Wednesday, May 29, 2013

A new student review of Mojo

alliepaige13 posted a new student review of Mojo . See the full review.

This was an amazing book. Nothing is what it seems in this book. It gives you clues, so you believe what happens just to throw you off. Once again, it's amazing, and I plan to read more books by this author.

A new student review of Winger by Andrew Smith

Peace8747 posted a new student review of Winger by Andrew Smith. See the full review.

I thought that Winger was a pretty good book. It was not the best book ever. There was a lot of swearing and sexual content. I would suggest it to a mature middle schooler or a high schooler. Over all it was a pretty good book.

Sunday, May 26, 2013

A new student review of Earth Girl by Janet Edwards

Endless Summer posted a new student review of Earth Girl by Janet Edwards. See the full review.

Personally, I enjoyed reading Earth Girl. Edwards has built a fascinating vision of the future, perhaps with an undertone of warning about human disposition towards prejudice and judgment. The world building, characterization and action scenes were the strong points of Earth Girl. However, some of the plot turns seem less developed. In addition, there are areas where the author “tells” rather than “shows.” I felt like Earth Girl, being aimed at the teen audience, could have been more technical with regards to the science and technology elements.

Overall, Earth Girl was a action-packed pageturner…with interesting futuristic curse words. But most of all, the message of Earth Girl is something I really appreciate. I definitely recommend this book to the YA audience, even those who may not be solid science fiction readers.

A new student review of Timekeeper

rachelmcclure posted a new student review of Timekeeper . See the full review.

“Timekeeper,” by Alexandra Monir, was an extremely entertaining read that keeps the reader enthralled to the last page. Through haunting villains, and a revenge that attempts to cross both time and space, the story is truly gripping, and is enhanced significantly by Monir’s masterful inclusion of the Windsor family’s backstories. The main character, Michele, was extremely relatable to high school readers because the story is one, not only of romance, but of self-discovery. Monir’s creation of the time traveling world was a refreshing rendition, with principles of time traveling I have never seen before. “Timekeeper” unites the 1900s with the present in a unique and exciting way, and is enchanting for lovers of adventure novels and romance enthusiasts alike.  

A new student review of Fish Finelli

moseso posted a new student review of Fish Finelli . See the full review.

I enjoyed reading this book because it made me feel like I was a part of the story; I liked how it includes some real information along with the fiction part. My favorite character of the threesome is Fish, whose real name is Norman, because he is the leader of the three. Fish is the one who guides the boys around while making sure the plan goes on correctly. The author‘s book is written best for children ages 8-11. She achieved her goal, which was to write a fiction book with real information, so kids can learn and still be reading a fun, fictional book. 

Friday, May 24, 2013

A new student review of One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

underwood_bcl posted a new student review of One Came Home by Amy Timberlake. See the full review.

My favorite part of the book is when Georgina had to fight  the cougar by throwing all her belongings at it.  It was a very scary part.  The book did have some sad parts but most of the time it is entertaining and fun and just a bit scary.  I think this is the best book I have read since I became a Litpick reviewer.  I think I will want to reread it later!

Friday, May 17, 2013

A new student review of Element 238 - The Search for Truth - Episode One by J.H. Soeder

Zmbarrickman posted a new student review of Element 238 - The Search for Truth - Episode One by J.H. Soeder. See the full review.

 

I think Element 238 is one of the best books I ever read. It is a good story that keeps you on the edge of your seat because of the emotional tension.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

A new student review of Guardians

EmilyFredricks posted a new student review of Guardians . See the full review.

 

I thought that this book was very well written and it wasn't like anything that I have read before. It kept me guessing about what would come next. Many of the things that happened surprised me. There were some parts of it that were a little boring because it was a lot of text without much happening it was just explaining things. Also I LOVED the characters. My favorite was Azalea; she is a great character and very relatable. I find it very good when there is a character that is relatable. Over all I loved this book. It was a book that I could read again and again and not get bored with it.

