of demons, angels, and wizards is all real. Clarissa can see things no one else can see. ‘Of course I can see you,’ Clarissa said, ‘I’m not blind, you know.’ ‘ but you are,’ Jace said, bending to pick up his knife ‘You just don’t know it.’ This quote is from a club scene where Clarissa is the only one in the entire club can see them. But when her mom disappears and no one can find her, Clarissa will have to rely on three shadowhunters Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and her best friend Simon to find the legendary mortal cup before, the corrupted shadowhunter returns from the grave to get his revenge.
Clare has a writing style that builds the tension in the story with all of her plot twists so much that you will not want to put it down. Clare uses a vast vocabulary throughout the entire book. She has an imaginative approach to the classic stories of vampires, werewolves, demons, and angels. This is one of the best books I have ever read and I can’t wait to finish the other two within the series.
I would recommend this book to any one that has the stomach for detailed gory scenes yet doesn’t mind taking it slow from time to time to build on the characters and love interest. Read this book if you enjoy plenty of plot twists that will just keep you engaged within the story.
Blake,
Mrs lovi 6 hour
Life
“In the cap’s pockets there’s hash, Tuinals, some coke. I greet the police with a flourish of the cap and throw the pills and hash into the bushes. Hello officer.” This is the dramatic start to Keith Richards, guitarist for the Rolling Stones’ book called Life. Starting with a great hook this book attracts readers into what becomes the start of his life. Beginning as a kid in London, Keith is bullied in school, smokes his first cigarette, and finds his way into music. Leaning music from a place he would stay after school Keith was always interested. Passing through school and finding a band was easy for him. Keith had a life of excitement and scary vulgar moments. Sometimes staying up night after night writing songs or just plain hopped up on drugs, Keith found his way in to the band and into glory. This book takes the reader through overdoses and losses of family and friends. And his good and hard times of life. It left nothing uncovered.
Keith wrote his book very well although it is hard getting through many boring parts. This 500 page book could have easily been written in 200 but Richards Poured his soul into it which made it one of a kind. In order to read this book you need to love autobiographies. After completely reading this book I would give it an honest rating of 8 out of 10. It was a great book that had interesting and funny moments, but it was not one of those books that kept you captivated. The book weaved in and out of boring and interesting parts. The beginning especially was pretty slow. This book took you through the ups and the downs of Keith’s life while keeping it interesting. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good detailed autobiography
Son of the Mob
By: Gordon Korman
If you have ever heard the saying “it’s like a mob prince dating an FBI agents daughter”, this is what Son of the Mob is truly about. Vince Luca is the son of Anthony Luca (or Honest Abe Luca) who is the head of a powerful mob. Vince tries hard not to be involved in his fathers’ business. Kendra Blightly is the daughter of an FBI agent and she is dating Vince Luca, they struggle to keep their relationship hidden from their families. June Cleaver is Vince’s mother who is always has a kitchen and a dark side you would never have guessed was there. Ray Francoine is Vince’s favorite mobster and he gives Vince plenty of help throughout the story. Vince begins to get caught up in his fathers business because he tells a few people he would help them out and they end up being a big burden for Vince. I think the books theme is about following your own path because throughout the story Vince’s family tries to convince him to join the mob and he refuses because he wants his own life. Vince’s Dad said “if you’re not motivated by what I do, then fine. But you’re seventeen years old now. Its time to get motivated about something.” I think the authors writing keeps you pulled into the story with many cliff hangers, the author writes many unexpected conflicts which made me enjoy the book and wish it was not over. The only negative thing is that there was not too much space between the conflicts. I would recommend this book to everyone
-Alec p.6
Kendall
The book Wake by Lisa McMann describes a girl named Janie who is just like a normal teenager other than the fact that she has to take care of her alcoholic mother, Also Janie also has to deal with a unique talent that forces her into other people's dreams. Whenever she is in the same room as a person that is dreaming she will black out and fall into the other people’s dreams. She gets a look at peoples private lives by doing this, and can tell peoples darkest secrets. She also has problems trusting people after what she sees in her dreams, which leads to her only having one true friend. In this story Janie falls into a dream that is different from most others. This dream is a nightmare that feels real. Then she finds out that this dream is by a boy that is almost as much of an outcast as she is which leads to Janie liking him, especially when he takes care of her while she is in a dream. However, then she gets sucked into his drama, being an undercover cop in the middle of a major drug bust. When she meets his captain, Captain right away knows that she is a “dream catcher,” Captain shows this by saying “You’re a regular Martha Stubin," which is Janie’s mentor who was also a dream catcher who recently passed. As a result to this Janie learns to embrace what was given to her which is this books theme.
This book is an amazing read for most people, although I would have to recommend it to people who like books that have a love story with a slight bit of action and anticipation in it. Lisa McMann’s writing style is very good because she keeps the reader hooked by starting out interesting right a way and making the plot twists clear. Also she shows the dreams clearly by making them italics and having similar traits to it.
The book, 24 girls in 7 days by Alex Bradley, is a great story about a teenager named Tommy who is being forced by his friends to find a date for prom. Tommy is having some trouble finding some girls to go to prom with him, so his friends make a website advertising that he will go on a date with anyone who e-mails him to prom. This seems like a good idea, until a ton of girls signed up! Now Tommy must date all 24 girls in only 7 days to find out which one is the right girl for him. He gets a wide variety of girls, such as outcasts all the way to very popular girls who don’t want to be embarrassed. However, while all of this is going on, a mystery e-mail address messaging him things that clearly understands what Tommy has to go through, and leave Tommy desiring who this person is. Who is this mystery address, will Tommy find the girl of his dreams? That’s for you to read.
I really liked how this author did a great job on putting us in Tommy’s mind. I have never felt so attached to a character as I did with Tommy because of how Alex Bradley writes this story. The mind of the character can become very humorous when the character is put in uncomfortable situations, and you can notice how Tommy’s’ thoughts begin to change dramatically throughout the book. The theme of this book is to always be open to new ideas, because Tommy was never in such a good position until he was forced into drastic measures to get girls. The only problem I had with this book was that the author was over descriptive in Tommy’s thoughts and sometimes got off topic and went to a flash back, thus losing my train of thought of what was currently happening in the book. Although this happened rarely, it still was a major flaw in the book. Still I would recommend this book to anyone who is at least 12 and older.
