A new student review of Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie

featherwhisker posted a new student review of Girl Z: My Life as a Teenage Zombie . See the full review.

This book idea was really cool. It was a new take on something that has been done to death, and it could've been a very popular book. Emphasis on could've been. Verstraete seems to not really know much about writing a story. Firstly, she had far too many characters. Seriously, 5 or so characters could've been enough to make this a good book, but Verstraete adds to these, bringing in pointless characters who do nothing for the story and just add to the confusion. Also, there is a few grammatical errors. It could've been the publishers fault, but it seemed like the first draft of a story, instead of something that would get printed. Finally, the book is confusing. There is so much happening at once, it's hard to keep track.

I would have a complete conclusion, but it seemed like the book didn't have one, so I'll just say this: I would not recommend this book to anyone I know, unless I wanted them to read something bad.

A new student review of e-Sc@pe: Nascent

Raphael posted a new student review of e-Sc@pe: Nascent . See the full review.

sds

A new student review of Shutdown

sthom506 posted a new student review of Shutdown . See the full review.

Heather Anastasiu creates a powerful new world in her Glitch series and does not disappoint with the final installment. Her characters are original and cleverly constructed, with an added element of realism that draws the reader in even more. Her writing is clear and interesting, and her explanations of her world are so scintillating that it feels as though such a world could come about tomorrow. As a difficult to put down page turner, this book is the perfect conclusion that ties the series together.

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.