A new student review of The Spirit of the Heart by Ismael Nuno

nlsings posted a new student review of The Spirit of the Heart by Ismael Nuno. See the full review.

Ismael Nuno does a great job of balancing the content of his anecdotes.  They were readible and engaging.  I would recommend this book to readers who favor memoirs, enjoy medical stories and triumphs, and those who are interested in how people with demanding and complicated careers find symmetry between their professional and personal lives.  Dr. Nuno's tales are professional, but engaging.  They are not bogged down with medical jargon.  

A new student review of The Beautiful and the Cursed

dancechicka posted a new student review of The Beautiful and the Cursed . See the full review.

As promised, this book certainly was unique in its own little way.  It had drama, romance, action, mystery...let’s just say that it kept me on the edge of my seat.  It introduced some points that I have never thought of before.  As soon as I looked at the cover and saw the title--The Beautiful and the Cursed:  Some Nightmares Walk in the Light--I knew I was going to have fun with this one.  I enjoyed all the different points of view—Ingrid’s, Luc’s, and even Gabby’s.  It added much more drama to the novel and helped me understand the plot a little better.  All in all, this was a great book and I would thoroughly recommend it.

“The heat fired up her arm and boiled through her veins.  It reached her face and colored everything she saw red.” --excerpt from The Beautiful and the Cursed

I would recommend this book for ages ten and up, for the reading level, book length, vocabulary, and the mild expletives that you may run across while you or your child is reading.

After uncovering a secret that can never again be buried, will Ingrid ever make it all worth it by finding her lost brother...or will she die trying?  Read Page Morgan’s The Beautiful and the Cursed to find out!

Note:  Can’t get enough of Ingrid and the gang?  The second installment of the Dispossessed series by Page Morgan, The Lovely and the Lost, is coming out in spring 2014!

A new student review of Small as an Elephant

Anjel posted a new student review of Small as an Elephant . See the full review.

My favorite part was when Jack learns that his grandmother didn’t want to take him away, and that she really she cared. I also liked the parts where Jack took out the small elephant for hope. I did not like the parts when Jack got hurt or when he cried. I felt like I was feeling (emotionally and mentally) what he was feeling, but that means that author did a good job writing this book if you can take on the emotions of the characters. I would recommend this book to my friends.

A new student review of Cheesie Mack: Is Cool in a Duel by Steve Cotler

LegoLover posted a new student review of Cheesie Mack: Is Cool in a Duel by Steve Cotler. See the full review.

In "Cheesie Mack is Cool in a Duel", Steve Colter take Cheese's adventures to summer camp.  Just days into a long summer at Camp Windward, he is challenged to a duel to prove who's the coolest.  With best friend Georgie at his side, Cheesie takes on his arch enemy Kevin.  I like the scary story that Cheesie tells about a one-arm man to try to win the final day of the cool duel.  Cotler created an exciting continuation of the life of Cheesie.

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.

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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.