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Student
Book Reviews!
updated 9/07
What great books are your classmates reading? Or what books should you run away from screaming? This is the place to find out! The following books are reviewed on this page:
The Named by Marianne Curley (reviewed by Bethany, grade 10) I would definitely recommend this book to anybody. It was such a good book. This book was told in two different people's points of view, so you get two different perspectives. This was the type of book that you could just read for hours--I never wanted to put it down. My favorite character was Isabel because she was independent. She wanted to do things on her own. The Named was a great book and everybody should read it.
Meg by Steve Alten (reviewed by Shane, grade 9) This is an excellent science fiction novel. It's about how Jonas Taylor travels in a submersible to the deepest canyon of the ocean, Challengers' Deep, which is seven miles deep. It is there where he encounters the megalodon which is 60 feet long and weighs 20 tons. The Meg surfaces and leaves the oceans constantly under threat. This is the best book I have ever read and I would recommend it to anyone. It is very suspenseful and had an exceptionally fast-moving plot. If I could receive an opportunity to grade this novel, I would give it an A+. (Back to Top)
Feeling Sorry for Celia by Jaclyn Moriarty (reviewed by Katelyn, grade 9) Feeling Sorry for Celia is a young adult book that talks abut a high school girl going through tough times. The interesting thing about this novel was that it was written in letter form. Many times certain societies would write to her and tell her what she was doing wrong. She meets a girl from a public school down the street who she writes to as her pen pal. She tells her all of her boy problems and problems with her best friend. Celia who always seems to run away. I suggest this novel to girls because I don't think a boy would enjoy it as much. This novel talks more about girl problems and boyfriends. I liked the style of writing also because it was written in letter form and easier to read. Feeling Sorry for Celia was a great novel and I think it could relate to anybody's life. (Back to Top)
Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch (reviewed by Kelsey, grade 9) Ashes of Roses is historical fiction. When sixteen year old Rose Nolan arrives in New York City during 1911, she is destined for a new life. Once she arrives at Ellis Island, her family is broken up due to her brother's eye illness. Mrs. Nolan hand her three daughters face many challenges in the new country which include living with Rose's uncle Patrick and his cruel daughters. The harsh living arrangements make Mrs. Noland turn back to Ireland. After begging her mother to stay, Rose and her sister have to find their own way in an unfamiliar country. Once Rose makes friends and gets a job at a clothing factory, her life changes in a flash. Can she escape the HEAT and stay in America? Ashes of Roses was an excellent novel because of the fabulous writing and fast moving plot. My favorite part of the novel is the end because of the suspenseful events. The ending can make any reader grateful of the year that we live in and how far we are in technology. If you like history, this novel is right for you! (Back to Top)
The Twelfth Angel by Og Magdine (reviewed by Joe, grade 9) No, it's not some stupid book about angels and other religious stuff; it's about baseball. John, a baseball legend lost his wife and son in a car crash, and had to quit baseball because of his injured knees. Since so many bad things happen to him, he almost commits suicide. Then he meets Timothy, an extremely weak player on the Little League team he is coaching. This kid inspires him and many others to always try their hardest and to take advantage of having a life; to make the best of it. At the end of the novel, John learns that Tim has an inoperable brain tumor, and realizes why he inspired people to do their best; because Tim knew he would die within a year. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I recommend it to anyone. (Back to Top)
Midnight Blue by Pauline Fisk (reviewed by Heather, grade 9) Midnight Blue is an excellent fantasy that I would definitely recommend to people of all ages. The book is about a girl, Bonnie, with a very unhappy home life who is magically transported to a separate reality where everyone from her real life is duplicated there, including herself. When her evil grandmother shows up to ruin the "perfect life", she knows that she has to go home, but doesn't want to. I really liked this book because even thought the plot was moving pretty quickly, you could still follow the book and understand what was happening. I was really impressed because none of the characters annoyed me. Usually character get on my nerves, and I don't want to read the book. I didn't really have a favorite part of the book because the whole thing was great, but the writing style was very nice because everything was kind of tied into the plot and made sense. I did love Arabella though because she was a lot nicer than most of the other characters! (Back to Top)
