The first book of the 39 clues series, is the one that got everyones perspective of this series completely changed. This book starts off when the Cahill kids, Amy and Dan find out there family's secrets. They learn about how their parents died for a clue to complete world power. When there Grand mother, Gracie Cahill is about to die, she changes her will to give Amy and Dan the first clue. They find out about all the different family branches and the hunt for world power. They run away from the rest of the families with their Au pair Nellie to where the first clue leads them to Paris, France. They discover the history of the branches and discover the dangers of the hunt.
This book really changed my perspective on this series. It really interested me in how it introduced the whole plot line. It started out dull but as i got deeper into the book, sub-plots began to intrest me. Since then I have read all the books in the series and they are still being written. People had told me that it wasn’t a good series but once i read this book, I couldn’t put it down. A very unique thing about this series is the fact that every book is written by a different author. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 because it had a real intense plot but it is probably a book 4th or 5th graders would read.
13 Gifts, by Wendy Mass Reviewed By Sammi B. 13 Gifts, a great book for anyone who wants to read about an amazing adventure! 13 Gifts is a book about a 12 (almost 13) year old girl named Tara Brennan. Tara embarks on a strange adventure in a town called Willow Falls. The story starts in Tara’s own town, where she is caught breaking into school and stealing a goat. She was sentenced to be suspended for the last two weeks of school. As if this wasn’t tragic enough, Tara’s parents decided not to take her with them to Madagascar for the summer. Instead, they sent her to their home town where she would stay with her aunt (Tara’s mom’s sister). On the train ride to Willow Falls someone on the train stole Tara’s bag which had a large amount of money inside. Tara knew that if her parents discovered that she lost the money, they would punish her severely, so she set out to get the same amount of money. Since no one would give her a job she decided to steal and then sell to the store clerk Angelina D’Angelo. Angelina knew that the item was stolen so she sent Tara on a giant scavenger hunt all over the town. If Tara failed, then she would be forced to tell the person who she stole from that she stole the object. The rating that I give is 5 out of 5 stars. I loved the book and I thought that it was well written and very entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an interesting story.
Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Hidden is the first book of the "Shadow Children" series. This book takes place in the not too far away future when the government enforces a law in the entire United States, that each family may ONLY have two children due to a famine. The Government controls all food. Those people who do not obey this law will have the population police after them. The penalty for being caught is DEATH. Luke Garner is a third child or a "Shadow Child" of the family and he has never gone to school or had any friends. The only place he can go to out of his house is his backyard. Once his parents are forced to sell the backyard of their farm to the government to build new houses Luke is not allowed out of his house or near windows. Luke is forced to eat all his meals in the attic staircase and is forbidden to go into the kitchen. The only way for Luke to see outside is through the air vent in his room and he sits in his bed reading books all day. The construction of the new houses being built becomes Luke's form of entertainment. As he watches the houses getting moved into and lived in, Luke sees the shadow of a child in a house that already has two children. Luke secretly runs to the house to see if it is a third child. It is, and her name is Jen Talbot! Jen explains to Luke that the government is wrong and they should protest! Jen's father works for the government as a population officer but secretly helps the shadow children stay safe, as he does with his own daughter. Jen invites Luke to a protest for shadow children but Luke refuses, too scared to go. The next week Luke finds out that something terrible happened to Jen along with every other shadow child in the protest. What could have happened? Will Luke ever be able to be free of his attic?
This book is another amazing book by Haddix and it is a great and easy read. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a great new series to start. I know that I loved this book so much I read almost the whole series after it. You should definitely read this book.
By Mike L
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, by Judy Blume
A classic in the eyes of many women and young girls, Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret is a story to remember. This book is special, because it shows the reality that many young people face to overcome family issues and other problems. Margaret deals with religious confusion which is hard for any child. With pressure from family about deciding how to approach her religion, and the terrors of growing up and hitting puberty, she looks to God for answers. I love this book because even though it is fictional it seems so real. This can happen to anyone. The reader gets sucked in to the story. When I finished, I felt like I had known Margaret for my entire life. I think adults would love this book, because they get an idea of what children go through. Many adults might also feel a connection to the character in the story, or to the plot line. Judy Blume was so creative and obviously knew about the subject of growing up as a girl. This is what makes the book even more special. Published in 1970, this book is still available today for many more young people to follow in Margaret’s footsteps.
By Allison.G
The Bad Beginning, By Lemony Snicket (Realistic Fiction)
The three main characters in this book are Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Two other characters are Count Olaf and Mr. Poe. Count Olaf is very mean and tries to hurt the children and steal their large fortune. On the other hand Mr. Poe is very nice and tries to take care of the children and help them find somewhere to stay, which is not easy. The Baudelaire children have had some very bad things happen to them. One day, Mr. Poe came up to them on the beach and told them that their parents had just died in a fire at their house. He also told them that their house had burned down and they lost all their possessions. So as you can see their lives started out terribly. After that they thought it was going to get better because they were going to live with a very distant relative of theirs, Count Olaf. Turns out he wasn’t the nicest relative; actually, I bet he was the worst relative. He made them do all kinds of terrible chores and he made them cook for him and his huge theatre group. Count Olaf even tried to scam them. He asked them to be in his play and of course they said sure. Violet and Klaus, the two smart kids in the family, knew that such a mean man wouldn’t just ask them to be in his play for fun; they knew he was up to something and they had to figure out what it was before the play was performed. I would rate this book a five because I really liked it. The Bad Beginning was a page-turner. I read this book in two days because I always wanted to find out what would happen next. I personally loved it but other people that have read it hated it. So I would recommend this book to people who can handle a sad and terrible book. If not, you should NOT read this book.
By Mia S.
Basketball (Or Something Like It),By Nora Baskin (realistic fiction)
Basketball (Or Something Like It) is a great book. It is about a few school students who enjoy playing basketball and join the school travel team. The problem is that the players on the team never pass to each other or set picks for each other. This means that they block the other team’s players with their bodies to allow their teammates to get free, and when they get the ball they just shoot. Hank has a large part in the book. He is a good basketball player but is not having a good season. Jeremy just came to the town and is probably the best player on the team. Nathan isn’t that great at basketball. He lies to his Dad and says he’s good but he pretends to be Jeremy, because Jeremy is one of the better players. If Jeremy makes a nice shot Nathan will say that he was the one who made it. Anabel is probably even better than Jeremy but doesn’t try out for the girl’s basketball team. The team has had over four coaches in three games. Eventually Tyler Bischoff’s Dad becomes the coach and no one likes him because he sets up all the plays so the ball goes to his son. Eventually Jeremy and his friends come up with a plan to stop the coach. I would rate this book five out of five because I like basketball. Anyone who enjoys basketball would like this book.
By Jonathan S.
Boys are Dogs, by Leslie Margolis (Realistic Fiction) After summer camp, Annabelle comes home to a whole new life. Her mom has a boyfriend, and now they are living together. They moved in the summer while Annabelle was away and that means she is going to a new school. Her old school was an only girls’ school and Annabelle’s new school is a public school, which means for the first time she will be going to school with boys. She has to leave her very best friends. She might not be able to see them anymore. To make her feel better, Annabelle gets a present and it is a dog. At first she thinks the dog is just a bribe by her mom and her mom’s boyfriend, then she starts thinking the dog is cute but she doesn’t want to admit it. She figures out right away that the puppy is very wild and she has to train him fast or else everything that she owns will be destroyed. Since she is at a public school, for example, she can wear whatever she wants. She had her new cloths out for the first day and the dog (Pepper) took them and ripped them up. This is a bad way to start in a new school. Annabelle gets to school and she is late to her first class because her schedule said to go to room 604E. When she asked an older boy, he meanly told her to go to room 605W because there was a fire in the school and 604E was burnt down. When she walked in to 605W late she was given a desk right in front of the teacher. The teacher asked Annabelle some questions in Spanish and of course she couldn’t answer them. There had to be something wrong since Annabelle should have been in an English class. The Spanish teacher explained that the E next to the room number meant East Quad. Annabelle was in West Quad. When she walked into 6th grade English late, everyone stared at her. The teacher was annoyed with her and when she sat down, the boy behind her started kicking and kept it up for the whole class. Finally, Annabelle has some new friends. One of them is Rachel. She lives on the same street as Annabelle, however, she has a brother named Jackson that Annabelle hates because he is the one who sent her to the wrong class. There are a lot of mean boys in the sixth grade, and Annabelle tries to apply her lessons from her dog training book to tame the boys. Will this help because Annabelle really HATES this school even though she made new friends?
I would give this book 5 stars. I think it deserves it because usually I don’t like to read but this really kept my attention. I read this everywhere, even in the car. By Annie B.
BREAKING RANK, by Kristen Randle
Breaking Rank, by Kristen Randle (krandle.com), is an interesting book that really draws you in. Baby is the member of the Clan, a secretive society in the middle of a larger one. Casey is a member of her family and school - the perfect child. When Casey volunteers to help Baby become a part of the "normal society" well... pulling a rope can go two ways. What I will say is that the Clan is a lot deeper than it seems at first, and Casey gets pulled out of her all-too perfect world. This book, although confusing at first, is meant to be that way. It makes the book feel like it comes alive.
By Anne P
BYSTANDER, by James Preller (Realistic Fiction)
Bystander starts with a young boy who moves to Bellport, Long Island. His name is Eric and he meets a boy named Griffin. Eric thinks Griffin is cool but he can sense something is weird about him. Griffin seems really nice around adults and is nice to Eric but steals things and bullies other children when the adults aren’t looking. He bullies a boy named David Hallenback, doing really mean things to him. Griffin sometimes bends David’s arms and legs behind his back and calls it the pretzel. Eric tries to tell Griffin he shouldn’t do that but Griffin says that he should feel lucky that it isn’t happening to him. Then Griffin steals some of Eric’s CDs and $27 from Eric’s brother. Eric meets a really nice girl named Mary. They hang out a lot and talk about Griffin. Mary says that she used to go out with Griffin but he turned into a jerk. She says he stole things and was mean to people behind grownups’ backs. One day Eric met one of Griffin’s friends named Cody. Eric thought Cody looked liked a weasel and told this to Griffin. Griffin then told Cody what Eric said so that Cody would beat up Eric without Griffin getting in trouble. Then David Hallenback came out and started kicking Eric during the end of the fight. He said that he was actually Griffin’s friend and it was a setup. You have to read the book to learn what happens next. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because sometimes it got boring.
By Jonathan S,
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
Reviewed by Emma D.
Katniss Everdeen finally believes she is safe after winning the Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark in the first book of this series. She couldn’t be more wrong. President Snow doesn’t believe that they are in love, which would have been the only acceptable explanation for their act of defiance against the Capitol. But once they go on their victory tour, things start to pick up. How far must Katniss and Peeta go to prove their love for one another? And, when they are thrown back into the Hunger Games, where they each want to save the other, who will win? Is Katniss really starting to love Peeta? All of these questions and more are answered in the thrilling sequel to the Hunger Games. I give this book five stars. It’s one of my favorites!
Checkpoints, by Marilyn Levy
Checkpoints is about an Israeli girl named Noa (ironically enough).She meets an Arab girl named Maha and they become fast friends. On Passover that year, her grandmother decides to have their Seder in the Orthodox Synagogue down the street. The guards at the entrance weren’t paying much attention and a suicide bomber got inside. He blew himself up killing many people, including Noa’s grandmother, Mimi. Noa’s sister Shoshanna got hurt along with her parents. Noa finds herself in an emotional state and won’t talk to anyone. She starts to fail in school, too. As the book continues, Noa recovers from her emotional state bit by bit. I liked this book a lot because it explains a little bit about what is happening in Israel without the story being boring. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to know what is going on in the world.
By Noa S.
The Clique, by Lisi Harrison
The Clique is the first novel of the series "The Clique", written by Lisi Harrison. You will be introduced to the clique and the "LBRs" (looser beyond repair). You will take a ride with Massie's driver Isaac and take a step into the silver range rover. Massie Block, the leader of clique clearly has to get in first, but surprisingly Lyons is next, formally known as Claire but by Massie, Kuh-laireeeeeeee. Alicia Rivera is the next one to step into the car. Walking down her mansions' steps covered in ralph lauren and M.A.C. Dylan Marvil is next to arrive. She looks great, but inside she needs to let something out. It's called a BURPPPPPPPPP. Kristen does her daily outfit change due to her mother's strictness, but she is hiding something and it is not just the sweat she keeps wiping off her face from soccer. If she tells her little secret, she'd get her gossip points for the next month. Welcome OCD! This book is filled with secrets and sassiness. When I first picked up this book, I really enjoyed it. Unlike some books, it keeps you involved from the first page, to the last. I enjoyed reading about the crush mix-ups, and the outfit disasters. I recommend this book to anyone and meeting the clique will be so much fun. I want to share my fun, with you!
