I recently read A Diamond In My Pocket by Lorena Angell. It was really good! It’s about a girl who finds out she special abilities, so she goes to a camp where others have special abilities. There, people are extra fast runners, healers, and mind readers. They think she’s a runner but it turns out she may be more or less than they think. She is chosen to go on a quest with a few others, one including a cute boy she likes, so it’s a little bit of a love story. Plus, there’s a sequal called A Diamond In My Heart.
If you read A Diamond In My Pocket, you’ll definitely want to read A Diamond In My Heart, also by Lorena Angell. It continues the story with Calli, her boy friend, and also introduces a few other characters as well. In this book she doesn’t go back to the camp, instead she goes on a few different quests. She meats a new boy, who may have a new ability. This book is just as good as the first book,or maybe even better!
I read the book The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It is about peace loving alien worms who take over the human race by attaching themselves onto a person’s brain. The main character, the Wanderer, is an alien who goes inside Melanie, the other main character. However Melanie doesn’t fade away like the other human “hosts”. Instead, she remains a voice inside of the Wanderers head. After initial tensions, they begin to get along and the Wanderer sees that what the aliens are doing is wrong. They run away in search of a hiding spot in the desert where humans are thought to be at. When they arrive, Melanie/Wanderer are met with hostility and skepticism. The humans there think that the wanderer is just a seeker trying to uncover the remaining humans to the aliens. As the story progresses though, they begin to see the wanderer for who she truly is. I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked this book because peaceful aliens are a really interesting concept. It brings up the question, is it okay to murder millions of people in order to create a stable world with no anger, hatred, or war? The part that I didn’t like was how the main character was so self sacrificing and was always willing to die for others. The main character’s persona was very similar to Twilight’s Bella, which is no surprise since it is the same author. I just wish the wanderer had more respect for herself throughout the story. If you liked the Twilight series, the host is a good book for you.
I read the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is about a young woman named Taylor Greer who leaves her rural hometown in Kentucky in search of a new life. Along the way, at a rest stop, a Native american lady leaves her baby in their car and drives away. Taylor initially feels despair at this turn in her journey, but in time begins to realize it as the blessing it really is. Taylor and the baby, Turtle, continue on in their journey all the way to Arizona where they are forced to settle down due to sliced tires. There, they make many friendships, have adventures, and learn more about the true nature of people. I loved this book. It brought up so many important topics, such as the fairness of native american reservations, child abuse, and illegal immigration. This book also had many strong characters. There was Taylor, who was strong minded and caring with a driving determination. Also Mattie, a tire mechanic who provides a safe haven for central american refugees, was in my opinion an admirable and well developed character. Overall, this book was a great read for adults and teens.
I read Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins. It is a great book.
It has romance, mystery and horror in it. The main characters are Sophie Mercer (a demon), Archer Cross, Cal (a healer), and Jenna(a vampire.) They all are in a fancy hotel in Rome, where Sophie figures out so many mysteries about her family. (mostly about her grandmother.) This is a great book for teens who like a lot of different genres. Hopefully you will read it!
I agree! I read this book last summer and I also loved it. It’s a trilogy and the third and final book came out this spring. The library owns it and it is called Spell Bound. I thought it was a great ending to the series, but part of it is sad. Be sure to check it out though!
I read the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. It took place in a run down neighborhood that was full of people from all different backrounds and cultures. A young vietnamese girl started it all when she planted a couple of bean seeds in the corner of a vacant lot full of trash. This inspires the rest of the neighborhood, and they begin the process of transforming the ugly space into a beautiful garden. I really enjoyed reading it. I liked how the whole book was just a collection of different people’s stories from their perspective of how they came to the garden. Seedfolks is a great book to take on vacation or to the beach because its short and lightweight. Overall, teens who like inspirational stories will enjoy this book.
I read Payback Time by Carl Deuker. The main character, Daniel, a.k.a. “Mitch”, has had aspirations of being the editor of his school newspaper ever since his freshman year. But instead of being voted editor, or even lead reporter, he is assigned to be the school sports reporter. Mitch doesn’t know many things about sprots, mostly because he was never very good at them. Mitch, named after the Michelin Man for obvious reasons, teams up with photographer Kimi to cover all aspects of their school’s sporting events. Little do they know this will lead them to become investigative journalists, trying to uncover the story behind the new, talented cornerback, Angel Marichal, who just appears on the practice field one day and has a bullet for an arm. To make matters worse, head football coach Hal McNulty will only let Mitch do interviews that he himself sets up, which makes Angel “off-limits!” On top of that, every time Mitch submits an article to The Seattle Times, Chet Jetton, the sports editor, cuts out everything about Angel! Between writing, sleuthing, and doing homework, Mitch manages to lose a lot of weight and solve the mystery at the same time. In one fell swoop, Mitch can nail Coach McNulty for using an inelgible player, which could be his ticket to admittance to journalism school at Columbia. However, Mitch and Kimi find out that things aren’t always what they seem. They will have to decide if it is ethical to take advantage of their findings, and it could be the hardest decision they have ever made. I recommend this book to both boys and girls, because it isn’t just about sports, it’s mystery themed too! I liked this book a lot and would give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5!!
