Class of 2015 Recommends...

The Thief Lord

2008-06-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

by Cornella Funke

I chose this book because it inspired me to be a writer which I have wanted to be since I was four years old. This story is about two boys who run away from their guardians to Venice. When I think of Venice I think of a place with many unsolved mysteries. When I first learned this book was about Venice I knew I would love it. The two boys are Prosper and Bo and they are brothers. When they get to Venice they team up with a young gang of criminals whose leader is named Scripto.

Prosper and Bo's guardians hire a detective to go looking for the brothers. The detective is Victor. Victor does not like Prosper and Bo's guardians. When he finally meets Bo and takes on the name, the piegon man, he learns to like the boys and the gang they joined. Soon the gang of kids get caught up in a crime that is far over their heads, and there is still a secret that Scripto hasn't revealed...what will happen to them?

The Fire Within

2008-06-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

by Chris D'Lacey

When David become a tenant of Lucy, and her mother Liz, what he gets is NOT what he had in mind. For example, he knows that dragons aren't real, so how is it that he sees Liz and Lucy treating clay dragone as real ones, and he is sure it is his imagination when he sees the dragons moving about the house without being moved. Then, who is this Conker that Lucy speaks of? Why does she look for him and why is Liz annoyed that Lucy hunts for him?

How does Liz kill her dragons, with nothing in the killing room but other clay dragons, and how is it that his own present, his clay dragon named Gadzooks, changes his facial expressions? He is made of clay afterall. And here is the most important, and strangest question of all: How is it, that the story he writes for Lucy's birthday present using Gadzooks as a muse actually come s true?! Can they use the ending of the story to save Conker's life, before the neighbor kills him?

I can't tell you. You have to read the book.

Annie J

Tuck Everlasting

2008-06-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

by Natalie Babbit

Tuck Everlasting is a book about a girl named Winnie. She lives in a town called Treegap. Winnie feels that her parents are overprotective because she is an only child. She has always wanted to run away but is afraid to do so. Her family owns a wood a little down the road from her house. She is curious about it, so she decides to run away to the wood.

When she is there, hiding in the bushes, she sees a boy, Jesse, drinking some water. He sees her so she has to come out of the bushes. When she goes to drink some of the water, Jesse will not let her. She does not understand. Why can't she drink some of the water? As they are arguing, his mother Mae, and his brother, Miles come along. They grab Winnie and stick her on a horse to take her to their house.

They stop after after a little bit and start to tell her a story about the water. If you drink the water in the spring you can never die. Winnie does not know if she can believe them. They say that they will take her home in the morning. When they finally get there Winnie sees that their house is very unorganized, something that she is not used to. It is as whole new world for Winnie. They can eat dinner on the floor and then Tuck, Jesse's father, and Winnie go for a boat ride in a pond right next to their house. Tuck and Weenie have a very serious conversation about why Winnie should keep their secret. The next morning Miles and Winnie go fishing. When they are eating breakfast they hear a knock at the door. Who could it be? Is Winnie going to get home? Can the story about the spring be true?

You know what you have to do to find out.

Tally W

The Frog Princess

2008-06-06T09:33:00.000-07:00

by E.D. Baker

This book is a takeoff of the fairytale, The Princess and the Frog but instead of the frog turning into a prince, the princess turns into a frog! It all starts when Prince Jorge comes to visit, and the Princess Emeralda (or Emma) wants to get as far away from him as possible. She plans to go to the swamp; a place she thinks is magical. She fumbles around, scaring some dragonflies nearby. A frog who was going to catch them for his lunch gets very upset and they start to argue. The frog says he is Prince Eadric of Upper Montevista and a kiss will turn him back into a human. Emma does not believe him at all, and walks away.

She goes back to the palace to see her Aunt Grassna, a nice witch who has been teaching Emma magic. Though Emma is not the best at it, her Aunt is always kind, and never makes fun of her like her mom does. Emma asks her aunt about the frog, and Grassina says that a spell wouldn't be strong enough to change him back into a prince, so Emma is left with no choice.

She goes back to the swanp and kisses the frog (a better choice to kiss him than Jorge, right?) and feels tingly inside and a gray cloud fills her head. She opens her eyes to be no longer a princess but a green, wet, slimy frog!

I like this book because it is all about her adventures as a frog, from hopping to eating flies and worms. It is very funny and impossible to put down.

Anna B

Esperanza Rising

2008-06-06T08:05:00.001-07:00

by Pam Munoz Ryan

Espranza is a girl who loves to run free. She lived on her family ranch in Mexico. She was very rich and always stayed close with her Papa and Abuelita, which means, grandma. Tradegy strikes her father and he never returns home. More misforturne strikes her home and they are forced to flee to California where they settle in a camp for Mexican farm workers. Esperanza is not ready for all of the work put upon her. When her mother gets sick, she thinks her life could not get worse.

This book had happy and sad parts. When I read it I felt like I was standing next to Esperanza as she took each step. Pam Munoz Ryan has written many other great books. This is can be classisfied as adventure, and also fantasy. In my opinion it is one of the best books written in the whole world.

I am recommending this book because while you read it, you feel that you and the book are the only things in the world. Reading it makes you feel free and all of your cares disappear. This is the kind of book you want to cuddle up to in bed with a flashlight and read all night, hoping your parents don't catch you. I hope you enjoyed my recommendation and I hope you read and take pleasure in this book as I did!

Anne M

Harriet the Spy

2008-06-06T08:01:00.000-07:00

by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy is about a girl, Harriet M. Welsch, who dreams about being a spy. She makes spy routes, she goes on little, “spy adventures” and she writes down everything she notices in her spy notebook. Everyday she spends a few minutes writing down what happened that day – who she likes or doesn’t like and so on.

One day while in the park her book ends up in the wrong hands and all of her friends and classmates sen the good and bad things she has written about them. Of course, all of her friends turn on her and the school year begins to fall apart, but can Harriet piece her friendships back together, or will her friends refuse to forgive her?

This is a wonderful story that will keep your nose in the book all day.

I relate to Harriet because I used to keep a diary myself.

Livy B

HATCHET

2008-06-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

by Gary Paulsen

I’m recommending the book, Hatchet. It’s about a boy named Brian Robeson. He is going to visit his father because his parents are divorced. He is flying in a single engine plane when the pilot has a heart attack and Brian is forced to land the plane. He ends up crashing it in a lake. Brian is left with nothing but his clothes, a quarter, three dimes, a nickel, two pennies, a fingernail clipping, a twenty-dollar bill, a hatchet ( a present from his mother), himself (his most important tool) and a secret – one that no one could forget. While struggling to survive Brian realizes that he’ll be changed forever.

I liked the book because it’s not your typical, “I’m-lost-in-the-woods-I need-food” kind of story where everything is so unrealistic. Although Hatchet is fiction and does seem unreal at points, it has more depth than most. I also liked this book because Brian expresses so many emotions throughout the book. It is a terrific book and I recommend it to anyone who likes a good fiction book.

Rebecca L

Missing Person #2- The Chocolate Lover

2008-06-06T06:15:00.000-07:00

by M.E Rabb

The Chocolate Lover is the sequel to the first book in the series, The Rose Queen. The second book is about a brand new case: The Chocolate lover. Sophie and Sam meet a man named Professor Leo Shattenberg. They think they might be related to him since they have the same last name- and they all are Jewish. Sam might have a love interest with Leo's grandson.

Trying to locate someone who has been missing for fifty years is a challenge for any private investigator. However, for Sophie and Sam , the real challenge is trying to figure out whether Professor Leo Shattenberg is also Cousin Leo, without exposing who they really are.

