A new student review of Forever Ruby by Claire Merchant

123evae123 posted a new student review of Forever Ruby by Claire Merchant. See the full review.

While reading this book I had mixed emotions about it. Somtimes the plot was a tad slow, and sometimes it was too fast-paced.  Characters were well developed however, and it was easy to forge connections with them and sympathize with their actions.  Fans of the supernatural genre will love this book and its twists and turns as Ruby tries to figure out who is helping and hindering her on this journey of self discovery . She learns about her flaws and has downfalls like everyone else, and she is not described as "perfect" as so many novel heroines are. This novel was a great, relaxing beach read, and with such great character development, it was easy to overlook the slow or fast plot.

A new student review of Boundaries: How the Mason-Dixon Line Settled a Family Feud and Divided a Nation by Sally M. Walker

blaklab66 posted a new student review of Boundaries: How the Mason-Dixon Line Settled a Family Feud and Divided a Nation by Sally M. Walker. See the full review.

 

I enjoyed this book because as I explained in my summary, the author touched on many events. This book was interesting because it was engaging and very accurate. The story was easily comprehendible and deep. There were not many characters to keep track of and the main idea was very clear. I also liked the format this book was presented in. It helped present the facts clearly.

A new student review of The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair by Barbara Tinker

moseso posted a new student review of The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair by Barbara Tinker. See the full review.

This book is extraordinarily exciting and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end! When the main characters, Ella and Shomari, are asked to help uncover the baffling code that the evil Dr. G has sent out to several people who are judges for the science fair, they visit various geniuses and learn the secrets of coding. Beautiful illustrations help one imagine every detail of what happens in the book. It is extremely descriptive. The reader will find it hard to put the book down until the end. This book would be most enjoyed by 11-13 year olds. When one of many coding processes was explained, it was confusing and required re-reading a few times in order to gain understanding.  Don’t let this stop you, however, from reading The Cryptic Case of the Coded Fair.  It will definitely end up on your shelf of favorites!

A new student review of Toks & the Phoenix Project by A.S Lawal

JesusFreak posted a new student review of Toks & the Phoenix Project by A.S Lawal. See the full review.

When I began reading this book, I found myself bored with it. I felt the main character, Toks, was whiny and unlikable.  She made bad decisions throughout the book. However, as I came to the ending I began to like her character. Additionally, I did not care for the author’s writing style. I thought that most of the dialogue in the book made it seem as though the author was telling the story to a child. It was not a writing style that appealed to me.

I felt the book started out slowly in the beginning, though about halfway through it started to pick up. The last two chapters were especially exciting.

The book was promising, and it had great ideas. It just didn't turn out the way I was hoping it would.

A new student review of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

JesusFreak posted a new student review of All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. See the full review.

When I opened this book and began to read, I realized that I was immediately intrigued by Finch. Though troubled, I found him to be a very likable character.  The author did a good job describing her characters without overwhelming her readers with an overabundance of information. I felt as if I was in the book with Finch and Violet every step of the way.

I enjoyed the fact that Finch and Violet's relationship was believable.  It is hard for me to find a good romance that convinces me of the character's love, but the relationship in "All the Bright Places" was done very well.

Another thing to comment on is the pace of the book.  The beginning sentence grabbed me and wouldn't let me go.  As the book went on, I was never bored.  The last few chapters were especially beautifully written; they left me awestricken.

Overall, this book was an amazing read that I’m sure I’ll read many times again.

A new student review of Draw-A-Saurus

sisto8 posted a new student review of Draw-A-Saurus . See the full review.

I picked this book because my little sisters love to draw.  We drew most of the dinosaurs in the book and they still wanted to draw more.  At first I thought Draw-A-Saurus would be an average drawing book, but after we started, I found it to be one of the best drawing books I've ever used!  It explains about dinosaur bones, how to draw dinosaurs, and what kinds of animals look like dinosaurs.  The bright colors are attractive to little kids.  My sisters were inspired by all the different examples of how they could color their pictures.  I will definitely keep an eye out for more books from this author!  I recommend this book for dinosaur lovers 5+.

A new student review of Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune

sisto8 posted a new student review of Coral & Bone by Tiffany Daune. See the full review.

This book was definitely a page turner. Once I began reading, I didn’t want to stop. The plot was very exciting; it was full of adventure and unpredictable events. The story itself had lots of twists and turns. The author kept the story thrilling and fast-paced, but in an uncomplicated, structured manner.  The characters were consistent, believable, and sweet, each in their own ways. I truly did care about each of them. The author of this book did a wonderful job with the character development! I recommend this book for everyone ages 12 and above.

A new student review of Amy's Choice by Marcia Strykowski

Anjel posted a new student review of Amy's Choice by Marcia Strykowski. See the full review.

I really liked this book. I usually read fantasy so this was a new experience for me, but I learned that fantasy isn’t the only genre I like. One of my favorite parts is when Pup comes back to say hi because It sounds like my dog when she runs away but then (minutes or hours later) we find her standing on the front porch ready to come in. I also liked that Finn was an artist because I am one as well. However, I disliked that some of the kids smoked but I also feel as if it was necessary to keep the story going. All in all I would recommend this to middle school students, summer book lists, people who like historical fiction and people who like Beholding Bee by Kimberly Newton Fusco and Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundel.

A new student review of Intangible by C A Gray

amanklep10599 posted a new student review of Intangible by C A Gray. See the full review.

"Intangible" was an extremely exciting story that kept me reading on the edge of my seat.  It had it all: humor, science, fantasy, fiction and fairytale.  The characters were all believable and likeable.  However, the main character, Peter, was too scientific, hard to relate to and understand, and wasn't very kind or friendly.  Overall, I loved "Intangible," because it was fascinating, scientific, and it talked about fairytales!

A new student review of Devin Rhodes Is Dead by Jennifer Wolf Kam

dancechicka posted a new student review of Devin Rhodes Is Dead by Jennifer Wolf Kam. See the full review.

I thought that this book was a good read, albeit a short one.  I found the plot pretty airtight, and the tone was just the right amount of creepiness and intrigue. The regular chapter switches from the times before and after Devin’s death kept me interested and in-focus.  Kam was skilled with her language, keeping the vocabulary easy enough to read yet eloquent enough to fit the overall eerie tone of the book.  One thing I did have a hard time doing was connecting with Cass.  I found her to be a little too woe-is-me and petulant for my tastes, but hey, I really can’t judge someone whose best friend just died.   All in all, a good, quick read for someone looking for a little pop to add to their winter reading list.

                “I can’t think; I can only run.  I can only run from Devin.”

I would recommend this book for ages ten and up.  There are, of course, themes of violence and death, and although a very small amount of profanity is used, I feel it would be best for younger children to wait to read this book for its central themes.

Plagued by broken memories and driven by guilt, Cass struggles to find the answer to the biggest question of them all—who killed Devin?  Read Jennifer Wolf Kam’s new novel Devin Rhodes is Dead to find out!