I just read Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour. This book is a greta book for teen girls. It is the story of two teens who are driving cross country together to meet up with their parents in their new house. They haven’t met each other before their trip and the only way they know each other is through their parents. The trip was planned out by Amy’s mom but once she gets to know Roger she decides taking a detour isn’t the worst thing that could happen. This book is filled with love, adventure, and suspense. This book is a great book because of the context and format of the book. Through out the book there are pictures of things they saw on their adventure and other things which make this book look like a scrapbook. A major theme shown in this book is Overcoming fear. Amy has always been a “follow the rules” kind of person but she learns to loosen up and have some fun on her epic detour. This is a great love story and inspirational novel.
I read Underworld by Meg Cabot. It is the second in the Abandon trilogy. It is a modern twist on the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. Pierce Oliviera is the main character who is “Persephone” she meets John Hayden, or Hades, the lord of the Underworld. In this book John has taken Pierce to the Underworld to keep her from danger, but she receives a video on her phone that shows her cousin Alex is in great danger back in Florida. Pierce must then beg John for help to save her cousin while she uncovers more dark secrets on how exactly John became lord of the Underworld.
The trilogy is set in Florida on “The Island of Bones” which sits on top of the Underworld of course. The setting is interesting, and Pierce is a very fun character. I really enjoy this series, and I am awaiting the final book which may come out next year. Our library owns both Abandon, the first book, and Underworld, so be sure to read them! Also if you like this trilogy, you may like Oh My Gods and Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs (also owned by our library). I feel even non Greek myth lovers would like these books.
Yesterday, I finished Heartless by Sara Shepard which is the 7th in the Pretty Little Liars series. This is the first in the series I have actually read (I know it was bad to read these out of order!). I had never bothered to read the series, but I then found out it was a murder mystery and detective story (I love this genre), so I had to try them. I ended up really enjoying the book, I couldn’t put it down yesterday, and I was in suspense until the final page. My only disappointment is since the series is so popular I had heard several spoilers from friends.
This installment in the series is about Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily trying to determine Ali’s real killer because it seems Ian is not to blame. Along the way, each of the girls uncover surprising secrets. Aria experiments with seances to try to communicate with Ali, Hanna must spend 2 weeks in a mental hospital for PTSD, Spencer’s parents are finally giving her some love and attention, and Emily spends a weekend in Amish country where she uncovers quite a secret.
Since many of you may have read this series you may enjoy the following murder mystery stories: Bad Kitty, Kitty Kitty, Rosebush, and Ghost Flower (all by Michele Jaffe), and Between by Jessica Warman.
I read the book “Witch and Wizard” by James Patterson. It’s about a girl named Wisty and her brother Whit. One morning they wake up to soilders marching into their house. They are accused of being a witch (Wisty) and a wizard (Whit). They are cruely separated from their parents and forced into a “torture chamber”. Read about how Wisty and Whit learn how to use their powers, escape from the grasps of The One, and their journey to reunite with their parents. A very action packed book. If you like fantasy, adventure, and suspence: this is the book for you!
I also read the book “The Gift” by James Patterson. It is the 2nd book in the Witch and Wizard series. Wisty and Whit have learned how you use their powers better, and that makes them more dangerous. Now The One wants their “Gift” so he can take over the world. Its a struggle against the universe as Wisty and Whit try to decide: give up their powers, or face the rath of The One. A book so action packed and gripping, you’ll never want to stop reading!
I read The Calling by Kelley Armstrong which is the second installment in the Darkness Rising trilogy. The 3rd book, The Rising, will be out April 2012, and I can’t wait! The Darkness Rising trilogy is essentially a sequel trilogy to Armstrong’s first series for Young Adults (The Darkest Powers trilogy). I would recommend that you read The Darkest Powers trilogy first even though each trilogy has a different set of main characters. **small spoiler**: [I suggest this because the main characters from both these series are going to meet up in The Rising.]
In The Calling, Maya in her friends have just escaped the forest fire in their home town, but safety is still out of sight. Their getaway helicopter crashed and now Maya and her friends are lost in the wilderness. Maya was genetically engineered by a group of scientists to turn into a cougar, and Maya is discovering that while not all her friends are part cat, there just might be something magical about them too. The scientists who gave Maya her power are trying to capture Maya and her friends, Maya doesn’t know what for, but it sure doesn’t seem good.
I love Armstrong’s YA novels, and I recommend all of them! She is a very talented writer, and I always have to keep reading. Even if the plot doesn’t sound like what you normally like to read, you might be surprised, so give one a try; I didn’t expect to like a series about a girl who is part cat. All her YA novels are available at our library.
I just finished Perfect, book 3 in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I thought this book was okay. There really were no answers revealed about who killed Ali or who “A” is. The majority of the book was devoted to the daily lives of the girls, but the book did end at a very suspenseful point.
