When Hazel attends a cancer patient support group, she expects to be bored out of her mind. She doesn't need this support group; the only reason she even bothers to go is to please her mother. But when she meets a boy named Augustus Waters, her entire life changes. She learns what it is to fall in love and what it means to be alive.

This book was alright. It didn't end the way it made people believe that it would, which was cool. Life is a precious thing and people don't cherish it enough. Also, people always view people with cancer as "sick" and sometimes forget that they are human and have lives and hopes and dreams just like the rest of us. Overall, I liked it.

Reviewer Grade: 12

The Duff is a extremely good book. The book is about a girl who is having a good time with her friends at this place called the nest. Overwhelmed by stress she kisses the boy she hates, Wesly Rush. She then half realizes throughout the book she is falling in love with him. But she catches the eye of her crush, Toby Tucker. She is torn between the two, trying to make a decisive pick to stick with one and ditch the other. I don’t want to give the book away, so I'm not going to tell you much more. I chose this book as a last ditch attempt at a book. But this book was a lot better than you think, it’s not a sappy romance, but it’s not one of the romances that is so fast it’s only 100 pages. It is a perfect book for everyone, ages 8 on up. Even if you don’t like love stories, this book must be on your top books to read. I went into the book thinking that “I'm going to hate this.” But came out thinking “Is there a sequel?” That’s how good this book is. So all and all, I recommend this book, everything about it.

Reviewer Grade: 7

Actual Rating: 4.5

I love the variety in this novel. With the graphics and the writing combined, I felt like this book was more of an experience than simply words on paper. Every character was relatable, with the sarcastic and dark Jaycee, selective mute Ryan Mik, the smart and caring Natalie, her humorous boyfriend Zach, and Bishop who is simply stuck in the world of art. With all these characters, the reader feels a part of their group as they go on daring trespasses to connect with Jaycee’s dead brother, Jake. What they find is that Jake death was not as simple as they thought. As the characters develop in this novel, I developed with the splendid relationships embedded in McCarthy’s witty writing. Highly recommended read!

Reviewer Grade: 12

This book is about a very Christian boy who stumbles upon a gift from God. But was this gift truly a from God? Soon everyone wants a piece of it and chaos breaks out. I liked that a boy and his brother want to live their lives to the fullest, as many people wish to achieve. I picked this book because Frank Cottrell-Boyce has very many great books for teens around my age. I enjoyed that the main characters had true human qualities that not many people possess. I did not enjoy that the characters were rarely serious. This book surprised me around every corner, I could not predict what would happen next. I can relate to some of the characters because they love God. This is by far one of the best books I have read all year!

Reviewer Grade: 8

Actual Rating: 4.5

Have you ever wanted to know what it's like to be running from people who want to kill you? If you have this book is for you. Fakie tells a story of a boy whose father is murdered and he is next. I liked this book because it is suspenseful and makes me feel as if I am right in the action. I picked this book because the author is one of my favorites of all time. I enjoyed that there were many twists and turns and I could never predict what was coming next. I did not enjoy that there was not very much of an explanation of characters. I cannot relate to the characters because I have never had such crazy events happen to me. This is very close to being my favorite book I have read this year!

Reviewer Grade: 8

This book was about a kid named Jesse who was Samantha's (Protagonist) best friend. She stayed with him through everything and they find out that they are meant for each other. I really liked how it showed that through this tough situation love prevailed. But they don't know how long Jesse has left and everyone is worried about Sam.

I choose this book because I read what it was about and really wanted to read what happened. I enjoyed that it kept me wanting to know what happens between them and how it will all go.

Reviewer Grade: 11

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

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

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

Where She Went is the sequel to If I Stay. It takes place 3 years later when Adam, a rising rock star, and Mia, a successful cellist, reunite in New York. The story is in Adam's point of view and follows them as they explore the city and reconnect.

I liked the story. I feel like they should've let the story end in the first book, but it wasn't bad. It was kind of fun to revisit these characters and discover what happened to them after the accident.

Reviewer Grade: 12

In If I Stay, seventeen-year-old Mia is in a coma after a terrible car accident that killed her parents. She must decide whether to live with her grief, or join her family in death.

I really enjoyed this book. It was sad, and the end made me a bit emotional. It seemed to focus a lot on love and music. Being a huge music fan, I really liked all of the references, but a love for music isn't necessary to enjoy this story.