By Eva W
(The Clique) Best Friends for Never, by Lisi Harrison
"Best Friends for Never", by, Lisi Harrison, is the second novel in the series The Clique Massie, the leader of the clique, needs to step up her game. How? PARTY!!!!!!!!! Massie gets a little too into it though. The whole devil at school idea gets the pigeon involved. (Massie decided to wear her devil Halloween costume to school, but got caught by the principal known as the pigeon due to her pigeon-like face.) The pigeon, the name usually used for the principal, gets upset with their costume mishegas and Kristen gets SAVED with the polyester church outfit that is too old to be dated. Claire actually looks great in Nurse Adel's lost and found outfit. Last season’s Sevens jeans look much better than Alicia's, Dylan's, and Massie's 70's jeans. Kristen’s mom makes her wear a horrible outfit to school so Kristen changes in the car. Kristen ended up looking better than the other girls in the clique. Claire even looked better. Nurse Adel’s lost and found was open to the public due to the fact that if someone lost something at OCD, they would just buy a new one. This book let me get to know the clique even more. Reading about the Hallo-whoa, why not me with that guy party, gave me a laugh and got me interested in finding out if Massie doesn't get her way for a change.
By Eva W
The Clique Summer Collection: Massie, by Lisi Harrison
The Clique Summer Collection: Massie is the first book in the Summer Collection of The Clique Series, written by Lisi Harrison. This book starts off with Massie at a very exclusive horseback riding camp called Galwaugh Farms. The camp had a competition and Massie needed to win. But one of the members of her team couldn’t stay on her horse, so Massie glued her to the saddle. The judges found out and Massie was kicked out of the camp, so she went to her South Hamptons house. She thought that she could spend the rest of the summer shopping and relaxing by the pool. But her parents had a different plan for her. Her parents wanted her to get a…JOB! They wanted her to pay them back the money from Galwaugh Farms and even took away her credit card until then! Massie found what she calls a “jobby” (a job/hobby) as a salesgirl for Be Pretty Cosmetics. If she sold a certain amount, then Be Pretty Cosmetics would give her a purple hair streak! That hair streak would be like an all access pass; and in Massie’s favorite color— purple! Massie was thrilled, until she found that her “jobby” was much harder than it looked…
I really enjoyed this book! It was a very girly book because it talked a lot about makeup, so I would recommend it to girls.
By Tali R.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (Realistic Fiction)
This book was written from the point of view of a middle-school-aged boy. The boy’s name is Greg and the story focuses on his personal life. His life is really horrible which makes the story absolutely hilarious. He basically never gets his way and when he does, his parents always mess things up. Greg wanted a cell phone since he was in middle school. For his birthday, his parents got him a cell phone called a “Ladybug” which could only call home or the police and that’s it! Also, his uncle’s dog ate a bunch of Greg’s birthday cake when no one was looking. Instead of buying Greg a new cake, his mom cut a piece off of the cake that the dog didn’t touch and gave it to him. Greg has an older brother named Roderick and a little bother named Manny. It seems like Manny gets whatever he wants. Greg’s parents gave Manny a quarter every time he went to the bathroom since he was little. By this time, Manny has saved $200 dollars. When the family gets a dog by surprise, Greg’s mom decides to name him “Sweetheart”! The mom was in favor of this name but everyone else thought it was stupid. These are just a few examples of some of the hilarious moments in the story. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
By Harrison B.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Days, By Jeff Kinney (realistic fiction)
Greg Heffley is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives in an unnamed suburb in America. In this fourth book of the Wimpy Kid series, Greg continues the story of his life in his diary. It is summer vacation and Greg wants to stay inside all summer playing video games with the curtains closed and lights off, but his parents have other ideas. His parents want him to spend the summer playing outdoors with his friend, Rowley. Greg spends the summer trying to avoid spending time with his parents or suffering through the family outings that they have planned. Nothing ever goes right for Greg, but the result is hysterical. I think this is a good book, but you should consider reading the first three books in the series before you read this one because each volume of Greg’s diary builds on the information from the ones that came before it. I give this book five stars, but I do think that some of the earlier books are funnier. The first book in the series is still my favorite.
By Zachary S.
Double Feature, by Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy
Reviewed by Elana K.
It is not typical that middle school girls get to premiere in a commercial. However, identical twins Payton and Emma are different from the rest of the world - they go to Hollywood to film a shampoo commercial. Payton loves acting, is into clothes, and loves to makes new friends, while her twin is very strict about school. They are so different, yet are a perfect match when they are together. In Hollywood, the sisters are amazed by the people, buildings, and even the Hollywood sign. But the girls don’t know what they are in for. Hollywood is full of twin switches, girl drama, celebrity encounters and more!
I enjoyed reading Double Feature because the authors created a great plot. Also, the story relates to me; I like acting too. There were many humorous parts to the book, and I couldn’t put it down. I give this book a four star rating because I enjoyed the story, but I thought it was too easy - the language, plot line, and so on. I recommend this book to any girl that likes realistic fiction and acting.
The English Roses Friends for Life, by Madonna
Madonna wrote The English Roses Friends for Life. It is the first book in the English Roses series. The English Roses are: Binah, Grace, Amy, Charlotte, and Nicole. They are five best friends that live in England. They love their fifth grade teacher Mrs. Fluffernutter, and think everything that she does is cool. Mrs. Fluffernutter told them that, when she was their age, she and her best friends made a book of all of their favorite things, memories, and more. And she suggested that they make one too. So of course the English Roses did! They filled in things like their hobbies, favorite ice cream flavors, and more. Their book tells everything about them, and introduces them.
I thought this book was good. It was a very easy read but told a lot. I would recommend this book to other girls that are interested in reading this series. I also thought it was cool that Madonna wrote the book!
Tali R.
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury Reviewed by Ben R. Fahrenheit 451is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 about a fireman in the future (as seen from the 1950s). In this future, books are outlawed, firemen set fires instead of putting out fires, and mechanical hounds take the place of Dalmatians. In this world, there is an extreme amount of time spent on watching TV to the point where schools teach children about TV. Firemen are used to set fire to locations where books are located. Firemen were created by Benjamin Franklin to stop British propaganda books. Mechanical hounds can smell out books much like how a Dalmatian smells out people. The protagonist is Guy Montag, a typical fireman in his world. One day, he meets a teenage girl, Clarrise McClellan who, unlike Guy, is different from the typical teen. She is interested in nature, does not enjoy TV, and does not have friends. Guy has a wife, Mildred, who is a slave to TV. She does nothing all day but watch TV from 3 screens and goes to sleep with Seashell Radio. Seashell Radio is essentially an iPod that connects to the radio. Early in the book, Guy experiences some peculiar events. First, Mildred tries to commit suicide by swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills instead of her normal dose. After a while of not seeing Clarrise, he asks Mildred if she knows anything about her. She says that she was recently killed in a car accident by a speeding car. At his work, he goes to an old woman's house to burn her books, but she resists leaving, and chooses to be burned alive with the books. Guy is sick the day after, and gets a visit from the chief of his fire house. He tells him the convoluted history of the fire department. Guy keeps a secret stash of books hidden in away in his house. After starting to read the books, he remembers an old retired English professor who was sitting in the park. Guy decides to go to this man for help surrounding the books. The man is one Professor Farber. They start a conspiracy that Guy will collect books and Farber would copy the books and print more books. They also will plant books in firemen's houses to discredit them and give a bad name to the fire department. Farber gives montage a sort of wireless earpiece so that Farber can hear what is going on Farber can speak to Guy discreetly. After he goes to give up the books to the fire house an alarm sounds. Guy gets on the fire truck and goes to the destination which turns out to be his own house. He sees Mildred betrayed him and is going away in a cab with a suitcase. I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5, a very very good book. The book was written in the 1950s portraying how the future may be like. Of course the future didn't end up quite like reality. It feels very futuristic but also has a sense of the 1950s. Many of the things suggested in the book are quite true, such as how today, life is surrounded by computer, TVs, and other electric devices. The message of the book seems to be about how censorship is a bad idea and what could happen with censorship. As a result of the censorship in the book America seemed to become zombie-like. People are only watching TV and involved in other mindless activities instead of enriching their lives with books. The ones who are at the top of the government are the ones who actually control everything and are the only knowledgeable people in the country. There only a few people willing to resist this tyranny. All throughout the book, there are parts where a radio tells of how a war is brewing. This seems fitting as during the 1950s, there was the Cold War and people were afraid of a war with the Soviet Union. Although some of the characters seemed to be flat, with a lack of character, this fits in with the whole censorship theme. One problem that I had with the book was that at the beginning the story drags. It does pick up near the middle and at the end. I think that this is a great book for anyone looking for a story about a dystopian future. I truly understand why this is called a classic.
Fudge-a-Mania, by Judy Blume
Reviewed by Noah S Fudge-a-Mania is a great book that tells a story about a fifth grader named Peter Hatcher. Peter has a big problem: this summer he is sharing a house in Maine with his archrival Shelia Tubman; on the other hand, his younger brother Fudge wants to marry Shelia because he believes that if they get married they will sleep together, and she will scare the monsters away from under his bed. He also invites his best friend Jimmy Fargo on the trip. However, on the trip, Jimmy ends up spending more time with Shelia then with Peter. With all these problems Peter does not expect this trip to turn out well, but the trip turns out different than he was expecting.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating. It is very humorous and amusing but it wasn’t really interesting or exciting. I was never really interested in what’s happening next. The author does not do a good job in describing where the book takes place. However, what I did like about this book was the characters. I think Judy Blume did a great job describing the characters and their personalities. I really like all of the characters. They all have great characteristics. For example, I like Fudge because he is so crazy and funny. I also really enjoyed the way Shelia acted. I would recommend this book to kids from 4th to 7th grade and for kids who like comedy.
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Reviewed by Dori H.F.
Imagine a world with no color, no love, no choices and no memory. This is a world where careers are chosen for you, where families are prearranged and where death is called “release”. Such was the world that Jonas lived in.
In this ‘perfect’ unnamed place, one single person holds all of the memories, good and bad. This is Jonas. He is honored but he can only share his burden with the Giver. In this thrilling novel, Jonas is selected and groomed to be the next Giver, holder of memories. His father, one of the many Nurturers, brings home a baby boy who refuses to sleep at night and might have to be “released”. Jonas grows to love the child and is shocked to learn that baby Gabe is going to be put to death. Jonas grabs his father’s bicycle with Gabe in the child’s seat, and starts pedaling furiously to get away from the “perfect” world.
I give this book a rating of 5 stars because it made me think about how perfect our own world actually is. We have free choice, we can see color, we can love, we have memories and we can control our own destiny.
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats is a fifteen-year-old boy accused of stealing shoes that belonged to a
famous baseball player. For his punishment, he is sentenced to Camp Green Lake. It
is extremely hot there, and Stanley is forced to dig holes. Many other boys who have
committed crimes are also serving time at Camp Green Lake. The warden is mean and
only cares about finding something “interesting”. Zero, one of Stanley’s friends, is the
fastest digger. Zero and Stanley make a deal that Zero will help Stanley dig if Stanley
will teach Zero how to read and write. However, everyone gets angry because Zero is
only helping Stanley dig. At this time, Zero runs away from the camp because everyone
is mad at him. Stanley follows Zero and tries to find him. Now they are both in danger of
running out of food and water.
I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5. I really enjoyed reading this book because the
format was really good. The book had a side story about the history of the land 110
years before the book took place, which explains what the warden is really looking
for. People who like stories with a lot of suspense and likable characters will enjoy this
book.
By Ben L.