In this book, Spencer realizes she has some gaps in her memory, one of them being a violent altercation with Ali…could Spencer have killed her? Aria is struggling with her parent’s separation, Emily may be sent to Iowa, and Hanna is losing Mona as a friend. Overall, not my favorite book in the series so far.
I just finished reading “MIddle School: The Worst Years of my Life” by James Patterson. ( I know I’ve posted about the same author, but he’s really good!) Anyway, the book is about a kid named Rafe and he’s just starting middle school. He decides to do something no one has done before: break every school rule! You’ll meet many new people along the way, including a friend named Leo the Silent, Bear Miller the Killer, and more!! It is very funny and has awesome illustrations. If you like books with comedy and suprise endings, you will love this book!
I read As Dead as it Gets by Katie Alender. It is the third and final book in the Bad Girls Don’t Die Series. I loved this series; I would say the second book, From Bad to Cursed was my favorite.
At the end of the second book, Lydia dies from a ghostly accident. Now the main character, Alexis, is being haunted by Lydia and other ghosts through photographs she takes. Lydia seems to be be an evil ghost, and she seems to be blaming Alexis for her death. Then girls from school are going on endless hikes. These girls either turn up dead or severely dehydrated. Alexis suspects this is the ghost of Lydia seeking revenge on her former Sunshine Girls Club friends. It’s up to Alexis to stop Lydia and save the girls from school. This book had quite a twist in it too! I didn’t love the ending of this book, and I especially thought it was not the best ending for the whole series, but I still really enjoyed the book.
I also read Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn. This book is set in the 1950s, and it is based on a true story from the time period. One of the most interesting things about this book is that some of the chapters are told from different character’s perspectives. Nora, the main character, tells most of the story. Nora is 16 and her summer has just begun, but her summer gets off to an awful start when her fellow classmates, Cheryl and Bobbie Jo, are shot to death. The whole town blames Buddy for their deaths. Buddy is Cheryl’s ex-boyfriend, and everyone knows that he is mad she is now dating Paul. However, Buddy says he is innocent and the police let him go. I will say that this book is not really about the mystery of who killed the girls, it is pretty clear early on who their killer is. After it is clear who the killer is, most of the book revolves around Nora and her friends trying to cope with the deaths of Cheryl and Bobbie Jo. I would recommend this book and I did enjoy it, but it is not the best mystery story I have ever read.
I read Kiss & Make Up by Katie D. Anderson. My sister won this book from the library’s weekly drawings, and it is an advance reader copy. This book officially comes out this October. I really enjoyed this book; I thought the main character was funny and the book had a good message. The main character, Emerson, discovers she can read the mind of anyone she kisses. At first Emerson finds this magic trick disturbing, so she swears off boys. However, with her poor grades, her Aunt Arch is threatening to take her out of private school. So, Emerson begins kissing smart boys in study dates to get test answers. Emerson also has a lip gloss obsession, and her aunt’s makeup company doesn’t help this. Emerson’s misadventures to stay in school are quite funny.
I read what was intended to be the final book in the Pretty Little Liars series: Wanted. Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna are back, and they finally learn who the murderer on the loose in Rosewood is, and who was the new A. The four girls meet Ali’s secret twin, Courtney, and they struggle with getting to know the “ghost” of their dead friend. However, not all is as it seems and the plot takes several twist before the book is finished and all questions are answered. So, why was Wanted not the end of the series? Well it seem’s Sara Shepard’s novels reached such success and attention with the help of the television show, Shepard got scheduled to write four more novels for the series. The fourth and supposed final book is coming out relatively soon. From what I’ve heard though books that came out after Wanted were not as good. It sounds like the author really had to stretch to come up with more adventure and mystery for the girls, and that Wanted truly was the logical place to end Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna’s stories. Shepard’s Lying Game series final book came out this summer, but I have to wonder: Is is really the last book?
I read Wicked, the 6th book in Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series. I didn’t think this book had a lot going on in relation to Ali’s murder mystery. Ian the main murder suspect at this point, and everyone is preparing for his trial. However, Ian claims he is innocent. The book was mostly about what is going on in the lives of Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily. Spencer is still in trouble for plagiarizing, Emily has a new boyfriend, Hanna is trying to find a new group of friends to replace her loss of Mona, and Aria’s mom begins dating again. As far as the mystery goes, the girls remember in 6th grade how Ali had her flag for the school time capsule stolen, and they speculate if this memory can tell them anything about Ali’s murder. Wicked was an okay installment in the series in my opinion.
I recently finished Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. This book is about how three friends, Sim, Kenny, and Blake travel to Ross (the town) to give their deceased best friend, Ross, a proper burial. Ross was recently killed while riding his bik and getting hit by a car. His buds get revenge on all the people that were mean to him when Ross was alive. Ross had always dreamed of going to Ross (the town) because he’d thought it was named after him. His friends decide to bury him there. It was quite an adventure for his friends. Kenny loses his money and tickets on the train, and they get in a lot of trouble with their parents, but i know you will enjoy this hilarious comedy!
This book is available at RMl and i do recommend it.