Case #2

Missing: Ruth Rivka Brauner, lost love of ProfessorShattenberg
Physical description: petite, slender, elderly. Loves chocolate.
Last seen: Hester Klein's boarding house,
Chicago, Illinois, April 1947

Allegra L

Bindi Babes

2008-06-06T05:50:00.000-07:00

by Narinder Dhami

Bindi Babes is the fantastic story about three sisters, Amber, Genna, and Jazz Dhillion, also known as the Bindi Babes. These three amazing sisters have a high reputation for being the coolest, best-dressed girls at their school. What everyone doesn’t know is that these sisters work hard at looking perfect and trying not to miss their mom who recently died. Soon an Aunt from India comes to live with the girls and their dad. This is exactly what the girls didn’t want to happen. Before you know it Auntie is interfering in everything the girls do and making rules, and their pushover dad is saying no to designer clothes and expensive sneakers. The girls come up with a plan: Marry auntie off to a man so she can no longer live with them. Will Genna, Jazz, and Amber succeed or will Auntie stay with them and make them just average girls?

Allegra L

Perfect

2008-05-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

By Natasha Friend

Perfect is an amazing book in so many ways. It is about a girl named Isabel Lee who is thirteen, and in eighth grade. She has an eating disorder called bulimia. This is when you force yourself to throw up for no reason except the fact you want to get skinny. Many children and teens die from this disease. One day Isabel’s sister finds out she has this disease because she caught her in the bathroom forcing herself to throw up. She tells her mom and her mom sends her to a therapy group for children with eating disorders.
On the first day of the class she walks into a room and standing on the couch right in front of her is one of the most popular girls in the school… Ashley. She then immediately thinks, “How can she be popular with this kind of disease?” So for once in her life Isabel begins to see that not all popular people are perfect. She still wonders if Ashley has told anybody. You can find out why Ashley is in therapy and if Isabel can overcome this horrible eating disorder by reading, Perfect.
I enjoyed this book because you can really feel the way the person in the book feels – from their point of view. Also, there are not many books on such serious matters that can really explain the problems. There are also a lot of cliff hangers which make you want to keep on reading this book.
I read Perfect because my sister had read it and had really enjoyed it. She said that it had been one of her favorite books and after I had read it I agree one hundred percent. Another person who also had enjoyed this book was Claire. So as you can see this book is one of my favorites and I think it might be one of yours too!

By Charlotte M.

The Cat Ate My Gymsuit

2008-04-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

by Paula Danziger

This book is about a girl named Marcy Lewis. She is in ninth grade and thinks that no one likes her because she is fat. A new English teacher named Ms Finney helps Marcy gain confidence and makes friends. Her students love her and think she is like no other teacher in the school.

Marie V.

The Adventure of Tom Sawyer

2008-04-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

by Mark Twain

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a book about one troublesome boy, who goes through many adventures with his friends. Even if he is not allowed, he will sneak out of his house when he is supposed to be sleeping or even go deep down in Mc-Dougal’s cave with his crush Becky Thatcher.

In the end Tom and Huckleberry Finn, (his best friend with not such a good reputation) find the treasure they were looking for. Then Huck becomes respectable and has money. This is an exciting, thrilling, and cliff hanging book.

Betsy L.

Freddy the Detective

2008-04-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

by Walter R. Brooks

Freddy is a very talented pig that lives on the Bean farm. He can read, write, and talk! This pig just finished reading, Sherlock Holmes, and loved the idea of being a detective. He decides the Bean farm needs a detective. Freddy takes on the job. After Freddy solves one case, all the animals on the farm want his help. The animals decide that the criminals will have to stay somewhere so they do not cause any more problems on the farm. They do indeed make a jail. They then want a judge so the criminals can be sentenced. Freddy works with the other animals on the farm to solve these cases. Freddy continues to solve cases including one really big one at the end.

Catherine F.

A Summer to Die

2008-04-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

by Lois Lowry

The Chalmers family has moved from the town to the country. This family moved because Dr. Chalmers, the father, is writing a book and needs it to be quiet to focus. Meg and Molly are the two girls. They both experience many hardships. Molly is prettier, but Meg is smarter. Meg is longing for a friend. Her wish comes true. Her new friend is Will Banks. Will made her feel pretty by saying she was pretty. That meant a lot to Meg. Will is an older man who is in his 70’s. Will owns the houses on the road including the one they are renting. Molly suddenly becomes ill and has to be rushed to the hospital. Meg thinks it is her fault that Molly is ill. She believes that because they had an argument the night before and she never said she was sorry.

Meg not only has Will as a friend, she has Ben and Maria too, who are also renting one of Will’s houses. Maria is expecting a baby. Molly got ill again and went back to the hospital. Meg’s new friendships make her like the country more

There are two main themes in this book. The fist one is caring: caring because Meg cares for molly and her friends. The second one is believing: believing because Meg believes that Molly will get through her hardships, and that Maria’s baby will be healthy.

Catherine F.

Ingo

2008-04-11T12:26:00.000-07:00

by Helen Dunmore 44444

I recommend Ingo. It is part fantasy, part adventure, and part mystery. This book takes place in modern day Cornwall, England.

Ingo is about a girl named Sapphire, called Sapphy. Sapphy has an older brother Conor. Sapphy is very happy with her brother, mother, and father. Then one night her father goes out on their boat, the Patty Gordon, and never comes back. Everyone thinks he has died.

About a year later Conor starts disappearing for hours on end. Sapphy goes down on the beach, and sees Conor with a girl. A week or two after that, she meets a merboy named Faro. She finds out that Faro’s sister Elvira, is the girl with Conor. Faro takes Sapphy deep into the ocean where she can’t breathe, but under the water, is Ingo, the land deep under the water. Because she and Conor are part Mer, they breathe adventure, not air.

Sapphy thinks her father was taken into the water by Faro and Elvira. She must find out without her mother or her boyfriend knowing.

I liked Ingo because it is exciting and pulls me in like the water pulls Sapphy.

Isabella B.

Nevermind

2008-04-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

by Avi

Nevermind is about a girl named Meg and a boy named Edward who are twins. They are like “night and day” - total opposites. Meg goes to an all girl’s school, and Edward goes to an all boy’s school. They want to start over with their friends and pretend that each other do not exist. But when Meg makes up an imaginary brother “Ted” who has a band and is a singer, she suddenly becomes popular. The most liked girl in Meg’s school, Kimberly, asks Meg to ask “Ted” if he could come with his band and play. Meg says yes. The next day Kimberly calls and Edward picks up. Suddenly, Kimberly falls in love with Edward! On the phone Edward says he can play, and that his bands name is, Nevermind. When Kimberly sees Meg at school, Meg came up with a name for the imaginary band. She thought of Nevermind as well.

There was a lot of twin telepathy. I will NOT tell you what happens, but Edward makes up a band with his friends, and gets a band room.

I loved this book because I was supposed to have a twin, and I would like to see how it might have turned out. I strongly recommend this book. It has a mixture of family, friendship, and disasters.

Kat W.

Heat

2008-04-11T11:47:00.000-07:00

by Mike Lupica

I picked the book called Heat. This book relates to me because it is about baseball and I like baseball a lot. Heat is about a boy named Miguel but everybody calls him Michael except his brother. Michael’s dad was shot and died because he was trying to help a woman who was being hit by a man. Now Michael is hiding from the people who want to put him in foster care.

Michael played Little League baseball and had a very good arm. He was the best pitcher on his team. One day Michael and his best friend Manny Cabrera were practicing at Macobs Dam Park. A girl appeared on the basketball courts who Michael knew from one of his pick up games. Michael chucked the ball over to her on a bounce and she threw it back on the fly. Michael did the same and then she did it again. Michael and Manny went over to meet her and asked her to play but she had to go. They found out her name was Ellie.

One day soon after this Michael and Manny were watching the Yankees - Michael’s favorite team. It was family night at the ball park. When they showed Michael's hero, El Grande, the pitcher, and his children, Michael noticed that Ellie was one of them! The next day when Michael talks to Ellie he was mean. He is mad because she didn’t tell him that she was El Grande’s daughter. Ellie runs away.

At the next little league game, even though his teams wins, Michael is told that he can’t play anymore. Why? Will he ever play again? Will Ellie ever show up again? Read the book and find out the answers for yourselves.

Olivia B.

Goodnight Mr. Tom

2008-04-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

by Michelle Magorian

Goodnight Mr. Tom is a wonderful and emotional book about a boy named Will, who is an evacuee during World War ll. All children had to leave London because of the bombings. They would go to the country while their parents usually stayed in London. Will is placed in the hands of Mr. Tom Oakley. At first Will feels very uncomfortable, but after a while he feels the exact opposite. Tom is very nice to him, and he has great friends including Zach, Carrie, Ginnie, Sammy (the dog) and lots more.