Holes by Louis Sachar Stanley Yelnats is under a curse that began with his great great grandfather. After being accused of stealing a pair of expensive shoes, Stanley is sent to a boys’ detention center called Camp Green Lake. At Camp Green Lake, Stanley and the badly behaved boys spend all day digging huge holes. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake and they are barely given any water. For them, water is like gold. Camp Green Lake is just a bunch of dug up holes. After all those days Stanley and the boys spend time digging, he finds out why--the warden is looking for something. Then, Stanley and his friend Zero run away from Camp Green Lake and try to find clues from the past to find out where Stanley’s great great grandfather’s treasure is. Stanley wonders what could be under a dried lake, until he hits something hard with his shovel. What could this mysterious item be? I rate this book four out of five stars because it was really exciting trying to find out what was buried under the dried up lake, though, there was not enough excitement throughout the rest of the book.
Alex W.
How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O’ Connor Reviewed by Sophia H.
Stealing a dog, that’s what she comes up with. Georgina Hayes, her mother and her younger brother have been living in the backseat of a car ever since Georgina’s father left them. Her mother is working two jobs at once and barely making enough money to feed her family. When Georgina sees a poster for a missing-dog with a $500 reward, she has an idea. She decides to steal a dog from a wealthy family, wait for them to offer a reward and then return the dog. However, not everything ends up going as planned. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. It was an interesting book that I couldn’t put down. I loved hearing about Georgina becoming attached to the woman who owned the dog and the dog itself. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for a fun, excellent book to read.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins Reviewed by Lily G Would you like it if each year, two children from every town were chosen to fight each other to the death? This is exactly what happens in The Hunger Games, and it's broadcasted on live television for everyone to see. The Hunger Games tells the story of the nation of Panem at an unspecified time in the future. Every year, the Capitol hosts an event called The Hunger Games where one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts are chosen to fight each other until one remains victorious and the rest lose their lives in the fast-paced, strategic fight. The Tributes, the children who participate in the games, are chosen randomly in the "reaping". The reaping is like a lottery where names are chosen out of a bowl and announced to the district. The officials choose one male and one female. There can only be one winner, who receives a years' worth of food for his or her whole district if he or she succeeds in the morbid game. Katniss, a tough girl, volunteers to be a Tribute instead of her younger sister Primrose, who was chosen in the lottery, because she knows Prim would never survive. This is a valiant gesture and sacrifice which foreshadows that Katniss will be successful in the Hunger Games. Peeta Mellark, a distant friend of Katniss, is chosen as the male Tribute from District 12. Peeta and Katniss are told to try and make the sponsors and viewers watch them so that they will help them survive through the deadly games, so they pretend to be in love. This starts out as just a plan, but eventually they actually fall in love. The only problem is that only one of them can survive. Every chapter leaves the reader with a cliffhanger and in order to fulfill your needs and see what happens next, you need to continue reading. Unlike most books, there is a strong female protagonist instead of male. This book really shows the strength of females and how they are just as tough as boys. The book also gives very clear descriptions of all the people and places so that you could make up an image of them in your mind. I rate The Hunger Games five stars because once you start reading it, you can't put it down and you never know what will happen next. I also find it incredibly interesting that (hopefully) this would never happen in real life, so it's fun to read about it. I recommend The Hunger Games to you if you're looking for a book with a unique plot that you can't find in any other book. Don't worry, this is only the first of the trilogy!
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne CollinsReviewed by Benjy H. In the rubble of a place once called North America, lies Panem, a cruel Capitol surrounded by twelve less fortunate districts. The capitol keeps the districts from rebelling by forcing them to send one boy and one girl from each district between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen bravely takes her sister’s place in the games, Katniss has no hope. But she has been close to death before, and survival for her is easy. But if she wants to win, she will have to choose between love, or life. I would rate this book five stars because it had a lot of action and drama. Whenever I read it, it would keep me in suspense throughout each page. I would highly recommend this to anyone of any age.
Ida B, by Katherine Hannigan Reviewed by Yasmin S.
Ida B is a young girl who is watching her life slowly fall apart. Ida B lives on a farm that she is very attached to. She loves to just be with all of nature. As a young child, Ida B was home-schooled because, to her, real school was torture. Her life was perfect; she would learn half the day then play and have adventures the other half. It was all just amazing until she got the news that turned her life upside-down. One day, her father sat her down and told her that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point she had to be sent back to school and they had to sell half their farm to pay for the treatment for her mother. After Ida B went back to school she turned from being a happy bubbly girl to a sad and depressed girl.
Over all I would give this book a four out of five. This book to me earned the four stars because it was very touching and at times I could feel Ida B's pain. I subtracted that one star because I thought that the only thing that could have perfected it was maybe not having it drag on for so long. I think that there were some unneeded scenes in the book that just dragged the story on.
If a Tree Falls During Lunch Period,by Gennifer Choldenko
Kristen has just started seventh grade at her mostly white private school and nothing seems to be going right. Her best friend Rory has left her for the mean popular girl at school, Brianna. As if things aren’t wrong enough at school, home isn’t much better. Her parents are barely speaking to each other and when they do, all she can hear are screams coming from downstairs below her bedroom. And to add another joyous detail to the pile of great things, Kristen has also gained 30 pounds over the summer. Anyway, since her friendship with Rory is slowly deteriorating, Kristen goes looking for new friends, and along the way she meets a boy named Walk. He is one of the few African American children at Kristen’s school. Kristen’s mother hears about this new friendship and advises her to stay away and play it safe with the cool kids for a while. Kristen doesn’t like the sound of this but takes her mother’s advice anyway. Too bad she won’t take any advice about her nutrition. One night when she is quietly sneaking away to eat candy in the garage, she overhears a family secret and tries not to start screaming right there! This story is a great one for any kids, teens or adults who are interested in the average life of any teen girl and boy, whose friendship pulls through to the very end.
By Jenna O.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a very interesting book. Hugo Cabret is an orphan. His father, a clock shop owner, died in a fire when looking for a machine that was half built. After that Hugo went to live with his uncle who managed the clocks at a train station. Sadly, Hugo soon finds out his uncle had died too. So Hugo lived alone. He lived in an abandoned apartment. He didn’t go to school, he didn’t have any friends, and he really didn’t communicate with anyone. All he would do was manage the clocks, shoplift, and try to fix the machine that his father had been working on. One day when Hugo is shoplifting for parts that would fit in the machine he is caught by an old toy store owner. The old man makes Hugo work for him. Over time, Hugo gets further with the machine and he starts finding things out.
This book is very exciting and as you read more, secrets are revealed leading to an unexpected ending. I love this book because it is very long but is full of incredible illustrations. I highly recommend it.
By Dan C.
A Time Apart, by Diane Stanley
Reviewed by Sophia H
When Ginny’s mom, Rena, gets cancer, Ginny is forced to leave her home in Houston and go live with her father whom she hasn’t seen for years and barely knows. Ginny is 13 and she has to start a new life with her father, Hugh, who is working on a farm trying to recreate the Iron Age. As soon as Ginny arrives in England she knows that it is going to be a long summer. At the farm she is introduced to all the other people who are living there. Everybody on the farm has to do exactly what Iron Age peasants would do. They all act like a huge family and help each other survive using only things from nature. They don’t even have soap and so they have to wash their hair with clay. Ginny was extremely upset when after spending hours making fruit tarts, the rats found her hiding place and ate all of the tarts. After living on the farm for weeks and waiting for notes from her mom to finally tell her when she can come home, Ginny starts to feel attached to the people to whom she had become so close. Even though Ginny had begun to enjoy being with the people on the farm, she still longs to be home with her friends and mom. Ginny decides that she needs to get home. Even if her mom and dad are not going to help her, she is determined to find a way to go back to Houston. Ginny takes a risk and runs away from the Iron Age Farm, and an entirely new adventure begins. Ginny has to find a way to get back to her home. I give this book a four because I did and didn’t like it. I enjoyed learning how everything was made from scratch, and with so little you can do so much. For example, I didn’t know that it was possible to fire clay from a hole in the ground. I think the relationships Ginny has with her father and mother made the book more interesting. When Ginny got sent away her lifestyle changed tremendously. The only reasons I didn’t like this book were because I am not interested in the Iron Age and I think the book didn’t describe the personalities of some of the characters very well.
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall (Realistic Fiction)
The members of the Penderwick family are Rosalind, who in this story was twelve years old, Skye who was eleven, Jane who was ten, and their little sister Batty who was four years old. They had a father, and a dog named Hound, but no mother. This story could have taken place around the 1920’s. The Penderwick family’s usual beach house in Cape Cod was rented out at the last minute, so they thought they would have no plans for the summer, but Mr. Penderwick suddenly heard about a small cottage in the Berkshire Mountains, in a little town called Arundel, and of course, they were soon on their way. After a long car ride, they arrived at the cottage, and they found that it was the most charming cottage they had ever seen! They made themselves at home in the rooms they would be staying in. Skye went exploring and met a boy named Jeffrey. They got off to a bad start at first and then they became good friends. The four Penderwick sisters adored Jeffrey; he was kind, sweet, and fun to be with. They did so many things in Arundel that they would never dream of doing at their home in Cameron Massachusetts. They had a meeting with a bull, they ran around trying to find a rabbit that Batty had lost, climbed up a hidden ladder into Jeffrey’s room, and did so many more unexpected things! Meanwhile, Rosalind thought she may have been in love with the teenage gardener, Cagney. But little did they know that Jeffrey’s mother was the evil Mrs. Tifton! Mrs. Tifton was a strict woman, who bossed everyone around. When she found out that her only son Jeffrey was making trouble with the four sisters who rented the cottage next to her mansion, she became furious. To make things even worse, Jeffrey’s mother and her boyfriend Dexter were plotting to send Jeffrey away to a military boarding school. Will the Penderwicks find a way to stop this madness? I think this story was very entertaining to read! I loved how each of the sisters were so different, and they had such great personalities. At some parts I got a little bit confused because so much was going on. I would give this book 4 stars. I just wanted to keep reading The Penderwicks and not put it down.
By Zoe G.
The Reptile Room, By Lemony Snicket (Realistic Fiction)
Once again, in this book the three main characters are Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Just like in The Bad Beginning, Count Olaf is trying to steal their fortune, just in a different way through different people. After Count Olaf escaped in the last book, the Baudelaire children moved to their Uncle Monty’s house. Uncle Monty was a scientist and he traveled very often. When the children first moved into Uncle Monty’s house, they loved it! He even had a reptile room that had all different kinds of unknown reptiles. In this room, there was one reptile that Uncle Monty named the Deadly Viper. One day while in the reptile room, the viper bit Sunny on the chin so Sunny bit him back on the nose. The children were alarmed. Uncle Monty explained to them that the viper was not actually deadly, he just named it that as a joke. One morning, Uncle Monty had to go to town to get some things for an expedition they would be going on. He left a note saying that an assistant would arrive. As soon as the assistant pulled up to the house, the Baudelaires knew he was no good. He was being mean to the cab driver and he was ordering the children around. This story has some horrible events, including a car crash, a big knife and lots of threats. If you want to figure out who the negative, bossy person is and read some details about horrific stories then you should read this book. I would rate this book a five because the chapters were always cliffhangers and left me wanting to read more. As I said before, if you like mysteries and horrific stories, this is the book for you. I loved and recommend The Reptile Room and now it’s your chance to read it and love it also.
By Mia S.
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech, Realistic Fiction
Dallas and Florida are 13 year old twin orphans. They were treated terribly at the Boxton Creek Home by the Trepids because they broke all the rules many times. It appeared that Dallas and Florida couldn't control themselves, so nobody wanted to keep them. One seemingly normal punishment-filled day, the Trepids told Florida and Dallas of an opportunity to accompany an old couple on two separate trips. Of course, the twins remembered all of the other "good opportunities" and didn't trust anybody but themselves as the old couple drove them to Ruby Holler. But the old couple didn't seem so bad after all. Find out what mysteries are yet to come in this delightful place- Ruby Holler. I recommend this book for people who are curious about things as Dallas and Florida are.
Dina B.