I recently read Crossed by Ally Condie. It is a great sequal to Matched. In this book, Casssia Reyes is the main character, along with Ky Markham who she loves. Sadly, the evil society has sent ky away to work and fight at a camp. Cassia desides to go off and find him with a friend of hers. She finally reaches the camp he was sent to only to discover he has left his camp to find her! So, of coarse, she heads in the direction he left. The author uses a great style by switching the chapters between Ky and Cassia. I would reccomend reading Matched first so that it makes more sense, and then you’ll soon be reading Crossed.
I just finished Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer. This book is about Gigi and her best friends Neerja and Bea. The three friends are among the smartest in the sophomore class, but they begin to wonder if they are missing out on high school fun because they are always holed up in the honors lounge studying. Throughout the book, each of the girls begin to get more involved in the social part of school. Gigi runs for student representative and joins the skiing team with Bea, and all the girls get involved in the school play.
I really enjoyed this book; I found the characters to be likable and relatable. The book is mostly about daily life at school for the three friends, but it was a fun read with a good message. It was certainly one of the books I enjoyed most this summer.
Once, written by Morris Gleitzman, ( Historical Fiction ) 163pp. Reviewed by Nathaniel Larson, Grade 8
Felix Saint Staneslaus/Felix Salinger ( his real name ), is a young Jewish orphan boy living in a Catholic orphanage located in Poland during the Holocaust, hoping that one day his parents would come for him. We follow Felix’s life as he breaks out of the orphanage, goes into an almost abandoned house, finds another orphan, and gets himself stuck in Nazi territory. He searches for his parents who are Jewish booksellers. As you follow Felix in this story you will find yourself in sad moments and you will find yourself in good moments. But! you will find yourself mainly in the life of kids, families, and adults during the Holocaust.
I really like this book because I was able to read it at a steady pace from beginning to end. It teaches a couple lessons which we should use in everyday life. Love,Care,and Loyalty! I’m not much of a reader but this book was so good that it got me hooked to read the rest of the wonderful series. I recommend this book to readers who love action and adventure and can be willing to risk their life for anyone! “Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least ONCE.” ( Morris Gleitzman )
I just finished reading the new Kingdom keepers book, Power play. It’s just as good as the rest, if not better! All five Kingdom Keepers continue to wake up in Disney World at night as holograms, having to fight the overtakers ( the evil Disney characters). Luckily, Maleficent and Chernabog, two leaders, are locked up, but that means the overtakers are trying to free them by trying to lock up the Keepers, which makes the child sleeping in bed not wake up. The overtakers also steal the remote that brings them back to their bed, because now the overtakers are trying to wake up as holograms themselves! The overtakers also posses some of their friends at school to try to get information from the Keepers.Together, the Kingdom Keepers must fight the overtakers with a little help from some of the Disney characters that are on their side. This book always has at least a couple interesting things going on yet Ridley Pearson does a great job of not making it confusing. I loved this book, and would definitely recommend reading this book, but after the first three so that it’s not confusing.
I read Beauty by Lisa Daily. This is a new book, and I enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite book that I read lately. However, it could be a fun back-to-school read. The main character Molly Davis is dreading going to the town fair. The fair used to be one of her favorite events, but now it is all about who you go with. Molly goes with her best friends Kemper and Haley, but by the end of the night Haley disses and ditches Molly for a more popular group of friends. Later that night Molly is painted by a magical fair painter, who she tells she wishes she were the most beautiful girl in Miracle (her town). Sure enough, Molly wakes up to be just that: the most beautiful girl in Miracle. However, it doesn’t take long for more than Molly’s appearance to change. With her new beauty comes popularity which causes Molly to become quite mean. Molly begins losing her old friends and even her new dream boyfriend. Can Molly make it right again, and was beauty really everything she thought it would be?
I finally read the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series (Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard), so I saw where all the characters stories began. Since I read this series all out of order I really messed up the suspense factor. So, at this point I probably won’t read any more of the original 8 books. I also have to say that I like the Lying Game series a thousand times better than pretty little liars. I find the characters and the Arizona setting more interesting. Also, as I predicted there will be a fifth or perhaps even more Lying Game books.
So, in Pretty Little Liars, we meet Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria. The four girls used to all be friends with Ali, the most popular girl in school, but Ali has since gone missing. Hanna has now taken Ali’s spot as most popular alongside her friend Mona, but her shoplifting problem is about to get her in trouble. Emily is a star swimmer at school, but she then gives up swimming much to her parent’s disappointment. Aria loves English class, and upset over her parent’s separation. Spencer is struggling to be a star at everything and compete with her seemingly perfect sister. Ali’s turns up dead, and then the four girls begin receiving threatening text messages from “A”. Is Ali somehow alive, or who else could “A” be?
I recently read A Diamond In My Pocket by Lorena Angell. It was really good! It’s about a girl who finds out she special abilities, so she goes to a camp where others have special abilities. There, people are extra fast runners, healers, and mind readers. They think she’s a runner but it turns out she may be more or less than they think. She is chosen to go on a quest with a few others, one including a cute boy she likes, so it’s a little bit of a love story. Plus, there’s a sequal called A Diamond In My Heart.
