Review Crew - book reviews by teens, for teens

Spider-Man: The Darkest Hours
Butcher, Jim
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Peter Parker is all grown up and is now a teacher. But his Spidey senses go haywire when siblings of one of his most dangerous enemy's are in town seeking revenge. The are part of a powerful race known as the Ancients. Peter is warned of an ambush by none other than the cat burglar turned good, Felicia Hardy - aka Black Cat. These beings are so powerful that Dr. Strange refuses to help him. This is the traditional Spider Man tale. Only the trial and tribulations of being a high-schooler are replaced by the trials and tribulations of adulthood.

Reviewer's Name: Rayn
The Survival Guide for Making and Being Friends
Crist, James
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

This a a short book, but you get a whole package when buying it! I think this book was a bit young for me. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone ages 7-10. However, this book gave me a little reminder on the effects kindness has on others. This book gives many dialogue suggestions for on-the-spot situations. The author gives information about friendships that 100% of people with experience involving peers would agree with. This text gives tips on what friends really are, how to make friends, how to hold onto friends, how to avoid arguments, how to talk through arguments, and the most important of all, how to kindly and properly end a friendship. The author emphasized that everyone has the potential of being a good friend and I think that that is extremely important. This was a good refresher on important social skills.
Reviewer: Grade 8

Reviewer's Name: Samantha
I Am Number Four
Lore, Pittacus
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is my current favorite book! John Smith isn't just an ordinary teen. He was born on the planet Lorien. He is one of nine children taken to Earth with superhuman powers, these powers are known as legacies. The first three have fallen, and John is next on the kill list. John's character is written so well, that you can easily understand his emotions and actions. John has a hard time with a foot in both worlds. He has to balance himself between being your average teen and being his superhuman self. Many people have split lives, bouncing from one personality to another. Sometimes it can feel like you can't always be your true self around everyone and John portrays this lifestyle perfectly. John was such a relatable character.
This book was predictable at times, but it did have some crazy plot twists. Most of this book included of the characters making plans and I would have liked to see the characters just play out the situations and not always have a step-by-step execution. I read the last hundred pages or so all at once! The climax was so thrilling and I couldn't put the book down! The ending was a bit abrupt, but I would still recommend this book to any fiction reader!

Reviewer's Name: Samantha
The Giver
Lowry, Lois
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

This book is very interesting because of many things. There are very strict rules in the community. The changing of age ceremony is the best part. The main character gets a job nobody thought would happen. This changes his whole perspective of the community. In the end, it ends happily.

Reviewer's Name: Jaime
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy
Carter, Ally
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

In the second book of the Gallagher Girl series many event happen. These events includes mysterious visitor with big secrets. The reason I chose this book is because I really liked the first book so I thought I would read the next one. This book really surprised me in many way. One way was when they had an end of year test, a character who you would think was a friend became a foe. Something I enjoyed most about this book is that there was plenty of mystery throughout the book. Something I didn't like about the book was when Cammie, the main character, made a big mistake during a pop quiz. One of the characters I could relate to was Liz, Cammie friend, because I
usually do things different from most of my friends.

Reviewer's Name: Kaitlyn
The Angel Experiment: Maximum Ride #1
Patterson, James
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Maximum Ride is about a group of kids who seem to be ordinary, except they have wings and they can fly. Max, the main protagonist protects her family called " the flock " from the scientists who genetically engineered her and her family in horrible experiments. I like the manga version of this book because the art is awesome.

Reviewer's Name: Rayn
Field Notes on Love
Smith, Jennifer E.
3 stars = Pretty Good
Review:

The concept is intriguing, and many reviewers tout this book as "romantic," but the experience was flat for me. Jennifer E. Smith is not a bad writer, and I've enjoyed many of her books, but this one could not captivate me. It's mostly because the characters were not extraordinary in any way. They were caricatures only existing with a goal and problem to serve the plot, and I barely knew them, cared nothing at all for them. This contributed to my total lack of emotional involvement. Smith did not create an emotional experience for me, even though the bones of the story and the lessons the characters grasp at the end are smart. I love romance, but this book was not romantic. I felt nothing except an impatience to finish the book so I could begin something else.