Will’s life is great until he has to go back to London because his mother is ill. His mother is horrible to him - she beats him and gives him bruises all over his legs. Will is not longing to stay but it is the right thing to do so he does. Will Will stay in London with his mom or will Tom get him back? Read this book to find out. IT’S WORTH IT!

Relation: I relate this book to me because my Dad used to live in London and also I love the country just like Will!

WARNING: BOOK GUARENTED TO MAKE YOU CRY. L L BUT ALSO SMILE! J J!

Olivia B

A Corner of the Universe

2008-04-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

by Ann M. Martin

A Corner of Our Universe is about a girl named Hattie who lives in the U.S.A. The summer she turned 12 may have well turned her life around. It was the summer Adam came.

When Adam’s ‘school’ closes he comes to stay at Hattie’s Nana and Papa’s house until they can find another ‘school’ for him. Even though Adam has some mental problems, he can still be a perfectly good friend.

When Hattie’s friends call Adam a freak, she wants to cry but she doesn’t. Then the circus comes to town! Hattie desperately wants to take Adam, but he is not allowed to go to the circus. That day at the circus, Hattie makes a new friend, Leila! Her adventures with Leila make her days at the circus fun even without Adam. Then they come up with a plan, to sneak Adam out of the house and into the circus. But when they go on the Ferris wheel Adam has a fit! Is their plan ruined?
Adam and Hattie learn that life is not always perfect and sometimes good things go, even if you don’t want them to. I liked this book because it had friends who stayed friends no matter what.

Julia T.

Pretty Is

2008-04-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

by Elizabeth Holmes

The book that I am recommending is called Pretty Is. It is about a girl, Erin, who has just been dumped by her best friend Kayla . Then Hannah, her other best friend gets an idea to cut Kayla’s hair. I won’t tell you what happens to Erin and Hannah the next day, but I will tell you a bit of what happens later in the story.

Hannah goes on vacation to California with her mom's sister and brother (her father left them) and leaves Erin at home in North Carolina. Now all Erin has is her older sister who is a major geek.

When she goes into middle school will ske be considered a geek as well because her little sister is a geek. Read the book Pretty Is to find out!

Julia T.

Gilda Joyce: The Ghost Sonata

2008-04-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

by Jennifer Allison

The book that I am recommending today is the third in the series. It is about a girl, Gilda Joyce, who has psychic abilities. When her best friend Wendy gets a chance to play in a piano competition, Gilda just has to go along. So off they go with the other students competing to Oxford, England. When they get there Gilda just knows there is a mystery that she has to solve. But what about all those tarot cards that keep coming up? And the number nine, is it bad luck? Gilda keeps having ghostly nightmares about that one strange little boy. Is he a ghost? Is he dead? More importantly, is he trying to tell Gilda something? When Wendy starts to see things, starts to hear things that aren’t there, Gilda gets worried.

How can she concentrate on Wendy when there are cute English boys to distract her?Read the book and find out!

Julia T.

The Pendragon Series

2008-04-11T11:16:00.000-07:00

by D.J. MacHale 44444

I recommend the Pendragon series. I am up to the third of eight of the books in the series. The story is about a fourteen-year old boy called Bobby Pendragon.

Bobby leads aa life as normal as any other fourteen- year old boy. He's the star of his school basketball team and has a mother and father, a little sister named Shannon and a golden retriever named Marley. The only thing that had ever seemed a little strange to him was his mother's brother, Uncle Press. Uncle Press seemed like a millionaire to Bobby and bought him cool gifts for his birthday and Christmas.

One day, Uncle Press takes Bobby to an abandoned subway station and his adventure begins. D.J. MacHale, the author, makes his books funny and full of cliff hangers. I would say he out-did himself big time.

Jazym B.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

2008-04-11T11:09:00.000-07:00

by Ann Brashares 44444

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants is about four teenage friends named Lena, Carmen, Bridget, and Tibby. They have known each other since they were born. Their moms took the same birthing class and were close friends until Bridget’s mom died. After that the mothers grew apart but the girls stayed best friends and they still are sixteen years later.

One day, Carmen found an old pair of pants in a store and something in her mind told her they were special. So she bought them and when she went home she threw them in her closet and forgot about them. Later in the year, Carmen invited Lena, Bridget, and Tibby over to her house. They were sitting on the bed talking when one of the girls walked over to Carmen’s closet and saw the pants. Bridget tried them on and they fit her perfectly. Lena tried them on and somehow they fit her perfectly as well. When Tibby tried them on and they fit her as perfectly as they fit the others, they all freaked out. How could the pants fit all those girls who had such different shapes and sizes??? It was decided that the pants were magical and would be known as the traveling pants.

During the summer, each girl had them for two weeks and they had to write about something exciting they did while wearing the pants. The pants could never be washed. The girls made a whole list of rules about what they could and couldn’t do while wearing the pants. It was decided that Lena should have the pants first because she was traveling to Greece, the farthest place from home.

Did Lena find her true love in Greece? Did Carmen find out a secret her dad had been keeping? Did Tibby make a new friend in danger? Did Bridget fall head over heels for her new soccer coach? Find out when you read this amazing story of four girls with an everlasting friendship and a magical pair of pants.

Allegra T.

Eldest

2008-04-10T16:21:00.000-07:00

by Christopher Paolini 44444

I have liked most of the books I have read, but the two I liked the most are Eragon and the sequel, Eldest. There are many questions answered in Eldest that you may have had at the end of Eragon. Are there any other dragons? Does Arya like Eragon? What do the Varden have in store for Eragon? Is Murtagh dead? How did Brom get to the Varden? How did Saphira’s egg get to Eragon? And many more, including the biggest question of them all…who is Eragon’s father?

I felt a connection to this book in many ways, but I think that the main reason is that I love fantasy books.

Annie J

Twilight

2008-04-09T17:49:00.000-07:00

by Stephanie Meyer 44444

I chose the book Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. This is a series which includes New Moon and Eclipse. I LOVED this book because it had romance, humor, and everything in adventure that was ever created. If you walk up to someone on the street and ask them what they think the best series is, they’ll probably say, “Harry Potter series is the best series.” When they hear that there is a new series out there, they will want to read it so badly! They will get hooked on Twilight!

Bella is a girl who has divorced parents (which is very difficult) and a crazy back and forth life. Bella finally decides that she wants to move to Forks, Washington to live with her dad so her mom can travel with her new husband (Bella’s stepdad).

When Bella moves all she sees around her is so GREEN. She has a very beautiful family but things seem weird all the time. She’s interested in an auburn haired boy named Edward. But Bella doesn’t know about his family and their secrets. This book is very interesting and such a cliffhanger!!!

Natasha B.

Uglies

2008-04-09T17:47:00.000-07:00

by Scott Westerfeld 44444

The Uglies is a book about a girl named Tally Youngblood. Here a very brief description of what she her life stages are: a littlie, an ugly, a pretty, a middle pretty, and a crumbly. This is the life of an average human being now on earth except for some people. Tally was going to be a regular human until her best friend left her on his 16th birthday to become a pretty and go to New Pretty Town. After Peris leaves Tally’s life gets turned upside down again when she meets Shay who is an outlaw. Should she go after Shay or should she become pretty like everyone else? Read the series to find out (The Uglies, The Pretties, The Specials, and Extras).

This book relates to me because Tally and I think a lot alike but I can change my mind again and again.

Natasha B.

Time Stops For No Mouse

2008-04-09T16:21:00.000-07:00

Michael Hoeye 44444

Hermux Tantamoq is an average mouse who works in his watch shop daily. In the evenings when he goes home, he spends time with his pet ladybug Terfle. Nothing really fascinating or extraordianary has happened to him. That changes when Linka Perflinger, daredevil pilot, drops off her watch to be repaired. The funny thing is, that Hermux, once he saw her, loved her immediately. To pick up her watch, a criminal looking rat comes to claim Linka’s watch- and Hermux knows something is wrong. Why would someone like that awful looking rat come to take Linka’s watch? Is he stealing it or is he a friend?