If you read A Diamond In My Pocket, you’ll definitely want to read A Diamond In My Heart, also by Lorena Angell. It continues the story with Calli, her boy friend, and also introduces a few other characters as well. In this book she doesn’t go back to the camp, instead she goes on a few different quests. She meats a new boy, who may have a new ability. This book is just as good as the first book,or maybe even better!
I read the book The Host by Stephanie Meyer. It is about peace loving alien worms who take over the human race by attaching themselves onto a person’s brain. The main character, the Wanderer, is an alien who goes inside Melanie, the other main character. However Melanie doesn’t fade away like the other human “hosts”. Instead, she remains a voice inside of the Wanderers head. After initial tensions, they begin to get along and the Wanderer sees that what the aliens are doing is wrong. They run away in search of a hiding spot in the desert where humans are thought to be at. When they arrive, Melanie/Wanderer are met with hostility and skepticism. The humans there think that the wanderer is just a seeker trying to uncover the remaining humans to the aliens. As the story progresses though, they begin to see the wanderer for who she truly is. I had mixed feelings about this book. I liked this book because peaceful aliens are a really interesting concept. It brings up the question, is it okay to murder millions of people in order to create a stable world with no anger, hatred, or war? The part that I didn’t like was how the main character was so self sacrificing and was always willing to die for others. The main character’s persona was very similar to Twilight’s Bella, which is no surprise since it is the same author. I just wish the wanderer had more respect for herself throughout the story. If you liked the Twilight series, the host is a good book for you.
I read the book The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. The book is about a young woman named Taylor Greer who leaves her rural hometown in Kentucky in search of a new life. Along the way, at a rest stop, a Native american lady leaves her baby in their car and drives away. Taylor initially feels despair at this turn in her journey, but in time begins to realize it as the blessing it really is. Taylor and the baby, Turtle, continue on in their journey all the way to Arizona where they are forced to settle down due to sliced tires. There, they make many friendships, have adventures, and learn more about the true nature of people. I loved this book. It brought up so many important topics, such as the fairness of native american reservations, child abuse, and illegal immigration. This book also had many strong characters. There was Taylor, who was strong minded and caring with a driving determination. Also Mattie, a tire mechanic who provides a safe haven for central american refugees, was in my opinion an admirable and well developed character. Overall, this book was a great read for adults and teens.
I read Demon Glass by Rachel Hawkins. It is a great book.
It has romance, mystery and horror in it. The main characters are Sophie Mercer (a demon), Archer Cross, Cal (a healer), and Jenna(a vampire.) They all are in a fancy hotel in Rome, where Sophie figures out so many mysteries about her family. (mostly about her grandmother.) This is a great book for teens who like a lot of different genres. Hopefully you will read it!
I agree! I read this book last summer and I also loved it. It’s a trilogy and the third and final book came out this spring. The library owns it and it is called Spell Bound. I thought it was a great ending to the series, but part of it is sad. Be sure to check it out though!
I read the book Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. It took place in a run down neighborhood that was full of people from all different backrounds and cultures. A young vietnamese girl started it all when she planted a couple of bean seeds in the corner of a vacant lot full of trash. This inspires the rest of the neighborhood, and they begin the process of transforming the ugly space into a beautiful garden. I really enjoyed reading it. I liked how the whole book was just a collection of different people’s stories from their perspective of how they came to the garden. Seedfolks is a great book to take on vacation or to the beach because its short and lightweight. Overall, teens who like inspirational stories will enjoy this book.
We read this in 7th grade reading, and I also liked it
I read Payback Time by Carl Deuker. The main character, Daniel, a.k.a. “Mitch”, has had aspirations of being the editor of his school newspaper ever since his freshman year. But instead of being voted editor, or even lead reporter, he is assigned to be the school sports reporter. Mitch doesn’t know many things about sprots, mostly because he was never very good at them. Mitch, named after the Michelin Man for obvious reasons, teams up with photographer Kimi to cover all aspects of their school’s sporting events. Little do they know this will lead them to become investigative journalists, trying to uncover the story behind the new, talented cornerback, Angel Marichal, who just appears on the practice field one day and has a bullet for an arm. To make matters worse, head football coach Hal McNulty will only let Mitch do interviews that he himself sets up, which makes Angel “off-limits!” On top of that, every time Mitch submits an article to The Seattle Times, Chet Jetton, the sports editor, cuts out everything about Angel! Between writing, sleuthing, and doing homework, Mitch manages to lose a lot of weight and solve the mystery at the same time. In one fell swoop, Mitch can nail Coach McNulty for using an inelgible player, which could be his ticket to admittance to journalism school at Columbia. However, Mitch and Kimi find out that things aren’t always what they seem. They will have to decide if it is ethical to take advantage of their findings, and it could be the hardest decision they have ever made. I recommend this book to both boys and girls, because it isn’t just about sports, it’s mystery themed too! I liked this book a lot and would give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5!!