Reviewer's Name: Erika
The Mysterious Benedict Society
Stewart, Trenton Lee
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The mysterious Benedict Society is about a group who infiltrates a school to find out what's going on behind it. The description was amazing. It got a ton across and a whole lot more. The interaction between the characters was well thought out, the good people were very good and the bad people very bad. This book was very enjoyable. Before I knew it, I had read the whole series.

5 stars(very descriptive)

Reviewer grade: 8

Reviewer's Name: Ethan
Genres:
Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of World War Two
Bruchac, Joseph
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Code Talker is about the struggles and successes of a Navajo man entering the Marines. This book shows how worthless Navajo were treated by white men until they prove their value. I would have liked more detail but it does manage to describe the treatment of Navajo people around World War II. During the book the Navajos support each other as they each overcome their challenges with white men. The Navajo seem to be more civilized than white men in this book.

Reviewer's Name: Ethan
The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle
Connor, Leslie
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This story is about a big, sweet boy named Mason Buttle. He struggles with
reading and writing, and accepting the fact that his best friend, Benny
Kilmartin, is dead. I heard about this book through my school and I'm so glad
I decided to read it. I really enjoyed the engaging, mysterious plot line,
and how you could see through Mason's perspective clearly. I was never bored
reading this book. All of the characters had distinct and lively
personalities. The storyline was unpredictable and original for the most
part. Overall, I recommend this book to not only teenagers, but to people of
all ages as well. The Truth as Told by Mason Buttle is one of the best books
I've ever read, and I hope to see more work by Leslie Connor. Thank you for
reading! (: Reviewer grade 7-8

Reviewer's Name: Aztin
Little Brother
Doctorow, Cory
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Little Brother is a book about what happens when in an attempt to keep citizens safe after a terror attack the government terrorizes it's own citizens. The government jails and torture teens in an effort to find terrorist. One of the teens they torture is a rebellious computer whiz and hacker name Marcus. Marcus is broken and humiliated while being detained and interrogated by home land security. When he is released he vows to get revenge.

Reviewer's Name: Rayn
Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Dog Days
Kinney, Jeff
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

Dog Days is one of the 14 books in Jeff Kenny's Diary Of A Wimpy Kid series. Dog Days is about Greg Heffley, the main protagonist, having his summer plans ruined when his parents leave him home with his mean older brother for the summer. The humor in this book is relatable and funny. I would recommend this book for a young audience.

Reviewer's Name: Rayn
Genres:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Rowling, J.K.
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets continues the fun adventures of Harry and his friends. I believe it is fun for most kids, and can be fun for young adults as well. It follows the adventure of Harry as he figures out the
mystery of the hidden chamber, and figures out how to defeat whatever may come at him. I recommend this book, as well as all of the other Harry Potter books in the series to read, from kids to young adults. If you like adventure and fictional books, then this would definitely be the book, and book series, for you!

Reviewer's Name: Shi'eana
Genres:
Turtles All the Way Down
Green, John
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This book has a lot of problems between characters. Best friends, billionaire friend, and parents all have a part in the story more than you can think. Aza Holmes, the protagonist, knows shes crazy, but this is the world she lives in. A billionaire goes missing, and Aza reunites with her old friend. The issues between the family of the billionaire is heart breaking. In the end there is a happy ending. The story is a great mystery.

Reviewer's Name: Jaime
Rocket Boys
Hickam, Homer
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

(Very immersive story) Rocket Boys is a book that shows the struggles of boys trying to break the tradition of a stereotypical miner town, dubbed Coalwood. I love how the descriptions bring light to the conditions of mining, and the towns surrounding the mine. It also brings light to the uproar that the Space Race caused, especially Sputnik. As the boys slowly figured out the basics of rocketry, it got more and more into the detail on how hard it was to create rockets when you live in a small town like that. As a footer, I just want to say that the boy’s determination to create those rockets was well shown.

Reviewer's Name: Ethan
My Hero Academia, Vol. 1
Horikoshi, Kohei
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

This book takes place in a world of super-humans where people are born with unique abilities called quirks. The main protagonist in this story is Midorya Izuku, a teenage boy who looks up to a superhero named All Might. Midorya’s dream is to become a strong hero like All-Might, but he becomes discouraged when he is told it is impossible because he was born with no quirk.

Reviewer's Name: Rayn
I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have To Kill You
Carter, Ally
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

This is the first book of the Gallagher Girls series. It is about a girl who goes to a special school for girls. The only thing is that this school has a big secret. The main character Cammie is a student at the school and her mother is the Headmistress. She has many secrets throughout her Sophomore year. A new girl comes and there is a certain someone that she hasn't told the truth about.