Friday, May 10, 2013

A new student review of Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences

R. Mae posted a new student review of Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences . See the full review.

 

Alien Invasion and Other Inconveniences was a unique cliché. First of all, the actual base idea of aliens invading earth and controlling everyone with their minds is cliché. The storyline was also cliché, and so was most of the humor. Although the aliens were little green guys, they were one of the things not cliché. How they were mostly human like was very interesting and I felt like I was reading a history book by the way they ‘colonized’ the earth. I did not like the writing style. It sped up and slowed down and was very inconsistent.

The Plot: It’s been done before, escaping alien slavers and joining a rebellion force. That has been done a lot.

The Characters: They were original. They were realistic, even though I found Jesse annoying, and interesting. They took alien invasion rather well, especially Jesse. He seemed not at all fazed. Their humor, as I mentioned above, was annoying. In the act of trying to be witty the book seemed more obnoxious. The aliens were better. They were funny in their own way, and they bordered on delightful. That was one of the unique parts, the aliens not being total monsters or oblivious.

The Standout: I don’t like it when the standout is negative, but this one was. I did not like the jerky way this book was worded. Some people may enjoy that, but it’s not for me. It was done in a way that is jumped from thought to thought, and the descriptions were so overused that it was depressing. There were great things about this book., but the wording just ruined it for me.

A new student review of Ballpark Mysteries #6: The Wrigley Riddle (Stepping Stone) by David A. Kelly

carsonlindauer posted a new student review of Ballpark Mysteries #6: The Wrigley Riddle (Stepping Stone) by David A. Kelly. See the full review.

I like this story mecause it is mysterious.  I like how the kids try to trick the thief so they can catch them.  I think other kids that like mysterues would enjoy this book a lot .  It is easy to read!  I give it an 8 out of 10.

Thursday, May 09, 2013

A new student review of Dead River

heavenlyangel posted a new student review of Dead River . See the full review.

I found the book was hard to read because it talked about seeing and talking to dead people, which is something you can't do in real life. I have read other books from this author and loved them, but I found myself having to force myself to finish reading this book.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

A new student review of The S-Word

dancechicka posted a new student review of The S-Word . See the full review.

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be….riveting.  Heartbreaking.  Astonishing.  This book was so gritty, so daring, so direct that I felt the emotions in the story--really felt them—like a knife twisting in my heart.  I felt the pain and the guilt and the wariness that Angie experienced as she searched for Lizzie’s “killer.” I felt the dreams and the goal shatter as Lizzie took her own life.  I felt everything.  This novel portrays the powers that rumors and bullying has to destroy entire lives.  It has such darkness, such in-your-face reality that makes you realize that a version of this story happened.  People do go through this.  Lives are taken.  Dreams are ripped to shreds.   Even though you could definitely tell this was Pitcher’s first novel, I was really impressed with the way she dealt with this real world problem.  There were some parts of the story that I wished Pitcher would dive into with more detail (like Lizzie’s father) and also felt like she didn’t follow up on some parts of the novel at the end.  This is a dark and chilling whodunit novel that I believe all readers will enjoy. 

                “So I stood there, mouth open, lips trying to form the word: Why?  Why hadn’t she called?  Why wasn’t she sorry?”

                I would recommend his book to mature readers or for ages fourteen and up for obviously mature content, sexual references, and profanity.

                As Angie sinks into the dark side of Verity High, as she slowly uncovers the secrets that hide the true reason behind Lizzie’s death, will she be able to reveal Lizzie’s tormentor—even if she can’t see it herself?  You’ll have to read Chelsea Pitcher’s The S-Word to find out!

Monday, May 06, 2013

A new student review of Sliding Beneath the Surface by Doug Dillon

blu6 posted a new student review of Sliding Beneath the Surface by Doug Dillon. See the full review.

    I really liked this book. The suspense, mystery, adventure, and even some history all add up to make an awesome book. It kept me reading until the end. A few times I got a little confused though because what they were talking about wasn't in the book. Overall this was a good book.