A new student review of A Wounded Name: A Tragedy

kanati posted a new student review of A Wounded Name: A Tragedy . See the full review.

I found Dot Hutchinson's A Wounded Name to be absolutely intoxicating with every word. It is a supernatural tragedy that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the last word. Each character has oddly enduring qualities that make them impossible to forget and about as hard not to love. Hutchinson's use of sensory is amazing in this book; it is almost as if you are standing in the cemetery listening to the song of the Bean sidhe. This book is perfect for any teenager who loves suspense and the supernatural rolled into a bone chilling story of revenge. I know I personally will be keeping an eye on Dot Hutchinson in the future.

A new student review of Kizzy Ann Stamps

moseso posted a new student review of Kizzy Ann Stamps . See the full review.

I think this book is good for dog lovers, but you don’t have to be a dog lover to love this book. It does take a couple chapters to get into the book. Once you get into it though, it’s a definite page turner. If I closed my eyes during parts of the book I could picture exactly what was happening. Jeri Watts (the author) has a voice that contains friendship and a hint of adventure. I’d say the book is for 9-12 year olds. The vocabulary is for that age group. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that is like Kizzy Ann Stamps. It is a loving adventure and my favorite part of the book is that it’s being written in the form of letters. Jeri Watts did an excellent job on finishing the story; it is not a cliff hanger like some other books. I highly recommend this book!             

A new student review of Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices

VBat posted a new student review of Open Mic: Riffs on Life Between Cultures in Ten Voices . See the full review.

This anthology is a bundle of funny, sad and interesting stories that give the reader a taste of "life between cultures." It contains a good mix of humorous stories and serious ones, and the variety keeps the reader on their toes. 

My favorite short story in the collection is "Brotherly Love." In this story, a young Mexican boy has a heartfelt conversation with his older sister. The story explores cultural ideas of what "real" men act like, and gives the reader a chance to connect emotionally with the main character. 

The ten authors who are represented in the book did an excellent job explaining the thoughts and emotions experienced by multi-cultural teens. Some stories made me laugh, others made me sad. The stories shared definitely make the reader question stereotypes- and want to get to know their multi-cultural neighbors better!

This book is  a short, easy read that discusses some hard topics. Written in prose, poetry and even a comic-book format, the anthology has something for everyone. I would recommend this book to pre-teens and teens who enjoy realistic fiction, true stories, poetry, and learning about different cultures. 

A new student review of Worse Things Happen At Sea! by Alan Snow

sisto8 posted a new student review of Worse Things Happen At Sea! by Alan Snow. See the full review.

This book had a very delightful story in it. The story was very original.  I liked it because of the suspense.  I felt like it kept me in suspense through the book.  It is good for children and for older kids alike.  I think anyone who reads it will find a fun tale about the hardships at sea.  I recommend it for 8+.

A new student review of Bending Willow

Archer130 posted a new student review of Bending Willow . See the full review.

Even though it is not a book with a lot of adventure, the bond between the two sisters is one that no one can break. I thought that this book was a very good book that has a lot of emotion and sisterly love. One of my favorite parts in the story is when River, from The Burning Man, gives Riley and Mia their Burning Man names. I thought that this scene was written very well, so I read it many times. Every time I read it, it got even better.

A new student review of Vampyre Kisses by Elizabeth Kolodziej

mikaylamoody68 posted a new student review of Vampyre Kisses by Elizabeth Kolodziej. See the full review.

In my opinion this book was a little slow in the start, but as you gained more understanding of the characters the book become hard for me to put down. To me Vampyre kisses was an overall good book and I can't wait to I read the next one in the series.

A new student review of The Infects

Ravette posted a new student review of The Infects . See the full review.

This was a very fast-paced read. Yet highly enthralling. It wasn't just the typical gore and bloodfest that interested me - though it did help - it was the very realistic idea of how the virus of the "Infects" came to be. Not only that, but the characters also seemed very realistic; especially since they each had very individual personalities. But, most of all, I loved the ending. It was definitely suspenseful and kept me 'on my toes' the entire time; a twist ending.

