A new student review of The Winter of the Robots by Kurtis Scaletta

Pikachu posted a new student review of The Winter of the Robots by Kurtis Scaletta. See the full review.

This is an exciting adventure and mystery book. The junk yard setting felt real enough to touch. I liked the main characters a lot because they stuck together no matter what happened.I thought the robot competition was really cool and exciting. The only thing I didn't like about the book was how short tempered Jim's dad was.

A new student review of Moon of the Goddess by Cathy Hird

awalker10 posted a new student review of Moon of the Goddess by Cathy Hird. See the full review.

I thought this book was enjoyable, with a slightly predictable and straightforward plot but likable characters. It was good, but the protagonist was not really my main interest, rather the more minor background characters I feel would have made a better story. Thalassai was a rather weak and helpless maiden who did not have the strong heroine feel about her, that title went to her brother's traveling companion, a healer who served the goddess Eurynome. All in all, the book was good but nothing extraordinary. I did enjoy the references to the Greek gods though, as that was the reason I chose it. Although I know more about ancient Greece than most people, I was still surprised by the reference to the goddess Eurynome, as I had never heard of her before. The conflict between the two gods could have unfolded into something bigger and created a more engrossing plot line, but the simple and straightforward story was actually rather refreshing after so many complex plots of modern books. It was overall an enjoyable book that I would read again. 

A new student review of Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

dancechicka posted a new student review of Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. See the full review.

After reading this novel, I find it easy to believe that it won (and rightly deserved) a Newberry Award.  It was wonderful writing; the plot was tight, the prose was smooth, and it had the certain aura of foreboding and eeriness that kept the reader on the edge of their seat.  I immediately fell in love with the characters—Lizzie Rose was the sweet and kind Cinderella; Parsefall the loudmouth street urchin that you can’t help but fall in love with, and Clara is the courteous socialite with a guilt-ridden heart.  Unlike most books, every single character had depth—they each had a story, and I felt the yin-yang symbol was relevant and prominent in this novel—in every good person lies bad, and in every bad person lies good.  The plot was unique and individual, giving you a different twist at every turn.   I also lived all the symbolism—it really added a new dimension to the plot and actually made you think a little.  All in all, a good read that I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for an original book with a suspense-filled plot.

“Clara slept…..She was as lifeless as a pressed flower.  Her mind was empty, free from guilt and terror and grief.  Only the night before, she had spoken of her fear of cold and darkness; now darkness and cold claimed her, and she was not afraid.”

I would recommend this book to all ages, though it does have a haunting undertone and some violent themes, so read at your own risk!

Will Lizzie Rose and Parsefall find a way to free themselves and Clara from Grisini’s clutches?  Or will they all remain under his domain, Grisini making them dance like his puppets on a string?  Read Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz to find out!

A new student review of Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz

dancechicka posted a new student review of Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz. See the full review.

After reading this novel, I find it easy to believe that it won (and rightly deserved) a Newberry Award.  It was wonderful writing; the plot was tight, the prose was smooth, and it had the certain aura of foreboding and eeriness that kept the reader on the edge of their seat.  I immediately fell in love with the characters—Lizzie Rose was the sweet and kind Cinderella; Parsefall the loudmouth street urchin that you can’t help but fall in love with, and Clara is the courteous socialite with a guilt-ridden heart.  Unlike most books, every single character had depth—they each had a story, and I felt the yin-yang symbol was relevant and prominent in this novel—in every good person lies bad, and in every bad person lies good.  The plot was unique and individual, giving you a different twist at every turn.   I also lived all the symbolism—it really added a new dimension to the plot and actually made you think a little.  All in all, a good read that I would definitely recommend for anyone looking for an original book with a suspense-filled plot.

“Clara slept…..She was as lifeless as a pressed flower.  Her mind was empty, free from guilt and terror and grief.  Only the night before, she had spoken of her fear of cold and darkness; now darkness and cold claimed her, and she was not afraid.”

