A new student review of Once Upon a Time University by Savannah Ostler

lovereading posted a new student review of Once Upon a Time University by Savannah Ostler. See the full review.

Once Upon a Time University has a fairytale basis with a sneak peek at real life on a university campus. The characters in this book fit together very well. Placing tragedies here and there only tests Albany's endurance and shows the readers how far she is willing to go to help, save, or defeat someone else. All good books must have a plot that draws you in and this book has and did exactly that. I hope you enjoy this fairytale campus like I did. Happy Reading!

A new student review of Dawn's End by Bonnie Ferrante

khoef241 posted a new student review of Dawn's End by Bonnie Ferrante. See the full review.

I thought Dawn's End was very well written. I adored the story line and the twisted plot. Nicole was cheated on previously so she doesn't want to love again, but Morrel is her dream man. 

One thing I didn't enjoy was the ending; I thought the last two pages seemed rushed. Maybe the story could have followed them a little bit farther, until they settle in or return to the villiage.

Overall, I thought it was a great read and I would highly recommend it. 

A new student review of A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee

SoccerGirl15 posted a new student review of A Most Magical Girl by Karen Foxlee. See the full review.

This book is almost impossible to put down, the story makes you worry that the evil Mr. Angel will actually win. It has lots of action and suspense along the way. Overall A Most Magical Girl is a great book. I like how every chapter starts with a saying from Annabel’s old life. One thing I didn’t like was that whenever you hear Mr. Angel talking it’s in italics. I think that it should be separated with a different chapter. Fans of Harry Potter and dark wizards will enjoy this novel.

A new student review of Corrupt Practices by Robert Rotstein

PhilipDeGroot posted a new student review of Corrupt Practices by Robert Rotstein. See the full review.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Corrupt Practices. The characters were very unique and intriguing to get to know, but that made them more difficult to relate to. The plot was very well thought through, leaving no plot holes, but at the same time explaining all the events in the book very thoroughly. The book was written in present tense, which made it a little awkward every once in a while, but I stillI didn’t want to put the book down. There were many surprises and twists in the story that I wanted to keep on reading and find out how it ended, which made me largely forget about the sometimes distracting tense. The main problem I found with the book was the frequency of overly sexual descriptions. While I could get past some of the language found in the book, I did not think these pictures were necessary, but rather that they detracted from the overall quality of the book. In conclusion, for a mature reader, this book is a suspenseful legal thriller unlike anything I have ever read, and I would definitely recommend it. Unfortunately, for a younger or less mature reader, the language and inappropriate scenes make it a no-go.

A new student review of Disneylanders by Kate Abbott

PASTERSY01 posted a new student review of Disneylanders by Kate Abbott. See the full review.

I think this was a wonderful book to read, and I could never put it down! Abbott does a wonderful job of creating the setting, and developing the characters. You can tell she probably had fun writing this, considering all the laughable moments she's included in the book. This was certaintly a different genre than I would usually choose to read, but I'm glad I read it!  People who like to read young adult books, and reading about the obstacles teenagers face should read this book. The character interactions in the book are awesome! Abbott really makes the characters come to life, and makes the mean girls Casey encounters feel real not just stereotypical mean girls in a story. She also makes Casey relatable to readers that have a hard time getting over change. Casey is such a well developed character that the story just comes alive. 

A new student review of Shades of Blue by Joyce Scarbrough

cello1 posted a new student review of Shades of Blue by Joyce Scarbrough. See the full review.

Shades of Blue is honestly one of the best books I have ever read. I felt like I was Jojo, the narrator, while I read this book. I felt like I was actually a part of this story and I was there to witness everything. Joyce Scarbrough, the author, did an amazing job at writing this book to pull the reader into the story and make the reader feel everything as if it were happening to their own life. I loved both Jojo and Sam’s characters and I loved the relationship they had with each other. This book was definitely a heartfelt tearjerker. Out of all the books I have read, I think this is the only one that really brought tears to my eyes. This story gives hope, not only to abusive families, but anyone that is going through a rough point in their life, that everything will be okay, and there is always a way out, regardless of the situation. I could not thank the author enough for creating this wonderful story. I definitely recommend this book to anyone, especially readers that are searching for hope, faith, and maybe even love.

A new student review of Ninja Timmy by Henrik Tamm

Jatay posted a new student review of Ninja Timmy by Henrik Tamm. See the full review.

I liked this book because there were a lot of funny characters. Each character had their own unique personality. I also liked that there was always a lot of action, but never too much violence.This was a fast book to read. I didn't really like that there were illustrations, because then you couldn't imagine how the characters looked yourself. If you like stories with animals as the main characters, you will love this book. Overall, it was a really good read.   

A new student review of Happily Ever After High School by Savannah Ostler

MistySpirit posted a new student review of Happily Ever After High School by Savannah Ostler. See the full review.

I liked the concept behind Happily Ever After High School, however, I did not like the way the characters were developed and acted. I found it hard remembering that they were seniors in high school instead of middle schoolers. A lot of the reactions to simple things did not seem to fit the older age group.  Also, a lot of the events in the book seemed cliché to me, such as how Albany became friends with the popular group of girls, only to be stabbed in the back by them later. Or how the day she needed her knight in shining armor, he was suddenly missing. And I could often predict what would happen before I read it. Still, I think the ideas behind Happily Ever After High School are good, but it would probably appeal more to younger MS readers than to true HS students.

A new student review of Either the Beginning or the End of the World by Terry Farish

Star360 posted a new student review of Either the Beginning or the End of the World by Terry Farish. See the full review.

A well-written dysfunctional family is one of my favorite literary tropes, and Sofie’s messy New Hampshire clan didn’t fail to disappoint. 

As a sixteen-year-old myself, I found Sofie to be perfectly believable. She is smart, but not an insane genius; angry at her mother, but not hateful; loyal to her friends, but always staying true to herself. Her romance with Luke is wonderfully complex. Like any teenager with their first significant other, Sofie is nervous and bright-eyed at the beginning, but matures as the relationships develops. After all, Luke is an adult and she is a teenager, though their roles are sometimes reversed when Luke’s PTSD strikes. Readers will fall in love with the couple, while serious warnings from the author will remind them of harsh realities preventing the characters from maintaining a long-lasting relationship.

Another fascinating dynamic is that of Sofie and her mother. Sofie’s anger at her mother is merited, to be sure. Being abandoned had to be a traumatic experience. Finding out her mother’s backstory was the really interesting part, though. Cambodia isn’t a country that appears very often in YA fiction.

One of the best things about this book is how short it is. Drawn-out trilogies can get tiring, so I was delighted to find such a worthwhile book with less than 200 pages.

Either the Beginning or the End of the World is a unique exploration of a teenaged girl's quest to save her family and find herself.

A new student review of Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff

hawkreader10 posted a new student review of Until I Find Julian by Patricia Reilly Giff. See the full review.

In my opinion, Until I Find Julian was a good book. The characters all possessed very realistic traits and I really found myself rooting for Mateo and the others. This book was the perfect length and kept my attention with just the right amount of characters and details. One of the things that I liked most about the book was the small amounts of Spanish that the author included. I think this book is appropriate for all kids age 8 and older. It will also be especially enjoyed by readers that are fans of Esperanza Rising, a similar novel.