Blue Spruce Award Winner

Book Review: Six of Crows

Author
Bardugo, Leigh
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

Six of Crows takes place in ketterdam where the main character Kaz lives. Kaz is the leader of a gang. The story follows him while he breaks into a impenetrable prison complex to break out a scientist. He gathers a group of people with special skills to help him with his heist. I would recommend this book. I found that this book was very hard to put down and I found that it was very interesting. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up.

Reviewer Grade: 9

Reviewer's Name
Rob A.
Genres

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author
Collins, Suzanne
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

The Hunger Games is a very descriptive novel that I am really fascinated by. Sometimes I like to think about the odds of a government similar to the Capital forming and what district I would be divided into would be. I think that it is kind of interesting that Katniss Everdeen lives in District 12 because not only is it the last district it isn’t really anything special it’s just the coal district.

The Hunger Games, a dystopian novel by Suzanne Collins, follows a young women named Katniss Everdeen and her fight to survive the tragic Hunger Games. It’s Election Day at the start of the book And Katniss’ sister,Prim, just turned of age when her name is put into the drawing for the Hunger
Games. When it came time for a girl to be elected for the Hunger Games despite the odds Prim’s name was drawn but Katniss wouldn’t let her go to the hunger games where she would meet her death so she volunteered. The Hunger Games is a televised event where two people from each of the twelve
districts are sent into an arena and fight to the death until there is only one person remaining. The last person standing is named the Victor. The Hunger Games acts as a reminder to the districts to never rebel against the Capital.

I think that the Hunger Games is an example of what happens when government takes “control freak” to the next level, they send people into an arena to die just because they want the district to know they can. I wonder why the districts haven’t rebelled, it’s not like their lives could get much worse if they did.

Reviewer's Name
Seth

Book Review: Six of Crows

Author
Bardugo, Leigh
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

In a town of thieves and murderers, one man is feared as the most brutal, the most wicked, and the most intelligent: Kaz Brekker. Willing to kill as much as he needs to, and able to pick any lock, Kaz is the perfect man for the greatest heist ever: Stealing a hostage from the high security Ice Palace. He gathers a crew to help take on the toughest challenge he’s ever faced. Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows follows the viewpoints of a vicious leader, a spider-like assassin, a gunslinger, a disgraced soldier, a heartrending mage, and a runaway rich boy to create a wonderful story where death is around every corner and only the strong survive.

Reviewer's Name
Ryan
Genres

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author
Rowling, J.K.
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is a classic for today's generation. It tells the story of a boy named Harry Potter who finds out he is a wizard and proceeds to attend a wizarding school and encounter the dark wizard who killed his parents. This story was a large part of my childhood and one of the reasons I enjoy reading so much. Although it is a very easy read and truly a children's story, the Harry Potter books are magical for all ages and I would suggest everyone read them.

Reviewer's Name
Maddie K.
Genres

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author
Collins, Suzanne
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

In "The Hunger Games", sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her young sister's place in the cruel Hunger Games, an annual televised competition where children fight to the death until one remains. Although I'd watched all the movie adaptations before reading this book, I was still completely hooked. Everything about this book is absolutely fantastic -- the characters, the plot, the writing. The characters are complex and complicated, blurring the line between good and evil -- Katniss, in many ways, makes a phenomenal anti-hero. The plot moves quickly -- every chapter leaves on a cliffhanger, making it impossible to put the book down. The writing is succinct and gripping. The only criticism I could think of is that the beginning is a little slow, but it picks up very quickly from there. Everyone should read this book -- it's possibly one of the greatest books I've ever read. "The Hunger Games" is simply amazing.

Reviewer's Name
Gillian P.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Author
Rowling, J.K.
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

It is a good book. I like it because the characters are funny and it has a sense of wonder. The main character is Harry. He starts out living under his uncles stairs then soon learns that he is a wizard. He then is sent to Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry where he makes new friends and learns magic. He then learns that the sorcerer’s stone is in the school and someone is trying to steal it. That is why I believe that book is good. I would recommend it if you are looking for a fantasy.

Reviewer's Name
Ethan H.

Book Review: Divergent

Author
Roth, Veronica
Rating
2 stars = Meh
Review

I read this book shortly after I read the Hunger Games and I truly thought it would be much better than it ended up being. All of my friends had told me it was the most amazing book they had ever read and they loved everything about it. It was a struggle for me to keep reading the book but I had bought the entire series, so I was determined. I truly regret buying the books and wish I would've spent the money on a different series. The entire book seems like it's trying to be a mashup of other popular dystopian books and every time I would pick it up, I found myself thinking it had no originality. It reminded me a lot of The Giver, which is one of my favorite books, but it was like if The Giver was mixed with the The Hunger Games and not well written. I definitely haven't reached for Divergent since I read it the first time, and I don't think I'm likely to ever read it again.
Reviewer Grade: 12

Reviewer's Name
Brenna C.

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars

Author
Green, John
Rating
4 stars = Really Good
Review

This book is a heart-wrenching story about how you don't need a fairy tale situation to fall in love. Mr. Green's descriptions in this book are so good then even weeks after reading it, you could still have vivid images of the characters and settings. You may need a tissue or even book club friends to help you get through some of the moments and chapters in this book.
Overall A+ amazing book with exciting adventures and life lessons

Reviewer's Name
Francesca J

Book Review: Cinder

Author
Meyer, Marissa
Rating
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review

"Cinder" is a twist of the old fairy tale "Cinderella," where the main character, Cinder, has a step-mother, two sisters, and cyborg parts attached to her body (much to the citizens of New Bejing's disgust). Cinder is a mechanic who does work for her step-mother along with her companion Iko, and she has dreams of leaving her step-mother's home, though she stays for her sister Peony.

Cinder meets the prince of New Beijing, Prince Kaito. She finds that Kai is a very attractive person, just as everyone in the city says, but also finds her attention turned toward unfortunate event after unfortunate event. Her world changes when her sister contracts the deadly disease, letumosis.

Overall, this book is truly a wonderful book for both romance and action. While the plot is a twist of the story "Cinderella," Marissa Meyer does an excellent job of making the idea extremely unique to the point that the book hardly seems like a twist of Cinderella. The amount of action; internal and external conflicts; and in-depth relationships are written in an exciting way that makes every chapter worth reading. Since this is the first book in "The Lunar Chronicles," "Cinder" sets up the main conflicts and first main characters for the rest of the series exceptionally well. While the main protagonists are very likable and relatable, the main antagonist is truly twisted and very well written with the knowledge that is given in the first book. The book was rarely predictable, and is an amazing piece of fiction.

This book, along with the rest of the series, is one of the best books for both great characters and a unique story idea.
Reviewer Grade: 11

Reviewer's Name
Paige P.

Book Review: The Hunger Games

Author
Collins, Suzanne
Rating
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review

The Hunger Games has a futuristic setting were there are 12 districts in Panem, the only civilization left in the world. The Hunger Games was a punishment for the districts who rebelled against the Capital, in the Hunger Games people 12-18 are chosen to fight to the death is a arena literally big enough for a whole natural habitat. Our main character Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl who lives in district 12. Her sister was chosen to participate in the Hunger Games, but Katniss took her place as a tribute. How will she survive against other people chosen to partake in the Hunger Games, an a few mutants every hear and there.

Reviewer's Name
Brendan M.