Neil Armstrong Young Flyer

      I don’t know about you, but I think biographies are a great way to learn about famous people. Neil Armstrong Young Flyer is a good book that tells us about Neil’s life. Of course, it includes the historic event of the first man landing on the moon, Neil Armstrong.
    
     I chose this book because I love biographies. I thought it would be good to learn about the first man landing on the moon because he is important from history. So when you are looking for a biography and you are having trouble with finding one, read this book by Montrew Dunham. It will make you wonder and I think you will be surprised at some of the facts you’ll come across.

The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising

Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordan Korman, Jude Watson

The 39 Clues is a very interesting series that keeps you at the brim of exploding with laughter or excitement sometimes, and other times it makes you think you’re going to cry. This is the 11th book in the series, before the new series The 39 Clues: Cahill’s Versus Vespers.

Personally, since I’ve read the 10 other books that come before it, I think that this book’s information should come in other parts of the series, but I’m not one of the four authors who wrote this book. The 39 Clues: Vespers Rising is the first book I’ve ever read that has four authors.

I think this book is for anyone who likes The 39 Clues and thinks that they’re willing to read the series from The 39 Clues: Maze of Bones, to the end of the new series that’s still in progress.



-Wolf

Lacrosse Face-off

By: Matt Christopher

Garry and Todd Wallis are two brothers who have different interests.  Todd is a sit-at-home kind of kid and his only form of exercise is lacrosse, while Garry plays lacrosse for the local lacrosse team, the “Rockets.”   Todd had to play lacrosse only because his doctor said he’d become overweight and had to lose a few pounds by exercising. Unfortunately, Todd doesn’t know anything about lacrosse which Garry finds embarrassing.  Garry, Todd and the Rockets have the best player in the lacrosse league, Michael Donofrio, who taunts Todd’s lack of skill and extra weight while Garry struggles with a difficult decision to help Michael or help his brother Todd.  At the end of this book you’ll realize that Todd never gave up and strived to do better.

I recommend this book to everyone because it’s a book that teaches you to stand up for someone that someone doesn’t like and to be like Todd and never give up. This is an easy, short book to read.  I think this book really taught me to never give up and always work hard to become better.  If you finished Lacrosse Face-off and you liked it there is a sequel called Lacrosse Firestorm.

Taggerung

by Brian Jacques

Another installment in the Redwall series, Taggerung can be read with the rest of the series, but is also a completely stand-alone book. Once again, Brian Jacques crafts a masterful tale in which a young otter, named Taggerung, brought up by an evil band of vermin, tries to find his home. This is a fun, exciting, suspenseful story, with plenty of quirky characters, as always. Jacques describes the natural world so well that any reader can get a vivid mental picture. I recommend this book, and all Redwall books for those young readers who enjoy fantasy, humor and adventure. Taggerung has many twists and turns and will keep readers’ eyes glued to the pages. A great read, but definitely not short, so prepare to be reading for plenty of time!





-Eulalia!

The Battle For Skandia

Ranger’s Apprentice Book 4: The Battle for Skandia


I just finished reading The Battle for Skandia. It is the fourth book in the Rangers Apprentice series. I liked it because of how the main character is exactly what I want to be when I am a teenager. His name is Will and in the beginning of his training he gets a cloak that blends in with the woods, making it almost impossible to see him. He considers a shot that is ten centimeters above where he was aiming when he is 100 meters away from his target a failure! When I try to shoot my bow at home I consider it a good shot when I hit within a foot of where I was aiming from 20 feet from my target! He can also throw throwing knives with deadly accuracy, and can block a sword with his “saxe” knife (a knife which is as durable as a battle ax, can be used as a short sword- it’s like a foot and a half long- and can be used with as much ease as a normal knife.). The first four books in the series are about how he trains to be a Ranger, the rest are about all the missions he does when he is a Ranger. Halt, the guy who is Will’s master can shoot a bow with deadly accuracy and speed without even seeing his target! He can also throw knives with his eyes shut and his target wherever he chooses! That is the other part about the books that I love, both the main characters are ninjas. Can you win a war when the opponent has over 5,000 troops and you only have 1,500? It’s all part of Will's training to become a Ranger- from throwing knives to escaping slavery to being a tactician. These books have a way of keeping you reading forever!

I would recommend these books to anyone from 4th grade to young adult who are looking for action!

