A new student review of The Fog of Forgetting by Genevieve Morgan

mail4chase@yahoo.com posted a new student review of The Fog of Forgetting by Genevieve Morgan. See the full review.

I really enjoyed The Fog of Forgetting by G. A. Morgan. Her ability to give depth to her characters is impressive. As a reader I could connect with every character she invented and each character had qualities I liked and didn’t like, making them more realistic. Her idea is also spot on. Morgan’s combining of mind and magic is intriguing; the way each characters' daylights represent their most basic anatomy and desire. I am very excited to follow the journey of the five kids throughout the remainder of the trilogy. I find that Morgan’s writing excites me and makes me want to read more. I often found myself not getting to bed until 12:30 because I couldn’t bring myself to close the book. I would most definitely recommend this to anyone interested in fantasy or adventure; it is completely worth the read.

A new student review of The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall

Katiedid.Break posted a new student review of The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsall. See the full review.

It was good, not a favorite, but it still was worth the read. Pearsall does a good job setting up the plot throughout the book. Sadly she does the worst thing an author could do- kill a major character with just one sentence. That is probably my biggest pet peeve when reading a book. I like how the story was based slightly on a real person and the epilogue at the end was a nice touch. I would recommend it for a book project.

A new student review of The Originals: The Loss by Julie Plec

Lucy posted a new student review of The Originals: The Loss by Julie Plec. See the full review.

Readers should be aware that this is the second book of a series and should first read The Originals: The Rise to help them fully understand the storyline. The Originals: The Loss starts slow, but the action picks up toward the middle of the book. At that point, I couldn’t put the book down because I absolutely loved the story! I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. It's a great story for readers who love paranormal romance. 

A new student review of The Deadly Wizard Games by Scott Spotson

Sweetfable posted a new student review of The Deadly Wizard Games by Scott Spotson. See the full review.

I became immersed in the world presented in The Deadly Wizard Games from the beginning of the story. The concept of wizards taking control of the government was quite interesting to me. Reading about all of the magical games was definitely a treat, and I found myself wishing I could play them, too.

I have never read anything quite like this story. The characters were very realistic; I wish all stories had characters who think like actual people. I enjoyed the pacing of the novel, as well as the politics and philosophies it discussed.

I liked the main character, Amanda, as I could see a lot of myself in her. However, I did not feel the same way about many of the other characters. It was difficult to form strong connections with them. Overall, I really liked how things turned out within the novel. I definitely look forward to what this author has to offer in the future!

A new student review of Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera

kgirlskittles posted a new student review of Ms. Rapscott's Girls by Elise Primavera. See the full review.

Ms.Rapscott's Girls has an interesting plot. The daughters of busy parents don't always learn what they need to know to survive. The goal of Ms.Rapscott is to teach these girls how to do things she believes are necessary for little girls to know. An honorable goal, but the way she went about it can't be the best route. 

Shipping kids in boxes: maybe try a train, or a car, or a plane. There are plenty of ways that are less traumatizing.

Parachuting: I have no problem with this, but maybe explain what they have to do before you strap them into a harness. There's got to be a better way than just "do it right the first time or you'll be smashed into the ground!"

Finding your way: I'm all for teaching kids to navigate. But the no maps rule needs to go. Also, you need more than crackers if you plan on taking eight-year-old girls into the middle of the woods overnight. Especially if they have a reputation for doing things wrong or not knowing anything.

Ms.Rapscott is very kind. but not the type of person I'd trust with a child. I mean she shipped them in boxes! When a child fell out, and they found a note from her several days later, instead of helping the child, she was judged on penmanship, spelling and grammar. This isn't English class!

My favorite part of this book was at the very end, when they introduced the School for Boys of Busy Parents. If I had a chance to change anything, I would have introduced the school for boys at the beginning of the story. I'd do this to create a possible romance between headmasters for my fellow fangirls and fanboys.
One tip for reading this book, don't take it too seriously. If you do it will drive you crazy.  The book was magical and meant to be taken lightly.

I'd recommend this book to anyone ages nine to fifteen, who are looking for a light read.

A new student review of Tempus: The GenEx Saga by Holly Lauren

alison_S posted a new student review of Tempus: The GenEx Saga by Holly Lauren. See the full review.