Reviewer's Name: Kaitlyn
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens
Covey, Sean
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is a must-read for every teenager. Sean Covey's 7 habits touch on a variety of subjects and will help you in every aspect of your life. This book has something in it for everyone and really shows how you can live up to your potential. Sean Covey gives small, simple steps that will make a big difference so that you can become a balanced, well-rounded individual. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens is full of humor, relatable stories, and great advice. I highly recommend this book for every teenager.

Reviewer's Name: John
Book Cover
Krakauer, Jon
4 stars = Really Good
Review:

I read ‘Into the Wild’ by Jon Krakauer in my sophomore year for extra credit in my English class. The book is about a young man that did live a privileged life but saw the world as that you don’t need money or materialistic things to live. I believed that his view on the world was ignorant and innocent because how he was brought up in life with money and never having to worry about anything, there was no struggle. For me what he ended up doing just seem very disrespectful to his parents, up and leaving them without saying anything. Into the Wild is just an amazing book with a very sad and devastating ending. Although it most of it did make me a little upset, I would read it again.

Reviewer's Name: Miguel
Book Cover
Berry, Julie
5 stars = Bohemian Rhapsody Awesome!
Review:

Lovely War by Julie Berry is such a wonderful book about two couples in the tragic and terrible days of WWI as narrated by the Greek Gods. I chose Lovely War because of my interest in historical fiction, especially historical
romances, and was not disappointed by this amazing story. The book centers on four young people who's path's cross during WWI-- British Hazel Windicott, a pianist, and James Alderidge, a would-be architect shipped off to war, Colette Fournier, a Belgian singer who lost her family at the hands of the Germans, and Aubrey Edwards, a black American solider in a jazz military band in a time of military prejudice and racial discrimination. Hazel and James meet and fall in love days before he is shipped off to the Front to face deadly combat in the WWI trenches. Distraught over the fate of James, Hazel, eager to help the war effort, enlists as a pianist at a volunteer job and meets Colette, a fellow volunteer. They become very close friends, and Colette begins to fall in love with charismatic Aubrey, who's jazz is redefining the world of music. What follows is a beautifully written novel about these four characters, their hardships, and loves.

This book is structured interestingly-- the story of these two parallel loves is narrated by the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, who tells the tale years later in the days of WWII to her husband, Hephaestus, god of fire and volcanos, and a few other gods to remind them what true love is and the transcendent power of love over war. The story is funny, heartbreaking, intense, and overall, beautiful. I felt as if I knew Hazel, James, Aubrey and Colette personally by the time the story is over. Julie Berry's prose is almost poetic in it's splendor, rich with meticulous descriptions about wartime France and Britain.


This book deals with elements of WWI I did not know about-- Germany's brutal and heartbreaking invasion of Belgium, and the prejudice and racial discrimination in the U.S army during WWI. I wasn't a huge fan of the
inclusion of the Greek Gods as narrators at first-- the story is strong enough to stand without it-- and until the very end, the purpose of the Gods in the story is almost irrelevant. I would have been interested to know if Berry ever had a draft of the story sans-Gods. However, reflecting back on the book, the Gods add another tier to the rich narrative, one that is appreciated more after the novel is over. That said, I know that that
inclusion was to make the book more accessible to teenage readers. Fans of Greek epics and the Percy Jackson series will enjoy the inclusion of them Gods.

The central romance and characters in this book are Hazel and James, and their relationship and connection is deeper than Colette's and Aubrey's until the end of the story. Berry dedicates more time to the relationship of Hazel and James, and it is the best story line as a result. I wish Colette and Aubrey's story would have been given more attention, as it is truly unique and unlike anything I've read, but the last pages of the book focuses solely on them which I enjoyed.

This book never lacks action and is a very quick read. I often had to remind myself to slow down so not to rush through it! Lovely War is written for teenagers, but is just as accessible for tweens and adults, truly making it a book for all ages. Lovely War is one of those special books that you read and know that your perception of the world will be changed because of it. I cannot stress how much I recommend this beautiful book. It is a marvel of the historical fiction, romance and mythology genres that everyone should read.

Reviewer's Name: Allie S.