The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

As I skimmed my bookshelves in late fall, a certain book caught my eye: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, by Ann Brashares. I made a greivous mistake by taking it off the shelf and deciding to read it.

The writing is awful. To sum it up, it was the sappiest, girliest, worst book ever. Hardly a chapter went by without the narrator swooning over some guy.

The four main characters, Lena, Tibby, Bridget, and Carmen, are best friends in school, but go different places over the summer: Lena to Greece, Bridget to Mexico, Carmen to South Carolina, and Tibby to the local drugstore for her first job.

They keep in touch using letters and sending the Pants, a pair of supposedly lucky blue jeans that magically fits them all.

They all have their corny romances, come back together at the end of the book, and that's it.

There is no worse reading choice than this book; the plot is nonexistent and the word choice is feeble. Do not read this book.

~Skyler Mae

The Book Thief-B.R.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
       
                The Book Thief is a wonderfully woven story of a girl in 1939 Nazi Germany, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. After her brother dies, Liesel Meminger gets sent to live with foster parents, Rosa and Hans Hubermann, who live outside of Munich.
                
                 The country holds its breath, and death has never been busier.  Yet the Hubermanns find the courage to harbour a Jew in their basement. Liesel finds herself stealing books from Nazi book burnings, the mayor's library, anywhere books can be found. With the help of her foster father Hans, Liesel slowly learns to read in a world where books are extremely rare.
               
                 Beautifully written, The Book Thief is a life-changing book of love, loss, tragedy, and kindness. Markus Zusack blends fiction with reality to make a truly incredible book. I would recommend this to any reader, regardless of age or genre interest.

You can find a website about the author here, and if your interested about WWII, you can go here.
Book Review written by Julio.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Roirdan

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is an action-filled, fantasy story. Twelve-year-old Percy Jackson had no idea who he really was. He just thought he was a normal kid with dyslexia and ADHD until he found out he was a demi-god. His life was turned upside down when he found out his best friend, Grover, was a satyr and when he found out his Latin teacher was a centaur named Chiron. Then he was told he had to return Zeus' lightning bolt or there would be a World War III. So with help from his new demi-god friend, Annabeth, he set out to retrieve Zeus' lightning bolt and save the world, not knowing what to expect. I could not put this book down. I highly recommend  this book to everyone.

- Frozen Yogurt

Diary of Marie Antoinette

Marie Antoinette is a young, smart, adventurous girl, forced into starting a diary to inprove her writing skills. But soon she is not only writing for practice, she is writing about every day of her life,which is very interesting as she is one of the fifteen princesses and princes of Austria.When Marie turns thirteen and becomes a women she is expected to marry. Her Mother, wanting to be united with France, chooses Louis XVI, a timid, revolting young man, and the King of France's eldest son. How is Marie supposed to leave her siblings and the place she loves to be wed and become queen to someone she does not even know? This moving story helps you understand diffrent points of view and uncovers the hardship of life as a princess in 1769. Reading this book, I felt an overwhelming sense of joy and recommend it to anyone and everyone who shares my love of reading.                                   Tiger

The Tale Despereaux By: Kate DiCamillo

            Have you ever been punished for loving someone? Well Despereaux a poor little mouse has. He's been sentenced to the dungeon by his own father to be eaten by rats. He has been escorted down the concrete stairs by his brother where he's suppose to spend his last days. When he gets there he discovers that there may not be only rats and mice among him.
            The adventure that Despereaux is about to face will be one that he will always remember...That is, if he lives.
            This book involves three stories of hopeless beings:
             a mouse,
             a rat,
             and a human.
             Kate DiCamillo cleverly writes this book, in a way that is touching, fun to read and intriguing. She writes as if shes reading the story to you.
             I'd recommend this book to any reader interested in a dramatic and touching story.

-sunnysideup

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Harry Potter is in his fourth year at Hogwarts with a lot on his mind. His best friends don't care for him, he has been chosen for a deathly tournament that he did not want to participate in, he has been having strange dreams about killings, and worst of all, Harry is worried about Lord Voldemort's uncertain rise to power. Can he be stopped? Will Harry revive his friendships? Will he survive the Triwizard Tournament? And, will he find out what his dreams mean?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a catchy story of adventure, friendship, fame, conspiracy,  mystery, love, and compassion. It is a book that can be passed on among friends and will keep you on the edge of your chair (and your couch) until the very end. J.K. Rowling takes her valiant writing style to new levels of literature. I would recommend it to anyone!

                                                           - Weegee

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

      Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a thrilling, exciting, heart warming story for readers who enjoy fantasy with a lot of adventure. Harry Potter, as the main character, goes with his friends Ron and Hermione through times of perilous trouble, adventures, and some mixed emotions. You read as they go through classes like Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Defense Against the Dark Arts. You will also read as Harry plays a sport while flying on a broom stick in some awful weather.

       This book happens to be the third in the series of seven but all of them are awesome!!!!

  - Purple Grape