A new student review of Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan

SarahLou posted a new student review of Bluffton: My Summers with Buster Keaton by Matt Phelan. See the full review.

I like the book because of the way it is written with the details in the pictures. I got this book thinking that it was a normal book but it was better.  It is like a graphic novel but with realistic pictures. I really enjoyed reading a true story this way. It is a very good book because of the way it is put together; you can read it several times and see new things in the pictures every time.   

A new student review of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJ Ware

baseballal posted a new student review of Super Zombie Juice Mega Bomb by MJ Ware. See the full review.

I liked that the story involves zombies.  It was hard to put down and was scary and intense all at the same time.  What I did not like is that my mom had to yell at me to put the book down!!! I am planning on reading it again.  The book was fun and easy to read.

If you like zombies, excitement and thrills then read this book!!!!!  Remember, do not underestimate the power of lemondade!

A new student review of Ride for Rights by Tara Chevrestt

moseso posted a new student review of Ride for Rights by Tara Chevrestt. See the full review.

Ride for Rights is a unique book. It is historical fiction. Tara Chevrestt is the author of this significantly attention gripping book. There are some faults, but not too many. For example, when Angeline gets a kiss the author does not need to explain every detail of it; it takes the surprise of the kiss away from the readers. However, some parts in Ride for Rights are exceedingly interesting. Since Tara Chevrestt’s accomplished book did such a superior job on making Angeline and Adelaide seem like real people, the book is thrillingly believable. Some language in it does make the book seem a little non-age appropriate, therefore, Ride for Rights should be read by eleven, twelve, and thirteen year olds. Otherwise, this fascinating book is very intriguing and recommended highly.   

A new student review of Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser

alikat7 posted a new student review of Pieces of Us by Margie Gelbwasser. See the full review.

“Pieces of Us” by Margie Gelbwasser is a mentally disturbing and iconic eye opening experience. A realistic story for the day and age we live in is finally being told. All the secrets we keep growing up are unleashed in dramatic ways you would never guess would occur. The different views by each character are fascinating, especially the view point of Kyle who sees things unlike the other teenagers in the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but you have to have a strong stomach to finish it.

A new student review of Extracted (The Lost Imperials Book One) by Sherry Ficklin

fire_galaxy posted a new student review of Extracted (The Lost Imperials Book One) by Sherry Ficklin. See the full review.

This is one of those books that you can stay up all night reading and if you go to sleep, you will be dreaming about the book. The setting is pretty detailed, some things could be more detailed but you can still close your eyes and travel time with the Rifters at your side. It is definitely a little romantic since Lex goes throughout the time stream and The Tesla Institute just to find his girlfriend but don’t shy away just because it is a little romantic, there is plenty of action and in places, it is hilarious. The characters are very well described and most of them are likeable, but the one that most people will hate or dislike would be Tesla, well I think most people would. I like how it is told in first-person, I don’t think it would have been good if it was written any other way. I definitely want to know what happened after the book ended but I guess that’s why it is a series. The strength of this book is the plot, it is easy to understand and a good plot for anyone who likes sci-fi. It doesn’t really have a weakness but it could be a little more detailed. You might find yourself thinking “Is this possible” or “How do I sign up to be a Rifter?!” I would recommend it to all my friends who like fiction books, but hey, it could be possible in the future to time travel.

A new student review of Extracted (The Lost Imperials Book One) by Sherry Ficklin

cshattan posted a new student review of Extracted (The Lost Imperials Book One) by Sherry Ficklin. See the full review.

Sounds interesting, right?  And it was good, after about 200 pages.  Since it’s set in a complicated world, the authors took fifty pages to explain what is happening, where they are, and the background.  Then they introduced the problem.  The complaint I have with this book is that it’s just not interesting until the end.  As a LitPick critic/reviewer, I had to read and review this book, otherwise I would have abandoned it.  The beginning is very confusing, you have no idea what is going on, who people are, how time traveling works, etc.  I like the idea, they just need to pick up the pace.  Even the middle was slow! This is where I wxpwcted things to start to pick up the pace! 

By the end, I was interested.  The last 100 pages were packed with action.  I wanted to know how Amber was faring, and whether Lex had managed to save Stein or not.  If only the rest of the book was like that.  The beginning ruined it for me. 

A new student review of Emospherica (The Destiny of Jasmine Blade, #1) by K J Madsen

tzahairagunn posted a new student review of Emospherica (The Destiny of Jasmine Blade, #1) by K J Madsen. See the full review.

I really enjoyed this novel. This book constantly keeps readers on the edge of their seats, wondering what is going to happen next. The suspense leaves readers wondering who, if anyone can they trust in this novel. The author creates an interesting new concept of emopheridies and does a good job of explaining what they are, and how they work. I would suggest this book to anyone over the age of 12 that is is looking for a great book filled with suspense and romance.

 

A new student review of Soul Slam: Soul Force Series by Allie Burton

Maggie6505 posted a new student review of Soul Slam: Soul Force Series by Allie Burton. See the full review.

This fantastic book is action-packed, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. I loved the book, and can’t wait to read more by this author. I was clinging to every word, and I would recommend this to any number of people. This is truly a remarkable book.

A new student review of The Lord of Opium

alphatauri posted a new student review of The Lord of Opium . See the full review.

I found myself completely captivated when reading Nancy Farmer's The House of the Scorpion, and so as a result I found myself clamoring to get a copy of The Lord of Opium as soon as it was made available to me. However, though at this point it seems inevitable, The Lord of Opium fell short of my expectations. Compared to its predecessor, it didn't have enough plot to keep the story moving. There was a subplot involving a wacky romance which I did not find important to the development of the plot at all. In addition, the ending didn't seem decisive enough. One of The House of the Scorpion's greatest strengths was that in addition to great worldbuilding and plot, it was a coming-of-age story. That element is stripped from The Lord of Opium since Matt's growing up happened already. However, this book still has some strengths. I enjoyed how Farmer built even more of her world on top of what we already learned in Book One, and Matt's character became much more troubled in this volume. I found myself hooked to the book because of all the characters' lovableness. Overall, The Lord of Opium was a good, not great, read for any fans of The House of the Scorpion.  