First of all, let’s get one thing straight: from the opening hook to the messy, exhilarating final chapter, Tempus delighted me. Though Lauren’s humor could occasionally deteriorate from giggly teenage antics to corny bouts of forced comedy, I couldn’t help but smile through my groans. You could call Tempus lighthearted, even generic teen fluff, and you’d have a point; from the angelic blonde to the bad boy she falls for, Tempus’ plotline runs parallels that of most supernatural romance novels. You might consider it comfortingly familiar, or you might consider it formulaic escapism. Or you might, like me, consider it a little bit of both. Though a tangle of marginally related subplots slows the novel’s earlier chapters, Lauren whirls through Tempus’ electrifying climax fast enough to give you whiplash. So fast, in fact, several earlier subplots fade into the rush of pheromones and adrenaline.

Tempus defies just, you know, fundamental scientific laws while putting young adult lit’s tired, so-called “rules” on a pedestal. Love YA paranormal (because, despite the flimsy scientific explanation, I still consider this paranormal)? Then I’m all too certain you’ll adore Holly Lauren’s Tempus.

 

A new student review of Gaby and The Best Middle School Self-Defense Book Ever by Linda Elkin

ACS41404 posted a new student review of Gaby and The Best Middle School Self-Defense Book Ever by Linda Elkin. See the full review.

This is an excellent book.  The author of the book, Linda Elkin, did a great job of using the characters to explain how to survive middle school.  As a middle schooler myself, I could really relate to the characters and the challenges they faced.  Using Gaby and Lily, the author gives great examples on how to handle multiple problems.  I would recommend this book to all middle school girls.  It's encouraging and will make you feel differently about middle school.

A new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno

moseso posted a new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno. See the full review.

This book is well-written and a perfect read for magic and fantasy lovers. Short, action-packed scenes fill the book’s pages. However, the middle of the story slows a bit. The ending is without fault and leaves the reader dreaming about what will happen next. The book seems geared toward readers ten and under, though Aly is a twelve-year-old. Overall, Winter of Elves is an enchanting story for eight to ten-year-olds. 

A new student review of Basketball and Dance Love by Cameron Glenn

Star360 posted a new student review of Basketball and Dance Love by Cameron Glenn. See the full review.

Basketball and Dance Love

A new student review of Weightless by Sarah Bannan

sakurafrost posted a new student review of Weightless by Sarah Bannan. See the full review.

I thought the plot was good overall, but the book moved a lot slower than I would have liked. There would be a few sentences that would really pique your interest, and then another page of boring stuff before you found out more. If those pages of boredom had been extracted I think it would make a much more exciting novel. I liked that the narrator is not a person but a group of observers in the school, which I thought really captured the clique-oriented storyline. (i.e. "We went to the mall" instead of "I went to the mall".) I feel like there was a lot of "fluff' in the book- lots of words but they didn't really convey anything of substance. (A lot like Donald Trump, don't you think?) Besides that, the ending was pretty obvious halfway through the book, and I really wanted to jump to the ending to confirm my suspicions instead of reading the rest of the book.

A new student review of Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott

leah0304 posted a new student review of Paper Hearts by Meg Wiviott. See the full review.

I enjoyed "Paper Hearts" because once I started reading, I could not stop. The plot is incredibly suspenseful, and kept me immersed throughout the book. Paper Hearts is described so vividly, I could almost picture myself there. 

 

Even though I really liked this book, there were some things that I would change. One thing I found unnecessarily confusing was how fast the plot moved. I had to pay attention because each chapter discussed a character's perspective. It can be confusing if you don’t pay attention to which character's perspective is discussed in each chapter. The format, although choppy, was the only downside of this book.

 

A new student review of Zeroes by Deborah Biancotti Margo Lanagan Scott Westerfeld

crabby posted a new student review of Zeroes by Deborah Biancotti Margo Lanagan Scott Westerfeld. See the full review.

Upon reading the dust jacket for this story, my initial reaction was somewhere along the lines of, Oh, great, another story about Teens Who Are Special and Different. And, true, the book features a set of kids who can do spectacular things no others can. However, while the plot was prominent and drove the pace of the story, the characters were extremely real and experienced personal growth that wasn’t overshadowed by the more fantastical aspects of the narrative. Even their powers are flawed, to the point where the reader at times pities the characters instead of envying them. The book is as much about people as it is about adventure, and I definitely enjoy a nice helping of character development alongside my action in a story like this. All in all a delightful read for teens that leaves one fond of the characters and looking forward to the rest of the series.

 

 

A new student review of The Hunted by Matt De La Peña

Reading=Believing posted a new student review of The Hunted by Matt De La Peña. See the full review.