Ryan- 6th Hour
24 Girls In 7 Days
Acceleration
By: Graham Mcnamee
If you enjoy fast-paced mystery novels, then you need to check out Acceleration by Graham McNamee. Duncan finds himself stuck in a job that he hates. He works in dull, lonely basement, and sorts through the lost and found at the Toronto Transit. While he is working, he finds a diary that belongs to a madman and wannabe serial killer. As he reads the diary he discovers that there are 3 women that the man is stalking and planning to murder. Duncan isn’t sure what he should do. He looks for clues in the diary to identify the madman. He tried to take it to the police but, as he expected, they wouldn’t take him seriously. Duncan has no clue what he is getting himself into, but he takes it upon himself to save these 3 girls. What could possibly go wrong?
Readers won’t ever want to put the book down. The story never ceases to surprise readers with its many plot twists as readers learn more about the madman, and also more about Duncan’s guilty conscience. Graham does a great job at building suspense throughout the whole book, and he provides a very clear detailed picture of what is going on. One example of this is, “He’s going to grab her before she can make it to the safety of the lights ahead on the main street. My heart stutters in shock, I break into a jog. I’m still twenty feet back when Jumbo reaches her. He grabs her from behind and lifts her in the air like she weighs nothing. I hear her let out a breathless yelp. And with a little, effortless toss he spins her in the air and catches her, so she’s facing him”. But not only is this book intense and suspenseful, the reader will enjoy the humor that Duncan has, and his relationship with his mom and friends.
I would recommend Acceleration to anybody. You’ll be happy that you took the time to read this book.
Nathan-2
Alex M.
6th Hour
Deadline by Chris Crutcher
So you only have 1 year to live, what do you do? In the book Deadline by Chris Crutcher, Ben Wolf is a senior who goes to the doctor for his annual check up, and later realizes that he has a very rare blood disease that is going to kill him within the next year. He decides not to tell anybody, he threatens his doctor that if he tells anyone he would get sued. Ben’s brother, Cody, is the quarterback for the school’s varsity football team, they are both seniors. Dallas Suzuki is just another girl in the senior class, until she starts talking to Ben, once these two begin talking the book gets a lot more interesting and there are a lot of surprises that come up. Rudy McCoy is also another character that is introduced in the book; he is the town drunk and knows it, Rudy is a very unpredictable person. Another important character is the coach, who is a great help for when Cody and Ben’s mom goes out of control on her substance abuse. Ben, Cody, and Dallas all go to Trout High School which is in Trout Idaho, and this takes place somewhere in modern time. The book’s major theme can be Live as if you’ll die today, this is a good theme because once Ben finds out he will die, and he does as much as he can to make his life more fun and meaningful. So will Ben tell, or will he die with his secret?
A couple strengths about the book is you always want to keep reading more, it is very interesting and if you stop reading it will always be an interesting part you are leaving off at. One of the weaknesses of the book is that the author has very bad grammar and awkward sentence structure. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading a book with a lot of surprises, and a lot of dramatic events.
Nick,6th hour Mrs.Lovi
One of the survivors
Ever get in trouble for something you didn’t do? How does it make you feel? For Joey Champbell it isn’t a little thing like passing a note in class or getting accused of stealing pencils from the teachers’ desk. No, Joey was accused of starting a fire, along with his friend Maureen, which killed 24 of his classmates even though there is no hard evidence. The think he did it because he and Maureen were the only ones in the class to survive. They didn’t understand Joey’s mom died a year ago in a fire, so when he felt the urge to get out of the school you can understand why. Everyone who saw the fire they just saw two kids out of a whole class who are left and decided to pin it on them. Now he must survive the whole summer in his fenced in yard. Trying to avoid the groups of people walking by yelling and throwing rocks, prove himself innocent, and forget about this whole mess. All he has to comfort him is a notebook, witch he writes in everyday, and Preston his cat. In One of the Survivors, Susan Shaw does a great job of getting in Joeys’ head and letting you know what is going on up there. The book is a journal kept by Joey, she does a good job of keeping you captivated with the question “is Joey innocent?” The main theme for the book is stick to what you know is right and don’t be affected by others. Through out the whole book Joey is always questioning if what he know is right. Maureen and his father have this same question later in the book as well. “Don’t listen to them, they just want an explanation for what happened. You know you didn’t do it so who cares what they say.”- Joeys Father always says to pick his sons sprit up when he is questioning himself. Over all I believe that this was a good book, its not one of the best ones I have read but its certainly not the worst. I recommend this book to students in middle school and above because of the fact that it deals with death and it is in the form of a journal.
Gym Candy
Have you ever wanted to be bigger, faster, stronger? Carl Deuker explores the dark corners of football and weight lifting in his novel, Gym Candy is a story about Mick Johnson, a young football player who discovers the pressures and failures of high school football while the weight of his dad’s failures and expectations are on his shoulders. Mick will do anything to impress his dad. But he is freshman on a varsity squad and is struggling at adjusting to a faster and stronger game.
In the beginning of the season Mick hardly plays and his dad doesn’t even care about his games, his dad wont show up to the games anymore. One day at practice right before the playoffs Coach Downs announces that the starting running back has been kicked off the team because he was caught at a party drinking. That the coach tells Mick he’s got the starting position. Later that night Mick goes home and tells his dad the great news but his dad isn’t very excited he tells Mick “its about time” which really upsets Mick, but he wont tell his dad because he doesn’t want to disappoint him. At a very critical point in the end of the game, in the first play off game Mick is stopped one yard short of the goal line on fourth down and the season is now over. Naturally Mick puts the weight of the loss on his shoulder, like any real athlete, but now the pressure from the loss and all that pressure from his dad is really adding up and taking a toll on Mick’s mental health. Now Mick decides working hard isn’t enough anymore he has got to find a way to get bigger, faster, stronger. He sees a guy in the back of the gym who he is heard some stuff about, he decides to go talk to him and he doesn’t know what he is about to get himself into.
This novel is a great example of a young mans struggle to grow up in his dads shadow and expectations. And what happens when he doesn’t fulfill his father’s expectations and falls a little short. I think this is the very best book I have ever read I recommend it to anybody, especially football players. This book has action, drama, suspense, glory and failure all wrapped up in it. Its brutally honest and can relate to many parts of life.