By: Gman

The Ear The Eye And The Arm

     The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm is a science fiction book that takes place in Zimbabwe in 2194. I would suggest The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm anyone who likes fantasy or science fiction books because it has good description and has a lot of deep concepts about spiritual African traditions. It also has a lot of great characters, but the ending is a little bit choppy and seems rushed.

        It is about the children of the head of the police department, General Matsika. The children have not been allowed outside their yard for as long as they can remember, so they set off on a forbidden adventure in the city. They go missing, and General Matsika calls on the three detectives: Ear, Eye, and Arm. Their search takes them back in time and all over the city, but can they find the children in time?

     To find out read The Ear the Eye and the Arm.

- The Silver Crusade

101 Reasons to Love the Phillies

10,000 losses. Wow. The Philadelphia Phillies are the first team in the Major Leagues of Baseball to reach 10,000 losses. The first thing that would probably come across your mind is, “These guys must be terrible.” Well, you have to see it to believe it. Never call the Phillies terrible, because, and trust me on this, they will blow your mind in a game. Travel through time with this book, from the 1883 Philadelphia Quakers to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. As you start to read this book you start to understand that the Phillies have evolved from the losing team to what happens today, win after win. When you’re done with this book, you can share the 101 reasons to love the Phillies with your friends and family.

I had an awesome time reading this book. I enjoyed the Phillies’ bad moments and the Phillies’ good moments. I thought the Phillies are so much better today than they were in 1883 to the 1970’s. Rob Green, Jr. brought back the glory of the young Whiz kids who are mainly built up by Richie Ashburn and Robin Roberts, and he brought back the memories of the 1980 World Series that the Phillies eventually won. I would recommend this book to all the loyal Phillies’ Phans [I think it’s a must read for all Philllies Phans] and to people who like to learn facts about a topic that they don’t have a lot of knowledge of. So, pick up 101 Reasons to Love the Phillies and start reading!

-Mankind

Belly Up by Stuart Gibbs

Belly Up is a really funny book. Teddy’s parents work at a new zoo. One day when “troublemaker” Teddy is caught in his act of arming monkeys with water balloons, the zoo’s mascot Henry the hippo dies. The whole zoo is sad about the death and decides to perform an autopsy on the beast but what they find is interesting. Did someone purposely kill the mean mascot and find out who's hiding things? Can Teddy solve the problem or will he be also taken out by the murderer itself?

I recommend this book to anyone who like a good mystery, and don’t worry is isn’t gross.

-Butterfly Wolves

The Red Pyramid

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan is sure to leave you asking for more. This is a book that’s all about Egypt. Carter is a boy who’s always traveling with his dad and always learning about Egypt. This time Carter is visiting his sister in London, but it’s not just for a family reunion. They’re in London so Carter’s dad can try to bring Carter’s mother back from the dead, but something goes wrong. Carter’s dad releases dozens of Egyptian gods, one of who is Set, the god of evil. Set seals Carter’s dad in a coffin and it’s up to Carter and his sister Sadie to save him. I’d recommend this book to anyone who is new to, or likes to read Rick Riordan’s books.












-Phillies34

The Hunger Games

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem. There is a Capital and 12 Districts surrounding it. The Capital makes everyone in each district enter a drawing to get one boy and one girl to compete in the Hunger Games .


In District 12 Prim and Peeta were chosen, but Prim’s older sister, Katniss, volunteered to go instead. Now Katniss and Peeta need to go to the Hunger Games with 24 other people and try to kill all the other people in the Arena. The last person alive wins the games.

I love this book and I definitely recommend it to anyone. It is so interesting with them in the Arena fighting to the death and the and the story is always going somewhere. The characters are great and there point of view is always changing. How are they going to stay alive and what is going to happen to Katniss and Peeta ?

-Pie 1234

Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

“The day I realized that love is stronger than death and people you barely know can amaze you.” When Jeremy Fink receives a mysterious box on his thirteenth birthday with the words The Meaning of Life engraved on the lid, he and his best friend Lizzy can’t wait to find out what’s inside. But when he discovers that the box is locked, he and Lizzy set off on an adventure around Manhattan to find the keys to life’s biggest mystery. Will they find the keys? Or will the box remain locked forever?