I just read Amy and Roger’s Epic Detour. This book is a greta book for teen girls. It is the story of two teens who are driving cross country together to meet up with their parents in their new house. They haven’t met each other before their trip and the only way they know each other is through their parents. The trip was planned out by Amy’s mom but once she gets to know Roger she decides taking a detour isn’t the worst thing that could happen. This book is filled with love, adventure, and suspense. This book is a great book because of the context and format of the book. Through out the book there are pictures of things they saw on their adventure and other things which make this book look like a scrapbook. A major theme shown in this book is Overcoming fear. Amy has always been a “follow the rules” kind of person but she learns to loosen up and have some fun on her epic detour. This is a great love story and inspirational novel.
I read Underworld by Meg Cabot. It is the second in the Abandon trilogy. It is a modern twist on the Greek myth of Persephone and Hades. Pierce Oliviera is the main character who is “Persephone” she meets John Hayden, or Hades, the lord of the Underworld. In this book John has taken Pierce to the Underworld to keep her from danger, but she receives a video on her phone that shows her cousin Alex is in great danger back in Florida. Pierce must then beg John for help to save her cousin while she uncovers more dark secrets on how exactly John became lord of the Underworld.
The trilogy is set in Florida on “The Island of Bones” which sits on top of the Underworld of course. The setting is interesting, and Pierce is a very fun character. I really enjoy this series, and I am awaiting the final book which may come out next year. Our library owns both Abandon, the first book, and Underworld, so be sure to read them! Also if you like this trilogy, you may like Oh My Gods and Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs (also owned by our library). I feel even non Greek myth lovers would like these books.
Yesterday, I finished Heartless by Sara Shepard which is the 7th in the Pretty Little Liars series. This is the first in the series I have actually read (I know it was bad to read these out of order!). I had never bothered to read the series, but I then found out it was a murder mystery and detective story (I love this genre), so I had to try them. I ended up really enjoying the book, I couldn’t put it down yesterday, and I was in suspense until the final page. My only disappointment is since the series is so popular I had heard several spoilers from friends.
This installment in the series is about Hanna, Aria, Spencer, and Emily trying to determine Ali’s real killer because it seems Ian is not to blame. Along the way, each of the girls uncover surprising secrets. Aria experiments with seances to try to communicate with Ali, Hanna must spend 2 weeks in a mental hospital for PTSD, Spencer’s parents are finally giving her some love and attention, and Emily spends a weekend in Amish country where she uncovers quite a secret.
Since many of you may have read this series you may enjoy the following murder mystery stories: Bad Kitty, Kitty Kitty, Rosebush, and Ghost Flower (all by Michele Jaffe), and Between by Jessica Warman.
I read the book “Witch and Wizard” by James Patterson. It’s about a girl named Wisty and her brother Whit. One morning they wake up to soilders marching into their house. They are accused of being a witch (Wisty) and a wizard (Whit). They are cruely separated from their parents and forced into a “torture chamber”. Read about how Wisty and Whit learn how to use their powers, escape from the grasps of The One, and their journey to reunite with their parents. A very action packed book. If you like fantasy, adventure, and suspence: this is the book for you!
Hi Nicole
Can you tell me your last name so I can give you credit for your reviews? Thanks
Ms Eileen
It’s Nicole Catarino
I also read the book “The Gift” by James Patterson. It is the 2nd book in the Witch and Wizard series. Wisty and Whit have learned how you use their powers better, and that makes them more dangerous. Now The One wants their “Gift” so he can take over the world. Its a struggle against the universe as Wisty and Whit try to decide: give up their powers, or face the rath of The One. A book so action packed and gripping, you’ll never want to stop reading!
I read The Calling by Kelley Armstrong which is the second installment in the Darkness Rising trilogy. The 3rd book, The Rising, will be out April 2012, and I can’t wait! The Darkness Rising trilogy is essentially a sequel trilogy to Armstrong’s first series for Young Adults (The Darkest Powers trilogy). I would recommend that you read The Darkest Powers trilogy first even though each trilogy has a different set of main characters. **small spoiler**: [I suggest this because the main characters from both these series are going to meet up in The Rising.]
In The Calling, Maya in her friends have just escaped the forest fire in their home town, but safety is still out of sight. Their getaway helicopter crashed and now Maya and her friends are lost in the wilderness. Maya was genetically engineered by a group of scientists to turn into a cougar, and Maya is discovering that while not all her friends are part cat, there just might be something magical about them too. The scientists who gave Maya her power are trying to capture Maya and her friends, Maya doesn’t know what for, but it sure doesn’t seem good.
I love Armstrong’s YA novels, and I recommend all of them! She is a very talented writer, and I always have to keep reading. Even if the plot doesn’t sound like what you normally like to read, you might be surprised, so give one a try; I didn’t expect to like a series about a girl who is part cat. All her YA novels are available at our library.
thanks for the plug Erin!
I just finished Perfect, book 3 in the Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard. I thought this book was okay. There really were no answers revealed about who killed Ali or who “A” is. The majority of the book was devoted to the daily lives of the girls, but the book did end at a very suspenseful point.