I would recommend this book to all ages, though it does have a haunting undertone and some violent themes, so read at your own risk!

Will Lizzie Rose and Parsefall find a way to free themselves and Clara from Grisini’s clutches?  Or will they all remain under his domain, Grisini making them dance like his puppets on a string?  Read Splendors and Glooms by Laura Amy Schlitz to find out!

A new student review of What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn

sisto8 posted a new student review of What We Hide by Marthe Jocelyn. See the full review.

This book is okay.  The characters were interesting.  They appeared in a real situation.  The first part of the book was slightly confusing because it jumps from one character's point of view to another.  I personally don’t like that in books because it makes the main character less important to the reader.  The plot was a little out of view.  The book’s plot just didn’t pop out to me like most books I read.  Some sentences didn’t look written in an understandable way.  I kept having to stop and try to understand what the author was trying to say to the reader.  Other than the small random problems, this book is a relatively good book.  I don’t recommend it for people under 14.

A new student review of The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman

sisto8 posted a new student review of The Little Woods by McCormick Templeman. See the full review.

This book was mismarked age wise.  I only read a few chapters and by the end of the few chapters, I decided that nobody under 16 should be reading it.  The language was terrible, the characters were doing illegal activities, and the characters were breaking important rules.  Someone older may find this book very interesting and fun to read, but I don’t think reading bad language and reading about drugs is a fun activity.  The characters were strange people that weren't very likable.  All the teens mentioned in this book were not-so-good people doing not-so-good activities.  This book isn’t really appropriate for someone my age to read.  It is better for people around 16-18 to read.  If someone under 18 buys this book, I suggest having a parent or trusted adult look it over first.  Other than the content problem, this book is probably okay, but since I didn't read past the first few chapters, I don't really know how good it is.

A new student review of Exposure by Kathy Reichs Brendan Reichs

Shay-Ainahs posted a new student review of Exposure by Kathy Reichs Brendan Reichs. See the full review.

A good book, though Reich's quick, clipped sentences are extremely noticeable, even more so at climaxes and deeply emotional parts. Sorta raw, but leaving plenty of hints and possibilities. Really good, though!

A new student review of The Beautiful and the Damned by Jessica Verday

Soul2580 posted a new student review of The Beautiful and the Damned by Jessica Verday. See the full review.

I would suggest this book to a lot of my friends and family. It was fun to read, the author did a great job on making the book feel like this type of thing could acually happen in real life.

A new student review of The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel

Samamarz posted a new student review of The Break-Up Artist by Philip Siegel. See the full review.

The Break Up Artist is a quick and easy read; it relies heavily on female 2 dimensional stereotypes and has a very thin plot, making it easy to just pick up and read. The narration can get annoying, and often I wished any of the characters—especially the girls—had substance. All the girls talked about was relationships, and this book does not pass the Bechdal Test. The Bechdal Test tests whether a book/movie/whatever has fair representation of women. There are only 2 qualifications to pass: 1) there are 2 or more female characters 2) they talk to each other at some point about something other than a man. The lack of complexity in the female characters was insulting because all of the girls could have been stand ins for the other girls. Also, another concerning thing was that it was always the girl’s fault when a relationship went bad, and they were all so desperate to be in a relationship that the guys in the school could be obnoxious and still have girls fighting over them. Overall, I thought the idea was clever and original, but the execution was terrible.

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

burkekat97 posted a new student review of Rain of the Ghosts by Greg Weisman. See the full review.

I really enjoyed this book, though when I first started reading the book it was hard to connect and I almost thought of it as boring.  I am very happy that I chose to continue reading on. If I hadn't, I would have missed a very eventful story. Throughout this story there where a few points that made you want to keep reading so you could find out what would happen next. Greg Weisman did a good job at packing this story full of cliffhangers. I did find it very strange that the narrator was a dog.