-Ryan
Percy must find his enemy Luke in order to stop him from reviving the evil Titan Lord Kronos from the depths of Tartarus. When Percy goes into the labyrinth he meets a few new friends that are important in beating Kronos in the war that is inevitable. Percy also meets so many enemies that they will eventually make his world collapse around him and his friends. Percy must trust some of his arch rivals at camp in order to succeed in The Battle of The Labyrinth.
Rick Riordan makes all his books in the Percy Jackson series exciting and makes you want to read them all through the night. The Battle of The Labyrinth is the fourth book in the Percy Jackson series and is the best out of the five. The Battle of the Labyrinth is a gripping book with action, adventure, comedy, and even a little romance for those who want it. Percy Jackson is the main character and is narrating throughout the whole book.
I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. This is a great read for all ages. I would not suggest this book if you do not like action, but if you do this is the book for you. If you want a good book to read make it this book.
Jake
6th
Casey, 2nd hour, Ms. Lovi
Imagine a world where your parents could have you’re body harvested and stripped of all its blood, skin, organs, hair, everything! They would have you preserved and donated to those who need the parts, and claim that somehow, you’re still “alive”. Imagine if they could have you Unwound. The book Unwind, by Neil Shusterman, is an incredible, exciting, action packed, sci-fi thriller. The three main characters, Connor, Risa, and Lev all find that they’re different, but drawn together by their tales of tragedy. All of them are sent to be unwound, and all of them managed to escape, whether it be by kidnapping a kid on his way to being unwound and causing a highway calamity, escaping a crashed bus, or befriending an outlaw. The three travel across the country, not knowing how or where they will end up. Will they survive until they are safe at their eighteenth birthday? The Answer can be found within the pages of this sci-fi masterpiece!
I found myself on the edge of my seat the whole time. Towards the end, I actually put an hour or two of my time aside to read this book. I found it very interesting, but that constant feeling of “what is going to happen next?” was always lingering in my mind. This book is great for a reader who likes a good thrill. But is also not afraid to explore the rather unexplainable part of the human imagination. The world Shusterman depicted is so vivid, yet so obscure, once you understand what is going on, its almost as if it were real, when actually it is extremely far from reality. I was very pleased with this book and cant wait to read more from this incredible author.
Maddie
2nd hour
Imagine; being separated from your mom because she has a sickness you’re not sure if she’ll die from or not, being alone with your dying grandpa because you have no one else to watch over you, hearing all about how everyone and anyone is dying from yellow fever all across America. The book Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson, takes its readers through the story of Mattie Cook’s adventure of yellow fever. Mattie Cook is only 14 when her mother gets yellow fever and has to move out of Philadelphia. Mattie goes to leave Philadelphia, but her and her grandfather run into many problems which leaves them unable to make it out of Philadelphia. As the story progresses, Mattie gets yellow fever and her grandfather dies. This story takes its reader through the rough life of a 14 year old who isn’t sure what to do anymore. But she has to stay strong, to make sure she can find her mother and keep her coffee shop open.
Anderson’s writing style is mostly modern, it has a few eighteenth century words here and there, but for the most part its’ modern. My reading experience of this book was pretty quick, I read this story in about a week and I absolutely loved it. I would definitely rate this book a 9 out of 10 because I wish it was longer or at least had a sequel! This book satisfied me completely and I would like to read more books that are like this. I recommend this book to people who are looking for a story that is heartbreaking but is also very uplifting at the same time. Fever really makes its reader think about how lucky they have it.
Unwind
“Tell him you won’t unwind him!.. Tell him! Tell him now!” What is unwinding? Why is it such a big deal? In the time period of this book ‘Unwind’ by Neal Shusterman, parents have the choice to “get rid of” there kid. They can decide until the child is eighteen. When they are eighteen they are safe. “Unwind” tells the story of Connor, Risa, and Lev. They all have something in common. They are seventeen and are being unwound.
In the book they face many obstacles and manage to escape all of them, except for one event that wasn’t planned out. They end up becoming a team for a little while. After a couple days and months they all find there way into a series of safe houses. These safe houses will take them to the graveyard. In the graveyard they all find there own special place.
One thing leads to another and they end up at Happy Jack Harvest Camp. The last place they would ever want to be. Themes of this book are luck, fate, and destiny. Every act they make will affect them. The characters all find a way to manipulate their actions into getting what they want. One crucial act, not thought out, may cost them their soul.
This book is good at keeping the action going. Some parts of the book are to long and extensive. I would recommend this book to people who like an intense journey and a reason for it.
-noel
1st hour
POP
-Matt, 2nd hour, Mrs. Lovi
“ Crash! They didn’t see it happen, but the sound was unmistakable. When they got to the fence, there sat the football: in the passenger seat of a Toyota Camry, clearly visible through the shattered side window.” POP is a terrific book written by Gordon Korman. This is about a boy in high school trying out for the varsity football team as a quarterback. Marcus just moved from Kansas, where he was the star quarterback for his old high school. Marcus goes to a park called, Three Alarm Park, where he meets a middle-aged man named Charlie. He starts to play catch with Charlie and finds out that he is very good at throwing and very good at tackling. Later on Marcus meets a cheerleader named Alyssa who he really likes. He knows that she likes him. Troy starts to dislike Marcus because of this. Then, Marcus finds out who Charlie really is and Marcus gets more use to his new high school and makes the starting quarterback for The Raiders.
Korman writes this action packed football story as the reader. He also has short, very detailed, chapters. When I had to read in class, I almost couldn’t go to my next class it was so good. Korman can really write novels that engage the reader in every chapter. In POP, all twenty- eight chapters were the same; they were terrific. The creativity of Korman’s writing is amazing. Especially, when he talks about the football going through the Camry’s window and about the “pop”. Readers can really see actual pictures in their heads from those little captions of the book.
I would rate this book as an eight and a half out of ten. I would really recommend this book to male sports players, especially football players. Have a fun and enjoyable time reading POP.
V.C. Andrews has written numerous novels for many years. They have been beautifully written with passion and tremendously good plots. If There Be Thorns is a novel about the truths behind our complicated world and its impact on the people involved. The Dollangers are back! Catherine and Chris Dollanger, a stunningly beautiful couple, now parents of two, are tested with the problems and shocks of raising a family. Bart and Harry Dollanger, the sons of Cathy and Chris, face the cruelties of life knowing that the true marriage bond their parents had created was a sin. Harry is paralyzed from a tragic fall while pursuing the dreams of his mother for ballet. Bart Is a naturally angry child growing upto be just as livid knowing about the nasty truth between their parents. Throughout the story, Harry falls in and out of love. But who will really accept him for who he is and ignore the tragedy struck upon his past? Will Bart ever get over the thought of what his mother did to his biological father?