Before long, Hermux is entangled with an eccentric cosmetics tycoon, a sinister plastic surgeon, and a squad of ruthless lab rats. And he realizes too late that… nothing stops for a mouse.

I think that I don’t relate to anything in this book except that Terfle is Hermux’s pet, and I have a pet, or three.

I recommend Time Stops for No Mouse because I like mystery and adventure, which this book is. It sort of grabs you in with the two page chapters, and is really detailed.

Isabella B.

Gilda Joyce, Physic investigator

2008-04-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

By Jennifer Alison 44444

This book is the first in a series. The other books in the series have nothing to do with this one. It is about a girl named Gilda who lives with her mother and brother. Her dad died two years ago from cancer. Her mom is a nurse and her brother is a genius.
In this book Gilda is starting out as a physic investigator. She goes to San Francisco for the summer. She stays with her mothers long lost cousin, Mr. Splinter and his daughter, Juliet. They live in an old Victorian styled house that has a tower which is supposed to be haunted with ghosts. Gilda is very pleased and wants to find out who is haunting the tower and why she was told not to go up there.

Will she complete the mystery or not…..

-Claire H.

Horns and Wrinkls

2008-04-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

By Joseph Helgerson44444

Horns and Wrinkles, by Joseph Helgerson is a book full of adventure! It is also a story about friendship and kindness and doing the right thing. The main characters in the story are two children named Duke and Clair. Clair is the narrator of the story. Duke is a mean boy and considered a bully. His parents are very strict with him because he is so out of hand. Clair is a nice girl who always gets pushed around by Duke. Duke always makes fun of her for not wanting to go on any adventures. Clair love snakes, frogs and turtles. Her family hates that stuff and she is kind of an outsider to them especially her two older sisters. Her sisters hate reptiles.

One day Duke gets angry with Clair and takes Clair and dangles her off the side of the bridge. Duke threatens to drop her into the river below. While Clair is hanging over the bridge she is trying to look for her pet turtle that Duke threw into the river when he got mad at her. Clair’s turtle’s name is Lottie. While she is searching for Lottie, a queer old lady with no name passes by below in a little boat on the river. The old lady is wearing one orange tennis shoe, a blue flowery dress, and a red checkered apron. Her boat is red with yellow seats. She yells at Duke for holding a “young lady” over a bridge. Duke gets very angry at the old lady’s comments and drops Clair into the water. The old lady pulls Clair into her boat and stares into her eyes. Clair gets a little freaked out about this and she asks the old lady if she sees any thing in her eyes. She tells Clair that she sees crickets.

Clair and the old lady hear Duke screaming on the bridge. He is screaming because three older children are pushing him and saying that this is their bridge and that he cannot be there. The children push Duke off the bridge. Duke cannot swim and is in trouble. When they next see Duke he has GROWN A HORN! His horn looks like a rhinoceros horn. The old lady and Clair pull Duke into the boat. The old lady tells Duke that the horn was done by river trolls and that the only way to cure him would be with a genuine act of kindness. Clair knew that it would be hard to get Duke back to normal because he was not kind. Also, Duke thinks it is cool to have a horn and would like to keep it.

Duke’s new horn sends Clair and Duke on an adventure where they encounter many different characters. They meet Bodacious Deepthink, the Queen rock troll, the ruler of all the trolls who has the power to turn a troll into a human. They also meet Jim Dandy, Biz and Stump, the three trolls that guide Duke and Clair through their adventures. Eventually these three trolls become like family to Duke and Clair. They meet Reliable St. John who is a little cricket that Bodacious Deepthink gives to the three trolls to help them find their fathers although they really do not know where there fathers are.

I am not going to give away the ending because it makes the book exciting but in the end it is a true act of kindness by Duke that gets both Duke and Clair home.

Maddy H.

Venus Among the Fishes

2008-04-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

by Scott O'Dell 44444

Venus Among the Fishes is about a pod of dolphins living in Glacier Strait. When their home gets invaded by killer whales, Coral’s dad, who is the leader of the pod, sends Coral and her brother, Snapper, out to find their brother Silver. They need Silver because there are not enough big male dolphins in the pod.

Along the way, Coral and Snapper meet creatures who are more dangerous than killer whales - humans! Coral and Snapper find this out whey they see humans kill a whale with a harpoon. They really understand it when they get captured by humans and put into an amusement park like Sea World.

Will Coral and Snapper ever make it back home? Will they find Silver and save the pod? Read the book and find out.

Olivia B.

The Penderwicks

2008-04-02T06:07:00.000-07:00

By Jane Birdsall 4444

For the summer, the Penderwick family go to the Birkshire Mountains on vacation. The four sisters Rosalind, Skye, Jane and Batty aren’t very sure it is going to be a special trip, but as soon as they get there, the Penderwicks are in for some surprises. First, there is a mysterious boy at his bedroom window, a gardener named Cagney, and a snooty Mrs. Tifton.

Once Jane, Skye, Batty, Rosalind, and their father get settled in, they begin to explore. They find a boy, Jeffrey, who was the boy at the window. Of course, Jeffrey becomes the girls’ new best friend. Together the five of them, or six (Hound, the dog) go on adventures together and uncover amazing things!

I liked this book because it was suspenseful in parts, there was romance, and it picked up at the very beginning. I also liked how in each chapter, something exciting happens and Jane Birdsall always finds something intriguing to write for each chapter.

Allegra Le.

The Ghost of Fossil Glen

2008-03-18T16:33:00.001-07:00

By Cynthia Deflice 4444

This Book, The Ghost of Fossil Glen, is a very good book. It is about a girl named Allie, who loves to climb rocks and find fossils. One day, she was climbing a huge cliff, when she heard a voice. She though she was imagining the voice, but it came again and again. The voice told her to keep her confidence up, and to not fall. Allie tried to tell her friends about the ghost, but none of them believed her. When Allie has a dream about a girl falling off a cliff to her death, and the girl is saying help me, Allie starts to wonder. Is that girl the ghost?

I like this book because it is well written, and it makes you want to see what happens.

Alex R.

New Moon

2008-03-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

by Stephenie Meyer 4444

New Moon is the second book to the hit series, Twilight. Bella Swan and her nocturnal boyfriend Edward Cullen go through many adventures in this book. First Edward leaves Bella because he thinks she would be safer without him. Bella is not the same with out Edward for a couple of months until Jacob Black helps her out and then Bella is her normal self again. Bella and Jacob become good friends but Jacob gets strong feelings for Bella. Something unexpected happens which makes Bella have to choose between Jacob or Edward.

I loved this book because it had romance and action. It was a little slow but it was still good. Stephenie Meyer is a great author. I can't wait for her fourth book which is coming out in August. I think everyone should read it. Even though it is about a girl dating a vampire there is much more in the book.

Phelize B.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

2008-03-11T18:46:00.000-07:00

by Kate DeCamillo 44444

This book is my favorite book in the whole entire world. It shares love, hate, responsibility, and friendship. It starts with an only child named Abilene and her family, the Tulane family. Abilene has had her china bunny-rabbit, Edward Tulane for a long time. Edward loves himself more than anything else that he can see or hear. One day, Abilene gets a story from her grandmother, Pellegrina. It was about a princess who loved no one and gets turned into a warthog because of that. After the story, Pellegrina tucks Edward into his bed and whispers in his ear “I’m very disappointed in you.”

It was Abilene’s first trip to London on the ship, The Queen Mary. She took Edward along with her. Everyone loved Edward. Then one day, two boys were playing with him. They took off all of his clothes including his underwear, and threw him over the boat. That’s when his journey begins.

I loved this book and read it over the summer for my 16th time because it shows that you cannot hate. You can only love. And if you hate, you need to learn to love. Also whenever I feel like I hate someone, I read the book and reconsider my hating the person or thing.

Allegra Le.