This book is amazing. It changed my perspective on life, and the title says it, what’s the meaning of life? Does anyone know? As you’re reading this, you might not care one bit about thinking about it, but after you read this book, it’ll make you think deeper than you could imagine. I recommend this book from an age where you can read medium hard books to an age where you are very old. I am sure everyone will love and think about this book. No matter what genre you like, you will love this book.

By Serendipity_3

Middle School the Worst Years of My Life

Middle School: the Worst Years of My Life is a great book that always has you interested. It is always going somewhere and is pretty easy to read; I was so interested in it I read it in one day.


Rafe Catchadorian is starting 6th grade at Hills Valley Middle School and needs to find a way to survive the school year with his friend Leo. He figured out a way! It is going to be called operation RAFE. He is going to try to break every rule in the book; his motto is ‘RULES ARE MADE FOR BREAKING.’

I love this book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Graphic Novels or anyone who is in Middle School. This book is also a very easy book to read so it is okay for a young reader also. It is so funny; you need to read this book.

-Pie 1234

Macbeth

By William Shakespeare

Macbeth is a wonderful bloody tale of royalty and deceit. Macbeth, who is a general in the Scottish army along with Banquo, has met three witches, who call Macbeth ‘The Thane of Clawdor’, and ‘The Thane of Glamis’ and ‘King Hereafter’. They tell of a prophecy that Banquo will beget kings, and then the witches vanish. Macbeth and his wife slay King Duncan, and Macbeth becomes the king. This book may be too complicated for some readers, for it was written in about 1606, and the way people speak, as one would imagine, has changed.

If you wish to broaden your vocabulary, or you are tired of predictable books, this book is perfect for you. Shakespeare has an excellent way with words, and the way people speak in Macbeth is like poetry, even with the simplest of phrases.

Vinyl Scratch

catching fire

March 13, 2012


Catching Fire is the second book in the Hunger Games series. The book is about how Katniss gets chosen to go into the Hunger Games for a second time. Normally this would be impossible since the gamemakers (the ones who make up the rules) decided that each person could only be in the games once. The only reason that Katniss goes to the games twice is that Catching Fire is about the 75th hunger games which is called a Quarter Quell. Every 25 years there is a Quarter Quell. When this happens the games have a special addition, one year each district had to choose two boys and two girls, instead of one person from each gender, to participate in the games. This time each district had to make a boy winner and girl winner go to the games and since Katniss was the only girl winner in district 12, she had to go. The cool thing about the winners going back to the games is that it makes it much harder to survive with or without allies. This also makes it a much more exciting book, because everyone has already won the games before.

I would strongly suggest that you read The Hunger Games first if you want to read Catching Fire. I would recommend this book to kids from 5th grade to adult because it really goes into detail about how some people die; in some places it is pretty gory.

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

Who doesn’t love a classic? No one. Doctor Dolittle is one of those amazing classics that will blow your mind. In his little town of Puddleby, Doctor Dolittle and his amazing pets go on a crazy adventure. They go through problems and sacrifices in the jungle and even more adventures along the way. But on the way back to Puddleby, things start to happen.



If you want to read some of the greatest classics like The Story of Doctor Dolittle, read this book by Hugh Lofting. Dab-Dab, Gub-Gub, Too-Too and of course the Doctor himself will be waiting for you to pick up the amazing book.

-Dave

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

     The Invention of Hugo Cabret is an amazing book about an orphan, Hugo, trying to survive in a Paris train station in the late nineteenth century. I would definitely suggest The Invention of Hugo Cabret to all; it has great characters and good descriptions that will have you wanting more. It is partly made up of charcoal drawings that help to really paint a picture in your head.

     Everything in Hugo’s world rotates around the automaton he found, but when the instructions to fix it are taken from him, his world is turned upside down, like the moving pictures he so loves.

     The Invention of Hugo Cabret is a must read, so you won’t be regretting it if you do, as it is a wonderful and heartwarming book.

-The Silver Crusade

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

“For the first time in so many years Willy Wonka is opening up his chocolate factory!” Young Charlie Bucket thought in amazement that Willy Wonka was finally opening up his chocolate factory! Charlie looked back at the TV again. “There are five golden tickets inside five ordinary Wonka bars. The winners will take a tour of the factory, and at the end of their day at the chocolate factory, will receive a lifetime’s supply of chocolate!” Charlie thought of getting a lifetime’s supply of chocolate. He and his family would finally stop starving! But, the tickets are slipping away. There is only one more golden ticket in the whole entire world. By now, Charlie’s belief turns into disbelief. Will Charlie’s dreams come true, or will they be shattered like glass?

