I loved this book. I felt like I was right there in post-WWI Paris amongst the Lost Generation and the great writers of that time. Having studied literature in college, I appreciated the insight into the mysterious personalities of Ezra Pound and Gertrude Stein. I also liked the way the author portrayed the Fitzgeralds. While this is a work of historical fiction, it was based off of detailed research and correspondences of that time. I've never been a fan of Hemingway's works, and honestly I'm still not a fan, but Hadley was fascinating. It's telling that his second wife is just a flash in the pan, while Hadley is regarded as his great love. I've got A Moveable Feast on my list to read now

This book, "The Fault in Our Stars," was very good, emotional, and had lots of romance!

In this book, you meet a girl named Hazel Grace. She is an ordinary girl with an extraordinary problem. She has lung cancer. And as the years go by, she has a couple of close calls. Then, one day everything changed when a new boy joins her support group. He's handsome, kind, and funny. Once she gets to know him, she falls in love, and he does too. But as their love story goes on, Hazel learned something that will change her for years to come.

I loved this book because it was truly inspiring and you get really attached to the characters. But, I do not recommend it to people who are sensitive about cancer. Also, this is definitely not for people under fifth grade.

I picked this book because I had several friends recommended it. But, as in every book, there were good and bad parts. I loved it when Hazel gets to know this guy, but when that twist I was talking about comes in, it gets depressing. :( Also, there is some inappropriate stuff. You never know what is going to happen in this book. (Unless you've read it before or got a spoiler alert!) I personally think this is one of my most favorite books and I hope to read it again.

Reviewer Grade: 7

While a line isn’t all that extraordinary, a line that divides a country, separates the known from the unknown, and has people fearing to go near it is. To end a war, a line crossed out part of the country, dooming those still on its other side to either death or a fate worse than it. Rachel likes to sit in a broken, mysterious told greenhouse, just gazing out, imagining what lies beyond the line. Many people say mutated humans or monsters, but Rachel can only find beauty in its lush forests. Until, that is, she receives a message asking for help, which she can only assume comes from the other side of the line. Naturally, an adventure then is embarked upon.. I liked this book because of its slow moving, mystery-building pace, and its “chaos in the midst of the clam” sort of setting. a must-read for those who enjoy both reading between the lines, and a story that, not the author, but the reader, deciphers.

Reviewer Grade:9

Set in a world where warfare is the top priority, all school systems are adapted to better shape children into viable subjects for the training program-Battle School. This program’s main goal is to shape perfect soldiers for the war against an alien race threatening humanity, or what’s left of it, as it is. While being the youngest student there by far, he advances far past the other students in warfare, academics, and strategy training very quickly. But, unknown to Ender, he is being used as a weapon in training and after to accomplish a goal that goes against all of his morals. I enjoyed this book because it was a new twist on an old idea-special treatment for the geniuses, but this time, it was not with their well-being in mind. From the cover to the synopsis, this book entices the reader to dive into this dystopian world. Besides the story, this book also has many thought-provoking moral lessons-do what’s right or serve the common good? This space centered tactic game is one the reader can play right along side Ender.

Reviewer Grade: 9

The Wind in the Willows, written in 1908, is a classic tale that still has appeal to both adults and children. Each of the main characters has a distinct and charming personality. Mr. Toad is a likable and iconic character because of his zany personality. Ratty is very loyal and adverse to change. Mole is a homebody who worries. Badger is sage, somewhat antisocial, and values tradition. I highly recommend this novel to all creatures with more than one pocket!

Reviewer Grade: 9

Wonder revolves around a kid who is starting middle school and the people around him. This kid, Auggie, has facial deformities and they cause others to treat him differently. The book follows eight different perspectives. Each character has their own distinct voice. This is probably the novel's greatest strength, as it makes each character much more realistic. It has many touching moments and carries a great message. It is one of the best books published in recent years.