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles Reviewed by Alexa U. The time was World War II. Teenagers were separated from their families and sent to boarding school. They had to grow up on their own. This is the background for the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene and Phineas are best friends and roommates at Devon High School. Gene is smart and does very well in school. Phineas is popular, good looking, and athletic. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but even the best of friends can have problems with jealousy. Gene and Phineas formed a club with their friends. The initiation was to jump from a high tree branch into the school’s lake. For Phineas, the athlete, this was easy. Walking out on the tree branch and keeping balance was more challenging for Gene. When Phineas and Gene decide to jump together, everyone finds it strange that Phineas loses his balance, falls, and breaks his leg. Was this an accident, or did Gene’s jealousy cause him to push his best friend? Even Gene is not quite sure. Their friends try to get to the bottom of the mystery of Phineas’ injury. A trial is held by the students to see if Gene was at fault. The ending is surprising and tragic. I think this book is very interesting because it was written a long time ago, but when I compared teenage emotions in the book, and the emotions of young people today, they were still the same. I rate this book five stars because the book was very descriptive. I got to know the characters very well. They seemed like real people. It was a beautiful story of friendship and tragedy that I found as good as my dad did, when he read it.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the first novel in the series written by Ann Brashares. This book is about the sisterhood of four girls during the summer. It is their first summer apart from each other so in order for them to stay in touch their magical pair of pants helps them to connect over the vacation. Each one of the four girls, Bridget, Lena, Tibby, and Carmen, all surprisingly fit into the same pair of pants, even though the four girls are all different shapes and sizes. Before their departure from each other to go their separate ways for the fun-filled summer, the sisterhood decides to establish a ritual for the pants and set basic rules for them. While each of them are very far away from each other, they are able to stay in touch through the pants and by writing to each other. I liked this book a lot because there are so many stories and thrilling adventures that the girls take part in while wearing the pants. I recommend this book because it is very exciting and interesting.
Mel V.
Talent, by Zoey Dean
Mac Little-Armstrong is the middle child in THE super-family of L.A. Her mother is the top talent agent in the city, her dad a famous playwright, little sister a brainiac, older brother a well known surfer, and Mac, ruler of Bel-Air Middle School (BAMS). There is only one thing Mac could want. Social Chair. She already knows she’ll win, but just in case, she has to think of an amazing project that’ll insure the prize. When she gets to Davey Woodward’s premier, she sees it. Emily Mungler. A total no one from nowheresville, Iowa. Emily has wanted to go to L.A. for her entire life. Luckily, when her mom, Lori, wins a game show, she decides to spend the money on taking Emily, and her BFF Paige to Hollywood. Unfortunately, Lori thinks this trip is all about tar pits and wax museums. Paige and Emily realize they’re only a block away from their star crush’s premier, so when they hear Lori’s reassuring snore, they head out. Once they get there, the duo run into a flaw in the plan. A guest list. Emily isn’t the only one who ran into a problem, Mac has too. Its name? Ruby Goldman, who lost weight over the summer, now has an Inner Circle of her own, and is Mac’s new competition. But, when Mac sees Emily act her way in as Corey (Davey’s cousin), she realizes she has found her new Social Chair project. She’ll become an agent for the no one who has “it”. Emily.
-Talia P.
The Usual Rules, by Joyce Maynard
The Usual Rules is an incredible, deep book. It is about a girl named Wendy, who has a pretty good life. Her mother remarried a few years ago, and she loves her new stepfather Josh like a father. She also loves her half-brother, Louie. Then disaster strikes. Wendy’s mother works in one of the Twin Towers and was there on the day of the terrorist attacks. Wendy and her family are heart-broken. They can’t find her mother. Wendy then decides that she should go to California and spend some time with her real dad. Josh and Louie don’t want her to go, but Wendy can see that Josh is having a lot of trouble right now and can’t take care of both her and her brother. So Wendy goes to CA to visit a father she hasn’t seen in years. While she’s there, she learns many things about herself and meets a group of strange and yet wonderful people. The Usual Rules is a deep, moving adult book, but I think that if I can handle it, then most middle-schoolers can. This book is written in a fantastic way, moving you to the core. I really hope some of you read it--it’s one of my favorite books.
By Becca T.
Violet Rains Almost Got Struck by Lightning, By Danette Haworth Reviewed by Gabriella M. Outgoing and bubbly, Violet Rains isn’t scared of anything. She lived in Mitchell Hammock, Florida, all of her life and knows all the secret places to go. She and her friend Lottie (Charlotte) have been friends since their baby years and have been best friends since. Going to the forest and running around and getting a little dirty makes them who they are. Things are just the way Violet likes them. Until Now. Stuck up and prissy Melissa Gold arrives from the big city of Detroit. Melissa is into boys and make-up and drama TV. Lottie has been taking an interest in Melissa, and been slightly pulling back from all of her daily activities with Violet. Lottie is now starting to wear lip gloss and watch Melissa’s favorite TV show, ParisHeights. What is Violet supposed to do? Join in, or stick to what she believes in. Now that the girls are going into junior high, does that mean that she has to change? The only friend she has left is Eddie B. He is her fearless friend and pushes her until the edge. Eddie has also had it with Melissa after seeing her reaction to bugs and the dirty caves they play in. But Melissa isn’t done yet. When she accuses Violet and Eddie of liking each other, it pulls the last string for Violet. Oh, but Violet wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on Melissa or say anything cruel because Violet knows if she does anything to Melissa, Lottie will leave her forever. It takes a push, a fish fry, and some lightning to bring these girls together. ★★★★★ I rate this book five stars because it teaches valuable vocabulary and an important lesson. No matter how old you get, you never need to change who you are. Stay true to yourself, and everything will turn back around.
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon CreechReviewed by Rachel O. Salamanca Hiddle is just an ordinary girl trying hard to reunite with her missing mother. Salamanca has lived most of her life in Bybanks, Kentucky, but she finds out she is moving to Euclid, Ohio. Salamanca lives with her father but spends a lot of time with Gram and Gramps Hiddle, her father’s parents. In Ohio, Sal is not very happy because she loves it in Bybanks, where she lived the thirteen years of her life. Gram and Gramps arrive at her home one afternoon to take her out on a wild road trip that she will never forget. As they are all driving, Sal remembers an old friend from Bybanks who had gone to Sal’s school. Sal starts telling her Grandparents a lot of stories about this very cautious, curious girl named Phoebe. A young man that Phoebe thought was a lunatic came to her house and she was frightened. Then, Phoebe kept getting mysterious notes and thought they were from the young man. While that was happening, Phoebe’s mother disappeared. She went to the police station because of the lunatic and her mother missing and she dragged Sal there with her. A police officer brought Sal and Phoebe into his office but then Phoebe and the officer stepped out. Sal looked at the photos on the police officer’s desk and in the picture with the police officer was his son. Sal thought she knew the son from somewhere but she just didn’t know where. Then, she realized, it was the “lunatic”. I would give this book a rating of five stars because it kept me so interested that I wanted to read more and more. With the mix of sadness and curiosity I thought this book was over the top in how it was so well written. It received a Newberry Medal and it definitely deserved one. Walk Two Moons is a fantastic book that I think everyone should read!
We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah, by Fiona Rosenbloom
We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah is the continuation of You are SO not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah. Stacy Adelaide Friedman just had the best summer of her life at camp where she and her friend Lydia met an older girl who knew everything on the latest trends. They became friends and with their new knowledge they were going to be the coolest girls at First Night behind the PepsiCo building (which was really illegal to be there, but no one has ever been caught). On the first day of 8th grade at Jefferson Junior High, people are turning heads at Lydia and Stacy but they misinterpret it as they like their new looks. All the good looks are going towards Kelly. Kelly was Lydia and Stacy’s friend, till now, when she disposed them for the Chicas. Stacy and Lydia are both really happy for her but get really disturbed when Kelly starts hanging out with Kym and the Chicas. To make their lives even worse, Eben, Kym’s cousin, was told to not invite Lydia and Stacy to his super awesome Hollywood themed Bar Mitzvah. This was a really great book and I hope all of you read it to find out the ending!!
Bianca N.
Willa by Heart, by Colleen Murtagh Paratore
Willa Havisham is the main character in the Wedding Planner’s Daughter series, by Colleen Murtagh Paratore. The book begins in the last months of school when Willa is enjoying Cape Cod with her boyfriend Joey. Her family owns the Bramblebriar Inn and meets many new friends there, such as the two women she’s planning weddings for at the same time. Towards the middle of the story, Willa is excited because the local theatre is doing a play, Our Town. Once she goes to her grandma’s book / candy store, taste tests some taffy and reads the book, Willa thinks she and Joey are destined for the lead roles. Ruining her excitement, a new girl named Mariel comes out of nowhere and captures Joey’s interest. Once Joey is seen with Mariel, Willa gets really upset and ends up dancing with a southern boy at a dance. Little did she know that Joey would show up. What will happen to their relationship, Bramble and the play? You’ll have to read the book to find out! I really liked this book but wouldn’t recommend it to boys because it’s a girly book.
By Bianca N
Willow, by Julia Hoban
Willow is a story about a sixteen-year-old girl named Willow. One day, when her parents were at dinner, they drank too much and they called their daughter, Willow, to drive them home. Willow did not have her license yet, but given the circumstances, she still went to drive them home. It was a rainy day and the street was slippery and icy. First she was in control of the car, then struggling, and then suddenly in a whirl of street lights, screams, the car crunching under her, and her parents’ life ending. Willow watched as her mother was dying. Her father died instantaneously. Nothing was the same after that. Seven months later, she is living with her older brother who can barely manage to talk to her. He’s married and has a cute little baby girl, and Willow does not feel at home. There's only one way out, one way to get out of all the emotional pain; by the physical kind. Using a razor, Willow cuts herself in order for the bite of the blade to overcome all the emotions she cannot bear to go through. She is not looking to commit suicide; she’s not crazy, just running away from any emotional pain. But then she meets Guy, a boy who seems so strong and worthy, but as Willow spends more time with him, she notices that he’s just as broken up as she is inside. Julia Hober does a fantastic job on this book. You would think that a teenage girl who cuts herself should be put in a hospital, but you get to know Willow and how she does not feel hurt in a way other people would. Willow hates when anyone gives her pity. And her main concern is for her brother, David, whom she knows is extremely broken up inside. She actually loathes herself for doing such a stupid thing, for changing his life forever, and ending her parents’. Willow calls herself a murderer and a cutter, and thinks she is weak to rely on cutting, but she might just be the opposite. Willow used to be the most popular girl in school, but now, when she has to interact with a classmate or peer, she stumbles over her words or cannot talk to them; she’s isolated. Willow is written for teenagers, but a story about a girl who cuts herself is more the material for older teens and young adults. It has undetailed sexual situations and minor language. But I still recommend this book for pre-teens and teens. Hoban does an amazing job on Willow and I loved it.
By Dria G.
Theodore Boone: The Abduction, By John Grisham
Reviewed by: Itay Goldfarb
When April (Theo's best friend), disappears in the middle of the night after talking to Theo, he is determined to find her kidnapper. But as fear is spreading, and while the police are hitting dead ends, Theo is determined to use his skills to capture her abductor. Everyone in town thinks that the outlaw, Jack Leeper, took her because he is an outlaw, and also because he is related to April. The story takes place in the little town of Strattenburg.
In my opinion, this is the best realistic fiction book ever! I would recommend this book for children 8 and up. I would give this book a 5 star rating because it is filled with mysteries and makes you want to read more. Every single chapterends with something mysterious. If you read this book, and like it, I would recommend that you read the series because it is great!
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio Reviewed by: Charlotte K.
I read the book Wonder. It is an amazing book but sometimes sad. The book is by R.J Palacio, and it's on the New York Times best seller list . When I read the book I could not put the book down because I was so interested in it. One of the main characters in this book is August. His nickname is Auggie. The story is about him getting bullied. One reason is because he had so many surgeries that he doesn't look right. The book Wonder is easy to understand because it has very clear descriptions. My favorite part in this book is when Auggie finally sticks up for himself. It's my favorite part of the book because I think people should always stick up for themselves. There are lots of ways to stick up for yourself, including asking friends or adults for help. I am always going to recommend this book. If I had a chance to rate this book I would definitely give it a 5 star rating.
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Click here to go to more fiction39 Clues, Maze of Bones, Rick Riordan
Reviewed by Josh B.