Project Paris

2008-03-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Lisa Barham 4444

Project Paris is the exciting sequel to one of my favorite books called A Girl like Moi. You should read the first one before you read the second one. Imogene and her best friend Evie are headed to Paris. They are going to Paris with internships, petit fours, and lots fashion sense, this summer is goingto be Great! But then high-fashion models go on strike just days after the girls arrive. Couture week is canceled, designers are leaving Paris, and Imogene feels ruined. That is, until the girls "discover" a mysterious, unnamed designer who just might bring fashion back to Paris....
What will Imogene and Evie do? Read the fun sequel to find out.

Allegra Lo.

Heat

2008-03-10T13:39:00.000-07:00

By Mike Lupica 44444

I picked a book called Heat. This book is related to me because I like baseball a lot. Heat is about a boy named Miguel but everybody calls him Michael except his brother. Michael’s dad was shot and died because he was trying to help a woman who was being hit by a man. Now Michael is hiding from the people who take you to foster parents.

Michael played Little League baseball and had a very good arm. He was the best pitcher on his team. One day Michael and his best friend Manny Cabrera were practicing at Macobs Dam Park. A girl appeared on the basketball courts who Michael knew from one of his pick up games. Michael chucked the ball over to her on a bounce and she threw it back on the fly. Michael did the same and then she did it again. Michael and Manny went over to meet her and asked her to play but she had to go. They found out her name was Ellie. One day soon after this Michael and Manny were watching the Yankees - Michael’s favorite team. It was family night at the ball park.

When they showed Michaels hero, El Grande, the pitcher, and his children, Michael noticed that Ellie was one of them! The next day when Michael talks to Ellie he is mean. He is mad because she didn’t tell him that she was El Grande’s daughter. Ellie runs away. At the next little league game, even though his teams wins, Michael is told that he can’t play anymore.

Why? Will he ever play again? Will Ellie ever show up again? Read the book and find out the answers for yourselves.

Olivia B.

Kira Kira

2008-03-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

by Cynthia Kadohata 44444

Kira Kira is about a girl named Katie who just moved from Iowa to Georgia. Katie and her family are part of the 30 Japanese people in the town. There are over 4000 people in the whole town. Katie and her older sister Lynn learn to make the best of their poor life. Their Uncle is the leader of the “community.” The community does a lot of things together such as, they all watch T.V. at the home of the only family that has a T.V. Lynn is a very strong student who has an A average. When Katie goes to school she sees how hard Lynn actually works to have a straight A average. Then Lynn gets sick and everything goes down hill from there.

I liked this book because I could felt like Katie throughout the whole book.

Rebecca L.

Swindled!

2008-03-10T11:32:00.000-07:00

By Bill Doyle 4444

Swindled is a book about a boy named Fitz Morgan who is going on a train to San Francisco, California to visit his Aunt. Everything on the train is going well for Fitz. He even makes a friend named "Judge" Judith from the famous Pinkerton family. The Pinkerton family is a family of detectives. It is in Judges blood to be a detective. Fitz spends time with her in her personal car of the train. Judge has a body guard and let’s just say he and Fitz start off on the wrong foot. Then there is a murder on the train that involves counterfeiters and a death that revisits Judge from her past. People turn out to be what they are not. Judge finds out one of Fitz darkest secrets, and does not know if Fitz himself is the murderer. Now it's every man and woman for themselves. Can Fitz and Judge find the murderer in time?

T.W.

The Lightning Thief

2008-03-09T11:20:00.000-07:00

By: Rick Riordan 44444

The Lightning Thief is a very great adventurous book, part of Percy Jackson and The Olympians series. It is about a boy who has ADHD and dyslexia. He does not get into many schools and cannot go a year without being kicked out of a school. His mother makes everything blue, because it ticks off her boyfriend.
Percy Jackson is going to his beach house with his mother, when suddenly a monster appears. The monster is strong and crushes their car. Percy escapes to a camp on Half-blood Hill. There, Percy realizes that he is really a Half-blood, and his father (who was unknown) is Poseidon.

Percy’s friends Grover and Annabeth, help Percy through an amazing adventure you do not want to miss. His Quest is to find a missing Lighting bolt, belonging to one of the Olympians.

Isabel S.

Nevermind

2008-03-08T05:28:00.000-08:00

By Avi and Rachel Vail 4444

Nevermind is about a girl named Meg, and a boy named Edward, who are twins. They are like “night and day” - total opposites. For the first time Meg transfers to an all girl’s school, and Edward transfers to an all boy’s school. They want to start over, and make new friends and even pretend that each other don’t exist. But when Meg makes up an imaginary brother “Ted” to impress the girls at her school, she suddenly becomes popular.

“Ted” is a great singer, and can play almost any instrument in the world. He is smart, and gets good grades. He can do almost anything! He is the total opposite of Edward. The most popular girl in Meg’s school, Kimberly, asks Meg to ask her brother “Ted” if he could come with his band and play at her birthday party. Meg doesn’t know what to say, so she just says yes. The next day Kimberly calls and Edward picks up the phone. Edward listens on the other line when Meg is talking to Kimberley. He hears all about his imaginary self, and comes up with a plan. Edward told Kimberley on the phone that he can play, and that his bands name is Nevermind. When Kimberly sees Meg at school, Meg came up with a name for the imaginary band. She thought of Nevermind as well. There is a lot of twin telepathy.

I will NOT tell you what happens, but Edward makes up a band with his friends, and gets a band room.

I loved this book because I was supposed to have a twin, and I would like to see how it might have turned out. I strongly recommend this book. It has a mixture of family, friendship, and disasters.

Katarina W.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

2008-03-07T15:33:00.000-08:00

By: Brian Selznick 44444

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is about a lonely boy Hugo who lives in the clock towers of London with his Father the clock keeper. Hugo is very adventurous and loves to build stuff. One day in the train station of London There’s a horrible fire and Hugo’s dad gets trapped in the station. His Uncle here’s about the fire and takes Hugo to live with him. Then one ordinary day Hugo’s uncle goes of to work but never comes back.
Now Hugo realizes without a Father or an Uncle he is now a foster child but he still has his Uncle’s house so, he is now living in his uncle’s apartment. Hugo went strolling along the train station block and saw a machine that Hugo thought he could repair. When Hugo started repairing this machine is when the book all began.
I would say this book took place in the late 1900’s. This book is definitely a mystery book for any mystery lovers. That’s me a mystery lover that’s one reason why I loved this book. Another reason was because it was different then all the other books I know it had a lot of amazing pictures but it was so well written and for me was an immediate page tuner. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who is like me and loves mysteries/adventure books and isn’t a big fan of books that are super long and have small print.

Janie H.

Ballet Shoes

2008-03-07T09:00:00.000-08:00

By: Noel Streatfeid 44444

This book is about three sisters named Posy, Petrova, and Pauline. They are all adopted, by a man who they call G.U.M.. He says their last name is Fossil because he loves to collect fossils. G.U.M. goes away on a trip for a long time. Many, many years have passed by and they are running out of money. The girls go to Madame Fedolia’s Academy for the Arts and Stage Training. Here they learn how to act and dance. When children are 12 in England they can perform. Petrova does not really like to dance or act but it is the way they can make money. She would rather fly a plane. Pauline loves to act and is very good. Posy loves to do ballet just like her
I relate to Posy the most because I love to do ballet too.

Caryn L.

Frannie In Pieces

2008-03-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

By Delia Ephron 444

Frannie’s parents are divorced. She goes back and forth between her Dad and her Mom’s houses. One day Frannie goes to her Dad’s house. She waits in the living room for a couple minuets until she needs to use the bathroom. When she walks into the bathroom her dad is laying on the ground. Dead. Her Dad leaves all of his possessions to Frannie. When she goes back to his house to pack up she finds what she thinks he was going to give her for her birthday. She goes home and opens it. It is a puzzle. It’s a puzzle her Dad made for her. Soon Frannie becomes obsessed with it. She works on it every night. Then one night she falls into the puzzle. I liked this book because Frannie is very real. She is not perfect. I also liked because it is partly fantasy and fantasy is one of my favorite genres. I hope you like it too!

--Evelyn E.

Music of Dolphins

2008-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

By Karen Hesse 4444

When Mila was only four years old she survived a shipwreck. Unfortunately, her parents did not. Also, she did not make it onto a lifeboat, she was spit into the sea. Then a kind family of dolphins rescued her and took her in as her own.

