Random Reads

Paperboy

Vince Vacter

4/5 Stars

            This book is about a boy who has to help his friend out with his paper route. On his paper route he meets nice people, mean people, and both mean and nice. One man on his route is really nice and helps him to talk better.

            I thought that this was a great book because of how the boys starts up for himself and doesn’t let anyone make him feel bad.

The Dark Unwinding

Sharon Cameron

2/5 Stars

            I really didn’t like the main character, Katherine. I could tell when I wanted her to die! What happens is she goes to her uncle to get him into an asylum. I really didn’t like the book. I just wanted it to end. I wanted everyone to die but one little boy. I really don’t recommend this book. The beginning was slow and bad. Same with the rest.

Jabberwocky and Other Poems

Lewis Carroll

3.5/5 Stars

            This is a book of different poems by Lewis Carroll. It is book of poems with many different categories. My favorite poem is Brother and Sister. It is about how siblings sometimes act. I liked almost all the poems but a few were hard to read. I would recommend it to people who like to read a book of poems.

Rule of Thoughts

James Dashner

3/5 Stars

            The book I read is The Rule of Thoughts. The main characters are Michael, Bryson, and Sarah. They have a good friendship made after what they have been through. What happens is Michael and his friends must stop Kaine before he destroys humanity.

            I liked the book. The only thing was the ending closed up so quickly I didn’t know what was happening. I was left wondering what had just happened. But I really liked the beginning and how it seemed like it couldn’t end. I would recommend this book to a friend, if they have first read The Eye of Minds. If not, you would have been very confused and missing important details.

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck

3/5 Stars

            The book I read is Of Mice and Men. The main characters are Lennie and George. Lennie and George have a complicated relationship. What happens is they get a new job and go to work, something happened and when it seemed nothing can stop them, something does.

I liked the book but the ending is just, wow! I really wasn’t expecting it to happen. It really changed what I thought about the book. I would recommend this book to people who like twist endings.

The One and Only Ivan

Katherine Applegate

5/5 Stars

            Ivan is a silver back gorilla who lives in a mall with a stray dog, Bob, and an elderly elephant, Stella. Ivan has lived 27 years in the mall. When baby elephant Ruby arrives she doesn’t know that she will be abused. She and Ivan have a remarkable bond with each other and Ivan draws pictures to show her.

            I liked the book a lot! It is very funny and touching. It was funny when Bob, a stray dog, lands in Ivan’s pool. It was scary when Ruby was abused though. She shouldn’t be abused! I recommend this book because it is funny, touching, and perfect for animal lovers.

            Be nice to elephants!

Stravaganza: City of Masks

Mary Hoffman

4/5 Stars

            The book I read is Stravaganza: City of Masks. The main character is Lucien. I liked him but I really didn’t like what happened to “him” at the end. What happens is Lucien finds himself in Bellezza. I like the book. What I liked is how it kept switching places. At some points it got very confusing. I would recommend this book to people because of how good it is and how you can’t put it down.

The Fixer

Jennifer Lynn Barnes

4.5/5 Stars

            The main characters are Tess, Ivy and Vivvie. Vivvie is my favorite. Tess goes to live with her older sister in D.C. and a lot of strange things happen.

            I love this book, it’s an amazing, fun book to read. I love the plot and how they get it going. I really recommend this book. It’s amazing.

The 39 Clues: The Maze of Bones

Rick Riordan

5/5 Stars

            Amy and Dan Cahill find out that their family is one of the most powerful families in human history! They have to decide receiving one million dollars or going after the 39 clues. What should they choose?

            I recommend this book because it is an adventurous book and it has a lot of action. I liked it.

Paranormal Preferences

City of Bones

Cassandra Clare

4/5 Stars

            This book is about a girl named Clary who finds out that she is a Shadowhunter.

            I thought that this was a really good book with lots of action and adventure. The only thing I didn’t like was the end. I would recommend this book because it had a lot of detail and was a really good book.

City of Ashes

Cassandra Clare

3.5/5 Stars

            This book is about Clary, Jace, Isabelle, and Alex trying to destroy Valentine. Except the beginning of the books is kind of boring while they’re figuring things out.

            In the beginning you sometimes want to punch Jace because he makes some stupid decisions. I thought it was a good book, but it also made me mad. It wasn’t as good as the first one because there was not as much happening. I would recommend this book but it was not as good as the first one.

The Haunting of Sunshine Girl

Paige McKenzie

4/5 Stars

            The main characters are Sunshine and her ghost. What happens is Sunshine and her mom move from Texas to Washington and her new house is a little creepy.

            I really like this book. It is really suspenseful and kind of scary. I couldn’t stop reading. I really recommend this book if you like scary, suspenseful things.