The first book of the 39 clues series, is the one that got everyones perspective of this series completely changed. This book starts off when the Cahill kids, Amy and Dan find out there family's secrets. They learn about how their parents died for a clue to complete world power. When there Grand mother, Gracie Cahill is about to die, she changes her will to give Amy and Dan the first clue. They find out about all the different family branches and the hunt for world power. They run away from the rest of the families with their Au pair Nellie to where the first clue leads them to Paris, France. They discover the history of the branches and discover the dangers of the hunt.This book really changed my perspective on this series. It really interested me in how it introduced the whole plot line. It started out dull but as i got deeper into the book, sub-plots began to intrest me. Since then I have read all the books in the series and they are still being written. People had told me that it wasn’t a good series but once i read this book, I couldn’t put it down. A very unique thing about this series is the fact that every book is written by a different author. I rate this book a 4.5 out of 5 because it had a real intense plot but it is probably a book 4th or 5th graders would read.
13 Gifts, by Wendy Mass
Reviewed By Sammi B.
13 Gifts, a great book for anyone who wants to read about an amazing adventure! 13 Gifts is a book about a 12 (almost 13) year old girl named Tara Brennan. Tara embarks on a strange adventure in a town called Willow Falls. The story starts in Tara’s own town, where she is caught breaking into school and stealing a goat. She was sentenced to be suspended for the last two weeks of school. As if this wasn’t tragic enough, Tara’s parents decided not to take her with them to Madagascar for the summer. Instead, they sent her to their home town where she would stay with her aunt (Tara’s mom’s sister).
On the train ride to Willow Falls someone on the train stole Tara’s bag which had a large amount of money inside. Tara knew that if her parents discovered that she lost the money, they would punish her severely, so she set out to get the same amount of money. Since no one would give her a job she decided to steal and then sell to the store clerk Angelina D’Angelo. Angelina knew that the item was stolen so she sent Tara on a giant scavenger hunt all over the town. If Tara failed, then she would be forced to tell the person who she stole from that she stole the object.
The rating that I give is 5 out of 5 stars. I loved the book and I thought that it was well written and very entertaining. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read an interesting story.
Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Hidden is the first book of the "Shadow Children" series. This book takes place in the not too far away future when the government enforces a law in the entire United States, that each family may ONLY have two children due to a famine. The Government controls all food. Those people who do not obey this law will have the population police after them. The penalty for being caught is DEATH. Luke Garner is a third child or a "Shadow Child" of the family and he has never gone to school or had any friends. The only place he can go to out of his house is his backyard. Once his parents are forced to sell the backyard of their farm to the government to build new houses Luke is not allowed out of his house or near windows. Luke is forced to eat all his meals in the attic staircase and is forbidden to go into the kitchen. The only way for Luke to see outside is through the air vent in his room and he sits in his bed reading books all day. The construction of the new houses being built becomes Luke's form of entertainment. As he watches the houses getting moved into and lived in, Luke sees the shadow of a child in a house that already has two children. Luke secretly runs to the house to see if it is a third child. It is, and her name is Jen Talbot! Jen explains to Luke that the government is wrong and they should protest! Jen's father works for the government as a population officer but secretly helps the shadow children stay safe, as he does with his own daughter. Jen invites Luke to a protest for shadow children but Luke refuses, too scared to go. The next week Luke finds out that something terrible happened to Jen along with every other shadow child in the protest. What could have happened? Will Luke ever be able to be free of his attic?
This book is another amazing book by Haddix and it is a great and easy read. I would recommend it to someone who is looking for a great new series to start. I know that I loved this book so much I read almost the whole series after it. You should definitely read this book.
By Mike L
Are You There God? It's Me Margaret, by Judy Blume
A classic in the eyes of many women and young girls, Are you there God? It's Me, Margaret is a story to remember. This book is special, because it shows the reality that many young people face to overcome family issues and other problems. Margaret deals with religious confusion which is hard for any child. With pressure from family about deciding how to approach her religion, and the terrors of growing up and hitting puberty, she looks to God for answers. I love this book because even though it is fictional it seems so real. This can happen to anyone. The reader gets sucked in to the story. When I finished, I felt like I had known Margaret for my entire life. I think adults would love this book, because they get an idea of what children go through. Many adults might also feel a connection to the character in the story, or to the plot line. Judy Blume was so creative and obviously knew about the subject of growing up as a girl. This is what makes the book even more special. Published in 1970, this book is still available today for many more young people to follow in Margaret’s footsteps.
By Allison.G
The Bad Beginning, By Lemony Snicket (Realistic Fiction)
The three main characters in this book are Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Two other characters are Count Olaf and Mr. Poe. Count Olaf is very mean and tries to hurt the children and steal their large fortune. On the other hand Mr. Poe is very nice and tries to take care of the children and help them find somewhere to stay, which is not easy. The Baudelaire children have had some very bad things happen to them. One day, Mr. Poe came up to them on the beach and told them that their parents had just died in a fire at their house. He also told them that their house had burned down and they lost all their possessions. So as you can see their lives started out terribly. After that they thought it was going to get better because they were going to live with a very distant relative of theirs, Count Olaf. Turns out he wasn’t the nicest relative; actually, I bet he was the worst relative. He made them do all kinds of terrible chores and he made them cook for him and his huge theatre group. Count Olaf even tried to scam them. He asked them to be in his play and of course they said sure. Violet and Klaus, the two smart kids in the family, knew that such a mean man wouldn’t just ask them to be in his play for fun; they knew he was up to something and they had to figure out what it was before the play was performed. I would rate this book a five because I really liked it. The Bad Beginning was a page-turner. I read this book in two days because I always wanted to find out what would happen next. I personally loved it but other people that have read it hated it. So I would recommend this book to people who can handle a sad and terrible book. If not, you should NOT read this book.
By Mia S.
Basketball (Or Something Like It), By Nora Baskin (realistic fiction)
Basketball (Or Something Like It) is a great book. It is about a few school students who enjoy playing basketball and join the school travel team. The problem is that the players on the team never pass to each other or set picks for each other. This means that they block the other team’s players with their bodies to allow their teammates to get free, and when they get the ball they just shoot. Hank has a large part in the book. He is a good basketball player but is not having a good season. Jeremy just came to the town and is probably the best player on the team. Nathan isn’t that great at basketball. He lies to his Dad and says he’s good but he pretends to be Jeremy, because Jeremy is one of the better players. If Jeremy makes a nice shot Nathan will say that he was the one who made it. Anabel is probably even better than Jeremy but doesn’t try out for the girl’s basketball team. The team has had over four coaches in three games. Eventually Tyler Bischoff’s Dad becomes the coach and no one likes him because he sets up all the plays so the ball goes to his son. Eventually Jeremy and his friends come up with a plan to stop the coach. I would rate this book five out of five because I like basketball. Anyone who enjoys basketball would like this book.
By Jonathan S.
Boys are Dogs, by Leslie Margolis (Realistic Fiction)
After summer camp, Annabelle comes home to a whole new life. Her mom has a boyfriend, and now they are living together. They moved in the summer while Annabelle was away and that means she is going to a new school. Her old school was an only girls’ school and Annabelle’s new school is a public school, which means for the first time she will be going to school with boys. She has to leave her very best friends. She might not be able to see them anymore.
To make her feel better, Annabelle gets a present and it is a dog. At first she thinks the dog is just a bribe by her mom and her mom’s boyfriend, then she starts thinking the dog is cute but she doesn’t want to admit it. She figures out right away that the puppy is very wild and she has to train him fast or else everything that she owns will be destroyed. Since she is at a public school, for example, she can wear whatever she wants. She had her new cloths out for the first day and the dog (Pepper) took them and ripped them up. This is a bad way to start in a new school.
Annabelle gets to school and she is late to her first class because her schedule said to go to room 604E. When she asked an older boy, he meanly told her to go to room 605W because there was a fire in the school and 604E was burnt down. When she walked in to 605W late she was given a desk right in front of the teacher. The teacher asked Annabelle some questions in Spanish and of course she couldn’t answer them. There had to be something wrong since Annabelle should have been in an English class. The Spanish teacher explained that the E next to the room number meant East Quad. Annabelle was in West Quad. When she walked into 6th grade English late, everyone stared at her. The teacher was annoyed with her and when she sat down, the boy behind her started kicking and kept it up for the whole class.
Finally, Annabelle has some new friends. One of them is Rachel. She lives on the same street as Annabelle, however, she has a brother named Jackson that Annabelle hates because he is the one who sent her to the wrong class. There are a lot of mean boys in the sixth grade, and Annabelle tries to apply her lessons from her dog training book to tame the boys. Will this help because Annabelle really HATES this school even though she made new friends?
I would give this book 5 stars. I think it deserves it because usually I don’t like to read but this really kept my attention. I read this everywhere, even in the car.
By Annie B.
BREAKING RANK, by Kristen Randle
Breaking Rank, by Kristen Randle (krandle.com), is an interesting book that really draws you in. Baby is the member of the Clan, a secretive society in the middle of a larger one. Casey is a member of her family and school - the perfect child. When Casey volunteers to help Baby become a part of the "normal society" well... pulling a rope can go two ways. What I will say is that the Clan is a lot deeper than it seems at first, and Casey gets pulled out of her all-too perfect world. This book, although confusing at first, is meant to be that way. It makes the book feel like it comes alive.
By Anne P
BYSTANDER, by James Preller (Realistic Fiction)
Bystander starts with a young boy who moves to Bellport, Long Island. His name is Eric and he meets a boy named Griffin. Eric thinks Griffin is cool but he can sense something is weird about him. Griffin seems really nice around adults and is nice to Eric but steals things and bullies other children when the adults aren’t looking. He bullies a boy named David Hallenback, doing really mean things to him. Griffin sometimes bends David’s arms and legs behind his back and calls it the pretzel. Eric tries to tell Griffin he shouldn’t do that but Griffin says that he should feel lucky that it isn’t happening to him. Then Griffin steals some of Eric’s CDs and $27 from Eric’s brother. Eric meets a really nice girl named Mary. They hang out a lot and talk about Griffin. Mary says that she used to go out with Griffin but he turned into a jerk. She says he stole things and was mean to people behind grownups’ backs. One day Eric met one of Griffin’s friends named Cody. Eric thought Cody looked liked a weasel and told this to Griffin. Griffin then told Cody what Eric said so that Cody would beat up Eric without Griffin getting in trouble. Then David Hallenback came out and started kicking Eric during the end of the fight. He said that he was actually Griffin’s friend and it was a setup. You have to read the book to learn what happens next. I would rate this book 3 out of 5 stars because sometimes it got boring.
By Jonathan S,
Catching Fire by Suzanne CollinsReviewed by Emma D.
Katniss Everdeen finally believes she is safe after winning the Hunger Games with Peeta Mellark in the first book of this series. She couldn’t be more wrong. President Snow doesn’t believe that they are in love, which would have been the only acceptable explanation for their act of defiance against the Capitol. But once they go on their victory tour, things start to pick up. How far must Katniss and Peeta go to prove their love for one another? And, when they are thrown back into the Hunger Games, where they each want to save the other, who will win? Is Katniss really starting to love Peeta? All of these questions and more are answered in the thrilling sequel to the Hunger Games. I give this book five stars. It’s one of my favorites!
Checkpoints, by Marilyn Levy
Checkpoints is about an Israeli girl named Noa (ironically enough).She meets an Arab girl named Maha and they become fast friends. On Passover that year, her grandmother decides to have their Seder in the Orthodox Synagogue down the street. The guards at the entrance weren’t paying much attention and a suicide bomber got inside. He blew himself up killing many people, including Noa’s grandmother, Mimi. Noa’s sister Shoshanna got hurt along with her parents. Noa finds herself in an emotional state and won’t talk to anyone. She starts to fail in school, too. As the book continues, Noa recovers from her emotional state bit by bit. I liked this book a lot because it explains a little bit about what is happening in Israel without the story being boring. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to know what is going on in the world.
By Noa S.
The Clique, by Lisi Harrison
The Clique is the first novel of the series "The Clique", written by Lisi Harrison. You will be introduced to the clique and the "LBRs" (looser beyond repair). You will take a ride with Massie's driver Isaac and take a step into the silver range rover. Massie Block, the leader of clique clearly has to get in first, but surprisingly Lyons is next, formally known as Claire but by Massie, Kuh-laireeeeeeee. Alicia Rivera is the next one to step into the car. Walking down her mansions' steps covered in ralph lauren and M.A.C. Dylan Marvil is next to arrive. She looks great, but inside she needs to let something out. It's called a BURPPPPPPPPP. Kristen does her daily outfit change due to her mother's strictness, but she is hiding something and it is not just the sweat she keeps wiping off her face from soccer. If she tells her little secret, she'd get her gossip points for the next month. Welcome OCD! This book is filled with secrets and sassiness. When I first picked up this book, I really enjoyed it. Unlike some books, it keeps you involved from the first page, to the last. I enjoyed reading about the crush mix-ups, and the outfit disasters. I recommend this book to anyone and meeting the clique will be so much fun. I want to share my fun, with you!