Reviewer Grade: 12

The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton is a great read. I love the main character pony boy and his brothers each character that he encounters seems to have a story. Each character both main and minor have two sides to them. The plot is easy to follow her not boring. It is also an adventure for anyone who likes a loyal friend to stand by them on the run. The only problem I have with this book is the ending. Smallish book, quick read, I recommend the book and the movie.

Reviewer Grade: 11

I love how this book really moved me and how it's written. This girl truly wants to be normal but having cancer makes it impossible. She hates everything and is forced go to a support group. Her life is seemingly unbearable until she meets a boy named Augustus Waters. This is a story that will make people enjoy the little things in life. I love how it was written and how it is a modern book.

Reviewer Grade: 7

Speak is about a girl named Melinda who was raped at a party. She calls the police, but is unable to tell angry partygoers why she did it. As she struggles with her secret, she eventually stops talking. The book follows her as she overcomes her past and finds her voice.

I liked the book. Nothing in it really amazed me, but it wasn't a bad read.

Reviewer Grade: 12

In this book, estranged best friends Lia and Cassie both struggle with eating disorders. When Cassie dies, Lia must come to terms with her death and find a way to hold on to hope and recover.

The book was alright. There were a lot of metaphors and other figures of speech, which sometimes proved to be a little excessive. Nothing else really caught my attention in it.

Reviewer Grade: 12

In this book, a box of cassette tapes appear on Clay Jenkins' doorstep. Curious, he starts to listen to the first one, only to find out that they're from his crush and former classmate, Hannah, who recently committed suicide. He spends a bewildering and heartbreaking night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

I really liked this book. It was sad, but it was also very insightful. You never know what's going on in someone's life or how your actions might affect them.

Reviewer Grade: 12

In this book, a girl by the name of Annabel suddenly finds herself unpopular. After a lonely summer, she goes back to school and becomes friends with a boy named Owen, whose honesty and passion for music help her to face what happened at the end of year party that changed her life.

This book was okay. I found it a bit confusing in the beginning because it'd skip around between past and present a lot. It wasn't a bad book overall, though.

Reviewer Grade: 12

This mystery novel centers on the life of a high school senior, Quentin, and his complicated relationship with his neighbor, Margo. After years of not even speaking to each other, Margo appears at Quentin’s window, and they spend a wild night playing pranks and getting revenge on their friends and enemies. However, the next day, Margo disappears. I picked the book because I have read other novels by John Green, who often incorporates both deep and philosophical themes and hilarious humor in great novels. Paper Towns in particular is incredibly thought-provoking and the character development of Margo as both mysterious yet relatable is superb. This book did surprise me given the typical mystery set-up, and was definitely one of the best books I have read this year.

Reviewer Grade: 12

This is an absolutely hilarious book told in the form of an online blog based on the MAD magazine feature of the same name. If you liked Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the Origami Yoda books, or like MAD, you will love this book. It tells a story in journal/ blog form about a 13 year old boy named Tad who is trying to survive middle school along with doing other things such as growing a mustache, doing a kickflip on his skateboard, and finally getting girls to notice him (which all end up in disasters.). He also makes funny observations on just about everything, from Hansel and Gretel to Peeps. It is laughing-so-hard-you-can't breathe type funny and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the books above.

Reviewer Grade: 7

After years of having no friends and being ignored by so many, Pudge, or Miles Halter switches to a new boarding school. There he meets a woman that will sweep through his life, like a hurricane, Alaska. Another best seller by Mr. Green, Looking for Alaska is an unmistakably amazing novel, with every prank pulled my the mischievous Alaska, and every new experience she puts Miles through, the reader feels just what Miles does, love. Love for the characters the mishap, and the very words that were written down on paper. Unable to put the book down, every reader will once again, fall for the writings of John Green.

Reviewer Grade: 12

After an intense battle with cancer, Hazel had finally started to get her life back to normal, or as normal as it can be for a girl who hasn't been in proper school for years, and who's best friend is an author she had never met. But then, her life turned upside down when she met Augustus. What follows is a whirlwind romance that leaves the reader grasping for more and wishing for time. John Green brings his characters to life in this novel, and with every turn it is impossible not to fall in love. This wonderful book has a way of bringing the reader in and bringing them back for more and more. A must read, and a book that makes it seem impossible to put down.

Reviewer Grade: 12