I really enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because there was nothing sad or bad in it. This book can really cheer you up when you read about Charlie Bucket’s cheery spirit. For all you candy lovers out there, this is the book for you. When everyone that got the golden tickets went into the candy room, my mouth started to water. Roald Dahl really makes your mouth water and can make you happy while reading this book. I would recommend this book to all that enjoy reading a happy read and people who love candy.

-Mankind

Glory Be

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood is a good book, but not the kind of book you would say ‘wow’ to. The book is set in 1964, and even though it didn’t say it at first or write it on the back, Augusta Scattergood kept giving you hints. She wrote so many hints that it kept you wondering and wondering.
Though the first half of the book wasn’t that exciting, Augusta Scattergood constantly kept you wondering so that it was almost impossible to put the book down. I recommend this book to everyone, especially to people that enjoy historic fiction. From a sister who changed a lot, a weird girl from up north that wears black socks with sandals, to a queer boy that is a “negro” and likes Glory’s sister, this book will keep you thinking and wondering.

-Serendipity_3

Do Not Pass Go

Do Not Pass Go

Do Not Pass Go, by Kirpatrick Hill, is not a book I’ll soon forget. It’s a touching and very realistic story of a boy named Deet trying to cope with the fact that his father is in jail for drug use. Before I read this book, I looked at jail as a place where hardened criminals go. But I think the author was trying to get across the fact that everybody in jail has a story. Deet’s father was a kind person before he went to jail, and he makes friends with several people in jail, while Deet makes friends with the people on the other side of the bars. I will say that no large events actually happen after Deet’s father goes to jail, just changes inside Deet. This book is a great read, not too long either. I would not, however, recommend it to action fans because they will be bored. This is not a boring book itself, but it does not have the fast-paced excitement of most children’s books today. This is quite a touching book, and will change the way you look at jail and convicts.



-Eulalia!

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid  series is all about Greg Heffley who wants to change his personality in school from nerdy to cool. Greg’s best friend, Rowley Jefferson, gets in the way of everything with his comic strip “zoo-wee-momma.” Greg thought it was the most humiliating, and embarrassing thing he’d ever done.  Greg Heffley is your normal 6^th Grade firebrand in a local middle school who has to face problems such as Rowley acting like a kid in his first year of middle school, Greg having a crush on Holly Hills, the most popular girl in school, and Greg and Rowley get into some of the biggest fights in the summer.  I recommend this book to everybody because it’s a comedian kid series that’ll rock your socks off, and because Jeff Kinney’s one of the best-selling authors alive.

-Jeff Kinney

The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief

If you love Greek Mythology, then you’re going to love this book, The Lightning Thief,by Rick Riordan. The main character is young Percy Jackson who is a demigod. Being a demigod means you’re always in danger of being killed by monsters. When that starts to happen, there’s only one place to go, Camp Half-Blood, a special camp where demigods are trained to fight monsters and even go on quests. If you like humor, adventure, and Greek Mythology, the Percy Jackson and the Olympians  series is for you. I’d recommend this series of books to people new to Greek Mythology.

-Phillies34

Love, Ruby Lavender

                      Did you ever miss something so much that you never want to let it go? That’s what Ruby has trouble with. Ruby and her grandmother Miss Eula have so much fun together, from chicken catching to just making conversation. When Miss Eula goes on a long vacation to Hawaii without Ruby, Ruby’s life changes. Love, Ruby Lavender is a book about Ruby’s adventures with her friends, surprises with her rivalries and wishing Miss Eula would come back as soon as she can.

                      When you  miss something so much and you’re really sad about it, read this book by Deborah Wiles. It will make you laugh, possibly cry and experience other mixed emotions. Good garden of peas!

-Dave

Hatchet

By: Gary Paulsen

Hatchet was written in 1987 by Gary Paulsen and it won the Newbery Honor. It is the first novel in the Brian's Saga and is followed by four sequels.