Andrews has written this sequel in a way which ends up touching millions of hearts. The story of the Dollanger family is so complex with its twisted tragedies and mindful mishaps. In the book, Andrews includes notes written to and from Cathy to her husband. To keep the story captivating, each chapter is put through a different person’s perspective. This tale ends with the gaining, and losing of love, trust and faith. This story is so remarkably written; it will not let you down. Throughout all of your typical mysteries and romance novels, this is one that is definitely on top of the list. Read If There Be Thorns to unlock the secrets of the Dollanger family.
Nida 2nd Hour
Johnny-1
Dope Sick by Walter Dean Myers
“I felt like just taking the gun out and throwing it away and giving up so I could get the mess over with.” It all began when all Lil J’s stress is gathering up, Stealing drugs, and doing whatever he can to dig up some money. There Lil J’s friend Rico pops in and introduces Lil J to the big world of quick money. Everything is supposed to be done nice and simple, but then one dope deal goes wrong. “I felt like crying, like just running down the street and letting them shoot me-anything and everything at the same time.” With a gun shot to the arm, Lil J ends up trapped in an abandoned crack house
where he meets a puzzling man named Kelly who then shows Lil J a very disturbing channel on the television. Is Lil J seeing the future? Or is Lil J just going insane?
Throughout the story Lil J continuously gets into more and more trouble and does not solve his problems, but instead just try’s to runaway from them which shows he chooses escape over fate. Walter Dean Myers generally is a great author. He has a great writing style by how he uses his language and gets the reader glued into the book. Throughout Walter Dean Myers’ books he always uses great description and trys his best to specify things as mostly as possible. The creativity level is by far superior than others, he produces realistic depictions that feel very pragmatic that also relate to true events in his lifetime.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this astonishing book and never was disappointed. Walter Dean Myers’ books are like magnets because there is never unexciting or uninteresting events. This book would most commonly be recommended for males because of the violence. Dope Sick is an incredible book that will keep readers on the edge of their seats!
Into the wild
Have you ever felt adventurous? Well then you’ll love Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer. The story of Chris McCandless and his trips hitchhiking around the United States. After collage he wants to live his life on the road. His adventure starts when he losses his car in a mud slide driving around a national park. After this event he has this crazy idea about hitchhiking his way all the way to Alaska. He burns all his money and his wallet and goes under a new name Alexander Supertramp. His journeys will take him down the Colorado river in to Mexico in a canoe and all around the western parts of the united states. He get jobs every now and then to get a little cash to help keep him supplied for his journey. One time he got a job with an old friend in Fargo, North Dakota working at a grain elevator. Once he gets enough money he feels like it is time to head towards Alaska. Once he gets there he knows he wants to live off the land but he doesn’t know how to do it. This story explain what happens to Chris McCandless before his eventually death in northern part of Denali National park.
This book is a true story of Chris McCandless. This story is written in small segment of other peoples account that all fit together like a puzzle. The places he goes, the people he meets and they all think he is crazy but they grown fond of him. I liked the way the story explains why Chris wanted to live the way he did, free and open. I personally like this book because of the man’s adventurous state of mind. I recommend that you read this book, it is consider to be a great book and II agree with that. If you ever feel like picking up a good wilderness survival book or a book about traveling the open road this book would work great for both.
Hector 1st
Dreamland By: Sarah Dessen
Angelica, 6th Hour
“I looked back down at the picture, at Rogerson’s eyes, remembering again how dark almost black, they’d seemed the night he hit me.” In Dreamland, Caitlin is the second child, and her parents pay an excessive amount of attention to her older sister, Cass. But when Cass runs away, Caitlin is put on a pedestal that she cannot reach up to. To make her mother happy and proud again, Caitlin tries out for the cheerleading team and makes it. Everyone now thinks that she is the “new” and “improved” Cass, but she hates having to be compared to her sister each day. Ever since her sister left, she feels in need of someone by her side. When she met Rogerson at a party, she feels as if he is different from anyone she has ever known. Rogerson is a dark mysterious, secretive type of a person. He is a very impatient person who cannot stand the thought of him being stood up. When they start dating everything is going well, until the night of Caitlin’s award ceremony. Rogerson got impatient and when she said jokingly “Atop being a cry baby.” It put such rage in him he hit her. She did not know what to do, what to say. She can’t tell her mom because she is afraid if she does she will never see him again. She feels that if she loses him she would not be the same without him. Why would someone so innocent want something so dangerous?
“You see something scary; you should stand up and step toward it, not away from it. Instinctively, reflexively, in a raging fury.” –Lee Child, a famous British actor and author. In Dreamland, fear is a major theme. Both Caitlin and Rogerson are afraid to see an ending come to their relationship. Caitlin is afraid of being alone since her sister left, afraid that her mother is going to go insane knowing Cass is gone, afraid that she won’t be loved like her sister was, and afraid of losing Rogerson forever. Same goes for Rogerson; he’s afraid that Caitlin knows too much of his life, afraid that she’ll leave him, and that no one will understand his life like she does. In one of the chapters when Caitlin was looking at a picture she took of Rogerson, her teacher told her “It looks like you know him a little better than he’d like you to.” The meaning behind this is Rogerson has a secret and Caitlin is close to figuring it/him out, and he does not want her to find out. I loved that the author was so strong and clear with her choice in words in this book. One thing I did not like is that the ending of the book is a cliffhanger, and when your reading it you expect there to be another to follow along with Caitlin’s life, but there isn’t. This book is a dramatic, but sad story, it is so detailed you will be screaming out of frustration.
Jamie Tausend
Mrs. Lovi
1st hour, English
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to cover the Super Bowl as a reporter? Well Susan Carol Anderson and Stevie Thomas do. In the book Cover Up by John Feinstein, Stevie Thomas and Susan Carol are fourteen-year old reporters who cover all of the big sporting events. Susan Carol and Stevie get calls cover the Super Bowl; Susan Carol is a TV star and Stevie is a journalist in the TV business. When they get to the Super Bowl Susan Carol is invited to an exclusive party where she meets one of the team’s doctors. The doctor was drunk and told Susan Carol that his team had tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Once Susan Carol heard this she told Stevie. Stevie and Susan Carol then met the team’s quarterback (Eddie Brennan). Stevie, Susan Carol, and Eddie go on a mission to keep the team’s good reputation and save Eddie’s reputation.