Now 11 or 12 years old, Mila is getting drinking water on the coast of the island that she and her family live around. A rescue helicopter emerges from the sky. The copter takes her away. She calls to her dolphin family, but they can't hear her. She is forced to learn English and everything you need to know about surviving as a human.

One day as a reward for all her hard work, she is taken to a pool to swim in. She doesn't like the pool. It is hard to see in and there is not enough space to swim around. She begs her doctors to release her back into the sea, but they disagree. Will she ever get back to her dolphin family, and the peaceful way she used to live?

I enjoyed this book because it is about a girl my age. I also LOVE animals, dolphins being one of my favorites. I also love the idea of living in the sea with a family of dolphins, never having to worry.
Samantha

Once uopn a Marigold

2008-03-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

By Jean Ferris 4444

This book is about a young boy named Christopher, who ran away from his family and is found in the forest by a troll named Ed. Ed takes Chris home to his crystal cave. As Chris grows older, he falls in love with Princess Marigold, who he has been watching through a telescope from the cave ever since he was a small boy. He sends her notes through P-mail (Pigeon mail) to start to know her.

She seems like a nice person and he is surprised when she writes back saying she is lonely and that no one wants to be around her except her dad. She has a secret that whenever she touches someone, she knows what they’re thinking! It seems that Marigold’s snotty mother is thinking up evil plans she doesn’t want Marigold to know about.

Christopher eventually goes to the castle and gets a job as a servant, and is around Princess Marigold 24/7. He is too afraid to tell her who he is, thinking she’ll be embarrassed that her friend is a servant. When Marigold’s wedding is arranged Chris has to choose whether Marigold get embarrassed or he lives with a broken heart.

Anna B.

Sure Fire

2008-03-06T06:58:00.000-08:00

By Jack Higgins 44444

This book, Sure Fire, is about two twins Jade and Rich who are fifteen years old. Their mother just died in a tragic car accident. After the funeral their father, John Chance, comes and takes them to live with him. Chance’s house was only made for one person. It has a bathroom, a living room with two chairs, a small TV, and a coffee table, one office and one bedroom. The twins are fifteen years old. Like any other teenagers they refuse to sleep in the same room together. Chance drinks alcohol, smokes, works and sleeps. He only has alcohol in his refrigerator and orders food in every night. The twins can’t stand it so they go to the store to buy food but they don’t have a lot of money. They can’t buy everything they need, just the necessities. Rich and Jade figure out that their father is going to send them to boarding school and so they really don’t like him.

At first, Rich and Jade really don’t know that something is up with Chance. One day, while Jade is on the phone she sees something he can’t explain- there is a man outside the window in a black van listening to every word she is saying. One day Chance gets kidnapped or actually, adult-napped! The twins are now stuck in the middle of this mystery and have to find their father. They do finally figure out what Chance was trying to tell them about his job. Jade and Rich had to grow up fast or else!

I liked this book because I am a big mystery, scary book person. When a book starts off really slowly I can’t stand it and I just stop reading it. This book had a lot of adventure by the second chapter. I think this book would make a pretty good movie!

Janie H.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap

2008-03-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

by: Liz Kessler 444

The book that I am recommending is The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler. It is about a girl named Emily who is in seventh grade. At her school, they have swimming lessons. Emily had never gone swimming before because her mother was afraid of the water, even though they lived on a boat. Emily was very excited. When she jumped in the pool, she found that she was a very good swimmer but then, something very surprising happens to Emily that will change her entire life. I liked this book because I thought it was very exciting and full of imagination. I also thought that the way Liz Kessler described everything put an exact picture in my mind of what was happening to Emily in the book.

Victoria L.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

2008-03-04T10:20:00.000-08:00

By Sherman Alexie 4444

Junior is a child cartoonist growing up on a Spokane Indian Reservation. He has a variety of medical problems, and he is beat up on by everybody except his friend Rowdy. Wanting to have a good education, Junior leaves the rez to go to an all-white school that all the people at his school despise. Despite being a traitor to his people had having great tragedies, Junior learns to live differently than he used to. As time goes on, his sister Mary, gets married and someone he loves passes away. Then, basketball season comes and he has problems playing against his old public school because his opponents beat up on him as the game goes on. Junior wants Rowdy to understand that he is the same person, but will Junior overcome his problems? I like this book because it has friendship and lots of emotion.

Isabella B.

(This book has some bad words and some yelling, so ask your parents before reading this!)

The Island of the Aunts

2008-03-04T08:05:00.000-08:00

By Eva Ibbotson 4444

This story is about three aunts who are taking care of an Island. This is no ordinary Island. It has many fantastic creatures, including mermaids, selkies and a giant worm. The thing is that the aunts are getting older and they need help with taking care of the creatures. This is why the aunts kidnap children.

Two of the children they kidnap are called Minnette and Fabio. They are fantastic workers with the creatures. The last child is not at all like the others. His name is Lambert and he is a little brat. Just after the children had settled down on the Island, the most fantastic and mystical creature of all came. It was a Kraken. He was going on a year long trip around the world. He would go around the Earth once and sing his healing song, which would make the world be peaceful. The Kraken came to the Island because he wanted the aunts to take care of his child, a very young Kraken.

Many things started happening. I will not say if they are good or bad, you will have to find out yourself. I highly recommend this book for someone who likes adventure, mystical creatures and secrets.

Caroline M.

Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism

2008-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

By Georgia Byng 4444

Molly Moon is a regular orphan at the Hardwick House Orphanage until she finds a book that teaches you how to hypnotize other people and animals. She hypnotizes her teacher, She travels to New York with her dog Petula and hypnotizes people. When she finds out somebody knows her secret and is blackmailing her, what will she do? I liked this book because it was fiction and a real page turner. This book is the 1st in a series and the 2nd book is called Molly Moon Stops the World and is also really good!

Ariana M.

The Fellowship of the Ring

2008-03-02T08:44:00.000-08:00

By J.R.R. Tolkein 4444

Frodo Baggins is left with a ring from his uncle, Bilbo. But Frodo is not a human, he is a hobbit. Hobbits are creatures with leathery feet, so that they never have to go to the trouble of wearing shoes. Bilbo and Frodo live in a world called “Middle Earth”. Middle Earth is made up of the men, hobbits, elves, dwarves, and wizards. In the beginning of time, magical rings were forged for several of each of the different kind of creatures to wear. But in the dark caves of “Mount Doom” the “Dark Lord” forged in secret, a ring of his own. This ring he made for himself in order to have powers that even the other rings could not contain. On the top of the ring, these words were carved:

“One Ring to rule them all,
One ring to find them all,
One ring to bring them all,
And in the darkness bind them.”

Frodo finds himself amidst problems concerning both the very life of Middle Earth, and at the same time, the life of the Dark Lord and his Ring. Frodo and his :”Fellowship” go on many adventures and find themselves in the paths of deadly creatures, just to return he ring of the fires of Mount Doom.

Anna J.

Flip Flop Girl

2008-03-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

By Katherine Patterson 4444

My book report is about the book Flip-Flop Girl, by Katherine Patterson. It is about a girl name Vinnie, whose dad has recently died from cancer. Not able to support the family, Vinnie, her mom and brother Mason, all move to her grandmother’s house in Brownville, Virginia.

Vinnie, hates the new town andalso has to deal with her brother, and his special problems. Ever since her father died, Mason has not spoken, eaten, or done anything else but hang on to his mom and suck his thumb. But now its time for Mason to start Kindergarten, and he still is known as the “strange boy” in Brownsville.

Vinnie is in the homeroom with Mr. Clayton. Thank goodness for Vinnie, Mr. Clayton is the nicest teacher she has ever had. With school going well, a newer girl than Vinnie comes in one day. Lupe Mahoney (the new girl) is strange. She has a weird past that everyone gossips about. Her father is in jail for what she says is “no reason”. Lupe’s mother is dead, and everybody thinks that her dad is in jail because he killed her.