Hatchet depicts the excitement and adventure of a thirteen year-old boy, Brian, who has been stranded in the Canadian wilderness. While traveling on a single-engine plane to see his father, the pilot has a heart attack and dies. After a somewhat successful landing in the Canadian wilderness, Brian is forced to survive with nothing other than what he carried in his pockets when boarding the plane and the hatchet that remained attached to his belt. Brian is forced to build a shelter and face the challenges that await him told throughout the unforgettable story of Hatchet.

I would recommend this book to people who need a good book to read who like survival stories. If you’re interested in the book Hatchet, then you might like the other books in Brian’s Saga. They are: Brian’s Hunt, The River, Brian's Winter, and Brian's Return.

-Wolf

The Akhenaten Adventure

The Akhenaten Adventure is the first book in the series Children of the Lamp. It is about twins who lead a pretty normal life until at age eleven when they get their wisdom teeth and everything changes. John and Philippa Gaunt are both eleven when they get their wisdom teeth. During the surgery to remove the teeth they have a dream about their Uncle Nimrod. The dream tells them to ask their parents to visit Nimrod in London over the summer. This book is an amazing mix of adventure and fantasy that makes it hard to stop reading at the end of a chapter. It is so suspenseful. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys reading fantasy and humorous adventure.

Slugarang

Seekers: Spirits in The Stars By Erin Hunter

Seekers is a very loving book. Four bears, Kallik, Ujurak, Toklo, and Lusa are on a mission to save the wild, when they come across a mysterious island full of Polar bears. This book is very active and full of adventure and suspense. I would recommend this book to any animal lovers who enjoy a good laugh, friendship, and excitement.


By: Butterfly Wolves

Framed by Gordon Korman

Griffin Bing was framed; he didn’t do it. Griffin Bing was framed for stealing a Super Bowl ring. He swears he never touched it but all the evidence leads to him. The more he and his friends try to find the real criminal they end up getting into more trouble. How is Griffin going to get out of this one? Griffin is the man with the plan and he and his friends won’t stop until they get to the bottom of this mystery. If you like this book it is in the Griffin Bing series with the books Swindle, Framed, Zoobreak and the last book, which is coming out soon, Showoff. You can read about it at http://gordonkorman.com/. This is an interesting book and you always want to keep reading. It is also a pretty easy book to read so I will recommend this book to everyone especially the youngest readers.




-Pie 1234

Holes by Louis Sachar is a great read. I would know I read it eight times!

The book follows Stanley Yelnats and Stanley may be the hero in this book, but there’s nothing heroic about him. He’s overweight, ugly and picked on. When he gets caught in a crime he did not commit not only does he blame his no- good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing great- great –grandfather, he’s also blaming his luck. When he has to choose between jail or Camp Green Lake, Stanley picks Camp Green Lake. He’ll be finding about his luck after all. There’s no lake at Camp Green Lake just holes. You heard me, holes! If you take a bad boy and make him dig a hole that’s 5 feet wide and 5 feet deep in the blazing sun that bad boy becomes a good boy. After a while those boys realize character isn’t the only thing they’re digging. The Warden is looking for something, and Stanley will find it before anyone else does. I recommend this book for kids 10 and up. It’s a great read if you want something different. It’s genius writing and I love it! 5 out of 5!

Chuck Taylor

Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer

Theodore Boone is having fun at school and with his friends. He also enjoys sneaking into court to watch trials as much as he can. But this 13 year old gets more than he ever expected. For the first time in Strattenburg history, there is a huge murder trial. There is a man, Mr. Duffy, who is accused of killing his own wife! Everyone thinks that Mr. Duffy is guilty, but in court, you have to hear the prosecution's side of the story and the defense's side of the story. Unfortunately, the defense is putting up a phenomenal case. It seems that Mr. Duffy will not be guilty. What is going to happen in court, and what will Theo do about the case?

This book was amazing. It had lots of adventure in it. Theo was so involved in the trial. He was almost the biggest help in it. John Grisham did a good job with changing things up in the book. The plot was pulling me in and it made me want to become a lawyer. I liked that this book was informative and fun to read. I recommend this book to all that love adventure and suspense. At the end of some chapters, I’d ask myself, “What will happen next?” This book will make you ask yourself the same question.