Feinstein keeps the action going from chapter to chapter. He likes to create images in your head as you read further and further into the story. Such as when he describes Eddie Brennan “Eddie was a good looking guy, with feint beard and a nice haircut.” With all the images that Feinstein creates it was easy to follow the book and to picture the city that the kids were in. The reading experience was magnificent. Feinstein has created a story where readers didn’t have to assume anything. For example readers don’t have to assume what’s going on or what does this person look like? Every word had equal importance in describing something, like when describing the city or the characters. If you like stories that are fast-paced, vivid and are about sports then I highly recommend this book. This book will change the way readers view big sporting events and how tough a reporter’s job can be during these big sporting events
Blake McNamara
“ I now walk into the wild.” These were the closing words in a postcard by Chris McCandless to Wayne Westerberg. In fact these are the last words Wayne Westerberg will hear from Chris. Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a true story about a young man, Chris McCandless, who goes on a journey. Walt and Billie McCandless are Chris’s parents who later Chris becomes angry with. Lastly Carine McCandless is Chris’s sister who Chris was very close with. Chris Leaves his family and friends in Atlanta and travels around the United States, including Mexico. The book follows the travels of Chris McCandless through the 1980’s and 1990’s. On his journey he meets a man named Wayne Westerberg who lives in Carthage, South Dakota. When Chris was in Carthage Westerberg employed him and they became good friends. Forgiveness is important in the book. McCandless was a very compassionate person, who cannot ignore the fact that people are starving and he feels a personal responsibility to help them. Yet his actions are selfish and cause a great deal of pain to the people that love him most. Especially his parents who he was never able to forgive. The authors Writing style was hard to follow and I was very confused with some of the text in the book. I give him credit though he is a very creative writer. I Thought it was a good book, it was written very well. The only problem for me was it was of very high reading level. I would recommend this book to a college student or a senior in high school.
Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy, has produced a sequel titled Catching Fire. Catching Fire takes place after Katniss had won the Hunger Games for her district, along with Peeta, the baker’s son. Katniss has been showing fake affection toward Peeta, for publicity reasons, although she pretty much despises him. Deep inside, I believe that she has feelings for her long time childhood friend, Gale. Gale is just a normal townsperson in their city, but gale likes to go hunting. Leaving the city limits is not allowed, but gale likes to take chances. A few times a week, gale will sneak out of the city and do some hunting in the forest with Katniss. Before the hunger games, and before anything happened, Katniss was just like any other person in the town. She used the time she spent hunting with Gale to get food for her family. But now that Katniss lives in a certain part of town, the rich part, and has a huge house, she has all of the food that she could ever need. Her and Gale don't see each other as much, and they grow apart a little.
At the end of the first book in the series, Katniss defies the Capitol and this really just starts a rebellion. Life becomes completely unstable in the other districts. Not too far into the book, Katniss gets a visit from the president of all the districts, President Snow. He comes to tell Katniss that she needs to "Dampen the rebellion, or the ones you love will be hurt". This stirs Katniss up internally, and she starts thinking about what she can do.
Although I thought this book was ok, I would not recommend it to anyone who hasn't read the first book, The Hunger Games. If you do not read the first book, and try to read the second, you will be lost because there is vital information missing. Overall, I believe that Catching Fire, was a terrible book compared to The Hunger Games, because it just dragged on at times, and was pretty much impossible to read if you didn’t read the first book in the series. Even if you did read the first one, it was still rather difficult to understand. Hopefully the author, Suzanne Collins, will be able to pull it back together with the next book Mocking Jay which I have yet to read.
-Chris
Book Review for A Thousand Splendid Suns “Then Leila struck the wall. Crashed to the ground, on her face and arms, a shower of dirt and pebbles and glass. The last thing she was aware of was seeing something thud to the ground nearby. A bloody chunk of something. On it, the tip of a red bridge poking through the thick fog.” This is only the beginning of the decisive situation that the two women Laila and Mariam are in. In the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Mariam is a girl who is in deep poverty in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her journey begins when her mother dies. Laila is a middle class girl living in Kabul as well. Her journey begins when her house is bombed. This is where these ladies paths cross. Both of them betrothed to a man name Rasheed. This brings up the theme which is to never give up no matter how bad the situation gets. This is the suggested theme to me because both girls are stuck upon horrible situations, and yet they keeping on fighting no matter how bad it got for them. But then comes the accident that changes both of their lives dramatically. I think that this book is an amazing story of men and women fighting for their lives in the midst of war. At the beginning of the book it dragged a bit, but as it went on I gained more and more interest towards it. The author really put creativity into this book by all of the bonds created and all of the scenarios that go on at once between the two different girls. I would definitely suggest this book for a higher level reader because it is a somewhat difficult read but very intriguing. - Alex 1st Hour
Marine Sniper by Charles Henderson. Biography.
What would it be like to experience a war such as Vietnam? The air would be humid, there would be a scorching heat, and there would be battle everywhere you step foot. Carlos Hathcock experienced this on a daily basis in the true story Marine Sniper written by Charles Henderson. This book depicts the life of Carlos Hathcock as a Marine Sniper in the Vietnam War. Hathcock’s life story is very fascinating and is well interpreted by Charles Henderson. Charles Henderson writes so that the book has a fast pace. However, it is not too fast to where the reader cannot keep up. This is a very strong technique Henderson used because it flows very well. The only time there is the slightest confusion is when he would give a few flashbacks of Hathcock's previous life. The flashbacks range from Hathcock’s child life to his relationship with his wife. This approach is very intriguing because now the reader can see the war aspect to his life and the personal side of his life through the clever usage of flashbacks. In addition to the author’s style of writing, in Marine Sniper the reader can learn what skills Carlos Hathcock acquired as a true marksman. He is known for having his “93 confirmed kills” a very impressive statistic for the marksman. However, that’s just one fascinating statistic. Hathcock has had a good eye for shooting since he was a child. He would go hunting with a .22 rifle and rarely fail to bring back food. The book clearly states, “Today, he hunted the Japanese, much the way he stalked squirrels and rabbits with his J. C. Higgins .22-caliber, single-shot rifle, which he had gotten for his tenth birthday. He rarely missed a shot.” The reader will be not be disappointed with this book due to the very interesting stories of Carlos Hathcock. The theme of Marine Sniper is that even the most brute men still have a heart of gold. This theme is clearly seen when the book gives the reader flashes of Carlos Hathcock’s life. Almost any reader would enjoy this book especially if the reader enjoys biographies of war heroes. I personally would recommend this book to anyone. -Curtis 1st hour
Nick
Period 1
The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven By Alex and Kevin Malarkey Book Review
“Kevin, I don’t think Alex made it. I think that Alex has gone to be with Jesus. I am so sorry, brother.” Kevin and Alex Malarkey were driving home from church one Sunday morning together, so Kevin, Alex’s dad, decided to surprise Alex and take him to the park for being a good boy and going to church. After going to the park, they decided to take a short cut. They were very unfamiliar with the area, and when coming to a intersection it appeared that no other cars were crossing, or so Kevin Malarkey thought. When crossing the intersection, another collided into the side of their car which sent Kevin ejecting out of the car, and severely injured Alex.
