Everyone contains secrets but it is about how far you are willing to bear them and how long you want to shelter them. One of Us Is Lying is the first book in the One of Us Is Lying Trilogy and a YALSA 2018 Teens' Top Ten selection. One of Us Is Lying has the perfect mix of drama, suspense, mystery, and romance, and I haven’t read anything as unique. The book is extremely well written, perfect and extraordinary with the proper balance of words to keep anyone seated in one spot for hours at a time. The novel starts with five students sent to detention with only four leaving alive. The Brain, Bronwyn, The Beauty, Addy, The Athlete, Cooper, and The Criminal, Nate, Bayview High School’s most notable hypocrites are brought down throughout the novel to a level so low. According to investigators the death of a student during detention with the other four students, The Outcast, Simon, was not an accident. The leading characters are Cooper, Addy, Bronwyn, and Nate. They are all altogether diverse in the way they behave and their personality. I found Cooper the most interesting, but Bronwyn was the most sympathetic. Addy changed throughout the story starting as a typical high school popular girl and then ending with a more refreshing style. I enjoyed how the story was put together in the first person because the perspective was constantly varying which made it altogether more interesting. It uses multiple perspectives to provide you the point of view of not one, but all four suspects in a murder mystery with their motives, but the real marvel lies within the journey and experiences of the characters. This book is much deeper than just a murder mystery, and it has much more to it in terms of character development and diversity. You witness the characters’ vulnerable lives being picked apart and their deepest secrets being spread to their peers. This book is 5 Stars and exceeded expectations. I enjoyed this book and suggest it for the next time you want to read something as unique as this.
Reviewer 8th Grade

You may have heard of the fictional character Peter Parker, also known as Spider-Man. He was introduced in Amazing Fantasy #15, back in the 1960s. Ever since then, his story has been growing, thanks to many talented writers and artists.
But after several decades of publishing Amazing Spider-Man comic books, Marvel Comics had an idea. That idea was Ultimate Spider-Man.
This comic goes back to the early days of Peter Parker, and details how he became Spider-Man. It's masterfully written by legendary comic scribe Brian Michael Bendis.
And the artwork is phenomenal. Mark Bagley truly produced some great artwork for this series.
This volume only contains the first seven issues of this great series. I would highly recommend reading it.
Reviewer grade: 9

If you're like me, you're a fantasy lover. If you're also like me, you've heard great things about this book. Most of them are true. A Magic Steeped in Poison is about Ning, whose sister is dying from a poison. Her last option is to compete in a tea making competition for a favor from the princess, and hope she has the cure.

Let's start with the obvious, the magic system is enchanting (pun intended). I've never seen anything quite like it, and I'd read a book just explaining exactly how everything works. Really, it's just refreshing to see a magic system that isn't 'pew pew, blast blast'. The plot is great too, and every stage of the competition brought something interesting. Ning is a pretty good protagonist, and I can't think of a time I didn't like her. Most of the characters are fairly strong, although nothing amazing. The princess is likable, but not perfect. The father has a bit of complexity. And I thought the judges were very well written. Really, I only had a few complaints.

The weakest aspect of the book is Ning's love interest. Kang is a nice enough character, but we don't know anything about him. If you've read the book, you're probably confused. After all, we know a ton about Kang's past. But that's the thing, we know about his past, not him. Can you think of a single personality trait he has? In the beginning he's super exitable (this never shows up again). Later in the book he loves history (never comes up before or again). Kang is just a generic, perfect boyfriend. There's nothing wrong with a shallow character, as long as the protagonist has some emotional distance from that character. With a love interest, the goal is to have as little emotional distance as possible. Other than that, everything is pretty solid. I would have liked to see some flashbacks with Shu (so we could get more attached), and maybe some more time with Lian.

Overall, I recommend this book, and I'm excited to read the sequel.

The Count of Monte Cristo serves as a literary masterpiece in both its prose and its raw images of humanity. Following Edmond Dantés on a journey of injustice, desperation, vengeance, success, readers are immersed in over a thousand pages of story about morality and the human experience. Through the chronicles of Dantés, his ruses, and his eventual persona, the Count of Monte Cristo, readers are able to explore France high society during the Napoleonic Wars, but also the injustices within the lower classes, and stories from everyday life of prisoners, laborers, and those outside of the elite. At its core, it's a book of adventure and romance, but the adventure is not without purpose. The manipulation, disappointment, and pure emotion are the driving forces of each character, and what makes the book such a special read.

The Things They Carried is a modern necessity. A series of stories and reflections follow the journey of a hypothetical O'Brien and his squad as they 'hump' through the mountains and forests of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. The book plays with the ideas of reality and storytelling, and forces readers to construct a robust and complex understanding of the stories of war and the life after. At points, it becomes almost impossible to discern between reality and falsities, and the book itself is an intellectual journey. The stories tell the seemingly exciting and eventful moments of the war, but put a special emphasis on the trauma and shocking notes of the war. O'Brien contrasts each element with an essential counterpart: excitement with terror, nonfiction with fiction; storytelling with teaching. It's this contrasting of truths that makes The Things They Carried a staple on any bookshelf, and a read worthy of any audience.