Reviewer Grade: 9

Dead End in Norvelt is a very good story about a boy named Jack Gantos (the author gave the character his own name as it is a somewhat true story) who lives in the 1960s in a little town called Norvelt, founded by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. When Jack is grounded for the summer for using his dad’s WWII binoculars to watch a war movie at the drive in that he couldn’t go see, and then proceeding to accidentally shoot a WWII Japanese rifle at the screen, he receives an unusual chore as a punishment: typing obituaries for old Miss Volker across the street. Jack is told that it was Miss Volker’s duty to Mrs. Roosevelt to type the obituaries of all of Norvelt’s original citizens before she moves away or passes away. While busying himself typing the obituaries and having to spend the rest of his time in his room, he still manages to go on strange misadventures with his friends, family, and neighbors involving a two seater airplane, a plastic skeleton, cornstalks, dead rodents, poisonous mushrooms, Hells Angels, a Halloween costume, Girl Scout cookies… and murder? This is a one of a kind book, so I can’t really recommend it to people who like a certain genre, however, if you are looking for an unusual, funny, interesting, and sometimes creepy murder mystery book disguised as a realistic fiction novel, Dead End in Norvelt is a great book for you.

Reviewer Grade: 7

The Breadwinner is an excellent story about a young girl named Parvana and her family living in the Afghanistan that was under rule of the Taliban, an extreme religious group, from 1996 to 2001. Parvana and her sisters and brother and mother and father used to live in a giant house before it got bombed and they had to move to war torn Kabul. They scraped by for a long time by living in a one room house and her father selling some of their old things and reading and writing for others (most people there can’t read or write) with Parvana’s help in the marketplace. When her father is kidnapped by the Taliban soldiers because he went to England for his education and supposedly has “foreign ideas”, the family has no one to work for money, as the Taliban forbid women to leave the house without a man. Their solution- cut Parvana’s hair and dress her in her dead older brother’s clothes so she can go out and work for money. The book goes on to describe her many adventures working in the marketplace and doing strange odd jobs such as digging up human bones and trying to sell cigarettes and gum at what she thinks is a soccer game but is really a gruesome event. I would definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in world conflict and fiction based on relatively recent events. Overall, a really good story.

Reviewer Grade: 7

I honestly was not expecting this to be as good of a book as it was. I guess I was thinking it would be more like Treasure Island (which I didn’t like too much). It actually turned out to be a really good story about a twelve year old girl named Charlotte Doyle who has booked a voyage with two other families on the Seahawk ship to return home from her school in England to see her family. Charlotte then discovers that the two other families have mysteriously cancelled their trip, making her the only girl on the ship. She then has many adventures on the Seahawk with the shipmates and the cruel Captain Jaggery involving a silver dirk, storms at sea, muskets, round robins, watery coffee… and possibly murder. I highly recommend this book to anybody who likes historical fiction, books told in diary form, books about seafaring, or is just looking for a good book to read.

Reviewer Grade: 7

This great Newberry Honor and Schneider Award winning book was recommended to me because I really enjoyed the book Wonder by R.J. Palacio, and I definitely will say that if you are a fan of that book, you will love Rules. Rules is a story about a twelve year old girl named Catherine who has a younger brother named David with serious autism and has to cope with his actions such as opening all the doors in other people’s houses to shouting out the film ratings in the video store. These experiences had her take to teaching him little “rules” like “Keep your pants on in public” and “No toys in the fish tank” to try to get him away from his embarrassing behavior. Catherine is exited but also worried because a girl her age will be moving into the neighborhood, but she is afraid that David might mess up her chance at a friendship if he acts the way he sometimes does. One day she is waiting with her mom for David to finish with his OT exercises at the clinic when she makes a new “almost friend” named Jason who is in a wheelchair and can’t speak by getting caught sketching him in the waiting room and then going. She eventually begins to make new word cards for the communication book he uses. The book goes on to describe all the experiences that she has with her brother, her family, and her new found friends in life. This book is very, very good and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who liked Wonder.

Reviewer Grade: 7