This is a great book. Matt De La Peña's The Hunted is a page turner that I am not likely to forget. It has a fast paced plot line and characters that are intriguing and relatable, and I found it was hard not to get attached to them. The Hunted is the sequel to The Living in which Matt De La Peña introduced the characters and their relationships. The first book was great and the second was just as good. As the protagonists make their way through the remnants of the west coast, you can picture the destruction and begin to feel the tense mood of this book. Overall, I would definitely recommend this book, it's an easier read with plenty of suspense.

A new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno

jotaf posted a new student review of Winter of Elves by Joanne Vruno. See the full review.

I thought Winter of Elves was an awesome book. I enjoyed that the author, Joanne Vruno, added new and exciting details to each continuing book in the Seasons of Elves series. I never would have expected a wolf would be so instrumental to one of the books. 

I also liked that there was so much detail and description in each book. I felt like I was right there with the characters every step of the way. The descriptions continued to build upon each character in this book. 

A part in the book that I particularly enjoyed was when a secret was discovered about the rock elves. I loved every part of this book. I would recommend it to students aged 11 and up or to anyone who has read and liked books one and two.

A new student review of Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist

thudson36 posted a new student review of Stalking Los Angeles by Tom Berquist. See the full review.

I enjoyed reading Stalking Los Angeles. I thought the storyline was a very original idea; I’ve never read a book like this one before. I liked how the author used alternating perspectives between Reggie and the mountain lion, because it allows the audience to watch how their two lives intertwine.

The main character, Reggie, was likable and easy for me to relate to. He had to deal with many challenging life situations and handled them in a realistic way. I thought the plot moved along at a nice pace, and it always held my interest. I found the end of the story slightly confusing, when Reggie went on his “vision quests." However, the ending clarified my confusion and wrapped everything up nicely. I really enjoyed reading Stalking Los Angeles and would recommend it to others.

A new student review of The Galaxy Pirates - Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris

nictaf posted a new student review of The Galaxy Pirates - Hunt for the Pyxis by Zoe Ferraris. See the full review.

The Galaxy Pirates: Hunt for the Pyxis was an amazing book filled with fantasy, adventure, and a captivating plot! The author, Zoe Ferraris, wrote a thrilling book with excellent character development. Emma was so well described that she could be a real person! One part of this book I especially liked was the descriptions. For example, the following description popped: “They heard a resounding crack! as the bow of the enormous container ship hit whatever had stopped the Markab. An enormous piece of timber rose up into the water like a whale, broken in half against the hull of the great ship. It looked like the sunken remains of a fishing pier. It was covered in long spikes and kelp, and it flopped back into the water.” Besides the plot and the characters, I felt that this book was a great read; it kept me on the edge of my seat! I would recommend this book to people that like fantasy, excitement, and a great book! I think this book would be for kids 9 and up!

A new student review of The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Crazy Critter Race by Maxwell Eaton III

Jowill posted a new student review of The Flying Beaver Brothers and the Crazy Critter Race by Maxwell Eaton III. See the full review.

This graphic novel was part adventure and part mystery.  I like how the author used comedy to keep the reader interested.  I would say this is a great book for reluctant readers.  It is also a great book for people who are just learning how to read graphic novels, because the dialog is easy to follow.

A new student review of Hilo - The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick

Boomer123 posted a new student review of Hilo - The Boy Who Crashed to Earth by Judd Winick. See the full review.

Hilo is a great great character because he doesn’t know anything so he does really funny things.  For example, Hilo greets everyone with a scream because that’s what DJ did when he first saw him.  Be ready to read about Hilo burping a lot.  Gina is a huge astronomy fan so I really connected with her.  The big message in this book is about always looking out for your friends, no matter what planet they are from.  

This is a great graphic novel that is a very quick read and shouldn’t take you more than an hour to finish.  I’ve  already gone back to it many times to reread it.  I’m looking forward to the next book since this one ends in a big cliffhanger.  

 

A new student review of Mortimer the Vampire: and Drake the Dragon by Cameron Glenn

JesusFreak posted a new student review of Mortimer the Vampire: and Drake the Dragon by Cameron Glenn. See the full review.

Mortimer the Vampire: and Drake the Dragon

A new student review of Pink Frost by Cameron Glenn

JesusFreak posted a new student review of Pink Frost by Cameron Glenn. See the full review.

The concept of this book was very unique and interesting, however the ending was disappointing. I think part of the reason why this book was a letdown was because of how short it was. It was more like a short story than an actual novel. The main character, Cassy, was more likable than I was expecting her to be, however a few decisions she made near the end of the novel I did not agree with. I felt sympathy toward her and found myself enjoying reading about her character.
Overall, this story is very interesting and unique and is great for mature young adults.