Fallen

Lauren Kate

5/5 Stars

            Luce moves to a school for kids who do bad things. Luce had to go there for a reason you will find out if you read this. She meets some friends, like Cam and Daniel, and finds out that everyone isn’t who they seem to be.

            I loved this first book. My favorite part would be all the parts except the boring parts, and there were no boring parts so I liked the whole book. It was fun to read. I did learn to choose your friends wisely.

            I would recommend this book because it is fun, exciting, and there are fun parts you don’t expect.

Historical Fiction in Middle School

 Titanic: The Long Night

Diane Hoh

3.5/5 Stars

            The book I read is Titanic: The Long Night. The main characters are Elizabeth, Brian, Patrick, and Kathleen. What happens is they all venture onto the Titanic.

            I liked the book. It wasn’t as sad as I thought it was going to be, but it was still sad. I would recommend this book if you are curious about what happened the night the Titanic went down.

My Brother’s Secret

Dan Smith

3.5/5 Stars

            The book I read is My Brother’s Secret. The main character is Karl. He is only twelve but he is working plans to go to war. What happens is Karl starts to rethink whose side he is on. I liked the book because of how you didn’t know what was going to happen or how the other characters were going to act. I would recommend this book because of how fun it is to read.

My Friend the Enemy

Dan Smith

3.5/5 Stars

            The book I read is My Friend the Enemy. The main characters are Peter, Kim, and the Enemy. What happens is Peter and Kim befriend the Enemy. I liked the book. I really liked how it burned out but the ending came to a conclusion really quickly. I thought there would have been another book. I would recommend this book to come one because of all the action and suspense.

Prisoner of Night and Fog

Anne Blankman

4.5/5 Stars

            The book I read is Prisoner of Night and Fog. The main character is Gretchen. I really liked her determination to find the truth. What happens is Gretchen meets a Jewish reporter. He tells her that her father was killed by a comrade. I really like the book. There was violence and some killing. It made the book really good. I couldn’t stop reading it. I didn’t want it to end. I would recommend it to people who like to learn about World War II.

Etiquette and Espionage

Gail Carriger

3/5 Stars

            The main characters are Sophronia, Mademoiselle Geraldine, Lady Linette, Dimity, and Pillover. What happens is Sophronia is sent to a Finishing School, but at the school robbers called flyway men are trying to find something called the prototype that the school is hiding.

            This book is pretty good. It had a lot of stuff going on, but a good concept. I recommend this book because it is an interesting read.

4/5 Stars

            The book I read is Etiquette and Espionage. The main character is Sophronia. She meets a couple of friends along the way that help her. What happens is Sophronia has to go to finishing school but everything there isn’t what it seems.

            I really liked the book. I really liked how she was so daring and does things that others won’t. I would recommend this book to a friend because of how you fall in love with the book.

The Hunger Pains

Harvard Lampoon

4.5/5 Stars

Review 1

            The characters in this book are Kantkiss Neverclean, Pitz, and all the other tributes. In this parody of The Hunger Games, Kantkiss and Pitz go to the Arena and have to fight to the death when some things go a little more romantic. This book is absolutely hilarious. I love it. It puts a different twist on The Hunger Games and I recommend this book.

Review 2

            The book I read is The Hunger Pains. The main character is Kantkiss. What happens is Kantkiss does whatever Katniss pretty much didn’t do in The Hunger Games.

            I liked the book. It really made fun of The Hunger Games. It was really fun to read, even if you had an idea of what was going to happen. I would recommend this book to people who have already read The Hunger Games.

Spotlight on Ingrid Law

Savvy

5/5 Stars

This book was a really good book. Some parts surprise me, some parts scared me. The girl in the book doesn’t give up. She sticks to what she is doing and keeps going until she’s done. On her thirteenth birthday she gets a power called a savvy. You get these when you turn 13. Her dad was in the hospital when it was her birthday. She went on an adventure to go find her dad. She faces hard decisions, causes trouble, and she makes big mistakes, but you never know in a book like this what she is going to do next.

3/5 Stars

            The book I read is Savvy. The main character is Milo. Her birthday is coming up. What happens is Milo’s father gets injured just before her birthday.

I liked the book. The only thing was it was just too slow. It took too long for everything to happen. I recommend this book to a friend who is prepared for a slow, good book.

Switch

3/5 Stars

            The book was about gypsy who was going to get her grandma. She got to her grandma’s house and her mom got groceries when her grandma ran away.

            I thought that it was an okay book, but you could predict what was going to happen. Sometimes you didn’t know what was going to happen but not a lot. It did keep you on the edge of your seat sometimes. I would recommends this book even though you could predict what was going to happen.

Reviews from our Harry Potter Challenge!

