A new student review of The Grave Winner by Lindsey R Loucks

mditzel posted a new student review of The Grave Winner by Lindsey R Loucks. See the full review.

I thought the Grave Winner was a good book. i love how the book made yopu whant tom read more and more. I gave it a 4/5 because I thouight there was some unessisary lanugage in this book. 

A new student review of The Geneva Project - Truth by Christina M. Benjamin

kendrat71 posted a new student review of The Geneva Project - Truth by Christina M. Benjamin. See the full review.

Honestly, I didn't really like this book. Within the first few chapters I knew that it would be a challenge to finish. There were many literary discrepancies that I found difficult to overlook. Within the first few chapters, glaring math errors were catching my attention. The book states that the Flood occurred ten years ago and Geneva was barely one when she was found. However, Geneva assumes herself to be twelve, one year younger than the youngest group of orphaned children that survived the Flood. One of her close acquaintances reveals that he knows his real name, as opposed the the John (or Jane) #__ that every orphan has been assigned. Being in the youngest group, it seems rather sketchy that he could know since he could not have been older than two or three and had undergone a traumatic experience.

The magic aspect, though intertwining with the storyline, seems like it was only added into the last draft as an afterthought. It read like an oval being pushed againt a circle slot; it just didn't fit perfectly.

This book definitely did not make my favorites' list. I really wish that I could have liked it, as the idea was intriguing and unique. Perhaps the next books in the series are better, but I won't be finding out.

A new student review of The Devil You Know by Adrian W. Lilly

Ashez55 posted a new student review of The Devil You Know by Adrian W. Lilly. See the full review.

When I began the book, I really wanted to like it. I'm glad to say the grammar isn't too distracting, though the story got more convoluted the farther in I got. The plot line seems weakly fabricated, adding characters and sinister events whenever it dulls down. I wonder at some of the ridiculous stunts the three friends are forced through, especially the land crumbling to reveal a raging river of death when they try to escape. It maybe would have made more sense to, oh, I don't know, have the demon townspeople who were in hot pursuit round them up. I think the love story is rushed and unnecessary, as was the addition of Vance's family to the cursed deal. Much of the story is a filler, and a boring one at that. I'm thoroughly confused as to why both sets of parents carried their charade through a majority of the book, when it would have benefited them more to lock the children up until the night the ritual was to take place. As they are implied to have done this same thing countless times, I would have assumed they had a plan down pat with no room for error. Overall, I found the idea intriguing but rather poorly executed.

A new student review of The Phoenix Files: Arrival by Chris Morphew

Dsun_ posted a new student review of The Phoenix Files: Arrival by Chris Morphew. See the full review.

I enjoyed this book extremely well. In fact, I did not have to force myself to read this book. It was interesting to see the decisions that Luke would make and how it would affect their lives. The constant cliffhangers kept me reading chapter after chapter. I would recommend this to anyone and I can’t wait to finish the series!

A new student review of Olivia, Mourning by Yael Politis

read_write_eat posted a new student review of Olivia, Mourning by Yael Politis. See the full review.

The story of young Olivia is beautifully written and very gripping. The descriptions of the setting and living conditions were detailed enough for the reader to understand the circumstances without losing the reader's attention. I absolutely loved the drama in this book- it was so emotional and intriguing! There were several twists and turns that kept the story unpredictable and engaging. As for the characters, I appreciated Olivia's strength as a female character and the relationship between her and Mourning was well-developed. Mourning spoke in a dialect characteristic of African Americans in that time period, which at times was difficult to understand. However, it was an integral aspect of his character and made for a more realistic book. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and am eager to check out the sequel, The Way the World Is. I would recommend this book to any fan of historical fiction.

A new student review of Thimble Down by Pete Prown

vbobrocks posted a new student review of Thimble Down by Pete Prown. See the full review.

While Pete Prown’s Thimble Down had an engaging mystery aspect, the overall enjoyment of the novel was diminished by the over detailed and repetitive writing style.  As a teen reader, I found myself bored by the thickly described passages and the frequent reminder of characters’ roles.  Also, it was a challenge to empathize with the main character who was an obese middle-aged fellow, along with the rest of the villagers; it seemed that everyone’s life revolved around food and drink.  There were, however, some interesting plot twists that provided some respite and the plot was well thought out.  Thimble Down would be enjoyed by fifth to seventh graders who enjoy a bit of problem solving but aren’t interested in action/adventure genres.

 

A new student review of Rebels of the Kasbah by Bedelia C. Walton Anna Fonnier Joe O'Neill

Anjel posted a new student review of Rebels of the Kasbah by Bedelia C. Walton Anna Fonnier Joe O'Neill. See the full review.

I liked Rebels of the Kasbah because: 1 it was rebelliousness, 2: the plot was as good as a chocolate bar that melts on your tongue, 3: there was a girl to share the adventures. Could not put the book down. I got busted with my flashlight late at night at least twice. The one thing I didn’t like was that sometimes it was hard to tell who was talking and when, but other than that, everything was great. I would recommend this to 12 and up and to people who like the Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull. I think the author and his team should feel very accomplished.

A new student review of Lupus Rex by John Carter Cash

jotaf posted a new student review of Lupus Rex by John Carter Cash. See the full review.

I really liked Lupus Rex.  It was very descriptive, although it didn’t catch my attention right away and was a little confusing.  About thirty pages in, though, it started to get interesting.  My favorite character was Ysil the quail, who is trying to follow his grandfather’s last request.  I also liked  Gomor the rabbit, who gave his life for his friends.  I would recommend this book to ages 11 through 15 because there are a lot of grisly parts (even though they’re just animals) and it is confusing. I don’t think most kids over 15 would be interested in reading this, although if they liked the Redwall Series, this might be right up their alley.

A new student review of Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham

cjsynnes posted a new student review of Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham. See the full review.

 

This book was very well written.  It tells a sad but heartwarming story, and I hope it encourages kids like Jane that even when you have a disability, it doesn't mean you have to give up.  And even if you don’t have a disability, maybe you just look down on yourself and think you can’t do something, but just remember that you can.  I recommend this book to anyone ages 11 and up, just make sure you feel comfortable with reading gory, tragic books.

 

A new student review of If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch

speedreader789 posted a new student review of If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch. See the full review.

I thought that this book was very suspenseful and a book that is hard to put down after you have started it.   I think the best thing about the book is that you do not know what happened to the sisters before they were brought to their father’s home other than that they were raised in the woods by their mother who has left.  Given the context clues you can assume that they had very little money but they are still very smart.  Throughout the story, the back ground is revealed through Carey’s flashbacks and some of the things that happened are not at all what you would expect. I also liked the setting change.  The girls go from a trailer in the woods to a farm in a rural area.  It is humorous to see how much we see as everyday concepts that they have no idea about such as a hamburger.  The characteristics of the main character in the book are intriguing.  They are developed throughout the flashbacks and the little things that Carey does.  Such as how Carey carries her violin everywhere throughout school.  This shows that she is very protective of some parts of her past even though there are other parts she makes obvious she despises.  If you would like to read a mystery with funny twists this is the book for you.