“Then I looked to the front passenger seat, and the devil was looking into my eyes. He said, “Yeah, that’s right, your daddy is dead, and it’s your fault. I went to Heaven shortly after the car hit us, but I am not sure of the exact moment I actually left my body. I do know that when I was in Heaven, everything was perfect.” Alex even though he is only seven he is a very spiritual person when it comes to his religion. He experiences a very tragic situation that not many of us get to face in our life time. However, Alex came back from death and now he shares
his story of life and death. What happens after death? Read it to find out.
This true story is told mainly by Kevin Malarkey, but Alex also has multiple inserts in the book. However, Alex only writes about his experiences with God, and death. This book was life changing for my belief in the Christian faith. It made me believe that even more strongly that Jesus is real and that I don’t have to be afraid to die, because there is a afterlife. I would rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars, because there were some parts in the book that dragged on, but overall any believer in the Christian faith, should read The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven, by Kevin and Alex Malarkey.
Monster Blood Tattoo
By: D. M. Cornish
Cornish has written an amazing book for fantasy readers. In Monster Blood Tattoo , Rossamünd is a boy with a girl’s name, the hero of the story who doesn’t have the best of luck, but never gives up. Rossamünd is an orphan who just got hired by the Emperor as a Lamplighter. But on the day he was supposed to leave for his new job he got on the wrong boat. which set every thing into motion It starts when he meets Europe, a monster fighter with magical powers, and again everything heads downhill from there. Corinth’s book is amazing.
Corinth writes a page turning book that will captivate any fantasy reader in a second. He helps readers visualize the characters by giving them a sketch that shows what any new character introduced looks like. Corinth makes Rossamünd a character who doesn’t share the same viewpoint as everybody else does about monsters to the point where he feels sympathy for them, which is a crime. He is more of a undecided character. Which helps solidify the greatness of this book.
Only people who like to read fantasy books should read this book. I have read a fantasy book that was quite like this, it is amazing. This book will be known as one of the best fantasy books in a long time. If you like reading fantasy and have never read this book read it now.
Ian 2 hour
A Rose for Melinda by Lurlene McDaniel
Lurlene McDaniel has written three marvelous love stories. Those stories are Don’t Die, My love, I’ll Be Seeing You, and A Rose for Melinda. The book I read which is A Rose For Melinda really captures the picture of what true love is. McDaniel has a great form of writing when she brings in different formats and different ages of people in love. She also shows how its possible to fall in love when you’re so young. In A Rose for Melinda, two youngsters fall in love at such a young age of eight years old. Through the entire story Jesse and Melinda send letters and emails to eachother. But once Jesse moves to California, who knows how much longer that love will last. It will be a long time until they see eachother again. Melinda and Jesse don’t see eachother for a very long time but they still try to stay in touch. All of the sudden, Melinda is diagnosed with leukemia. No one knows if she will live or die. Jesse is left on edge because he can’t see her and all he can do to help her is talk to her on the phone and help her through the devastating situation. McDaniel really does a great job with this story A Rose for Melinda. I really recommend reading this because it opens your heart to new things and gives you a better understanding of what love really is and how it can save lives.
Kat 2nd
Brittnie Martino
Lovi
2nd hour
Rough Draft
In the book Sold by Patricia McCormick, “Simply endure to triumph” are words that 13 year-old Lakshmi from Nepal lives by. Lakshmi is told she will become a maid in the big city and takes a long trip with her new “auntie” to the city. But, when Lakshmi is taken to “Happiness House” she soon learns that she will not be a maid. Mumtaz, the owner of Happiness House is a harsh sex brothel ruler. At Happiness House, life is almost never happy, and is filled with a life that no one wants to live. Sold is one of my new favorite books, but it is not for people who are over emotional. At many points, I felt like crying for Lakshmi and I’m a pretty strong person when it comes to reading books. Patricia McCormick’s writing style was wonderful because it was in poetry format, so, it was easy to read page by page and not want to skip anything. To read Sold you don’t have to really be deeply engaged, but, it just happens because the book is so interesting. McCormick didn’t really have to put any creativity into the book because it was a mash-up of true stories, but, I really became attached to Lakshmi’s personality. As previously stated, Sold truly is a great book, I highly recommend it. Although, I would only recommend it to people who are strong enough to handle it because it gives you nightmares about what life would be like being her.
Brittnie, 2nd hour.
Paper Towns
Imagine the intensity of trying to find a lost friend as fast as you can in a race against time, when no one knows why she ran away. This is what happens in Paper Towns by John Green. This book takes place in modern day Orlando, Florida. The main character, Quentin, is a smart senior in high school who used to have a friend named Margo Roth Spiegalman. Margo is one of the main characters in this book and she is a popular girl in high school. Margo was always a mischievous girl and always seemed to be finding a way to get herself in trouble. She ran away two weeks before senior graduation and no one knows why. Quentin has two dorky best friends; their names are Radar and Ben. They are both dorky kids who are helping Quentin find Margo with the clues that she left him.