In this book, Spencer realizes she has some gaps in her memory, one of them being a violent altercation with Ali…could Spencer have killed her? Aria is struggling with her parent’s separation, Emily may be sent to Iowa, and Hanna is losing Mona as a friend. Overall, not my favorite book in the series so far.
I just finished reading “MIddle School: The Worst Years of my Life” by James Patterson. ( I know I’ve posted about the same author, but he’s really good!) Anyway, the book is about a kid named Rafe and he’s just starting middle school. He decides to do something no one has done before: break every school rule! You’ll meet many new people along the way, including a friend named Leo the Silent, Bear Miller the Killer, and more!! It is very funny and has awesome illustrations. If you like books with comedy and suprise endings, you will love this book!
I read As Dead as it Gets by Katie Alender. It is the third and final book in the Bad Girls Don’t Die Series. I loved this series; I would say the second book, From Bad to Cursed was my favorite.
At the end of the second book, Lydia dies from a ghostly accident. Now the main character, Alexis, is being haunted by Lydia and other ghosts through photographs she takes. Lydia seems to be be an evil ghost, and she seems to be blaming Alexis for her death. Then girls from school are going on endless hikes. These girls either turn up dead or severely dehydrated. Alexis suspects this is the ghost of Lydia seeking revenge on her former Sunshine Girls Club friends. It’s up to Alexis to stop Lydia and save the girls from school. This book had quite a twist in it too! I didn’t love the ending of this book, and I especially thought it was not the best ending for the whole series, but I still really enjoyed the book.
I also read Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn. This book is set in the 1950s, and it is based on a true story from the time period. One of the most interesting things about this book is that some of the chapters are told from different character’s perspectives. Nora, the main character, tells most of the story. Nora is 16 and her summer has just begun, but her summer gets off to an awful start when her fellow classmates, Cheryl and Bobbie Jo, are shot to death. The whole town blames Buddy for their deaths. Buddy is Cheryl’s ex-boyfriend, and everyone knows that he is mad she is now dating Paul. However, Buddy says he is innocent and the police let him go. I will say that this book is not really about the mystery of who killed the girls, it is pretty clear early on who their killer is. After it is clear who the killer is, most of the book revolves around Nora and her friends trying to cope with the deaths of Cheryl and Bobbie Jo. I would recommend this book and I did enjoy it, but it is not the best mystery story I have ever read.
I read Kiss & Make Up by Katie D. Anderson. My sister won this book from the library’s weekly drawings, and it is an advance reader copy. This book officially comes out this October. I really enjoyed this book; I thought the main character was funny and the book had a good message. The main character, Emerson, discovers she can read the mind of anyone she kisses. At first Emerson finds this magic trick disturbing, so she swears off boys. However, with her poor grades, her Aunt Arch is threatening to take her out of private school. So, Emerson begins kissing smart boys in study dates to get test answers. Emerson also has a lip gloss obsession, and her aunt’s makeup company doesn’t help this. Emerson’s misadventures to stay in school are quite funny.
I read what was intended to be the final book in the Pretty Little Liars series: Wanted. Emily, Aria, Spencer, and Hanna are back, and they finally learn who the murderer on the loose in Rosewood is, and who was the new A. The four girls meet Ali’s secret twin, Courtney, and they struggle with getting to know the “ghost” of their dead friend. However, not all is as it seems and the plot takes several twist before the book is finished and all questions are answered. So, why was Wanted not the end of the series? Well it seem’s Sara Shepard’s novels reached such success and attention with the help of the television show, Shepard got scheduled to write four more novels for the series. The fourth and supposed final book is coming out relatively soon. From what I’ve heard though books that came out after Wanted were not as good. It sounds like the author really had to stretch to come up with more adventure and mystery for the girls, and that Wanted truly was the logical place to end Aria, Spencer, Emily, and Hanna’s stories. Shepard’s Lying Game series final book came out this summer, but I have to wonder: Is is really the last book?
I read Wicked, the 6th book in Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series. I didn’t think this book had a lot going on in relation to Ali’s murder mystery. Ian the main murder suspect at this point, and everyone is preparing for his trial. However, Ian claims he is innocent. The book was mostly about what is going on in the lives of Spencer, Aria, Hanna, and Emily. Spencer is still in trouble for plagiarizing, Emily has a new boyfriend, Hanna is trying to find a new group of friends to replace her loss of Mona, and Aria’s mom begins dating again. As far as the mystery goes, the girls remember in 6th grade how Ali had her flag for the school time capsule stolen, and they speculate if this memory can tell them anything about Ali’s murder. Wicked was an okay installment in the series in my opinion.
I recently finished Ostrich Boys by Keith Gray. This book is about how three friends, Sim, Kenny, and Blake travel to Ross (the town) to give their deceased best friend, Ross, a proper burial. Ross was recently killed while riding his bik and getting hit by a car. His buds get revenge on all the people that were mean to him when Ross was alive. Ross had always dreamed of going to Ross (the town) because he’d thought it was named after him. His friends decide to bury him there. It was quite an adventure for his friends. Kenny loses his money and tickets on the train, and they get in a lot of trouble with their parents, but i know you will enjoy this hilarious comedy!