-Mankind

The Cay

      The Cay is a survival story that can be hard to read in some areas with Timothy’s heavy, bold sailor’s accent. This story partly takes place in Curacao during World War II. Phillip’s father decides Phillip and his Mother, Grace, will move to Panama, because it wasn’t safe in Curacao for him to wonder around and play with Henrik. Timothy and Phillip get stranded after their ship was sunk by a German U-Boat that shot a torpedo and Timothy and Phillip take a raft to a small deserted island and are trying to get rescued, so Timothy has to keep his eyes and ears open for engines and horns from aircrafts and ships, while Phillip can't do much till he gets his eye sight back

     I would recommend this book to anyone who loves survival or who has read Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, though everyone will enjoy it because it teaches you a little bit of really important information on how to survive and everyone needs to know how to survive. You’ll definitely need to slow down with Timothy’s accent or you will go crazy. If you finished The Cay and you liked it there is a sequel called Timothy of the Cay.

-Lou Tero

Great Expectations

By Charles Dickens


Great Expectations is a tale of a boy named Phillp, but mostly called Pip, whose parents died when he was only seven years old. Now young Pip works as a blacksmith, and lives with his sister and his brother-in-law Joe. Then, Pip comes across an escaped convict, who threatens him unless he gives him food and a file. Pip is invited to Miss Havisham's estate, and falls in love with a young lady by the name of Estella. I think this is wonderful work of literature due to its plot twists and the way it shows how a brave fool fares after becoming careless with his riches.

This book is an original concept which I admire.  This book is orignal, instead of a repetitive sequel or a common topic, such as vampires or a big adventure across the land with some mythological creatures on a grand quest or adventure. The only problem with this book is that it goes too fast. I like the well-developed personalities of the characters aswell. I highly recommend this book to whoever enjoys classics, dislikes repetitiveness, and likes love and betrayal.

Vinyl Scratch

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

      One of the finest books I have ever read, I would suggest Outliers to anyone and everyone. In Outliers Malcom Gladwell finds patterns in everything from birth months of hockey players to birth years of great lawyers and their parents’ jobs. Backed by evidence in hundreds of studies, he breaks the myth that talent alone always brings you to the top, and shows you that your age, birth date and year, parents, and ancestry really do matter.
     Outliers teaches you the reason of Bill Gates’ success, how Asians are better at math, and even how an airline turned its safety record around. Outliers is very descriptive in explaining the concepts in such depth, with so many examples, that even if you disagreed with Malcom Gladwell’s ideas you would still have to like the book.
     So I would suggest you look up Outliers in your local library, buy it now on Amazon , or take a trip to the bookstore.

-The Silver Crusade

Fever

Fever by Laurie Anderson is great. Once you start you won’t be able to stop. It’s about yellow fever in Philadelphia in 1793. You really get to know the characters and see how they change and grow from the beginning to the end. The writing sucks you in and you’ll find yourself genuinely worried about the characters. I wouldn’t     recommend it to younger kids because it’s a tiny bit hard to understand and a little frightening. It’s really cool to see how people had to survive and how big an impact yellow fever had on people. Even for the people who didn’t get sick you still felt their pain. If you didn’t die some of your friends and loved ones probably did. It’s definitely sad, but it’s such a great book that you have to read it.

 -Bubbles

Bigger than a Bread Box by Laurel Snyder is the kind of book you would say “WOW! I want to read that again!” When I first finished reading this book, I wanted to look in the back for more words to read. Laurel Snyder tells the story from the main character, Rebecca’s, point of view. The book is really exciting and there are a lot of laughing and gasping moments that make you so surprised you want to read the book again. Everyone wants magic, but Rebecca never imagined she would actually find any. Then again, she also never imagined her entire life could change overnight.


I first looked at this book’s cover and it somehow pulled me into the book. I immediately thought, “What in the world would a breadbox have to do with magic?” When I read the book, it felt like I was Rebecca’s best friend and she was telling me a story. Bigger than a Bread Box is the kind of book I like to call the thief for your attention.

Serendipity_3

The Greek Who Stole Christmas

Anthony Horowitz is the author of The Diamond Brothers Mystery series, of which The Greek Who Stole Christmas is one. The book is relatively short, but Horowitz packs plenty of action into every chapter. While I won’t give any of the plot away, I will say that the main reason this book is worth reading is the amount of clichés, plays on words, and other little one-liners. The book is loaded with them in every chapter, every page. While all of these are funny, some people may get a bit tired of them by the middle of the book. Although the writing is well crafted, there are very few suspects, and the ending is quite disappointing, because the culprit is somewhat obvious to the reader. This is a stand-alone book, so you do not need to read the rest of the series to start this book. A great quick read for you mystery-lovers!