Thnight before she disappears, Margo sneaks into Quentin’s room around midnight and tells him to get in his car. Margo then gets Quentin to take her around the town so she can prank her friends. Margo seemed to hate her friends because they always fought and made rumors about each other. Towards the end of the night they break into one of the tallest buildings in Orlando, which is wear Margo finally explains to Quentin what she thinks a paper town is Margo says, “You See how fake it all is. It’s not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It’s a paper town. I mean look at it Q: look at all those cul-de-sacs, those streets that turn in on themselves, all of the houses that were built to fall apart.” It shows how she does not like how things are and wants to leave to other places. After a night of pranks and breaking into an aquarium for fun, everyone realizes that on the next school day Margo isn’t there anymore. Margo had planned out how she could get away from Orlando and go to a town she feels she belongs in, because she had always described Orlando as a paper town, where there was no individuality. Margo had always loved mysteries ever since she was a small child, like the time she and Quentin found a dead man in the forest. She always wanted to run away and have people try to find her, like it was a game, but this time it wasn’t.
In the book, Paper Towns, by John Green, the theme is to always keep trying no matter how hard it gets. I think this is the theme because it took weeks for Quentin to find Margo and he had to follow the little clues she left behind. The strengths in this book are that there is always something very exciting or funny about to happen that keeps you entertained. The weakness would have to be that for a while when Quentin was just reading clues, it seemed to slow the pace of the book down a lot and there was little action. I would recommend this book to a reader that loves mysteries and a strong story of friends in high school that go through a lot for each other.
Andy-1
The death of Jason Porter
The smell of disgusting nail polish, overwhelming Florida heat, and the brutality of a drunken mother. this explains the life that Jason porter is living. in this book there are a few major characters. The major character is Jason Porter. Jason is constantly being abused by his mother because she is always drunk. Jason’s mom, Jason’s mom is a drunk hooker looking for sex and drugs. she abuses Jason till he thinks he’s going to kill himself. Jason’s Dad, Jason’s dad is a very unique Character, he’ very skinny because he cant keep himself from smoking and doing drugs. This story takes place in the Florida projects and jay is abused every other day. Jayson gets abused so much that he thinks of killing himself. “as I walked outside I ran my hand over the smooth, cold railing thinking of what it would be like to fly to heaven” this is a quote from Jayson’s perspective after his mom brutally beat him. the theme of this book is horror because we don’t know what goes on in other places in the world. when I read this book I was horrified to find out how this boy was treated but I still couldn’t put the book down because it was so good. the authors style of writing is very different form other authors. he writes as if the book is a poem but at the same time it isn’t. he makes the perspective seem like it is actually from Jayson Porter. I would recommend this book to people who want to read a good thriller and just an overall good book. mostly I would recommend this book to people who like those books about everyday life that they don’t know about.
-john 2nd hour
Luke Lovi period 2
I Love You Beth Cooper
“Thanks. You hit me with your car. That was pretty cool.” Larry Doel created a masterpiece when he wrote the story I Love You Beth Cooper. The year is 2007. The location is Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Dennis, a senior in high school, is going through the tough times of puberty while trying to impress the girls he loves. He has a lot of acne, he sweats profusely, and he has very few friends. The one thing he has going for him is that he is very smart. As the valedictorian of his high school graduation class he has to give a graduation speech. It was one nobody would ever forget. Standing there, giving a speech he does not want to give, he does something that will change his life forever. “I love you, Beth Cooper” Dennis announces during his commencement speech. She is the head cheerleader, the most popular girl in school, and his one true love. The crowd goes quiet as everyone’s eyes are fixated on Dennis. The thing is though; Beth Cooper did not even know Dennis existed until that moment. Dennis, the geeky fellow he is, tries his hardest to be cool when he talks to Beth for the first time in the hallway at school after the ceremony. Dennis gets up the nerve and awkwardly invites Beth to his house for a party later that night. That night Dennis and his best friend, Rich, wait anxiously for Beth’s arrival. When Beth arrives Dennis does not realize what he is getting into when he answers the door. A night ensues that Dennis will never forget in this hilarious comedy. Parties, fights, romance, and numerous awkward situations await Dennis as he learns that Beth Cooper is not the girl he thought she was.
Doel was very creative in his storytelling by showing an illustration of Dennis and how his look changes throughout each chapter such as showing his mosquito bites as well as his black eye. He also made Dennis a very likable character. You cringe whenever he would embarrass himself and smile whenever he would do something brave or cool. Doel has Dennis be more than just your smart, nerdy kid. Dennis is a very relatable character who I grew to admire. Though this was a very funny book, I really wish that Doel would have had a much more interesting plot because it was very predictable.
In my opinion, the book, I Love You Beth Cooper, is a little dry and needs a little more pizzazz. All in all, I thought that I Love You Beth Cooper was a great book that I would recommend to people of all ages who love a good laugh.
Lauren 6th hour
Lovi
“How can fifteen year old Liz let go of the only life she has ever known and embrace a new one? Is it possible that a life lived in reverse is no different than a life lived forward?” In Elsewhere Main character, Elizabeth Marie Hall, also known as Liz, dies in a hit and run car accident and ends up on a cruise ship sailing to a world named Elsewhere. The problem is she isn’t aware that she is dead until she watches her funeral like a TV show. Surprisingly, Liz’s favorite band’s lead singer, Curtis Jest, ends up on the same boat, which helps comfort Liz in such a confusing time. When Liz arrives in Elsewhere she is greeted by her grandmother, Betty, whom she has never met, and to her surprise her grandmother is in her thirties because in Elsewhere people age backwards. Liz isn’t exactly planning to befriend anyone until she meets Owen, who Liz grows quite fond of!
The book’s main theme is to move forward into the future but never forget the past. Liz tries moving forward into a new life in Elsewhere, but she can’t help but look back at her old life. Most people in Elsewhere also struggle with this problem, seeing that it’s a hard adjustment going from living on earth, to the afterlife in Elsewhere! There was much strength in this book. To start with, I loved each dynamic character because of their strong emotions. I enjoyed this because some characters tend to be more static in other books. The characters all were going through such a hard time and Zevin really portrayed their emotions well! I loved Zevin’s way of writing. She used such brilliant vocabulary and always had an interesting way of looking at situations, everyone in Elsewhere looked at dying and being there like it was a great thing. Seeing that the emotions had to be so complex it must have been difficult. Zevin’s view of the afterlife was really cool to read about because you never really hear many alternatives for heaven and hell. I couldn’t wait to finish the book, in a good way! It always had a new obstacle popping up, you just had to keep going! But what will happen when Liz has the choice to go back and live on earth or stay in the afterlife world called Elsewhere? Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin.
