A new student review of The Fog of Forgetting by Genevieve Morgan

lexyroberts posted a new student review of The Fog of Forgetting by Genevieve Morgan. See the full review.

This book was an adventure book. I like how the author put a lot of detail into it, but some parts were a bit boring. The book was confusing and hard to understand at times. There were a lot of things going on at once in the story, which made it confusing. One thing the author could have done differently is have each conflict happen in one period of time instead of having them happen all at once. Although the book was confusing, I liked the plot of the story.  

A new student review of Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher by Jon Meacham

Star360 posted a new student review of Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher by Jon Meacham. See the full review.

 

Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher is a wonderful stepping-stone book for young readers ages 10 and up who have a base in American history. It is told in the classic cradle-to-grave fashion, so there is a lot of material to cover, but there is large print and reasonably sized chapters. The reader is seamlessly guided from Jefferson’s privileged childhood to his dramatic years in politics. Jefferson’s many interests, like his passion for books and archeology, along with his love for the United States, form the backbone of the 320-page book. Kids will enjoy finding such fun facts throughout the book. However, Meacham does not shy away from Jefferson’s problems with married women or the appalling Sally Hemings affair. Readers of all ages will be intrigued by the many photographs, charts, maps, and extra facts about the times that dot the chapters. One of the best parts about the book is that it includes many special features at the end. Among them are excerpts from Jefferson’s notebook, a family tree, a timeline, and a list of places in the U.S. and France that honor him. All of those factors combine to make Thomas Jefferson: President and Philosopher a winning book for curious kids!

A new student review of Lies in the Dust by Jakob Crane

MezokaCapturer65 posted a new student review of Lies in the Dust by Jakob Crane. See the full review.

This is a very serious and atmospheric book. When I first saw it I thought I would have a hard time discerning the characters because of the art style, but it was actually easy because the dialogue was clear and there weren’t many characters to keep track of. Ann was a very good character, and in this short graphic novel I found myself loving her. She is exactly the kind of character I like, loyal but knows where her loyalties belong. The way that the images in the book are set up reminded me of an intense historical movie, and it was very engaging. There was never anything excessive here, everything seemed important and was in its appropriate place. The back and forth in the time periods during which the book takes place helped to further develop Ann as a character, showing us the details of what happened in her past and how people in her current time period react to it. 

Another great aspect to this story was the relatability given to a historical event. Even though nobody reading the book has been through what Ann has been through, the writer still does a fantastic job making the audience feel for her plight and remember times in their own lives that were similar but far less dramatic and disastrous, such as submitting to peer pressure. All in all, what was accomplished in this short graphic novel was more memorable and well thought out than most people would expect, and I loved every page. Because of the intensity and serious tone, I would recommend this book to those in 7^th grade or above, and to those who love historical fiction. Even if one does not like graphic novels, this is definitely one of the best I’ve ever read.

A new student review of Out of the Tunnel by Patrick Jones

carverreader posted a new student review of Out of the Tunnel by Patrick Jones. See the full review.

I feel that this is a well writen book with great morals and a strong concept. I think it will appeal to boys because it's about football and also appeal to teens because it is told through a teen's viewpoint.

A new student review of The Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe

Boomer123 posted a new student review of The Never Girls by Kiki Thorpe. See the full review.

I love how the author added baking treats into this book.  People like to bake delicious treats and sometimes people like to read stories with baking in them.  I also love how four girls travel to a fairy world, through Gabby’s closet.    

I was looking forward to the big block party for the Davidson’s family.  They had so many games and activities to do.  My favorite station that they described at the block party was the game station.  I knew some of the games they wrote about.  My second favorite station was the pet care.  It was fun to read about the big party and it made me feel like I should plan a party too.  If you like fairies and baking you should read this book.     

A new student review of Kate the Great by Suzy Becker

nictaf posted a new student review of Kate the Great by Suzy Becker. See the full review.