Highly recommended for zombie/conspiracy/horror lovers.

A new student review of Red Crucible

LaRayne posted a new student review of Red Crucible . See the full review.

Red Crucible puts a reality into the end of the world. It makes you think this is going to happen. That is why I loved it! This book has very little dialogue, yet it still will keep your attention and entertain you on a long car ride. I would recommend Red Crucible to ages 12 and up. It is a great book about the true need of survival matureness and bravery!

A new student review of Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman

bookgirl1289 posted a new student review of Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman. See the full review.

Full of action and mystery, Rain of the Ghosts is a wonderful read for anyone who likes a good, slightly creepy, ghost story. It is a good book for both boys and girls because it has strong male and female characters, Rain and Charlie. It was also very fast-paced and exciting. One of the things that I found rather strange about the book is the fact that it is told by a dog who seems to have supernatural powers. When you are reading you can tell that he has some connection to what is happening but you don’t know what it is. There are several unsolved mysteries but they promise to be solved, hopefully, in forthcoming books. I loved reading this story and found it a wonderfully mysterious story to read. I would highly recommend this book for ages 11 and up as a great adventure/ghost story. It promises to be the first book in a great new series!

A new student review of The Bitter Kingdom

R. Mae posted a new student review of The Bitter Kingdom . See the full review.

Bitter Kingdom was a faultless, magical finale to the Fire and Thorns Trilogy.

The Plot:

One thing that I really enjoyed about the other two books was the strong characters and the realistic plot. Elisa was a queen who felt responsible for her people and she always knew what she wanted. That really affected the plot. When the book starts, Elisa is trying to reach Hector. Since she loves him, that is one of the reasons why she wants to rescue him, but marriage with Hector will help bring peace to the kingdom. Elisa's character has to go through all these struggles to save her people. There were some major twists in the story that I never would have seen coming. I won't tell you the details, but let's just say that you can never truly know God.

The Characters:

I loved Elisa. She is so unique and delightful. She has a good sense of morals and is therefore very enjoyable. The romance between her and Hector was believable, not over done. It was actually really good. Storm turned out to be heroic and interesting. As devastated as I was when some people were killed, it worked out better for the plot and characters that way. I think Rae Carson is really good at killing her characters. I admire that. It made the book even more original. Mara still eludes me. There was a moment when Elisa cornered Cosme and Alodia into a contract of fealty, both of whom are very hard to outwit. For a moment I was upset, but Rae Carson smoothed easily over the scene and brought the toughness back into both of the Queens.

The Setting:

All three of the books had different settings. Separate kingdoms, land types. The desert, the mountains, and in this book the mines. They added a little flair to the scenery and made for good bonding between our main characters. It was also effective for the plot. If Rae Carson would have just continued on with her characters trekking through the snow I would have become very bored. Instead she leads her characters to a place they feel uncomfortable and excited.

The Standout:

Her name was Waterfall. You might guess girly. I say not. She lead our characters through the mines. She was coy, brave and determined. She was my absolute favorite part of the story, along with Red Sparkle Stone. Red was a slave who Elisa, in a way,  accidently buys. She ends up being a priceless addition to the team. She also added a little humor into this otherwise serious book. That is the one thing I would have enjoyed more of. Most of the humor in the book felt stiff and unnatural. It would have made the book almost perfect if I would have been able to laugh a little more. So I liked Waterfall and Red. They are completely opposite. The latter trusting and innocent. The first, cautious, coy and independent.  I loved both of these girls and I think they really made the book better.

The Moral:

What are you willing to give up for someone you don't even know? Elisa was such a great queen because she really felt responsible for her people. During the story she thought about giving up. She could have run away and lived with Hector. But she wouldn't, because she had a responsibility and she wasn't going to be a quitter. That's a good moral to me. Now, the story does imply that Elisa and Hector did more than make out, but Rae doesn't give you all the gross details. Elisa and Hector were married. Also, swearing is not really present in this book. The characters had other ways to express themselves. It was very impressive.