A new student review of The Brewster Boys and the Eve of Infamy

alison_S posted a new student review of The Brewster Boys and the Eve of Infamy . See the full review.

The Brewster Boys and the Eve of Infamy by Stephen Dittmer, a high-school history teacher, thrusts teenagers into the unfortunate position of having to view themselves objectively. Incompetence a prominent attribute of our two titular protagonists, for whom the sight of a bra elicits a quantity of glee to rival that of laughing gas, one cannot help but wonder as to the presence of vengeance in the author’s subconscious. Could the antics of Pete and Jon be manifestations of the less-than-stellar students riddling Dittmer’s career? In any case, these larger than life characters may not represent the pinnacle of literary achievement, but their temporal misadventures make for 214 pages of stereotyped delight.

A new student review of The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders

moseso posted a new student review of The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop by Kate Saunders. See the full review.

My overall opinion on ‘The Whizz Pop Chocolate Shop’ is that it was too magical.  The realities of the actions in the book are pure fantasy and would never happen in real life.  I did not enjoy how Kate Saunders added parts where ghosts and goblins jumped out.  However, I did like the characters of Oz and Lily.  Their personalities are good, but when there out on ‘missions’ they tell their parents that they are at camp or diving lessons, so that they ‘know where they are’.  In my opinion, that sets a bad example because I look at it as deceiving your own parents!  I often got distracted while I was reading the book and daydreamed sometimes as well.  The author’s voice is obviously magical, too magical.  Kate Saunders purpose was reached, but I did not benefit from her purpose.  The vocabulary is appropriate for ages 10-12.             

A new student review of Heart of Glass by Sasha Gould

worms123 posted a new student review of Heart of Glass by Sasha Gould. See the full review.

A quote that I really liked is from chapter 20 on page 129, ““What do you want?” he asks. His voice is weak, his eyes watery and yellow.” I connected this image to my grandpa. I didn’t like part of chapter 2 because it made me feel uncomfortable, and I think it would be better for older readers. I didn’t like the picture it left in my head. I recommend this book for readers older than 11. If you like romantic fantasy, you might enjoy this book. For me, it was too romantic.

A new student review of Surfacing

VBat posted a new student review of Surfacing . See the full review.

The ideas behind Surfacing have great potential. The mix of viewpoints from Leah and Maggie provided hints of what had really happened the day Leah drowned, and I enjoyed hearing the perspective of the older sister. Maggie's twin brothers were great opportunities for comic relief in an otherwise gloomy novel, and many characters, including Nathan and Julie, were very relatable.

Unfortunately, the story never really came together.

In the beginning of the book it seems that Maggie's ability to draw secrets out of people will play a major role in the story. As it turns out, the strange power dissapears halfway through the book, and never really affects the plot. This was dissapointing, because I expected the power to return for some sort of twist at the end. 

Maggie is also an unlikeable character. While it is possible to craft a likeable character who makes mistakes, Maggie's incessant need to be wanted by Matthew just makes the reader angry at her. Maggie never gives a good enough justification, emotional or logical, for her boy-juggling behaviors. It would have been easier to be sympathetic if the book would have focused more on emotional turmoil she was going through and gave more plausible explanations as to why she felt the need to be loved by Matthew.

Despite the books shortcomings, I would recommend this book to pre-teen and teen girls who enjoy stories about relationships, and who have an afternoon to spare. Surfacing is a quick read that will at least provide a few hours of entertainment, perfect for lazy summer beach days or an afternoon in the hammock.

 

A new student review of Spellbound by Monique N. Peterson

detectiveginger posted a new student review of Spellbound by Monique N. Peterson. See the full review.

The book Spellbound by Monique N. Peterson, was an enjoyable, intriguing and refreshing read. It had good characterization and a gripping plot that made you wonder what was going to happen (however it finished with far too many questions unanswered – so hopefully it will be picked up and answered in a sequel, especially after the cliff-hanger ending and too many unsolved mysteries (Who are Bea’s parents? What are their roles? The disappearance of Queen Rosalind and Kerry. Who tried to poison the Queen? Also, the importance of the Bishop baby to the rebel boss, to name a few).

The setting was interesting – I was surprised and confused at first, as I was expecting a historical setting, but instead it was quite a different world. The people acted with modern day mannerisms, however, the traditions of the country were kind of olden dayish (absolute monarchy vs. democracy) with the monarchs and monarchy having to have arranged marriages. Yet it was futuristic in terms of the technology as it seemed more advanced and different to what we have today, such as cars with invisibility functions, plants that grow with a push of a button etc.

Spellbound was a terrific book, with an interesting setting and spellbinding mysteries; I look forward to reading a sequel.

A new student review of The Obsidian Blade

avance posted a new student review of The Obsidian Blade . See the full review.

This book was a real page turner. I had a lot of trouble putting it down and ended up staying up until late at night to finish it.  I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants to start to get into the science fiction drama, as it contains many futuristic themes and plot aspects. The story held my attention from beginning to end; my only complaint would be that the plot was hard to keep up with towards the end of the story. I was really surprised by how much I liked this novel; I am typically not a fan of science fiction. What made this story different from all the rest is that I could easy follow and understand. I cannot wait for the sequel.

A new student review of The Hounds Set by Troy A. Carrington

sschu5 posted a new student review of The Hounds Set by Troy A. Carrington. See the full review.

 

This was a great book! It was a book about a kid that gets bullied so much by a kid named Jackson. I also like how it transitions when he goes to Egypt. Background knowledge on the Egyptian gods kind of helped in this story. I like how the story gave a mystery throughout the book, on if he will ever get home. I would recommend this book to others because of the excitement, the great plot, and the way he is always referring to his textbooks and how they were wrong.

A new student review of The Kissing Booth

MickeyBeth posted a new student review of The Kissing Booth . See the full review.

This book was so good!

Sure, it has its issues like any book does. There were a few mistakes here and there with grammar, and some British slang was used, but the content made up for any of that. Personally, I like my books with a perfectly happy ending all wrapped up with a nice little bow on top. But Beth Reekles' The Kissing Booth definitely made its way onto my list of favorite books.

Noah Flynn is by far the best book character I've read about in years. Most romance books have "the guy," the guy who is so perfect it's just unrealistic. Thankfully, Beth Reekles did not give us "the guy." She gave us Noah. He is over-protective, way too jealous, a violence junkie, and a major jerk sometimes; but that is what made him perfect. <3

I was also quite happy that the author didn't make The Kissing Booth into your typical clishe romance. She kept it original. It had flirting, teasing, the BEST of friends, great characters, and it was just an all around great read. 

In a sense, it was perfect. <3

I'm definitely looking forward to many more books by Beth Reekles.

A new student review of Gingersnap

sisto8 posted a new student review of Gingersnap . See the full review.

I like this book because I found the plot full of unexpected surprises.  It appeared to be clear and interesting at the same time.  I liked reading about the characters because they seemed very realistic.  Jayna had a strong-willed nature, which gave her a fun personality.  The ghost made the book exciting to read because I couldn’t tell when it would come back.  The turtle was a cute character to add in.  She was an exotic choice.  I enjoyed it tons, and I hope whoever reads it likes it too.  I recommend it for anyone 9+.

A new student review of Surfacing

LaRayne posted a new student review of Surfacing . See the full review.

Maggie can make anyone tell the truth so everyone is afraid of her. So she starts throwing herself at any boy. This is a great book. This book is a story of how truth can scare people away and with a teenage girl it is not hard to go too far to just be noticed. I would recommend it to mature upper teen girls. I honestly think that i should have waited to read this book till im older.