By Eva W
(The Clique) Best Friends for Never, by Lisi Harrison
"Best Friends for Never", by, Lisi Harrison, is the second novel in the series The Clique Massie, the leader of the clique, needs to step up her game. How? PARTY!!!!!!!!! Massie gets a little too into it though. The whole devil at school idea gets the pigeon involved. (Massie decided to wear her devil Halloween costume to school, but got caught by the principal known as the pigeon due to her pigeon-like face.) The pigeon, the name usually used for the principal, gets upset with their costume mishegas and Kristen gets SAVED with the polyester church outfit that is too old to be dated. Claire actually looks great in Nurse Adel's lost and found outfit. Last season’s Sevens jeans look much better than Alicia's, Dylan's, and Massie's 70's jeans. Kristen’s mom makes her wear a horrible outfit to school so Kristen changes in the car. Kristen ended up looking better than the other girls in the clique. Claire even looked better. Nurse Adel’s lost and found was open to the public due to the fact that if someone lost something at OCD, they would just buy a new one. This book let me get to know the clique even more. Reading about the Hallo-whoa, why not me with that guy party, gave me a laugh and got me interested in finding out if Massie doesn't get her way for a change.
By Eva W
The Clique Summer Collection: Massie, by Lisi Harrison
The Clique Summer Collection: Massie is the first book in the Summer Collection of The Clique Series, written by Lisi Harrison. This book starts off with Massie at a very exclusive horseback riding camp called Galwaugh Farms. The camp had a competition and Massie needed to win. But one of the members of her team couldn’t stay on her horse, so Massie glued her to the saddle. The judges found out and Massie was kicked out of the camp, so she went to her South Hamptons house. She thought that she could spend the rest of the summer shopping and relaxing by the pool. But her parents had a different plan for her. Her parents wanted her to get a…JOB! They wanted her to pay them back the money from Galwaugh Farms and even took away her credit card until then! Massie found what she calls a “jobby” (a job/hobby) as a salesgirl for Be Pretty Cosmetics. If she sold a certain amount, then Be Pretty Cosmetics would give her a purple hair streak! That hair streak would be like an all access pass; and in Massie’s favorite color— purple! Massie was thrilled, until she found that her “jobby” was much harder than it looked…
I really enjoyed this book! It was a very girly book because it talked a lot about makeup, so I would recommend it to girls.
By Tali R.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 4: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney (Realistic Fiction)
This book was written from the point of view of a middle-school-aged boy. The boy’s name is Greg and the story focuses on his personal life. His life is really horrible which makes the story absolutely hilarious. He basically never gets his way and when he does, his parents always mess things up. Greg wanted a cell phone since he was in middle school. For his birthday, his parents got him a cell phone called a “Ladybug” which could only call home or the police and that’s it! Also, his uncle’s dog ate a bunch of Greg’s birthday cake when no one was looking. Instead of buying Greg a new cake, his mom cut a piece off of the cake that the dog didn’t touch and gave it to him. Greg has an older brother named Roderick and a little bother named Manny. It seems like Manny gets whatever he wants. Greg’s parents gave Manny a quarter every time he went to the bathroom since he was little. By this time, Manny has saved $200 dollars. When the family gets a dog by surprise, Greg’s mom decides to name him “Sweetheart”! The mom was in favor of this name but everyone else thought it was stupid. These are just a few examples of some of the hilarious moments in the story. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
By Harrison B.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Days, By Jeff Kinney (realistic fiction)
Greg Heffley is a fourteen-year-old boy who lives in an unnamed suburb in America. In this fourth book of the Wimpy Kid series, Greg continues the story of his life in his diary. It is summer vacation and Greg wants to stay inside all summer playing video games with the curtains closed and lights off, but his parents have other ideas. His parents want him to spend the summer playing outdoors with his friend, Rowley. Greg spends the summer trying to avoid spending time with his parents or suffering through the family outings that they have planned. Nothing ever goes right for Greg, but the result is hysterical. I think this is a good book, but you should consider reading the first three books in the series before you read this one because each volume of Greg’s diary builds on the information from the ones that came before it. I give this book five stars, but I do think that some of the earlier books are funnier. The first book in the series is still my favorite.
By Zachary S.
Double Feature, by Julia DeVillers and Jennifer Roy
Reviewed by Elana K.
It is not typical that middle school girls get to premiere in a commercial. However, identical twins Payton and Emma are different from the rest of the world - they go to Hollywood to film a shampoo commercial. Payton loves acting, is into clothes, and loves to makes new friends, while her twin is very strict about school. They are so different, yet are a perfect match when they are together. In Hollywood, the sisters are amazed by the people, buildings, and even the Hollywood sign. But the girls don’t know what they are in for. Hollywood is full of twin switches, girl drama, celebrity encounters and more!
I enjoyed reading Double Feature because the authors created a great plot. Also, the story relates to me; I like acting too. There were many humorous parts to the book, and I couldn’t put it down. I give this book a four star rating because I enjoyed the story, but I thought it was too easy - the language, plot line, and so on. I recommend this book to any girl that likes realistic fiction and acting.
The English Roses Friends for Life, by Madonna
Madonna wrote The English Roses Friends for Life. It is the first book in the English Roses series. The English Roses are: Binah, Grace, Amy, Charlotte, and Nicole. They are five best friends that live in England. They love their fifth grade teacher Mrs. Fluffernutter, and think everything that she does is cool. Mrs. Fluffernutter told them that, when she was their age, she and her best friends made a book of all of their favorite things, memories, and more. And she suggested that they make one too. So of course the English Roses did! They filled in things like their hobbies, favorite ice cream flavors, and more. Their book tells everything about them, and introduces them.
I thought this book was good. It was a very easy read but told a lot. I would recommend this book to other girls that are interested in reading this series. I also thought it was cool that Madonna wrote the book!
Tali R.
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
Reviewed by Ben R.
Fahrenheit 451is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953 about a fireman in the future (as seen from the 1950s). In this future, books are outlawed, firemen set fires instead of putting out fires, and mechanical hounds take the place of Dalmatians. In this world, there is an extreme amount of time spent on watching TV to the point where schools teach children about TV. Firemen are used to set fire to locations where books are located. Firemen were created by Benjamin Franklin to stop British propaganda books. Mechanical hounds can smell out books much like how a Dalmatian smells out people. The protagonist is Guy Montag, a typical fireman in his world. One day, he meets a teenage girl, Clarrise McClellan who, unlike Guy, is different from the typical teen. She is interested in nature, does not enjoy TV, and does not have friends. Guy has a wife, Mildred, who is a slave to TV. She does nothing all day but watch TV from 3 screens and goes to sleep with Seashell Radio. Seashell Radio is essentially an iPod that connects to the radio. Early in the book, Guy experiences some peculiar events. First, Mildred tries to commit suicide by swallowing a whole bottle of sleeping pills instead of her normal dose. After a while of not seeing Clarrise, he asks Mildred if she knows anything about her. She says that she was recently killed in a car accident by a speeding car. At his work, he goes to an old woman's house to burn her books, but she resists leaving, and chooses to be burned alive with the books. Guy is sick the day after, and gets a visit from the chief of his fire house. He tells him the convoluted history of the fire department. Guy keeps a secret stash of books hidden in away in his house. After starting to read the books, he remembers an old retired English professor who was sitting in the park. Guy decides to go to this man for help surrounding the books. The man is one Professor Farber. They start a conspiracy that Guy will collect books and Farber would copy the books and print more books. They also will plant books in firemen's houses to discredit them and give a bad name to the fire department. Farber gives montage a sort of wireless earpiece so that Farber can hear what is going on Farber can speak to Guy discreetly. After he goes to give up the books to the fire house an alarm sounds. Guy gets on the fire truck and goes to the destination which turns out to be his own house. He sees Mildred betrayed him and is going away in a cab with a suitcase.
I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5, a very very good book. The book was written in the 1950s portraying how the future may be like. Of course the future didn't end up quite like reality. It feels very futuristic but also has a sense of the 1950s. Many of the things suggested in the book are quite true, such as how today, life is surrounded by computer, TVs, and other electric devices. The message of the book seems to be about how censorship is a bad idea and what could happen with censorship. As a result of the censorship in the book America seemed to become zombie-like. People are only watching TV and involved in other mindless activities instead of enriching their lives with books. The ones who are at the top of the government are the ones who actually control everything and are the only knowledgeable people in the country. There only a few people willing to resist this tyranny. All throughout the book, there are parts where a radio tells of how a war is brewing. This seems fitting as during the 1950s, there was the Cold War and people were afraid of a war with the Soviet Union. Although some of the characters seemed to be flat, with a lack of character, this fits in with the whole censorship theme. One problem that I had with the book was that at the beginning the story drags. It does pick up near the middle and at the end. I think that this is a great book for anyone looking for a story about a dystopian future. I truly understand why this is called a classic.
Fudge-a-Mania, by Judy Blume
Reviewed by Noah S
Fudge-a-Mania is a great book that tells a story about a fifth grader named Peter Hatcher. Peter has a big problem: this summer he is sharing a house in Maine with his archrival Shelia Tubman; on the other hand, his younger brother Fudge wants to marry Shelia because he believes that if they get married they will sleep together, and she will scare the monsters away from under his bed. He also invites his best friend Jimmy Fargo on the trip. However, on the trip, Jimmy ends up spending more time with Shelia then with Peter. With all these problems Peter does not expect this trip to turn out well, but the trip turns out different than he was expecting.
I give this book a 4 out of 5 star rating. It is very humorous and amusing but it wasn’t really interesting or exciting. I was never really interested in what’s happening next. The author does not do a good job in describing where the book takes place. However, what I did like about this book was the characters. I think Judy Blume did a great job describing the characters and their personalities. I really like all of the characters. They all have great characteristics. For example, I like Fudge because he is so crazy and funny. I also really enjoyed the way Shelia acted. I would recommend this book to kids from 4th to 7th grade and for kids who like comedy.
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
Reviewed by Dori H.F.
Imagine a world with no color, no love, no choices and no memory. This is a world where careers are chosen for you, where families are prearranged and where death is called “release”. Such was the world that Jonas lived in.
In this ‘perfect’ unnamed place, one single person holds all of the memories, good and bad. This is Jonas. He is honored but he can only share his burden with the Giver. In this thrilling novel, Jonas is selected and groomed to be the next Giver, holder of memories. His father, one of the many Nurturers, brings home a baby boy who refuses to sleep at night and might have to be “released”. Jonas grows to love the child and is shocked to learn that baby Gabe is going to be put to death. Jonas grabs his father’s bicycle with Gabe in the child’s seat, and starts pedaling furiously to get away from the “perfect” world.
I give this book a rating of 5 stars because it made me think about how perfect our own world actually is. We have free choice, we can see color, we can love, we have memories and we can control our own destiny.
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats is a fifteen-year-old boy accused of stealing shoes that belonged to a
famous baseball player. For his punishment, he is sentenced to Camp Green Lake. It
is extremely hot there, and Stanley is forced to dig holes. Many other boys who have
committed crimes are also serving time at Camp Green Lake. The warden is mean and
only cares about finding something “interesting”. Zero, one of Stanley’s friends, is the
fastest digger. Zero and Stanley make a deal that Zero will help Stanley dig if Stanley
will teach Zero how to read and write. However, everyone gets angry because Zero is
only helping Stanley dig. At this time, Zero runs away from the camp because everyone
is mad at him. Stanley follows Zero and tries to find him. Now they are both in danger of
running out of food and water.
I would rate this book a 4.5 out of 5. I really enjoyed reading this book because the
format was really good. The book had a side story about the history of the land 110
years before the book took place, which explains what the warden is really looking
for. People who like stories with a lot of suspense and likable characters will enjoy this
book.
By Ben L.
