A new student review of The Sweetest Heist in History (Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective) by Octavia Spencer

ethanlax posted a new student review of The Sweetest Heist in History (Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective) by Octavia Spencer. See the full review.

This book was an incredible action novel with many twists and turns. Some things that I really liked about the book is that the author had many creative ideas. Another reason why I liked this book was how the author did not give easy clues to solve the mystery of the story. 

There was only one thing I disliked about this book, which was that the author did not describe the the details very clearly. Overall, this was an amazing book. I would recommend this book for ages 8-12, and for anyone who is looking for an adventurous novel. Have fun reading!

 

A new student review of Rags and Ruins by Bob Dixon

O.B. WAN posted a new student review of Rags and Ruins by Bob Dixon. See the full review.

I thought this book was fun to read because it had adventure, friendship, and many twists. It left me sad, like I had just lost a hockey game, that I had to stop reading because of the intense plotline. My favorite part was when Rags, Hargo, and Ladin were captured by the Bullfrog King, and are almost eaten. I also loved the battle between the Child of Light and the Child of Darkness. I would recommend this book to anyone who has read Goblins on the Prowl or any books in that series.

A new student review of How To Write A Novel (a novel) by Melanie Sumner

sydney :) posted a new student review of How To Write A Novel (a novel) by Melanie Sumner. See the full review.

To be honest, the book was dull to me. The situation in Aris' family was tragic and depressing. I struggled to stay engaged with this story and I did not feel connected to the characters. I think that readers who enjoy realistic fiction and do not mind dysfunctional families might be more connected to this story. 

A new student review of Lantern Sam and the Blue Streak Bandits by Michael D. Beil

masongill posted a new student review of Lantern Sam and the Blue Streak Bandits by Michael D. Beil. See the full review.

What I liked about this book is that the characters seemed very realistic. My favorite was Sam because he was very sarcastic and humorous. Even though Sam is a cat that talks, in the story it seemed normal and fun. The story was very intruiging and had a lot twists, turns and suprises.  I also think the author did a good job on having Sam's ability to talk and be a detective seem normal. One thing I did not like about the book is that the author didn't really introduce Henry very well at the start. I felt that it took a while to get to know Henry.

A new student review of The Drowning Shark by Stormy Sweitzer Will Swanepoel

Sweetfable posted a new student review of The Drowning Shark by Stormy Sweitzer Will Swanepoel. See the full review.

This book discussed topics I have a real interest in, and it approached them in a very serious way. After all, cruelty to animals is nothing to laugh about. Not only was it good to see a novel that discussed this topic, I also learned a lot while reading it.

 

I really enjoyed how fast-paced this novel was; it kept me interested and engaged. I also enjoyed the characters. I was able to connect with them despite the incredible situations they found themselves in. This book got me excited for any future adventures with these characters.

A new student review of In Real Life by Lawrence Tabak

khoef241 posted a new student review of In Real Life by Lawrence Tabak. See the full review.

In Real Life is all right, but I did find it to be a bit predictable. One would not write about a videogamer seeking glory if he does not find it. Also, by creating a hostile environment (two living quarters, the fighting parents, a rude brother, and a poor father-son relationship) the author really set up the average brooding teenage boy who hides himself away from the world to play video games and escape reality.

As well as his brother's playboy lifestyle, the reader can only assume Seth would find attraction and distraction in a girl. Foreshadowing is all right when done in moderation, but I believe this particular book holds too much. I also don't think the book will reach its intended audience because of the structure. In fact, I can't really tell who the audience is supposed to be. If the book is meant for gamer girls then I believe you have a hit, yet that is an extremely small audience. Given that it is a growing population, I find it hard to believe that the author only intended it for that particular audience.

For gamer boys I believe that, depending on their taste, not many would read it, and the ones who do probably wouldn't finish it. As for the rest of the teenage population, the author goes into too much depth of the actual video game. As a nongamer, most of the references to the game were confusing, and the pages spent on Seth sitting and playing had me tempted to put down the book and not come back. To be a true hit, I believe the author should have revised based on the audience he was trying to pinpoint and tweak the details to fit. 

A new student review of Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau

moseso posted a new student review of Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau. See the full review.

The sequel to Ship of Dolls: Dolls of Hope, is a captivating story of friendship and bravery. The author did a superb job of developing characters. Immediately jumping into action while slowly developing the characters over the course of the book was an excellent way to attach the readers to eleven-year-old Chiyo. The author wrote the story in such a way that the reader feels everything the main character goes through.

 

Not knowing how culture was in the 1900s in Japan, I am not sure how adults felt about young children traveling alone. Towards the end of the story, Chiyo takes a train all by herself and travels a long way. The conductor and other adults on the train never question why she is alone. I found this perplexing and question whether is it historically and culturally accurate. 

 

Having read the previous book, I thoroughly enjoyed reading the sequel. Dolls of Hope is a wonderful continuation of the story that began in Ship of Dolls, however it is important to note that if a girl was to pick up this book without having read the other, she would relish the story just as much and not feel as if she missed something. Dolls of Hope is a delightful tale that any girl should read.  

 

A new student review of Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen

aliviathesmartee posted a new student review of Sammy Keyes and the Showdown in Sin City by Wendelin Van Draanen. See the full review.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It had many twists and turns and was very exciting to read.  I liked how the personalities of each character were so different and alive, while still realistic. I also admired how the mystery was so unusually solved, and how readers could so easily relate to many of the situations.

 

One thing I disliked was how the suspense of the mystery wasn’t really strong at many points. Another was how the story was a bit slow, and could have been more action-paced.

 

Overall, this was a great read, and I can’t wait to read more of this series!

 

A new student review of Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee

Wayway28 posted a new student review of Firefly Hollow by Alison McGhee. See the full review.

The reason I rate this book five stars was how humorous and adventurous it was. I also liked how it took place in an animal/bug point of view. If you like books that are silly, adventurous, and a little bit sad then I recommend  this book. I will share this book with everyone I can and cherish it for a long time. My favorite character was Water Vole because of his leadership and wisdom. My favorite part of this book was the ending. I liked how they all lived happily ever after. 

A new student review of Hanna's Suitcase by Karen Levine

Cranberry posted a new student review of Hanna's Suitcase by Karen Levine. See the full review.

This story alternates in time periods and points of view - changing perspectives from Fumiko to Hana. It was a little challenging to remember what happened in each section. The book contained many pictures of Hana, Fumiko and other important characters that help the reader understand the book better and to get a better picture in their head of what the time period was like.

This was the only book that I have read about the Holocaust that hasn't really focused on Adolf Hitler. It really targeted Hana's journey and Fumiko's desire to find out what happened to Hana.

The way the author wrote the book made the characters relatable. It was almost as if Hana was alive during this time period. Overall, I thought the book was a good short read about trying to learn from previous mistakes and trying to make the world better.