Angie 6th hour
Just Listen Book Review
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Dessen, has written a heart opening novel for young adults. Just Listen depicts the hard life of a High School teenager. The book follows Annabel Greene as she endures the hardships of being a full-time model, an ex-best friend who is out to get her and a new found relationship with an unexpected person. Owen Armstrong was just a person Annabel sat near at lunch and admired from a far until he helped her when she needed it. Owen has a Sunday morning radio show of unusual music and is the last person Annabel thought she would end up kissing in a carwash. Annabel struggles with finding herself after the worst summer of her life. She realizes the only person she needs to be is herself. Owen has an obsession with music and it rubs off on Annabel. After he gives her a pile of CD’s he tells her “’… don’t think, or judge. Just listen.’ ‘And then what?’ ‘And then,’ he said, ‘you can make up your mind.’”
The authors writing style is unique. She tells the story in the present and flashes back until the whole story is put together. Dessen writes the book from the perspective of Annabel.. The book left me satisfied, it had a good closing and it made reading it worth while.
I would recommend this book to a young adult girl. Reading this novel will give you a different outlook on the lives of the popular girls or the girls that seem to have it all because she was pretty, popular and a model. This book will change you for the better
Net Force: The Deadliest Game
By: Tom Clancy
Are online computer games really that safe? In this book your life is on the line when it comes to this computer game. The main characters in this book are Megan O'Malley and Leif Anderson. Megan and Leif are being sent in to the world of Sarxos to investigate the game. Megan and Leif is investigating strange things such as certain players computers being destroyed by people who break into their houses, to keep them from becoming too good. Chris Rodriguez, the creator of the game does not want others to be better than him so he sends people to stop the players before it happens. It is up to Megan and Leif to stop the burglars before they do more than just destroy computers. “Nothing is worse than believing a lie,” said Mr. Winters. That is the theme of this book because if Megan or Leif believes something that is not true their whole investigation with be wrong.
Clancy has a unique style when it comes to his writing. He is very descriptive when he introduces a new character. The thing like most about his writing is that he always lets the reader know the setting. Another good thing about his writing is that it is easy to follow most of the time. Very few times I have to reread something because I did not know what was going on. One thing that I do not like about his writing is that there might be to many things going on at one time.
I recommend this book for anyone who is into mysteries. I would recommend this more to guys, even though almost every character is a girl, because it is about computer games. If you are a girl that loves mysteries then you might also like this book. I give Net Force a three and a half out of five stars.
Michael-6
Rory 6th Hour
Quarter 3 Book Review Deadline
What if you found out you only had one year left to live? What would you do? How would you react? Ben Wolf is in this situation in Deadline by Chris Crutcher. It is his senior year in high school, and he wantws to put his mark on his school.. Ben has just been diagnosed with a rare blood disease and refuses any treatment. He doesn’t want to live his last year hooked up to a bunch of machines and is ready to do whatever he wants. “I’m blessed with nothing to lose.” This book sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not set it down. I could feel that Crutcher could relate to me or any other teenager. I thought the book was amazing. His overall creativity and detail was superb. Not to mention it teaches you some life lessons such as to live everyday as if it were your last. Overall, the book deserves a ten out of ten. It was an exciting and fun book to read and you will enjoy the characters and their personality. I would recommend this book to fans of drama, comedy, and sports. All in all, Crutcher did a wonderful job on Deadline and you need to pick it up today.
Num8ers
What would you do if you were able to see the date people will die? If you could just look into their eyes and see their fate? In the book Num8ers by Rachel Ward, a girl named Jem (a dark sided girl) acquired this special power. Early on in the book, when Jem was little, she noticed that her mother died the day that she was supposed to, the date in Jems head. “As we sat there eye-to-eye, her number was there, stamped on the inside of my skull: 10102001. Four years later, I watched a man in a scruffy suit write it down on a piece of paper: Date of Death: 10.10.2001.” Ever since her mom’s death, Jem has been living with her aunt, still seeing the numbers. As Jem moves on to high school, she meets this guy named Spider. She does not want to become close to him though, because she notices that his death date is coming up soon. However, Jem starts to grow fond of Spider and they start to like each other. One day they go to downtown London, and Jem noticies that everybody around her has the same death date, 12082010. She and Spider rush away from the area, which later explodes into pieces. Jem and Spider later realize that the explosion was caused by a terrorist attack, and that they have been spotted fleeing the area, people assumed that it was them who set of the bomb. This event leads Jem and Spider on a journey across the country while stealing cars and embarking on dangerous terrain, trying to evade police and stay incognito, all of when Spiders death date is getting closer and closer. Can Jem and Spider escape the police? Will Jem be able to save Spider from dying? Read the book to find out.
Throughout the book, Jem realizes that it is hard to keep a secret. Many times she becomes more weary of her ability, and ends up telling Spider. I would rate this book an 8 out of 10. This book is a compelling thriller with a lot of action and suspense, but gets hard to follow because it is written with a lot of British slang. I would recommend this book to an average high school reader. If you like reading suspenseful dramas, this is your book. Overall, this book is a great find and should be read by any student looking for a great read.
David-1
How would you feel if one of your biggest dreams came true? Good, right? Well, that’s what, blogger, Str-S-d thought too. But, it turns out that it’s not as great as the blogger would have expected. The book, Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser, describes how revenge isn’t always a great solution. What happens when the anonymous blogger’s dreams become a nightmare?
Wish You Were Dead takes place in the town of Soundview, where it is very quiet and safe. Nothing exciting really happens around there. This is Where Str-S-d begins blogging about wanting Lucy Cunningham, a popular girl, to disappear. One night, Lucy is at a party and she needs a ride home so she calls for a ‘Safe Ride’. Her friends, Madison and Tyler are sent to drive Lucy home. They decide to drop her off then leave before she is in her house; that’s when Lucy is snatched away in the dark. “ By the time she tried to scream, she’d taken a second breath, and the cry that left her throat, muffled by the rag, was so weak and faint that it sounded like the bleating of some distant forlorn animal.” The blogger continues to blog their wishes and they continue to come true while eventually, others are taken as well. The town becomes frantic, especially Madison because her closest friends are being taken away. She has to wonder if she will be next.
This book was chilling and it keeps the reader wanting more. The author’s writing was not too complex, but not too easy. It is absolutely balanced when it comes to word choices. The creativity was so good; it really kept the attention level strong. This book was very good towards the end and it was so twisted throughout the entire book. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good book, because it is creepy and exciting. It also contains romance and friendships as well.
-Daphne,1
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