A new student review of The Darkworld

burkekat97 posted a new student review of The Darkworld . See the full review.

In this book I found more pros than cons. One major pro I found in this book would be how Cara Lynn Shultz described the characters and gave them attitudes that suited them perfectly. Another pro I found was the plot; the way it was set up was exciting and captivating. The whole time I did not want to put the book down. If I had to describe The Darkworld in three words I would use: enchanting, thrilling, and adventurous 

A new student review of Labeled by Mark Salvatore

zkraus posted a new student review of Labeled by Mark Salvatore. See the full review.

I really liked this book. It was darker than other young adult genre books I've read but, it had a raw look at reality. At first, I wasn't so sure about it, but then as I kept reading, I wasn't able to stop! I can relate to a certain degree with some of the things Vinnie was experiencing, so I felt that I could understand the character and his perspective. Also, it has a more positive ending which many books with storylines like this don't. It is a very real coming of age story that I really enjoyed and would reccomend to a lot of people. It's really a book about the choices we make and where they lead and the people we become because of them. I also really liked the viid images I got in my head because of how descriptive the author was in describing the places and emotions. It helped captivate me into the story and make it all more real.

A new student review of Kissing Italian

hollywoodundeaed707 posted a new student review of Kissing Italian . See the full review.

The book Kissing Italian by Lauren Henderson was a very good book. There was a little bit of drama between the four friends.  Violet got pretty jealous of Luca hanging out with another girl, but that really made the book interesting. There was some romance, but not a lot.

A new student review of Salvation by Alyssa Cooper

Jigub posted a new student review of Salvation by Alyssa Cooper. See the full review.

As I first started reading this book, I was overwhelmed with the sadness of what had happened to Alec.  I do not know the feeling of losing a parent, but I do understand the emotion of loss and the author has vivid imagery expressing that emotion well.  That was one of my favorite things about this author; her writing has imagery that just paints deep feeling.  The author tends to have some grammatical issues here and there but overall I still loved the plot of the story.  It made me crave more and the fact that this book was divided into three parts added to my enjoyment.  With every new book,  there would be a different point of view and that allowed me to make more connections since I could have a better feel towards the character. This book has its flaws but it’s still a good story.

A new student review of Magefable by Heimdall Thunderhammer

jotaf posted a new student review of Magefable by Heimdall Thunderhammer. See the full review.

Magefable was a very exciting, adventurous book.  I really liked it.  It had lots and lots of twists that made it surprising.  I liked that the author made it funny while at the same time not something unbelievably unrealistic.  I also felt that the characters were relatable and very well developed.  My favorite character was Durbin.  I liked him because he was a brave young mouse who dreamed of going on an adventure and living up to the name of his father, Marcus the Brigand.  I also liked Clove, who knew that the one who made this quest before her was unsuccessful, and yet still is determined to try.  Something on the editor's part that I felt left something to be desired was that some of the grammar, spelling, and punctuation still should be corrected.  I would recommend this fantasy book to ages 10 through 14 because there are some big words, lots of fighting, and some killing.   I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

A new student review of Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski

R. Mae posted a new student review of Don't Even Think About It by Sarah Mlynowski. See the full review.

Don’t Even Think About It was as witty as its five word title.

 

Don’t Even Think About It was one of those books with a quicksand plot. Once I started reading, I could not stop. When the group begins to read each others' minds, problems begin to arise. And of course the question is, is being able to hear what anyone and everyone is thinking more on the pro or con side of things? So as I said, the story was like a spiders web and captured me. I opened the book and then did not stop reading for six hours (that includes lunch).

 

In Don’t Even Think About It, the narrator was not ‘I’, or ‘He/She’, it was ‘We’. Oh my gosh, you do not fully understand how unfairly difficult it is to write a novel from the point of view ‘We’. I do not know if this is really how Sarah Mlynowski (that is a crazy last name) felt, but it must have been a constant struggle not to write ‘I’. The transition between characters was fascinatingly smooth. I found myself completely unbiased. I equally loved and hated them all. Which all adds up to the fact that this book is incredibly original. There is no book like Don’t Even Think About It, and I truly doubt there ever will be. If there is, someone should please notify me.

 

The characters were the Gateway Arch of arched. They each faced difficult situations, and had to deal with them accordingly. No spoilers. Imagine the difficulty of high school romance paired with telepathy. I can not. But Sarah M. could. And their friendship was inspiring. It was real, with actual arguments and silent treatments. It was also the same with their love. Not only for boyfriends and girlfriends, but for family.

So, to finish up without scaring you, I obviously adored Don’t Even Think About It. I will probably read it fifty more times and then a couple more times just to make sure I know it by heart. If you have not read this book and you enjoyed any novel with a name I recommend you read Don’t Even Think About It. If I see you walking down the street and you still have not read it, I will feel dubiously obligated to shove it in your face and rattle on about the incredibility of writing a story from the point of view ‘We’. Read it. And how do you pronounce Mlynowski?

A new student review of Seven Stories Up

#HappyAllDay posted a new student review of Seven Stories Up . See the full review.

I really liked the book, Seven Stories Up by Laurel Snyder. It had everything it needed from the characters to the setting; this book just really came together. This book also taught me about the 1930's, like how there was not much medicine. This book made me realize how lucky we are to have what we have. You can vividly see the characters and their emotions by reading the text. That is why I give this passage four stars.