Holes by Louis Sachar
Stanley Yelnats is under a curse that began with his great great grandfather. After being accused of stealing a pair of expensive shoes, Stanley is sent to a boys’ detention center called Camp Green Lake. At Camp Green Lake, Stanley and the badly behaved boys spend all day digging huge holes. There is no lake at Camp Green Lake and they are barely given any water. For them, water is like gold. Camp Green Lake is just a bunch of dug up holes. After all those days Stanley and the boys spend time digging, he finds out why--the warden is looking for something. Then, Stanley and his friend Zero run away from Camp Green Lake and try to find clues from the past to find out where Stanley’s great great grandfather’s treasure is. Stanley wonders what could be under a dried lake, until he hits something hard with his shovel. What could this mysterious item be? I rate this book four out of five stars because it was really exciting trying to find out what was buried under the dried up lake, though, there was not enough excitement throughout the rest of the book.
Alex W.
How to Steal a Dog, by Barbara O’ Connor
Reviewed by Sophia H.
Stealing a dog, that’s what she comes up with. Georgina Hayes, her mother and her younger brother have been living in the backseat of a car ever since Georgina’s father left them. Her mother is working two jobs at once and barely making enough money to feed her family. When Georgina sees a poster for a missing-dog with a $500 reward, she has an idea. She decides to steal a dog from a wealthy family, wait for them to offer a reward and then return the dog. However, not everything ends up going as planned. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5. It was an interesting book that I couldn’t put down. I loved hearing about Georgina becoming attached to the woman who owned the dog and the dog itself. I would definitely recommend this story to anyone looking for a fun, excellent book to read.
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins
Reviewed by Lily G
Would you like it if each year, two children from every town were chosen to fight each other to the death? This is exactly what happens in The Hunger Games, and it's broadcasted on live television for everyone to see. The Hunger Games tells the story of the nation of Panem at an unspecified time in the future. Every year, the Capitol hosts an event called The Hunger Games where one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts are chosen to fight each other until one remains victorious and the rest lose their lives in the fast-paced, strategic fight. The Tributes, the children who participate in the games, are chosen randomly in the "reaping". The reaping is like a lottery where names are chosen out of a bowl and announced to the district. The officials choose one male and one female. There can only be one winner, who receives a years' worth of food for his or her whole district if he or she succeeds in the morbid game. Katniss, a tough girl, volunteers to be a Tribute instead of her younger sister Primrose, who was chosen in the lottery, because she knows Prim would never survive. This is a valiant gesture and sacrifice which foreshadows that Katniss will be successful in the Hunger Games. Peeta Mellark, a distant friend of Katniss, is chosen as the male Tribute from District 12. Peeta and Katniss are told to try and make the sponsors and viewers watch them so that they will help them survive through the deadly games, so they pretend to be in love. This starts out as just a plan, but eventually they actually fall in love. The only problem is that only one of them can survive. Every chapter leaves the reader with a cliffhanger and in order to fulfill your needs and see what happens next, you need to continue reading. Unlike most books, there is a strong female protagonist instead of male. This book really shows the strength of females and how they are just as tough as boys. The book also gives very clear descriptions of all the people and places so that you could make up an image of them in your mind. I rate The Hunger Games five stars because once you start reading it, you can't put it down and you never know what will happen next. I also find it incredibly interesting that (hopefully) this would never happen in real life, so it's fun to read about it. I recommend The Hunger Games to you if you're looking for a book with a unique plot that you can't find in any other book. Don't worry, this is only the first of the trilogy!
The Hunger Games, by Suzanne CollinsReviewed by Benjy H.
In the rubble of a place once called North America, lies Panem, a cruel Capitol surrounded by twelve less fortunate districts. The capitol keeps the districts from rebelling by forcing them to send one boy and one girl from each district between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games. When sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen bravely takes her sister’s place in the games, Katniss has no hope. But she has been close to death before, and survival for her is easy. But if she wants to win, she will have to choose between love, or life. I would rate this book five stars because it had a lot of action and drama. Whenever I read it, it would keep me in suspense throughout each page. I would highly recommend this to anyone of any age.
Ida B, by Katherine Hannigan
Reviewed by Yasmin S.
Ida B is a young girl who is watching her life slowly fall apart. Ida B lives on a farm that she is very attached to. She loves to just be with all of nature. As a young child, Ida B was home-schooled because, to her, real school was torture. Her life was perfect; she would learn half the day then play and have adventures the other half. It was all just amazing until she got the news that turned her life upside-down. One day, her father sat her down and told her that her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. At this point she had to be sent back to school and they had to sell half their farm to pay for the treatment for her mother. After Ida B went back to school she turned from being a happy bubbly girl to a sad and depressed girl.
Over all I would give this book a four out of five. This book to me earned the four stars because it was very touching and at times I could feel Ida B's pain. I subtracted that one star because I thought that the only thing that could have perfected it was maybe not having it drag on for so long. I think that there were some unneeded scenes in the book that just dragged the story on.
If a Tree Falls During Lunch Period, by Gennifer Choldenko
Kristen has just started seventh grade at her mostly white private school and nothing seems to be going right. Her best friend Rory has left her for the mean popular girl at school, Brianna. As if things aren’t wrong enough at school, home isn’t much better. Her parents are barely speaking to each other and when they do, all she can hear are screams coming from downstairs below her bedroom. And to add another joyous detail to the pile of great things, Kristen has also gained 30 pounds over the summer. Anyway, since her friendship with Rory is slowly deteriorating, Kristen goes looking for new friends, and along the way she meets a boy named Walk. He is one of the few African American children at Kristen’s school. Kristen’s mother hears about this new friendship and advises her to stay away and play it safe with the cool kids for a while. Kristen doesn’t like the sound of this but takes her mother’s advice anyway. Too bad she won’t take any advice about her nutrition. One night when she is quietly sneaking away to eat candy in the garage, she overhears a family secret and tries not to start screaming right there! This story is a great one for any kids, teens or adults who are interested in the average life of any teen girl and boy, whose friendship pulls through to the very end.
By Jenna O.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a very interesting book. Hugo Cabret is an orphan. His father, a clock shop owner, died in a fire when looking for a machine that was half built. After that Hugo went to live with his uncle who managed the clocks at a train station. Sadly, Hugo soon finds out his uncle had died too. So Hugo lived alone. He lived in an abandoned apartment. He didn’t go to school, he didn’t have any friends, and he really didn’t communicate with anyone. All he would do was manage the clocks, shoplift, and try to fix the machine that his father had been working on. One day when Hugo is shoplifting for parts that would fit in the machine he is caught by an old toy store owner. The old man makes Hugo work for him. Over time, Hugo gets further with the machine and he starts finding things out.
This book is very exciting and as you read more, secrets are revealed leading to an unexpected ending. I love this book because it is very long but is full of incredible illustrations. I highly recommend it.
By Dan C.
A Time Apart, by Diane Stanley
Reviewed by Sophia H
When Ginny’s mom, Rena, gets cancer, Ginny is forced to leave her home in Houston and go live with her father whom she hasn’t seen for years and barely knows. Ginny is 13 and she has to start a new life with her father, Hugh, who is working on a farm trying to recreate the Iron Age. As soon as Ginny arrives in England she knows that it is going to be a long summer. At the farm she is introduced to all the other people who are living there. Everybody on the farm has to do exactly what Iron Age peasants would do. They all act like a huge family and help each other survive using only things from nature. They don’t even have soap and so they have to wash their hair with clay. Ginny was extremely upset when after spending hours making fruit tarts, the rats found her hiding place and ate all of the tarts. After living on the farm for weeks and waiting for notes from her mom to finally tell her when she can come home, Ginny starts to feel attached to the people to whom she had become so close. Even though Ginny had begun to enjoy being with the people on the farm, she still longs to be home with her friends and mom. Ginny decides that she needs to get home. Even if her mom and dad are not going to help her, she is determined to find a way to go back to Houston. Ginny takes a risk and runs away from the Iron Age Farm, and an entirely new adventure begins. Ginny has to find a way to get back to her home. I give this book a four because I did and didn’t like it. I enjoyed learning how everything was made from scratch, and with so little you can do so much. For example, I didn’t know that it was possible to fire clay from a hole in the ground. I think the relationships Ginny has with her father and mother made the book more interesting. When Ginny got sent away her lifestyle changed tremendously. The only reasons I didn’t like this book were because I am not interested in the Iron Age and I think the book didn’t describe the personalities of some of the characters very well.
The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall (Realistic Fiction)
The members of the Penderwick family are Rosalind, who in this story was twelve years old, Skye who was eleven, Jane who was ten, and their little sister Batty who was four years old. They had a father, and a dog named Hound, but no mother. This story could have taken place around the 1920’s. The Penderwick family’s usual beach house in Cape Cod was rented out at the last minute, so they thought they would have no plans for the summer, but Mr. Penderwick suddenly heard about a small cottage in the Berkshire Mountains, in a little town called Arundel, and of course, they were soon on their way. After a long car ride, they arrived at the cottage, and they found that it was the most charming cottage they had ever seen! They made themselves at home in the rooms they would be staying in. Skye went exploring and met a boy named Jeffrey. They got off to a bad start at first and then they became good friends. The four Penderwick sisters adored Jeffrey; he was kind, sweet, and fun to be with. They did so many things in Arundel that they would never dream of doing at their home in Cameron Massachusetts. They had a meeting with a bull, they ran around trying to find a rabbit that Batty had lost, climbed up a hidden ladder into Jeffrey’s room, and did so many more unexpected things! Meanwhile, Rosalind thought she may have been in love with the teenage gardener, Cagney. But little did they know that Jeffrey’s mother was the evil Mrs. Tifton! Mrs. Tifton was a strict woman, who bossed everyone around. When she found out that her only son Jeffrey was making trouble with the four sisters who rented the cottage next to her mansion, she became furious. To make things even worse, Jeffrey’s mother and her boyfriend Dexter were plotting to send Jeffrey away to a military boarding school. Will the Penderwicks find a way to stop this madness? I think this story was very entertaining to read! I loved how each of the sisters were so different, and they had such great personalities. At some parts I got a little bit confused because so much was going on. I would give this book 4 stars. I just wanted to keep reading The Penderwicks and not put it down.
By Zoe G.
The Reptile Room, By Lemony Snicket (Realistic Fiction)
Once again, in this book the three main characters are Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire. Just like in The Bad Beginning, Count Olaf is trying to steal their fortune, just in a different way through different people. After Count Olaf escaped in the last book, the Baudelaire children moved to their Uncle Monty’s house. Uncle Monty was a scientist and he traveled very often. When the children first moved into Uncle Monty’s house, they loved it! He even had a reptile room that had all different kinds of unknown reptiles. In this room, there was one reptile that Uncle Monty named the Deadly Viper. One day while in the reptile room, the viper bit Sunny on the chin so Sunny bit him back on the nose. The children were alarmed. Uncle Monty explained to them that the viper was not actually deadly, he just named it that as a joke. One morning, Uncle Monty had to go to town to get some things for an expedition they would be going on. He left a note saying that an assistant would arrive. As soon as the assistant pulled up to the house, the Baudelaires knew he was no good. He was being mean to the cab driver and he was ordering the children around. This story has some horrible events, including a car crash, a big knife and lots of threats. If you want to figure out who the negative, bossy person is and read some details about horrific stories then you should read this book. I would rate this book a five because the chapters were always cliffhangers and left me wanting to read more. As I said before, if you like mysteries and horrific stories, this is the book for you. I loved and recommend The Reptile Room and now it’s your chance to read it and love it also.
By Mia S.
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech, Realistic Fiction
Dallas and Florida are 13 year old twin orphans. They were treated terribly at the Boxton Creek Home by the Trepids because they broke all the rules many times. It appeared that Dallas and Florida couldn't control themselves, so nobody wanted to keep them. One seemingly normal punishment-filled day, the Trepids told Florida and Dallas of an opportunity to accompany an old couple on two separate trips. Of course, the twins remembered all of the other "good opportunities" and didn't trust anybody but themselves as the old couple drove them to Ruby Holler. But the old couple didn't seem so bad after all. Find out what mysteries are yet to come in this delightful place- Ruby Holler. I recommend this book for people who are curious about things as Dallas and Florida are.
Dina B.
A Separate Peace, by John Knowles
Reviewed by Alexa U.