The BFG is the type of book you read once and continue to read over and over again. Personally, I have read this book several times all the way from elementary school to high school, and has remained one of my favorites to this very day (for more context I first read this book in school). From the crazy word concepts to the illustrations, this book keeps you interested with every page. I recommend this book to those in grade school and above; the language is easy to read as it tells the story from the viewpoint of a young girl. There isn't much I could say I disliked about this book, the end of the story was very heartwarming while the book kept you on you're toes all throughout. Fair warning, a frequent scene in this book is giants eating children, so if you are reading this to someone younger who may be scared easily, I would take that into consideration (in clarification the scenes are NOT graphic and are kid-friendly). It was an exciting read, and the illustrations do a great job at giving your mind something to picture as you read along throughout the book. The book isn't too long itself but I feel like it suits the storyline well. I gave this book 5 stars for several reasons, but the main idea is that: it's very well written and illustrated, a good read for young ages and above, and it is genuinely a very good book.

Breasts and Eggs, lengthened from its original version, is a breakthrough piece for Mieko Kawakami, but also for the literary world. Her masterful prose is able to capture the attention of any reader, and draw anyone into the worlds she creates. The book is centered around a family of low-income Japanese women, battling their way through life and facing poverty, the image of their bodies, each other, and their desires for the future. Each conversation is written as if it's taking place in the readers' living room, and each sense is captured on every page. Kawakami works through seemingly every contemporary issue effortlessly, putting each piece into place within the story, instead of unnaturally breaking the flow of her storytelling She plays with issues of fertility through a character whose journey should, on paper, be shocking and different than anything readers have seen, but does it in a way that makes it feel real and beyond possible. The book is so fantastic that it could be read in a day if readers can't make themselves put it down, but it would be a rollercoaster of a day.

Where many spy novels explore the skill and expertise on display with fully trained spies, Spy School takes it back to basics. Ben Ripley, a normal middle school student, is chosen by the CIA to attend an academy for spies. Ben may not be the best spy there - or even in the top 90% - but he might be the only person who can stop a plot against the whole school.
A great novel for young readers looking for action and comedy, Spy School is a great introduction to the spy genre. Complete with interesting characters (although not without some flat characters as well), the plot moves at a quick pace while still keeping its reader engaged and excited. Although it is the first novel in a series, it works well as a standalone. However, the series has tended to improve as it has continued, maturing with its readers, so I would say continuing to read the series is worth your while.
If you're looking for a thriller for young readers, Spy School is the book for you!

Crime and Punishment is a novel like no other. Set in Russia in the mid-1800s, Crime and Punishment watches the mental anguish suffered by a poor man forced to turn to murder in order to survive. The work has been cemented as one of the greatest pieces of psychological writing of all time and for good reason. Raskolnikov is a deeply tortured protagonist, and Dostoevsky brutally captures his emotions, fears, and motivations throughout the novel. As other characters with conflicting motivations threaten Raskolnikov's plans and schemes, his stress only becomes more powerful.
Crime and Punishment is not an easy novel by any means. The writing style is fairly archaic, and conversations can run on for what feels like forever. However, the story is so well thought out and executed that it deserves a read from anyone interested in psychology, literature, or even acting (the story serves as an excellent example of a character study from which one can take notes). Do not expect light reading or a feel-good story, as this book will take the reader into the desperation and pain experienced by the protagonist.
Crime and Punishment is one of the best novels of all time, and although it is a challenge to read, it is absolutely worth it for its views on society and man's mental state. If this review has sounded interesting to you, do yourself a favor and check it out today.

Grenade by Alan Gratz is a great book perfect for most ages. It is a historical fiction that will take you back to 1945 on Okinawa Island, Japan, in the grip of World War II. The two perspectives of Hideki, a native on the island, and Ray, an American Marine, both have never experienced war before and are fighting on opposite sides. Hideki is pulled out of school and drafted into the Blood and Iron Student Corps, they expect him to fight for the Japanese army and all he is given is a grenade. Ray, has landed in Okinawa with his group of soldiers, he is surrounded by the enemy and has no idea if he will live through the war. Both have to fight their way through the island and eventually they meet. The choices they make could change both of them severely.
This story is thrilling, suspenseful, and fun to read! I loved this book because it is constantly surprising and it puts you in 1945 with the characters, who have extravagant emotions and conflicts. I stayed up all night reading this book and it was so worth it! It can be a little violent but overall it is an amazing book. I was recommended it by a friend because I don't normally read historical fiction but it did not disappoint! I love all of Alan Gratz's books and I would certainly recommend them and Grenade.