A new student review of Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway

WillB posted a new student review of Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey by Alex Milway. See the full review.

Pigsticks and Harold and the Incredible Journey could be a little bit more exciting. There wasn't enough action for me.  I think that all or at least one of the characters should tell their feelings. I do not like that the author brought up characters but did not tell much about them in the beginning of the story when Pigsticks was interviewing assistants.  The book has many pages without much writing because of the many illustrations.  I do not suggest this book for 7 year-old and older readers.

A new student review of See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles

Melissa32301 posted a new student review of See You at Harry's by Jo Knowles. See the full review.

I liked this book a lot; it shows what it’s like to have a family that is always too busy for you. Knowles combined a lot of themes in this book: family, sexuality, tragedy, and bullying. She didn’t put all of these things into one person; she put them in a dysfunctional family. I think that Knowles could’ve improved this book by adding a point of view from each member of Fern's family. Have a chapter for Sara, then one for Holden, one for her mom, one for her dad, and one for Charlie. It would’ve allowed more people to relate to the characters. We’d get to know more about the rest of her family, and we’d be able to relate to the rest of them. 

A new student review of Truth in Patience: Book 3 in The Patience Trilogy by Beth Fehlbaum

Sweetfable posted a new student review of Truth in Patience: Book 3 in The Patience Trilogy by Beth Fehlbaum. See the full review.

I liked this book because it felt real in a variety of different ways. Although I have never been through any of the experiences that Ashley had, I still felt a connection to her. While I didn’t agree with her actions at times, she had gone through so much that it was usually easy to understand why she did what she did. Even though I couldn’t relate directly with Ashely’s experiences, I could relate because I am a teenager, so I know many of the things that teenage girls have to go through.

I am not a fan of swearing, and this book had a lot in it. But I know that swearing is part of real life, so that gave it a more realistic feel.

I believe that people who have been in similar circumstances as Ashley will definitely have a connection to this book and will perhaps enjoy it even more than I did. Overall, this was a good read, and I recommend it for those looking to find some light at the end of the dark tunnel of their current life situation.

A new student review of Truth in Patience: Book 3 in The Patience Trilogy by Beth Fehlbaum

Sweetfable posted a new student review of Truth in Patience: Book 3 in The Patience Trilogy by Beth Fehlbaum. See the full review.

I liked this book because it felt real in a variety of different ways. Although I have never been through any of the experiences that Ashley had, I still felt a connection to her. While I didn’t agree with her actions at times, she had gone through so much that it was usually easy to understand why she did what she did. Even though I couldn’t relate directly with Ashely’s experiences, I could relate because I am a teenager, so I know many of the things that teenage girls have to go through.

I am not a fan of swearing, and this book had a lot in it. But I know that swearing is part of real life, so that gave it a more realistic feel.

I believe that people who have been in similar circumstances as Ashley will definitely have a connection to this book and will perhaps enjoy it even more than I did. Overall, this was a good read, and I recommend it for those looking to find some light at the end of the dark tunnel of their current life situation.

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!