This book is available at RMl and i do recommend it.
I recently read Crossed by Ally Condie. It is a great sequal to Matched. In this book, Casssia Reyes is the main character, along with Ky Markham who she loves. Sadly, the evil society has sent ky away to work and fight at a camp. Cassia desides to go off and find him with a friend of hers. She finally reaches the camp he was sent to only to discover he has left his camp to find her! So, of coarse, she heads in the direction he left. The author uses a great style by switching the chapters between Ky and Cassia. I would reccomend reading Matched first so that it makes more sense, and then you’ll soon be reading Crossed.
I just finished Smart Girls Get What They Want by Sarah Strohmeyer. This book is about Gigi and her best friends Neerja and Bea. The three friends are among the smartest in the sophomore class, but they begin to wonder if they are missing out on high school fun because they are always holed up in the honors lounge studying. Throughout the book, each of the girls begin to get more involved in the social part of school. Gigi runs for student representative and joins the skiing team with Bea, and all the girls get involved in the school play.
I really enjoyed this book; I found the characters to be likable and relatable. The book is mostly about daily life at school for the three friends, but it was a fun read with a good message. It was certainly one of the books I enjoyed most this summer.
Once, written by Morris Gleitzman, ( Historical Fiction ) 163pp. Reviewed by Nathaniel Larson, Grade 8
Felix Saint Staneslaus/Felix Salinger ( his real name ), is a young Jewish orphan boy living in a Catholic orphanage located in Poland during the Holocaust, hoping that one day his parents would come for him. We follow Felix’s life as he breaks out of the orphanage, goes into an almost abandoned house, finds another orphan, and gets himself stuck in Nazi territory. He searches for his parents who are Jewish booksellers. As you follow Felix in this story you will find yourself in sad moments and you will find yourself in good moments. But! you will find yourself mainly in the life of kids, families, and adults during the Holocaust.
I really like this book because I was able to read it at a steady pace from beginning to end. It teaches a couple lessons which we should use in everyday life. Love,Care,and Loyalty! I’m not much of a reader but this book was so good that it got me hooked to read the rest of the wonderful series. I recommend this book to readers who love action and adventure and can be willing to risk their life for anyone! “Everybody deserves to have something good in their life. At least ONCE.” ( Morris Gleitzman )
I just finished reading the new Kingdom keepers book, Power play. It’s just as good as the rest, if not better! All five Kingdom Keepers continue to wake up in Disney World at night as holograms, having to fight the overtakers ( the evil Disney characters). Luckily, Maleficent and Chernabog, two leaders, are locked up, but that means the overtakers are trying to free them by trying to lock up the Keepers, which makes the child sleeping in bed not wake up. The overtakers also steal the remote that brings them back to their bed, because now the overtakers are trying to wake up as holograms themselves! The overtakers also posses some of their friends at school to try to get information from the Keepers.Together, the Kingdom Keepers must fight the overtakers with a little help from some of the Disney characters that are on their side. This book always has at least a couple interesting things going on yet Ridley Pearson does a great job of not making it confusing. I loved this book, and would definitely recommend reading this book, but after the first three so that it’s not confusing.
I read Beauty by Lisa Daily. This is a new book, and I enjoyed it, but it was not my favorite book that I read lately. However, it could be a fun back-to-school read. The main character Molly Davis is dreading going to the town fair. The fair used to be one of her favorite events, but now it is all about who you go with. Molly goes with her best friends Kemper and Haley, but by the end of the night Haley disses and ditches Molly for a more popular group of friends. Later that night Molly is painted by a magical fair painter, who she tells she wishes she were the most beautiful girl in Miracle (her town). Sure enough, Molly wakes up to be just that: the most beautiful girl in Miracle. However, it doesn’t take long for more than Molly’s appearance to change. With her new beauty comes popularity which causes Molly to become quite mean. Molly begins losing her old friends and even her new dream boyfriend. Can Molly make it right again, and was beauty really everything she thought it would be?
I finally read the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series (Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard), so I saw where all the characters stories began. Since I read this series all out of order I really messed up the suspense factor. So, at this point I probably won’t read any more of the original 8 books. I also have to say that I like the Lying Game series a thousand times better than pretty little liars. I find the characters and the Arizona setting more interesting. Also, as I predicted there will be a fifth or perhaps even more Lying Game books.
So, in Pretty Little Liars, we meet Hanna, Emily, Spencer, and Aria. The four girls used to all be friends with Ali, the most popular girl in school, but Ali has since gone missing. Hanna has now taken Ali’s spot as most popular alongside her friend Mona, but her shoplifting problem is about to get her in trouble. Emily is a star swimmer at school, but she then gives up swimming much to her parent’s disappointment. Aria loves English class, and upset over her parent’s separation. Spencer is struggling to be a star at everything and compete with her seemingly perfect sister. Ali’s turns up dead, and then the four girls begin receiving threatening text messages from “A”. Is Ali somehow alive, or who else could “A” be?