Kate the Great is an excellent book and I cannot wait until book two is out.  Suzy Becker outdid herself on this great story.  All the story was very well-described, like when Kate described the students' zombie trance that happens in school.  It's like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, in that it includes cartoon-like pictures and funny comments on the side.  This book is so funny it made me laugh, and it will make you laugh, too.  I would recommend this book for ages eight and up.

A new student review of Spartanica by Powers Molinar

jotaf posted a new student review of Spartanica by Powers Molinar. See the full review.

Spartanica is an awesome book that is chock-full of suspense and action.  I never wanted to put it down.  It was very creative in a way that was lifelike in parts.  The author, Powers Molinar, made the characters very likable. A part in the book that I really enjoyed was when Ty was dreaming his Aunt Andi was making chocolate crepes and bacon for breakfast when he was actually asleep in the woods.  A part I didn't like about the book was that each chapter switched between the perspectives of three people, which made it confusing.   But it wasn't so confusing that I couldn't understand it; it made me pay more attention to each chapter.  This book was so great it left me eagerly anticipating book two.  I would recommend this book to ages eleven through eighteen. 

A new student review of The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa

Lucy posted a new student review of The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa. See the full review.

I really liked the book although I was missing some of the information because I had began with the 3^rd book, not knowing that it was a series. Even if you do start with the 3^rd book, I was still able to know what’s going on after reading more into it. It’s a really great book with an amazing ending that was also bittersweet. It had a lot of emotions and sad scenes, and I cried reading the ending. It’s a really touching book for me. 

A new student review of Vic: Mongol by Jerry Gill

Gwendolyn posted a new student review of Vic: Mongol by Jerry Gill. See the full review.

I took an immediate liking to the protagonist of this book, Vic Challenger. Vic is a confident, astute, curious, and resourceful individual. Although she loves pretty dresses, cloche hats, and the color pink, Vic can take care of herself, doesn't mind getting into messy situations, and doesn't conform to the sexist double standards of her era. She has the most amazing sense of adventure and determination. She reminded me of Nancy Drew in a sense, or of a female Indiana Jones. I admit that I see the better parts of myself in Vic Challenger, even though she is highly fictional. However, apart from Vic, the characters and conversations in Vic: Mongol felt somewhat stiff, bland and hard to connect with. Vic: Mongol by Jerry Gill felt like it wanted to be similar to the classic adventure/mystery stories by Jules Verne, Rudyard Kipling, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Agatha Christie that I adore, but unfortunately it hardly lived up to what I wanted it to be. This is why I wish that it could have been a better read, because I see the potential in it. This book felt like a badly written draft. Many of the sentences seem unfinished, oddly phrased, and even missing words. While reading this novel I continually came across grammatical errors. I also came across several run-on sentences, which made it difficult to read without stopping to look over each paragraph a few times. In most cases it felt like either too much unnecessary information was being provided, or the complete opposite where it felt lacking and unfinished. As the author kept adding new adventures, the initial concept of the book became blurrier as it went along. I feel that this book has too much going on at once, to the extent that it lost my interest as a reader. However, I do admire how this novel was definitely unique while still being reminiscent of classic literature. It has a very promising concept and main character, nevertheless I think that Jerry Gill's work could have had alterations before being published. Although a propitious read in theory, I regrettably feel that Vic: Mongol by Jerry Gill is a mediocre novel at best.

A new student review of Seasons of Raina by Milissa Nelson

SarahLou posted a new student review of Seasons of Raina by Milissa Nelson. See the full review.

I really like this book especially when they rented a cabin. It took me a long time to finish it and I’m sorry about that but I did not want to miss anything, there are so many little details. I think that change can be for the best sometimes atleast in this book.  I think that Seasons of Riana is a great book and that there needs to be another one because it kind of was a cliff hanger and because it was a good book.  Season's of Raina encouraged me to try new things and not be shy.