Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

“Why fit in when you are born to stand out?”  From the day she arrives at quiet Mica High in a burst of color and sound, hallways hum “Stargirl.” She captures Leo Borlock’s heart with one smile and sparks a school-spirit revolution with one cheer. The students of Mica High are enchanted, until they are not. Then Leo urges her to become the very thing that can destroy her - normal. 

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli is a wonderful tale of what it means to be a unique individual in this  world of conformity.  Stargirl is embraced by many as a positive, energetic force in the community.  However, there are some people who don’t know how to handle her uniqueness and eventually become frustrated by her and her actions.  Stargirl’s adventures and experiences are a rollercoaster that keeps us captivated till the end.                                                                                                         

I recommend this book to boys and girls alike, ages 10 and up.  It is funny, honest and most importantly, real.  This realistic fiction story helps the reader, and some of the characters, realize how important kindness and acceptance are.  What I enjoyed most about this story is that everyone can relate to it and its characters in some way and by the end, you want to be a better person. 

If you are a fan of Jerry Spinelli, you’ll enjoy this story.  If you haven’t read his work, now is the time to start.  Stargirl will captivate you with her quirky behavior.  You will end up wanting to be like her or wishing you had her as a friend.  We all need a Stargirl in our lives!

Joanna B.

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!