The time was World War II. Teenagers were separated from their families and sent to boarding school. They had to grow up on their own. This is the background for the novel, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene and Phineas are best friends and roommates at Devon High School. Gene is smart and does very well in school. Phineas is popular, good looking, and athletic. They each have their own strengths and weaknesses, but even the best of friends can have problems with jealousy.
Gene and Phineas formed a club with their friends. The initiation was to jump from a high tree branch into the school’s lake. For Phineas, the athlete, this was easy. Walking out on the tree branch and keeping balance was more challenging for Gene. When Phineas and Gene decide to jump together, everyone finds it strange that Phineas loses his balance, falls, and breaks his leg. Was this an accident, or did Gene’s jealousy cause him to push his best friend? Even Gene is not quite sure. Their friends try to get to the bottom of the mystery of Phineas’ injury. A trial is held by the students to see if Gene was at fault. The ending is surprising and tragic.
I think this book is very interesting because it was written a long time ago, but when I compared teenage emotions in the book, and the emotions of young people today, they were still the same. I rate this book five stars because the book was very descriptive. I got to know the characters very well. They seemed like real people. It was a beautiful story of friendship and tragedy that I found as good as my dad did, when he read it.
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is the first novel in the series written by Ann Brashares. This book is about the sisterhood of four girls during the summer. It is their first summer apart from each other so in order for them to stay in touch their magical pair of pants helps them to connect over the vacation. Each one of the four girls, Bridget, Lena, Tibby, and Carmen, all surprisingly fit into the same pair of pants, even though the four girls are all different shapes and sizes. Before their departure from each other to go their separate ways for the fun-filled summer, the sisterhood decides to establish a ritual for the pants and set basic rules for them. While each of them are very far away from each other, they are able to stay in touch through the pants and by writing to each other. I liked this book a lot because there are so many stories and thrilling adventures that the girls take part in while wearing the pants. I recommend this book because it is very exciting and interesting.
Mel V.
Talent, by Zoey Dean
Mac Little-Armstrong is the middle child in THE super-family of L.A. Her mother is the top talent agent in the city, her dad a famous playwright, little sister a brainiac, older brother a well known surfer, and Mac, ruler of Bel-Air Middle School (BAMS). There is only one thing Mac could want. Social Chair. She already knows she’ll win, but just in case, she has to think of an amazing project that’ll insure the prize. When she gets to Davey Woodward’s premier, she sees it. Emily Mungler. A total no one from nowheresville, Iowa. Emily has wanted to go to L.A. for her entire life. Luckily, when her mom, Lori, wins a game show, she decides to spend the money on taking Emily, and her BFF Paige to Hollywood. Unfortunately, Lori thinks this trip is all about tar pits and wax museums. Paige and Emily realize they’re only a block away from their star crush’s premier, so when they hear Lori’s reassuring snore, they head out. Once they get there, the duo run into a flaw in the plan. A guest list. Emily isn’t the only one who ran into a problem, Mac has too. Its name? Ruby Goldman, who lost weight over the summer, now has an Inner Circle of her own, and is Mac’s new competition. But, when Mac sees Emily act her way in as Corey (Davey’s cousin), she realizes she has found her new Social Chair project. She’ll become an agent for the no one who has “it”. Emily.
-Talia P.
The Usual Rules, by Joyce Maynard
The Usual Rules is an incredible, deep book. It is about a girl named Wendy, who has a pretty good life. Her mother remarried a few years ago, and she loves her new stepfather Josh like a father. She also loves her half-brother, Louie. Then disaster strikes. Wendy’s mother works in one of the Twin Towers and was there on the day of the terrorist attacks. Wendy and her family are heart-broken. They can’t find her mother. Wendy then decides that she should go to California and spend some time with her real dad. Josh and Louie don’t want her to go, but Wendy can see that Josh is having a lot of trouble right now and can’t take care of both her and her brother. So Wendy goes to CA to visit a father she hasn’t seen in years. While she’s there, she learns many things about herself and meets a group of strange and yet wonderful people. The Usual Rules is a deep, moving adult book, but I think that if I can handle it, then most middle-schoolers can. This book is written in a fantastic way, moving you to the core. I really hope some of you read it--it’s one of my favorite books.
By Becca T.
Violet Rains Almost Got Struck by Lightning, By Danette HaworthReviewed by Gabriella M.
Outgoing and bubbly, Violet Rains isn’t scared of anything. She lived in Mitchell Hammock, Florida, all of her life and knows all the secret places to go. She and her friend Lottie (Charlotte) have been friends since their baby years and have been best friends since. Going to the forest and running around and getting a little dirty makes them who they are. Things are just the way Violet likes them. Until Now. Stuck up and prissy Melissa Gold arrives from the big city of Detroit. Melissa is into boys and make-up and drama TV. Lottie has been taking an interest in Melissa, and been slightly pulling back from all of her daily activities with Violet. Lottie is now starting to wear lip gloss and watch Melissa’s favorite TV show, Paris Heights. What is Violet supposed to do? Join in, or stick to what she believes in. Now that the girls are going into junior high, does that mean that she has to change? The only friend she has left is Eddie B. He is her fearless friend and pushes her until the edge. Eddie has also had it with Melissa after seeing her reaction to bugs and the dirty caves they play in. But Melissa isn’t done yet. When she accuses Violet and Eddie of liking each other, it pulls the last string for Violet. Oh, but Violet wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on Melissa or say anything cruel because Violet knows if she does anything to Melissa, Lottie will leave her forever. It takes a push, a fish fry, and some lightning to bring these girls together.
★★★★★
I rate this book five stars because it teaches valuable vocabulary and an important lesson. No matter how old you get, you never need to change who you are. Stay true to yourself, and everything will turn back around.
Walk Two Moons, by Sharon CreechReviewed by Rachel O.Salamanca Hiddle is just an ordinary girl trying hard to reunite with her missing mother. Salamanca has lived most of her life in Bybanks, Kentucky, but she finds out she is moving to Euclid, Ohio. Salamanca lives with her father but spends a lot of time with Gram and Gramps Hiddle, her father’s parents. In Ohio, Sal is not very happy because she loves it in Bybanks, where she lived the thirteen years of her life. Gram and Gramps arrive at her home one afternoon to take her out on a wild road trip that she will never forget. As they are all driving, Sal remembers an old friend from Bybanks who had gone to Sal’s school. Sal starts telling her Grandparents a lot of stories about this very cautious, curious girl named Phoebe. A young man that Phoebe thought was a lunatic came to her house and she was frightened. Then, Phoebe kept getting mysterious notes and thought they were from the young man. While that was happening, Phoebe’s mother disappeared. She went to the police station because of the lunatic and her mother missing and she dragged Sal there with her. A police officer brought Sal and Phoebe into his office but then Phoebe and the officer stepped out. Sal looked at the photos on the police officer’s desk and in the picture with the police officer was his son. Sal thought she knew the son from somewhere but she just didn’t know where. Then, she realized, it was the “lunatic”. I would give this book a rating of five stars because it kept me so interested that I wanted to read more and more. With the mix of sadness and curiosity I thought this book was over the top in how it was so well written. It received a Newberry Medal and it definitely deserved one. Walk Two Moons is a fantastic book that I think everyone should read!
We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah, by Fiona Rosenbloom
We Are So Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah is the continuation of You are SO not Invited to my Bat Mitzvah. Stacy Adelaide Friedman just had the best summer of her life at camp where she and her friend Lydia met an older girl who knew everything on the latest trends. They became friends and with their new knowledge they were going to be the coolest girls at First Night behind the PepsiCo building (which was really illegal to be there, but no one has ever been caught). On the first day of 8th grade at Jefferson Junior High, people are turning heads at Lydia and Stacy but they misinterpret it as they like their new looks. All the good looks are going towards Kelly. Kelly was Lydia and Stacy’s friend, till now, when she disposed them for the Chicas. Stacy and Lydia are both really happy for her but get really disturbed when Kelly starts hanging out with Kym and the Chicas. To make their lives even worse, Eben, Kym’s cousin, was told to not invite Lydia and Stacy to his super awesome Hollywood themed Bar Mitzvah. This was a really great book and I hope all of you read it to find out the ending!!
Bianca N.
Willa by Heart, by Colleen Murtagh Paratore
Willa Havisham is the main character in the Wedding Planner’s Daughter series, by Colleen Murtagh Paratore. The book begins in the last months of school when Willa is enjoying Cape Cod with her boyfriend Joey. Her family owns the Bramblebriar Inn and meets many new friends there, such as the two women she’s planning weddings for at the same time. Towards the middle of the story, Willa is excited because the local theatre is doing a play, Our Town. Once she goes to her grandma’s book / candy store, taste tests some taffy and reads the book, Willa thinks she and Joey are destined for the lead roles. Ruining her excitement, a new girl named Mariel comes out of nowhere and captures Joey’s interest. Once Joey is seen with Mariel, Willa gets really upset and ends up dancing with a southern boy at a dance. Little did she know that Joey would show up. What will happen to their relationship, Bramble and the play? You’ll have to read the book to find out! I really liked this book but wouldn’t recommend it to boys because it’s a girly book.
By Bianca NWillow, by Julia Hoban
Willow is a story about a sixteen-year-old girl named Willow. One day, when her parents were at dinner, they drank too much and they called their daughter, Willow, to drive them home. Willow did not have her license yet, but given the circumstances, she still went to drive them home. It was a rainy day and the street was slippery and icy. First she was in control of the car, then struggling, and then suddenly in a whirl of street lights, screams, the car crunching under her, and her parents’ life ending. Willow watched as her mother was dying. Her father died instantaneously. Nothing was the same after that. Seven months later, she is living with her older brother who can barely manage to talk to her. He’s married and has a cute little baby girl, and Willow does not feel at home. There's only one way out, one way to get out of all the emotional pain; by the physical kind. Using a razor, Willow cuts herself in order for the bite of the blade to overcome all the emotions she cannot bear to go through. She is not looking to commit suicide; she’s not crazy, just running away from any emotional pain. But then she meets Guy, a boy who seems so strong and worthy, but as Willow spends more time with him, she notices that he’s just as broken up as she is inside. Julia Hober does a fantastic job on this book. You would think that a teenage girl who cuts herself should be put in a hospital, but you get to know Willow and how she does not feel hurt in a way other people would. Willow hates when anyone gives her pity. And her main concern is for her brother, David, whom she knows is extremely broken up inside. She actually loathes herself for doing such a stupid thing, for changing his life forever, and ending her parents’. Willow calls herself a murderer and a cutter, and thinks she is weak to rely on cutting, but she might just be the opposite. Willow used to be the most popular girl in school, but now, when she has to interact with a classmate or peer, she stumbles over her words or cannot talk to them; she’s isolated. Willow is written for teenagers, but a story about a girl who cuts herself is more the material for older teens and young adults. It has undetailed sexual situations and minor language. But I still recommend this book for pre-teens and teens. Hoban does an amazing job on Willow and I loved it.
By Dria G.
Theodore Boone: The Abduction, By John Grisham
Reviewed by: Itay Goldfarb
When April (Theo's best friend), disappears in the middle of the night after talking to Theo, he is determined to find her kidnapper. But as fear is spreading, and while the police are hitting dead ends, Theo is determined to use his skills to capture her abductor. Everyone in town thinks that the outlaw, Jack Leeper, took her because he is an outlaw, and also because he is related to April. The story takes place in the little town of Strattenburg.
In my opinion, this is the best realistic fiction book ever! I would recommend this book for children 8 and up. I would give this book a 5 star rating because it is filled with mysteries and makes you want to read more. Every single chapterends with something mysterious. If you read this book, and like it, I would recommend that you read the series because it is great!
Wonder, by R.J. Palacio
Reviewed by: Charlotte K.
I read the book Wonder. It is an amazing book but sometimes sad. The book is by R.J Palacio, and it's on the New York Times best seller list . When I read the book I could not put the book down because I was so interested in it. One of the main characters in this book is August. His nickname is Auggie. The story is about him getting bullied. One reason is because he had so many surgeries that he doesn't look right.
The book Wonder is easy to understand because it has very clear descriptions. My favorite part in this book is when Auggie finally sticks up for himself. It's my favorite part of the book because I think people should always stick up for themselves. There are lots of ways to stick up for yourself, including asking friends or adults for help. I am always going to recommend this book. If I had a chance to rate this book I would definitely give it a 5 star rating.