When Lupe comes in one day with a gigantic pumpkin, nobody knows where Lupe got it or how. Vinnie becomes half friends with Lupe, but is not sure about anything Lupe does or says. Lupe gets in trouble for stuff that Vinnie should, but she doesn’t care. And then with Mr. Clayton getting married, and along with that, her daydreams ruined, and her brother disappearing, Vinnie’s life simply crumbles.

Anna J.

Angela and Diabola

2008-02-28T11:17:00.000-08:00

by: Lynne Reid Banks

Angela and Diabola, by Lynne Reid Banks, is a great story. It is about two nice parents that have twin girls. The only problem is that one daughter, Angela, is basically an “angel”. She is very beautiful, she never ever cried as a baby or did anything bad. The other daughter, Diabola, is basically the “devil”. Obviously the two do not get along. However, their childhood is very funny because Diabola does such bad things and Angela does such nice things.

As the two girls grow up, Diabola gets worse. When she starts going to school, she is really bad. One day she actually lights the school on fire. Angela thinks she is the only one who can stop her sister from doing terrible things. She decides the best way to stop her is to switch places with her and pretend to be Diabola. The consequences are very funny

I read this book over and over again. I love it because it is so funny.

Maddy H.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

2008-02-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

By Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis 4444

I am recommending the Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart and Carson Ellis. The Mysterious Benedict Society is about four kids, but mainly about one of them, a boy named Reynie. Reynie is an orphan. At Reynie’s orphanage he is the smartest kid there. He has already finished all of the high school textbooks. Because there is nothing more the orphanage can teach him, the orphanage appoints him a special tutor. One day Reynie and his tutor are looking through a newspaper and see and ad that goes like this “Are you an extremely talented child looking for special opportunities?” Reynie and his tutor decide that he is. Reynie goes to the place that is advertised and then a wonderful adventure begins.

-Evelyn E.

The Witch Trade

2008-02-28T11:05:00.014-08:00

by: Michael Malloy 44444

The witch trade is about two children, a girl named Abby Clover and a boy named Spike. They live in a sea side town called Speller. Abby’s parents one day disappeared out at sea along with all of the children of Speller except for Abby. Soon after that, Abby’s uncle finds Spike washed ashore holding a spike and speaking a strange language resembling whale sounds.
One day Abby slips on some rocks and gets hurt. Spike runs (with Abby hopping along) to the lighthouse to get help, where they meet Captain Starlight. After they meet him, their whole lives change and many secrets are revealed. Nothing for them would ever be the same after that.

I liked this book because I like adventure and fantasy books. This book definitely provides adventure and you jump right into the book and can’t stop reading it. It’s a real page turner. I can relate to this book because sometimes like Abby, you just have to be brave and do things that you don’t always want to do.

Rebecca L.

Peter and The Starcatchers

2008-02-28T11:05:00.013-08:00

By: Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson 4444

This Book takes place mostly on the boat, The Neverland. It is about an orphan boy from St. Norbert’s Home for Wayward Boys. His name is Peter. Peter meets a girl named Molly Aster. Peter’s friends from the orphanage are Tubby Ted, Prentis, Thomas, James and others.

The story is mostly about how Peter and Molly meet on The Neverland and share a marvelous and magical secret. Peter and his friends will give anything to protect the secret, and the special cargo that was anonymously left on the boat from the evil Black Stash, or the soon-to-be Captain Hook. Also, his second mate, Smee.

The Neverland is headed to an island where the boys will become an evil king’s servants. This book, and the series takes place before Peter Pan.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves page turning adventures. That is why I loved it.

Isabel S.

The Uglies

2008-02-28T11:05:00.012-08:00

By: Scott Westerfield

My report is on the book the Uglies. I like this book because it shows people what you can do in the future. In this time in the future when you are sixteen you get a huge surgery that makes you inpossibly beautiful. Tally the main character in this book runs away to a rebelion place called smoke, the people in Smoke know something strange about the surgery. But when Tally goes to smoke she has a huge secret which she cant let abyone in Smoke know. i would reccomend this book because it has to do with a lot of friendship and trust.

Margot C.

Stormbreaker

2008-02-28T11:05:00.011-08:00

By Anthony Horowitz 44444

This is a story about a fourteen-year-old boy named Alex Rider. Alex lived with his uncle ever since both of his parents died when he was very young. One day, the police came to his house and told him that his uncle, Ian Rider, had died in a “car accident”. Of course Alex didn’t believe them when they said he had not been wearing a seatbelt. After school one day Alex saw his uncle’s car in the place where they squish cars and recycle them. He got into the car to look around. All of a sudden, a big claw that brings the car to the “car squisher” picked up the car with Alex in it. He finally got out but then the guys who worked there started fighting him. He fought back and escaped because he was a black belt in karate.

A few days later a man who worked with his uncle came to his door. This man took Alex to an office that was right next to his uncles office and left him there. Alex climbed out of the window and overheard two men speaking in his uncle's office. They said his uncle had been a spy working for M16 and had been preparing Alex for spy work. From then on Alex had to be an undercover agent for M16. It was up to hm to crack the case.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes action, adventure and mysteries. Oh yeah -they made this into a movie.

By Caroline M.

Down the Rabbit Hole

2008-02-28T11:05:00.010-08:00

by: Peter Abrahams 44444

The book that I am recommending is called Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams. This is a mystery which is about a girl named Ingrid who is at the orthodontist one day, and waiting for her mother to pick her up to bring her to soccer practice. Since her mother is not there, Ingrid decides to run there herself but finds herself in a place in her town, Echo Falls, called The Flats. She doesn’t know how she got there and how to find her way back to the soccer fields. Then she finds a woman named cracked-up Katie who she talks with. Katie calls a taxi for her but when Ingrid mentions something about her being in a drama group called the Prescott Players, Katie gets very pale and runs upstairs leaving Ingrid to get into the taxi and wonder about what had happened. Ingrid then gets tangled in a murder mystery that even the police can’t figure out.

I loved this book because Ingrid was very much like a real person and if I had been tangled in a mystery like hers, I would probably think the exact same things as she did. It was also very intriguing, and after you finished each chapter there would be an end that would not finish off the book, which made me feel very interested. I really loved this book and I am so glad that it is a series so that Ingrid’s adventures won’t be finished yet.

Victoria L.

Shakespeare's Secret

2008-02-28T11:05:00.002-08:00

by: Elise Broach 4444

Hero just moved into a new house (again). It’s the day before school and Hero isn’t exactly excited. Hero is named after Hero in “Much Ado about nothing,” a story by William Shakespeare. Hero parents are experts on Shakespeare. His sister’s name is Beatrice. Her name is from “Much Ado about nothing” too. Sometimes she and her sister think that Hero was adopted. Beatrice is tall, with long reddish wavy hair. She is tall and pretty and had lots of friends. Hero on the other hand, is small and dark, and often has a worried look on his face.

Hero was never interested in Beatrice's connections to Shakespeare, but suddenly, all her connections seem to have a meaning with her life in her new home. For one thing, there is a million-dollar diamond hidden somewhere in her house (or so she’s been told), then there’s Danny Cordova, an 8th grader who happens to be the most popular kid in school, who wants to help her find the diamond in her house, and last the curious old woman who lives next door, who seems to know as much about Shakespeare as her parents. Is it all in keeping with her Shakespearean name? Hero, being Hero is determined to find out.

I liked this book, because I love mysteries and things that are totally unexpected. I also like how the person who isn’t liked as much, becomes the hero or in this case “Hero.”

Ridley R.

Missing Persons: The Rose Queen.

2008-02-28T11:05:00.001-08:00

M.E Rabb 4444

The book I chose to recommend is, The Rose Queen by M.E Rabb. This book is part of a mystery series. It is about two girls named Sam and Sophie Shattenberg from Queens, New York, who are trying to create new lives for themselves in a tiny town called Venice, Indiana. Their father just died and now the girls are running away from their horrible Stepmother. They had made a promise to their father to never be parted from one other. They have to runaway from the stepmother because she will send them to boarding school and take all the money in their fathers will. They have changed their names, dyed their hair
and even taken up a new hobby- solving missing person cases, all while trying to stay missing themselves!