Big Nate: In a Class by Himself

 By: Lincoln Peirce

Big Nate is a funny fiction story. If you like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you’ll love this! Nate is your regular ordinary 6th Grader at P.S. 38 and is always getting into trouble with Gina and Mrs. Godfrey. This book has small comics and it’s a short read. I recommend this book to everybody because it’s an easy read and you’ll never be able to put this book down. Big Nate is a series of books. If you read Big Nate and you love them read the series and there is also a website at or search “Big Nate” on Google. If you love small or big comics, or want a funny short read Big Nate, is the book for you.
-Lou Tero

The Green Glass Sea By Ellen Klages

This is a very interesting and easy to read book. It takes place in Los Alamos, New Mexico during World War II. Dewey Kerrigan, an 11 year old girl, has lots of trouble fitting in on a military base after living in a small town for many years. Her father is part of The Manhattan Project and is working on “the Gadget” and must keep it a secret, even from his own daughter.


I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure and action and/or wants to learn more about World War II.

 Butterfly Wolves


Trinite, green glass

Swindle, by Gordon Korman


When I was reading Swindle I couldn’t put it down. It is so good because it has a great mix of mystery and action and it is also realistic with a perfect plot. It always makes you want to read more.

Griffin and his friends are at an old scary house that is going to be knocked over in the morning. He is surprised to find a Babe Ruth baseball card that is worth one million dollars, until a mean collector named S. Wendell Polomino (a.k.a Swindle) tricks them out of the card. Now Griffin Bing must put together a team of friends (and one or two enemies) and try to get the card back. There are some things standing in their way: a menacing guard dog, a high-tech security system and a very secret hiding place, but Griffin Bing is ‘’the man with the plan.’’

I love this book and I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves good realistic stories and fun stories with kids as the main character.





Pie 1234

Where the Red Fern Grows

One of the greatest books I’ve read so far is Where the red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. In the book, young Billy starts a raccoon hunting hobby. In order to do that, Billy needs two dogs, two smart and brave dogs. One of the dogs is full of determination and spirit, and the other is full of knowledge and wisdom. This wonderful book of friendship, teamwork, and the determination shown by Billy to catch raccoons is sure to leave you speechless. I would recommend this book only to people who truly love their dogs.

Phillies34

Surviving Hitler

By: Andrea Warren

             I think Surviving Hitler is a good book for people who like learning about World War II and what went on inside the Nazi Death Camps.  Surviving Hitler is about exactly that, a boy named Jack Mandelbaum, who is forced to work in the Nazi death camps and has to survive the overwhelming power of Hitler.

             Surviving Hitler is also about what people went through to survive.  Food was free game, and so was life. Anyone could be shot at any time for no reason whatsoever.  Mostly people had to rely on their friends (if they had any in that camp) and if they didn’t have any, either they would have to make some friends, or survive on their own.

             Surviving Hitler is one of my favorite books of all time. But there are some sad parts in it (What did you expect? It’s World War II.).  Even though there are some sad parts, there are also some happy parts in it. 

             I would definitely recommend Surviving Hitler to any person (normally 6^th through 8^th graders) who want to know about what happened “behind the scenes” in World War II.

¾ Wolf

Theodore Boone: The Abduction

Theodore Boone is enjoying his normal life, from school to his parent’s law firm, until his best friend, April, goes missing. Nobody has a clue of what could have happened and who took April, until the police find out that a drug addict mad man by the name of Jack Leeper, escaped from prison just before April’s disappearance. Now Theo must find the clues and follow the tracks, before it’s too late.

 I loved this book. This is the second book in the series and I would recommend reading the first one first so you can understand everything. These books follow a path of intense suspense. Theo is a kind and caring friend, which inspired me throughout this book. I recommend this book to all. You will have a rollercoaster ride with adventure and suspense.

-Mankind

The Green Glass Sea

    The Green Glass Sea by Ellen Klages is a story about life at the Manhattan Project, also known as the hill. The book is focused on two families, the Kerrigans and the Gordons, who each have a ten-year-old daughter, Dewey Kerrigan and Suze Gordon. Dewey is the ultimate tomboy and she loves building things. Suze is a super girly-girl who loves comic books. When their lives collide on the hill everything changes. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of hard work and friendship, because that’s what the story is about. Along with the green glass sea of course.    