Students challenged each other to read Harry Potter for the first time. So many participated that I ran out of copies of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Below our several of the reviews that have come back for the first Harry Potter book. Some were noticeably more excited than others.

3.5/5 Stars

            This book is about a boy named Harry Potter who finds out he is a wizard and goes to Hogwarts (wizard school) and learns how to be a wizard.

I thought this was an okay book and I might recommend this book, but it would not be a book I would recommend to everyone. My opinion is that it is a pretty good book, but some of the parts are kind of boring and not a lot happens.

4/5 Stars

            Let me start by saying I never thought I would write this review.

            Harry goes to Hogwarts and figures out about a thing called the Sorcerer’s Stone. He does his best to protect the stone.

            The book was much better than I expected it to be. The beginning was slow but it sped up after that. I do recommend this book because it was not terrible.

6/5 Stars

            Harry survives a curse that killed his parents. He lives a miserable life with the Dursleys for ten years. Later, a giant named Hagrid tells Harry that he has been accepted at Hogwarts, a school of magic and witchcraft. On the train to Hogwarts he meets Ron and Hermione, and during the sorting ceremony Harry is placed in Gryffindor. Harry soon figures out that someone is after the Sorcerer’s Stone and works with Ron and Hermione to protect it.

            I loved the book! It was so good, I gave it six stars. There is a funny part where Malfoy runs away like a coward. I recommend this book because Harry Potter is full of surprises and unexpected magic. The plot is full of action.

We Love Rick Riordan!

Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods

5/5 Stars

            The book I read was Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods. The main characters are all the 12 main gods, a couple more gods, and Percy Jackson. What happens is Percy gives his perspective on the gods.

            I really liked the book. It was fun to read and I liked the extra comments Percy added. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fun way to learn about Greek Mythology.

Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes

3/5 Stars

            Percy Jackson’s Greek Heroes is a good book. Percy tells you stories and adds his own random comments. There are a few chapters that get boring though. Some of it is really good. I learned a lot about Greek myths. This is a good way to learn about it. I think it is fun to learn stuff in Percy’s point of view. Some heroes Percy explains are Hercules, Jason, Belloheron, Theseus, and a lot more. I did like Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods better, though, because I never really got bored of it.

Magnus Chase and the Sword of Summer

4.5/5 Stars

Review 1

            Magnus, Sam, Blitz, and Hearth go on a quest to make sure that the wolf Fenris does not escape his island. They go through a lot of things including fishing giant servants and having a giant squirrel try to kill them. Magnus and the Sword of Summer (Jack) worked together throughout their quest.

            I really liked the book because the chapter titles are hilarious and there are lots of exciting things that go on. I would definitely recommend this book because it is really fun to read and it won’t finish really fast.

Review 2

            The main character is Magnus and he is a brave person who has to save all the worlds. What happens is Magnus loses the Sword of Summer and has to get it back before someone else gets it and kills all the worlds.

            I loved this book. It is hilarious. It was funny since the first paragraph. I recommend this book a lot because it is amazing.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

A Taste of Second Trimester

A Wizard Abroad

Diane Duane

5/5 Stars

            A Wizard Abroad is the fourth book in the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. It’s a great book full of magic. Nita Callahan, age fourteen and awkward, was sent to Ireland by her parents. They said she needed a break.

            In Ireland she meets new friends and runs into trouble. Her friend Kit Rodriguez, age 13 and also a wizard, has to come to Ireland to help her.

            The Powers have given her a job, but can she fulfill it?

I am Number Four

Pittacus Lore

4.5/5 Stars

            The book I read is I am Number Four. The main character is John. I liked John, but his name is, well, if you read you will find out. What happens is since John is Number 4, he is next.

            I liked the book. It was fun to read and was action packed. I couldn’t stop reading it. My favorite part was when the action started happening. I would recommend this book because of how fun it was to read.

The Power of Six

Pittacus Lore

3/5 Stars

            The book I read is The Power of Six. The main characters are John, Six, Sam, and Marina. Some of them have a pretty good friendship. What happens it they go looking for the rest of the Legacies.

            I liked the book. The only thing was that it would switch who was talking and it got confusing. I would recommend this book to a friend who doesn’t mind having to figure out who is talking.

The Copper Gauntlet

Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

4/5 Stars

            The book I read was The Copper Gauntlet. The main characters are Call, Aaron, and Tamara. I really like how they stay friends no matter what. Call, Aaron, and Tamara go back to the Magisterium in this book.

            I liked the book. I really wasn’t expecting what happened, but over all it was good. I really liked the ending, even if I wasn’t expecting it. I would recommend this book to people who have read The Iron Trial.