Allegra Lo.

The Egypt Game

2008-02-25T08:14:00.000-08:00

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder 444

The Egypt Game is about a girl named April. Her mother works in Hollywood and does not have time to take care of April. She sends her on a bus with some money to live with her grandmother in another part of California. April does not have any friends until her grandmother tells her that there is a girl named Melanie that lives in their building. April and Melanie become really good friends.

One day April goes into an antiques shop. The people in the town are really suspicious about the Professor, the old man who owns the sotre, and never go in. Melanie and April decide to go to the library and take a few books out about Egypt. After they read a few books about Egypt they decide that Egypt is really interesting. They check more and more books out until they have read all of the books about Egypt in the library. Melanie and April have a brilliant idea, they could create their own Egypt in the back of the Professor’s shop. With Melanie’s little brother Marshal they get to work without telling their parents. About a week or two later ,a girl about a year younger than them moves in. Her name is Elizabeth and they do not really have a choice but to include her in Egypt. So they do.

Everything in Egypt was going well until something very scary happened. A little girl wasmurdered by someone in the neighborhood. As a result the kids are not allowed to go to school by themselves and are not allowed to go trick-or-treating by themselves and worst of all, can not go anywhere after school by themselves. This meant they could not go to Egypt until everything was settled. The policemen were going crazy trying to find the murderer. And I’m not going to tell you who the murderer is!!

Electra W.

A Wrinkle In Time

2008-02-25T08:03:00.006-08:00

by Madeline L'Engle 44444

Meg Murry is a peculiar girl who can never fit in at school. Her brother, Charles Wallace, has psychic powers and always knows what is wrong with Meg. She also has twin brothers who seem to be the only normal people, along with their beautiful mother who is a scientist.

Because of their unusual qualities, Meg and Charles did not fit in with the rest of their community. However, what was even more unusual was the fact that for a couple years their father went missing in space. Only the government knew where he was and could receive letters from him. Soon, all the letters from the father stopped arriving and the Murry family began to worry.

One day a stranger dropped by on a stormy night and mentioned a peculiar word, "tesser". The next day Charles (with his special powers) leads them to the house of this stranger. There they meet a boy named Calvin. The stranger and her friends whisked (in the book, "tessered") them away into another dimension with Meg, Charles, and the boy named Calvin. They dropped them in a land called Camozotz were alone they had to find their father. In Camozotz, Charles gets hypnotized into a creature called IT. Will Calvin and Meg find her father, will they even ever survive?

Gaby V.

The Tail Of Emily Windsnap

2008-02-25T08:03:00.004-08:00

By Lauren Kessler 44444

This book is about a girl named Emily. She is in seventh grade and doesn’t have any best friends. The girl who she might have on her list of best friends is Julia but it looks like she wants to be friends with Mandy. Emily lives in the port, on a boat. The boat is called The King of the Sea.

But everyone has a secret and it all started on the first day of swim class at Bridgeport high. "Who here is confident enough to swim alone?" the swim instructor had asked. Half the class raised their hands. He told them to go to the shallow end. Emily had never swum before. You would have thought she could, for she lived on a boat but that's a different story. She went to the clump of kids moving to the shallow end and watched as they did handstands and such. She never swam before, but somehow she knew she could do it. The water looked so beautiful there.
She plunged in, and swam like a fish. The silence of the water was calming. But then it happened. Her legs became a block of stone and she couldn't move. She did some research and finally figured it out.

She was a mermaid.

i liked this book because it was really intresting and it had a lot of suspense. For those of you who like fantasies, this is definetly a book for you!

Abbott VD

Summer of the Swans

2008-02-25T08:03:00.003-08:00

by Betsy Byars 44444

Do you want to read a good book? Summer of the swans is a fabulous book worth reading. This book is by Betsy Byars. This book is about a 14 year old girl named Sara and her brother Charlie. Charlie is a boy who can not talk which makes him depressed. One day Sara goes to the pond nearby with Charlie to see the swans. Charlie immediately falls in love with them. When Sara says that it is time to go home Charlie does not want to go. When they finally get home it is getting late. Charlie has a hard time sleeping because he wants to see the swans. In the middle of the night he sneaks out to go to the lake. On his way he takes a wrong turn and gets lost deep in the forest. In the morning they find that he is missing. Will Charlie ever be found?

Summer of the Swans is a great book. It is fiction and a little bit adventurous. This is a book that you would like to read if you like page turners. I enjoyed this book a great amount and think everyone in the world should read it.

Anne M.

Redwall

2008-02-25T08:03:00.002-08:00

By: Brian Jaques 4444

The book I recommend is Redwall by Brian Jaques. It is very adventurous and suspenseful. When you start you can’t stop. I decided to read it because it was based in medieval times and I loved studying the medieval times. It was also on the summer reading list. So I thought this book would be perfect.

It is about a mouse named Mathew. Mathew does not fit in and he can be very clumsy. Throughout his whole life he has wanted to be a hero or maybe even a warrior but he never dreamed that one day he would actually get a chance. Then one day an evil mouse named Cluny The Scourge has come to Mossflower Wood where Mathew lives. Cluny comes with a fierce army that is ready to attack. Mathew must uncover the legend of a secret sword so the animals of Mossflower Wood can defeat the army! But will he find the sword? Find out - read Redwall!

Charlotte M.

The London Eye Mystery

2008-02-25T08:03:00.001-08:00

By Siobhan Dowd 4444

Ted and his sister Kat were taking their cousin Salim out to show him the town with both their mothers. It was just another normal day. They were going to the London Eye. While their mothers were sitting at a coffee store, a man comes up to the three of them and offers them his ticket because he said he got dizzy on these types of things. Kat was nervous but Salim took the ticket anyway. Kat and Ted watched the man leave as the doors closed. Half an hour later, when the wheel lands at Salim's pod, everyone got out -everyone except for Salim.

Ted and Kat are racing to find their cousin as the authorities struggle to solve this mystery. With just a few pictures, and words to solve this mystery, and theories from Ted's brilliant smartness, the siblings might just find Salim before it's too late.

I liked this book because mysteries have always been my favorite genre, but what got my attention in this book was how they solved the mystery. I never would have guessed the ending and how to solve it.

Ellie L

The Little Prince

2008-02-25T08:01:00.000-08:00

by: Antoine De Saint-Exupery 44444

This book is about a man (the author) who gets in a plane crash. He ends up stuck in the middle of the desert, with no food, water, or any company. He falls asleep, and when he wakes up, a little man is looking at him in a strange way. “Draw me a sheep” He said. That was the first sentence of their friendship. The little man was from a planet as small as a house. He was the prince on that unknown planet. He loved to watch the many different sunsets he sees on the planet. He tells the man about the adventures he has had, and the mysteries he has solved.

I liked this book because you felt like the Little Prince was really alive, and I just couldn’t put the book down.

Alex R.

Chinese Cinderella

2008-02-21T12:42:00.000-08:00

By: Adeline Yen Mah 44444

This book is about a Chinese girl named Adeline. She is supposed to be unlucky because a couple of days after she was born her mother died. She has many siblings. Her father got remarried to a wicked stepmother named Niang. (That is what she told the family to call her.) Niang means mother. This story is about an unwanted girl and the many different times of change in China and Japan she went through. All Adeline wanted was love and respect. She did not feel like her father nor her Niang ever loved her. You have to read the book to find out if she ever got where she wanted to be.

Besty L.

Maximum Ride - The Angel Experiment

2008-01-28T11:27:00.000-08:00

by James Patterson 44444

Maximum Ride is a wonderful series and for all of you who have fallen in love with it, take heart - a fourth book is coming out soon!
Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel are normal children plus. The plus is what makes these books so interesting. First of all, they can all fly - they have wings that tuck inside of their shoulder blades and unfurl at a moments notice. These children are 98% human and 2% other. They have been raised in cages and experimented on. Now they are free and they are determined to find their parents. Alas, the erasers are chasing them and they are determined too - determined to "rub them out."

While reading these books, my shoulders began to itch - I could feel the feathers growing. I hope you like this series as much as I did. Happy landings!
Ms. L.