Through the crack in Annemarie’s bedroom door she could see the shiny spotless boots walk into her family’s apartment.   Quickly Annemarie Johansen and her Jewish  best friend, Ellen Rosen, hurry back to Annemarie’s bed. Together they shiver in fright. Number the Stars by  Lois Lowry is a short but very intriguing book. It is a great read because of the tense writing and very developed characters. When the Germans start to relocate all of the Jews to concentration  camps from Denmark, Annemarie realizes her best friend and her family are in grave danger. Lowry writes so the reader feels like they are really in Denmark. Follow this historical-fiction book and Annemarie through the hard-times.

~ Leaf

Private Captain

                Private Captain  is a very informative historic fiction book, which is set during the Civil War. It is about two children who go on a mission to find a soldier, in the midst of the battle of Gettysburg, and bring him back home.  The language can sometimes be hard to understand, therefore I would recommend this book to a slightly older audience. Although the plot is fast paced I find that the story takes a long time to physically read. Marty Crisp did a wonderful job of creating an approachable story. Even though the book is set nearly 150 years ago you will still find the characters relatable in some way. So, if you enjoy adventure with a large dose of history pick up Private Captain and follow one determined boy, one pesky cousin a loyal hound and a dependable cow on their journey.  

~Dr Seuss

Private Captain by Marty Crisp

     Private Captain is a great book about the Civil War.  It has very interesting and convincing characters with very realistic and strong emotions.  The book is very fast in the beginning but slows down towards the end.  It is a great read but it is extremely gory at the end on the battlefield.
     Private Captain is a compelling story about a boy, Ben, trying to find his brother Reuben Reynolds, in the 106th Pennsylvania company "A."  His path leads him to Gettysburg on the fatefull day, July 2nd, 1863.  On his journey he learns the "Rebs" and the "Yanks" are both human. He also learns the true meaning of war.  He, his pesky cousin, a cow, and a dog join him on an amazing, life changing adventure into the minds of innocent civilians, deserters, and enemy soldiers.  I suggest this book to anyone interested in the Civil War or anyone who likes historical fiction and is a little bit familiar with old time language such as anyroad, (anyway) dadblamed, and bootlicker.

                                                              -Math Knight 8

Eragon

Life in the farm town of Carvahall is normal, until Eragon finds a stone that turns out to be a dragon egg.  Eragon is then forced to flee Carvahall with the storyteller, Brom.  Doing that isn't easy while learning the rules of magic, traveling towards a rebellion, being pursued by slavers, creatures of darkness, and the whole of the king's army with only the help of Brom, Eragon's dragon, and some mysterious warriors they meet on their way.  If you like adventure, fantasy, and mystery, I would highly recommend this book.  Read about this adventurous tale in Eragon, by Christopher Paolini.

-Mattalex

Extra Credit

  Extra Credit by Andrew Clements, is about a girl named Abby, who is doing so poorly in school that she is threatened to be held back. Her only solution is to get A's on all of her tests and extra credit. Abby's extra credit is to write letters back and forth with a pen pal from somewhere around the world. Because of her love of climbing rock walls, Abby chooses the mountainous area of Kabul, Afghanistan. She also has to make a bulletin board with all of her letters, Abby is perfectly fine with showing her letters to the public; she doesn't need to keep her letters private. The project starts with a few friendly letters back and forth but when Abby receives one letter, she rethinks her whole privacy policy.
     I would recommend this book to anyone who likes realistic fiction and anyone who has an open mind. I liked this book; it was the kind of book I didn't want to put down.



By: Anonymous

Hoot

Hoot is a fantastic book. It's original, wacky, quirky, and hilarious. Carl Hiaasen did a great job writing this book. It was a New York Times best seller and has won a Newberry Medal. You watch as the story unfolds and the characters grow up. Hoot is very descriptive so you can picture it in your head. It tells you what's happening in the world, like construction taking away animals homes. At the same time it can be an interesting fiction book that you can't put down. I like this book because it can change your thinking and make you want to help preserve wild life. It will keep you questioning about the characters. Find out  more about Carl Hiaasen and his book at http://www.carlhiaasen.com/
By: Fishy