Scumble by Ingrid Law

      Imagine dreading your thirteenth birthday. For most families turning thirteen is a big deal, and a very exciting day but not for the Beaumont family. When a child in the Bueamont family turns thirteen they develop a "savvy." Ledge Beaumont's part of the family is expected to travel west to their family ranch just five days after Ledge's thirteenth birthday. When Ledge's birthday comes with great anticipation and then leaves again without anything exploding or a short power outage, the family, still nervous, starts the long drive west. It isn't far into their journey when events start to happen that change their drive.
      I would definitely recommend Scumble by Ingrid Law. I would call it a book that includes the whole package, meaning that  it has a very developed plot and characters whose feelings and emotions are well described.   

          ~Leaf

Schooled by Gordon Korman

      Capricorn Anderson has a far from normal life. He lives on a plantation with only his hippie grandmother, "Rain." He is convinced once you step off the land you will be sucked into the money-centered world, where you can never return to your normal life. Once Rain falls off a tree branch and breaks her hip, the story starts to unravel, and pick up the pace.

      Schooled by Gordon Korman is a very interesting and quick book. Each chapter is told from a different character's point of view, which makes it hard to understand. I would definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy a book out of the ordinary, different from your normal day-to-day book.

                  

Leaf                                                                                                                      

The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy

      A couple of months ago I was skimming through my book shelves at home, looking for a book I had not read before. My eyes met The Wild Girls by Pat Murphy.
     When Joan's family moves from Connecticut to San Francisco she finds herself at a new school and exploring the woods near her neighborhood with her best friend, Fox. Throughout the seventh grade life at home slowly goes downhill. Joan's mother and father are fighting all the time and her brother keeps on disappearing with his gangster friends. Can Joan lift her family's spirit?
     I would definitely recommend The Wild Girls to readers who enjoy sitting with a fantastic book and reading a long but quick read about two young girls who love to write.

~ Leaf

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

Pieces of Georgia

Imagine living with only your father. How would a 12 year old girl get by without a mother who died when Georgia was seven? Pieces of Georgia by Jen Bryant is an O.K. book. If you like mystery or action packed books, I would not recommend this book. Georgia, the main character, becomes best friends with an athletic-crazed girl who lives in her neighborhood, and a sweet gentle horse named Ella.

One day a mysterious note appears in her mailbox. The note says, "She now has a free membership to the Brandywine River Museum." Her mom was an artist before she died, and now Georgia's father has no patience for art. Whenever he sees her with a sketch book he shows a negative attitude. Georgia's best subject at school is art and her teacher is always giving her scrap pieces of charcoal. When the letter is signed "Anonymous," that's when her life begins to change.

I would recommend Pieces of Georgia for readers who like books written in poetry form and who love art. Georgia spends all her free time drawing and painting Ella. She realizes some people in the world, like her art teacher, really do appreciate art and just her.     Leaf

It's Not the End of the World by Judy Blume, was a fast and disapointing read. Karen Newman, the main character is expeaiencing a year's worth of trouble.Her parents are disagreeing on a daily basis, and she is having a hard time trying not to listen to her parents' arguments. In this story the reader follows Karen through her parents' agonizing divorce. Imagine living in a house with parents who are fighting all the time.

I would not recomend this book because of the lack of a strong plot, beginning and ending. Judy left the reader hanging almost in mid-air. The last chapter seemed it should have been in the middle of the book.  by Leaf

Scat by Carl Hiaasen is a great read if you love nature, mystery, and adventure. Scat is another book relating to Florida's wildlife. It was one of my favorite reads because of the constant switching of characters. That part was what kept me reading. When reading it you must be careful because once you start you will not be able to stop!

Fireworks

Fireworks

I shoot upward

I explode

In all directions

I hear the crowd scream

I fall

Down

Down

To the hard earth

I disappear

I hear another scream from their loud voices

I fade.....

away.

~Leaf