The Looking Glass Wars

Frank Beddor

4/5 Stars

            Princess Alyss of Wonderland gets stuck in London and nobody believes that she is from Wonderland. She gets adopted by a nice family and meets a man who listens to her tales. Meanwhile, in Wonderland, Alyss’s evil Aunt Redd steals power and most of the citizens in Wonderland believe Alyss is dead. In order to save Wonderland, Alyss must find a way back to her home.

            This was a good book and I would recommend it to a friend. I liked the book, it was kind of violent.

The Drake Equation

Bart King

4/5 Stars

            The book I read is The Drake Equation. The main characters are Noah, Jason, and Jenny. They are all friends and get along well. What happens is Noah wants to find a wood duck, so he gets off at the wrong stop and ends up finding a disc.

            I really liked the book. What made me like it is how everything fit together. Like when hearing the wood duck lead to finding the disc. I also liked how it gave descriptions of the characters and how they act.

            I would recommend this book to a friend because of how interesting it is and how you can’t put it down.

Old School

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School

Jeff Kinney

            It starts out when Susan Heffley decides everyone should unplug and do stuff like reading and playing outside. Greg struggles to fit in an old fashion world because he lives on video games. Then, his grandpa comes over and causes major problems. Greg has to sleep in Manny’s room because Grandpa Heffley is sleeping in Greg’s room. Then, Greg goes on a trip to Hardscrubble farms to learn about nature, responsibility, and what it was like back in the 1800s.

            I liked the book a lot! My favorite part was when the Heffley’s pet pig acts like a human being and walks on two legs. The scary bit was about Silas Scratch, the crazed farmer. I recommend this book because it is awesome with humor, heart, and video games.

            In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, Greg is wondering if life is better in the old days or now. My favorite part was when Greg found the maintenance shed because he finally found a clean shower and a working toilet. I recommend this book because it is a good book and it’s fun to read and see what Greg goes through. I really liked the book.

Highlights from First Trimester

Walk Two Moons

Sharon Creech

            Salamaca, a true country girl at heart, tells the story of her new life in Euclid, Ohio and her new friends while going on a road trip to see her mom in Lewston, Idaho. Salamaca and her grandparents see lots of exciting sights like the Badlands, Old Faithful, and many more. There is a weird part where Phoebe, Salamaca’s friend, talks about cholesterol in certain foods. Eventually, Salamaca and her grandparents reach Lewston.

            I liked the book a lot! There was a funny part where Ben, Salamaca’s friend draws a picture of a bee with an ice cube on butt. I learned to never judge someone until you’ve walked in their moccasins.

            I highly recommend this book because it is funny, serious, heartwarming, and sad. It has awesome characters.

I am Number Four

Pittacus Lore

            I really liked the book because it has a lot of action. That’s saying a lot because I only like books with a lot of action. I also like it because it is a weird and interesting storyline. John/Number Four and his Garde, Henri, are running from the Mogadorians, because they’re trying to kill them. I would recommend it to anyone who likes action.

The Death Cure

James Dashner

            The Trials are over but WICKED still needs the cure. Thomas and the rest of Group A and B have fled to where they are safe from the cranks, but they are wrong.

            I, overall, liked the book but some parts made me mad and sad. My favorite part was when Thomas and Brenda go through Denver dodging the cranks who try to kill them. They are trying to get to the right arm to get help.

            I recommend this book. I think it is a good ending for this Trilogy.

 Fantasy League

Mike Lupica

            I read the book Fantasy League by Mike Lupica. The characters in this book are Charlie, Charlie’s mom, Anna, Anna’s mom, Joe Warren, Matt Warren, and Charlie’s football team.

            The plot of the story is that Charlie loves football. He studies it and everything. Charlie’s friend is Anna and her grandpa owns a football team. That is when it all changes for Charlie.

            I liked this book. I liked it when Charlie picks the best players on the team. It was a really cool story where I learned it doesn’t matter how old or young you are as long as you put your mind to it, you can do anything. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in sports.

I Funny

James Patterson

            Jamie Grimm moves from his country town to Long Beach with an unhappy family and a bully for a big brother. He enters a lot of comedy contests to be Long Beach’s funniest kid. But, he also struggles to survive having a bully for a brother. However, he wins most of the contests for being super funny. The sad part is when you find out his back story.

            I liked the book a lot. My favorite part is when Jamie imitates Lady Liberty. I learned to be yourself. I highly recommend this book because it is very funny and you’ll laugh until your sides hurt!

Briar’s Book

Tamora Pierce

            A new, undiscovered disease breaks out and is spreading to people all over. Can they find a cure?

            I personally think this is an awesome book. It was fun and suspenseful. My favorite part was when Briar gets a red stamp on his head.

            I definitely recommend this book to a friend (if they read the first three). It’s so full of adventure and suspense. It is definitely for people who like magic and fantasy.