A new student review of Anybody Shining by Frances O'Roark Dowell

nictaf posted a new student review of Anybody Shining by Frances O'Roark Dowell. See the full review.

Anybody Shining is not the book that I was expecting.  I was expecting something very funny, happy, and new.  Instead, it is a tale that merges a bunch of letters to Arie Mae‘s cousin with the story itself.  I found this book to be a bit lackluster.  Girls may like this book better than boys. On the other hand, the characters are easy to understand and are believable.  For instance, when Tom must sit out and not play, he writes in his journal instead.  I would recommend this book for ages 9 and up.

A new student review of The Royal Red Secret by M. K. Nelson

baseballal posted a new student review of The Royal Red Secret by M. K. Nelson. See the full review.

I would not recommend this book for people who are into fast-paced action and comedy.  It is good for young readers that do not like scary stories.  I think this would be good for boys and girls ages 7-8.

A new student review of Caught Between Two Curses by Margo Dill

McTower posted a new student review of Caught Between Two Curses by Margo Dill. See the full review.

Five stars for Margo Dill! Caught Between Two Curses was awesome! It had the best vocabulary possible for the recommended age. The book pulled you in the second you started to read it. On top of that, it  had a lot of reality blended with the curses on Julie's family. Could this be the best book in the world? It might just be!

A new student review of Alice-Miranda by Jacqueline Harvey

RockinR4 posted a new student review of Alice-Miranda by Jacqueline Harvey. See the full review.

I thought this book was pretty good! I loved the adventure, characters, and storyline. One thing that could have made book so much more interesting, would be more background info. Because of this, some parts of the story became very difficut to understand from the author's point of view. If there were more background, I would have given it 5 stars instead of the three I did give this book.

A new student review of The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz

LaRayne posted a new student review of The Dark World by Cara Lynn Shultz. See the full review.

This is an awesome book that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat the entire time. You fall in love with Logan as Paige does, you cry when she cries and you laugh when she laughs. The ending will have you furiously searching the internet for news of another book. You will find yourself laughing throughout the entire book. Cara Lynn Shultz wrote this book so well you are surprised when you look up and aren't sitting on the roof with Logan and Paige. I would suggest this book to tween and teen girls.

A new student review of Seeing by Joseph Falank

Alyssakb99 posted a new student review of Seeing by Joseph Falank. See the full review.

I liked writing this review. This book taught me a lot of how family can overcome hardships. I would definitely recommend this book to young adult readers; this is a well written story about family and hardships, and how to overcome trials. This book shows people that even when life seems to be against you, real friendships are the ones who get you through anything. 

A new student review of The Fourth Wall by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo

123evae123 posted a new student review of The Fourth Wall by Elizabeth Maria Naranjo. See the full review.

This book, although a fantasy book, did not use fantasy to drive the plot, but rather to keep the plot on track. As Marin is only asleep during certain times of the book, the fantasy aspect could not control the book and was not overwhelming. It did take me a little while to get into the story, and really like the plot, but after the third chapter I could not put this book down. It was a great debut novel for Elizabeth Maria Naranjo.

A new student review of The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin

alison_S posted a new student review of The Blackhope Enigma by Teresa Flavin. See the full review.

While The Blackhope Enigma focuses primarily on external conflict, for the novel’s first two hundred pages the three main characters struck me as somewhat oversimplified; Flavin establishes each character’s dominating traits early on, and, for the bulk of the novel, her characters conform to these traits with no internal conflict whatsoever. For instance,  though Angus Bellini, the novel’s primary antagonist, exhibits every manifestation of “evil” imaginable (such as greed, pride, violence, and even gluttony) within the first half of the novel, he lacks all but the slightest glimmers of remorse. Similarly, for the book’s initial two-thirds, Dean seems to function more as a plot device than as a nuanced, three-dimensional character. While deciding whether or not to enter The Mariner’s Return to Arcadia, Blaise does wrestle with some ambivalence. Once he arrives, however, this high school freshman faces sea monsters, raging whirlpools, and crumbling ravines with relative bravado. Throughout The Blackhope Enigma, Blaise and Sunni embody all that is brave and virtuous, while Angus personifies malice, greed, and self-centeredness. What dissatisfied me more than these individual traits, however, was each character’s tendency to act﹘ and react﹘ predictably. Thankfully, though The Blackhope Enigma lacks internal conflict, Flavin’s imaginative premise and competent imagery immerse readers in Fausto Corvo’s hideaway of magic and mysticism. Furthermore, Flavin’s dialogue amused me with its humor and charmed me with its sweetness. Though some aspects of The Blackhope Enigma’s fantastical setting felt a tad formulaic, Flavin adorns her novel with fresh, witty details. Because Sunni, Blaise, and Dean spend much of the The Blackhope Enigma wandering through The Mariner’s Return to Arcadia, with only the vague hope of getting home to guide them, this novel’s pacing lacks the purposefulness of more goal-directed works. Then again, who wouldn't treasure every extra moment spent exploring Flavin’s imaginative debut?

A new student review of Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne

moseso posted a new student review of Magic Tree House #3: Mummies in the Morning by Mary Pope Osborne. See the full review.

 

This book is a definite page-turner. The plot is very easy to understand and simple to become involved in. Because the plot is straightforward and easy to comprehend, the book should be geared for seven to nine year olds. The way the book is written makes it seem as if you’re really in ancient Egypt with Jack and Annie. Mummies in the Morning is the third book in a series, so there is continuation from the other books. Therefore, it is slightly hard to understand the beginning and end of the book if you have not read the first two books. Aside from that, the book is a superior read and highly recommended.          

A new student review of Kissing Atticus Primble by Stephanie Hoina

JesusFreak posted a new student review of Kissing Atticus Primble by Stephanie Hoina. See the full review.

My thoughts on "Kissing Atticus Primble" are a mixture of good and bad.  Although I'm not a big fan of love triangles, I found the characters relatable and likeable.  The cover art, while simple, was interesting and different.

Although there were various spelling errors throughout the book, it was well-written.  The author does an amazing job at putting you in the mind of a high school girl.

Overall, a great book for preteens who love teen romance.