A new student review of The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder

CalMarie posted a new student review of The Museum of Heartbreak by Meg Leder. See the full review.

Meg Leader does a brilliant job compelling readers with the structure of this story. She introduces characters with style and weaves an intricate tale full of the up and downs that we call life. The main character Pen has a lovely personality full of fragile innocence worn through her first experiences of love and the hardships that life brings.

A new student review of Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls by Raymond Arroyo

Jonah Ross posted a new student review of Will Wilder: The Relic of Perilous Falls by Raymond Arroyo. See the full review.

This was an exceedingly good book. This is definitely a great new addition to the genres of fantasy fiction and adventure. It has suspense, adventure, fantastic characters, and witty dialogue.  The author wrote the book based on the Catholic faith, as well as adding some interesting twists as well. He combined sharing the beliefs of many people with a good story that calls for attention and will be a great success. This book will serve as a model for good literature in the future.

A new student review of Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh

jotaf posted a new student review of Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh. See the full review.

I thought this book was amazing!  I loved every bit of it -- the idea behind the book, the characters, and everything else.  The characters were very well developed; I felt as if they could be real people that I might meet in my everyday life.  The conversations were very natural.  Also, I loved the idea of the spheres; the idea of colored orbs that could physically improve you in some way or another was very fascinating.  I know with some books when you read the summary, and then read the book, it lets you down.  But this was definitely not the case with this one.  It did take a bit of a strange turn at the end, but I felt like it somewhat worked together with the story.  This book kept my attention from the first page to the last with mass amounts of action.  I would recommend this book to ages 12 and up, as there is some mature wording and themes.

A new student review of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni by Marlene Sosebee

BG posted a new student review of Boudica, Queen of the Iceni by Marlene Sosebee. See the full review.

Boudica Queen of the Iceni was not exactly what I expected. In historical fictions I like to have a lot of history woven into a brightly illustrated story. For me, it’s first about the history, then the fiction story that weaves it together. Boudica Queen of the Iceni isn’t a book I’d readily recommend along the historical lines, although there is the story line of the invasion and affliction of the Celts. On the other hand if you have an interest in astrology or the zodiac you would enjoy this book as it describes these in detail using each character in the book. As each character is introduced you get a good description of their zodiac signs and the character traits they portray.      

A new student review of Fairalon by T.J. Roberts

cowboys1 posted a new student review of Fairalon by T.J. Roberts. See the full review.

I have to start by mentioning the illustrations in this book are quite unique! They appear animated and are super colorful. I only read a digital copy of this book, so they are probably even more stunning on the printed page! The story caught my attention right away. I read almost 100 pages in the first sitting! I enjoyed seeing Iris change from a depressed girl with very low self-esteem to a confident hero! T.J. Roberts did an excellent job building her character and painting a descriptive scene of Fairalon, which is sure to make every reader wish they could visit this magical place!

A new student review of Brother XII's Treasure by Amanda Spottiswoode

hawkreader10 posted a new student review of Brother XII's Treasure by Amanda Spottiswoode. See the full review.

If you like stories that mix adventure and historical fiction, you will find Brother XII's Treasure to be a very quick and enjoyable read. The book had a little bit of a slow start because all seven characters were introduced in great detail. But after the story really got started, I was pulled into the action and couldn't put it down. Author Amanda Spottiswoode created very realistic, interesting characters. As a result, I was caught up in their adventures and rooting for them when things got tough. She also described the ship, scenery, and people they met in such detail that I left like I was watching a movie of the book as I read it. Overall, the plot of the book was good, with enough suspense to keep me reading, and a satisfying ending. However, I believe the book would have been better with fewer characters. There were a lot of them to keep track of, and the first few chapters were mainly devoted to introducing all of them. I think that this book is great for late elementary students to early middle school students. Overall this book was a great read!    

A new student review of The Terrible Two Get Worse by Jory John Mac Barnett

SoccerGirl15 posted a new student review of The Terrible Two Get Worse by Jory John Mac Barnett. See the full review.

Overall this is an amazing book and I strongly recommend it. If you like humor and comics, this book is for you.

The story combines pranking with a little bit of friendship. My favorite prankster of the two boys is Niles, the smart kid who pretends to be stuck up but pranks well. Miles comes up with lots of ideas that are sometimes good but sometimes bad. I chose Niles because he has some great pranks and he seems like an undercover spy. I see Niles as someone who really thinks about the plans that Miles comes up with and finds a way for them to work. Niles' smartness is very helpful when it comes to planing ahead of time and when strategy comes in. 

A new student review of Dolls of Hope by Shirley Parenteau

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

This book is one of the most concise novels I have ever read. The combination of adventure in a new place and the exciting mysteries of what is to come, makes a book that grabs your attention and holds it there. Chiyo is this high-sprited, brave girl who comes to a strange school to learn new things and tries to make the best of any situation, even in the worst of times! This is a book I would read over and over again because I feel a connection with the real world, with history, with fantasy, and with the heart, soul, and mind the author put into this book that makes it worthwhile to read. I guarentee you, the second you pick this book up and start reading it, you won't be able to put it down. Happy Reading!

A new student review of Somewhere in the Middle by Linda Palmer

thudson36 posted a new student review of Somewhere in the Middle by Linda Palmer. See the full review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Somewhere in the Middle by Linda Palmer. This novel captured my attention from the very beginning and held my interest until the very end. The plot moved along at a nice pace, making me want to keep reading at each chapter break.

I found the storyline interesting and really enjoyed the science fiction elements. I also loved the complex and intriguing characters. The author did a great job of developing the character of Everly and steered clear of typical teenage girl stereotypes. Even though she was in a relationship, Everly was portrayed as independent and strong, something I feel is rare for female characters in love stories.

I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone looking for the perfect mix between a love story and science fiction.

A new student review of Gray Zone by Veronica Tabares

Melissa32301 posted a new student review of Gray Zone by Veronica Tabares. See the full review.

Gray Zone sheds light on the issue of cyber bullying that occurs across the world. It showed the effects of bullying and the power behind words. Tabares did a great job with her characters, she made them very relatable and allowed us to truly understand what it's like to be bullied. It's hard to change who you are, and instead of pretending that Autumn just stopped being shy and became outgoing like some authors might, Tabares showed the struggle Autumn had. By the end of the book Autumn started to help other people who were being bullied; she tried to stop cyber bullying.