               -cora 

                                                                                                                    

Middle School the Worst Years of my Life

When I first entered the doors of my middle school, things weren’t the way I imagined. It wasn’t easy to “fit in.” When Rafe entered his new school, it wasn’t so easy for him either. He decided to become the bad boy by pulling pranks and breaking the school rules, from pulling the school fire alarm to running in school with no clothes. When he gets caught, bad things start to happen to him.



So when you first enter middle school or a new school and you feel a little nervous, read this book by James Patterson. It will make you laugh hard and remove the stress. I recommend this book to kids and anyone who is nervous about a new school.

-Dave

Tales of Mystery and Terror

Tales of Mystery and Terror by Edgar Allan Poe is a wonderful book with four tales of madness and revenge. You will hear the pounding of a dead man's heart and listen to a man's cry of terror as he is being buried alive. In the first story, a man got a fever and it made him become a madman, though he believed it sharpened his senses. He lived with an old man who had an eye that resembled one of a vulture. This disturbed the mad man. One night he decided to do the unspeakable and slay the old man.
I like that this book has more realistic situations than most other mystery books I've read. It shows the madman's thoughts as if he were narrating the story. In the ‘Cask of Amontillado’ Montresor swears to take revenge against Fortunado, who always tries to show his superiority. Montresor takes Fortunado to his wine cellar to see if the cask of amontillado was real. But that was part of Montresor's plot. He took him to his dungeon, to not be seen by human eyes again. I highly recommend this book to whomever enjoys classics, horror, or eerie happenings.

Vinyl Scratch

 

Treasure Island


Robert Louis Stevenson is a household name for the quality of the many books he wrote. One of the most famous is Treasure Island. This book has had a lasting influence on the world. Long John Silver and fifteen men on a dead man’s chest are still associated with pirates. However, for those who actually read the book, you’ll know that the type of language is extremely confusing, with whole paragraphs that are complete nonsense for this day and age. Those of you who are familiar with today’s lingo will be perplexed by the slang of 1800’s pirates and seamen. The story follows young Jim Hawkins as he and his companions set out on a hunt for buried treasure, which seems exciting, but the book has no cliffhanger or climatic turning point. What would have once been a timeless classic is now less of a good read because of the obsolescence of its wording.

-Eulalia!

13 Gifts

13 Gifts by Wendy Mass shouts, “Read me! Read me! Read me!” and steals your attention from the first sentence until the last sentence. Wendy Mass leads you to the answer and surprises you so much that you want to read it again and again. When I first read this book I couldn’t put it down. Wendy Mass describes the character’s personalities so well that you’ll think that you are one of the characters in the book.

Tara, the main character, is a girl I think that every girl that reads the book can relate to. I would recommend this book to girls because it is writing from a girl’s perspective. I guarantee whoever reads this will laugh out loud from the moment that twelve year old boys are forced to wear Sunshine uniforms to a really embarrassing moment that everyone can relate to. And mostly, I think that every person that reads the book will understand the the author's message: the sidelines may be safer, but life is played on the field.





-Serendipity_3

Magyk by Angie Sage

     Angie Sage has really crafted a masterpiece with the enchanting book Magyk. I would definitely suggest Magyk to anybody looking for a good book. It has good descriptions and a detailed plot that keeps you glued to the pages.

     Magyk is about the family of wizards called the Heaps. It all begins when their son, Septimus, is declared dead at birth, and is replaced by a baby girl, Jenna. They must defeat a great necromancer before he takes over the throne.

     Not only that, but can they discover who they really are in time? To explore the mythical world of the Heaps, I would suggest you read Magyk now.

-The Silver Crusade

Green Glass Sea

Green Glass Sea




The Green Glass Sea is a very good book that is set in the 1940’s and takes place in a part of New Mexico that technically doesn’t exist. I would definitely recommend this book. It’s really interesting because everything is a secret and it shows an interesting time period from the point of view of a kid. It’s very descriptive so you’ll always have a picture in your head. The only downside of the book is that it skips a lot of time between the chapters. But the interesting plot makes up for it. There are lots of cliffhangers and it will keep you reading and asking questions.



-Bubbles