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (reviewed by Suzanne, grade 9) This book is about a boy's first love with a lesbian. This book teaches the reader that your first love won't be easy and will take you a few twists and turns to get there. I liked Hard Love because of the style-- it was written from the point of view of a teenager. I disliked it because of the boy falling in love with a lesbian. I wasn't comfortable reading about her and I thought the characters were pathetic. The boy is a loser with only one friend and the girl is antisocial. I talked to some of my peers and they said that they liked it, so I would recommend it to some people only from the feedback I got from my peers. This book wasn't a personal favorite of mine. (Back to Top)
Hard Love by Ellen Wittlinger (reviewed by Stephanie, grade 9) This book involved characters who deal with problems at home with their parents as well as trying to adapt to new people and new environments. I think many teens that read Hard Love can relate to the characters in the story because the story involves things such as fights and problems we see or encounter everyday. I found the book interesting because the teenagers are very much like students my school by the way they act, speak or the things they do. There is not a major event in the story but even the least important events were interesting. (Back to Top)
The Junction Boys by Jim Dent (reviewed by Nick, grade 9) Bear Bryant is hired by Texas A&M University to coach their football team. He has brutal training camp in the summer heat of Texas. Several boys drop out of the football program and others are hurt but continue to practice. The ones who stay learn a lot about life and football from Coach Bryant, one of the greatest coaches of his generation. I liked the book because I was interested to see who was going to make it in camp, and what the coach was going to do next. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes football or sports. It shows how tough a sport can be, but that all the hard work pays off in the end. Not only do they win the championship, but the boys take what they learn from Coach Bryant and go out into the world with confidence that they can accomplish anything. (Back to Top)
Picture Perfect by Elaine Marie Alphin (reviewed by Amy, grade 9) This was a great mystery novel. It's about the main character, Ian Slater, and his best friend, Teddy Camden. One day, Ian was waiting for Teddy to meet him after school, so they can take pictures of redwoods (they loved to do that), but Teddy never showed up. The next morning, Ian went to Teddy's house so they can walk to school together like they always do, but Teddy's mom said he never came home the night before. After that, the story deals with Ian trying to find Teddy, but Ian also ends up finding himself. It's just a really cool novel that makes you think and it also deals with some psychology in a way, which I love. I would definitely recommend this book. I really like scary and suspenseful novels and Picture Perfect is one of those novels. I don't want to give away the ending, but I'll just say that there a little twist at the end. Maybe that will get you to read this book! (Back to Top)
The Face of Fear by Dean Koontz (reviewed by Chris, grade 9) This book is about a man named Frank Bolingner. Frank is a lonely man who brings girls to an abandoned house in order to murder them. He is not known by many people in the area, so it is a mystery as to where these women have gone. At least three women disappeared in a month. No one knew who the women really were either. The victim's neighbors are miles and miles away from each other making the women easy targets. Frank is the kind of person that you don't want to get mad. If you get him mad, he will try to really hurt you or kill you. Frank is into certain kinds of women that have long blond hair, nice facial structure and not taller than him. I liked this book because it is what I like to read. I would most definitely recommend this book to somebody that likes books on murder or mystery. It was easy to visualize while I read also. (Back to Top)
How I survived my summer vacation at Camp Haunted Hills by Bruce Coville (reviewed by Matt, grade 9) This book is a very bad book. It is a book that is supposed to be scary, but it is not. The characters are very annoying and weird. I do not recommend this book to anybody. It is a waste of time to read this book. (Back to Top)
The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer (reviewed by Amber, grade 9) This is a autobiography about a little boy who got beaten up by his mother. Dave has two brothers that are very mean to him because of what they see in their mother. His mother made Dave sleep in the garage and didn't give him any food. His father sometimes would sneak him some of his own food. Most of the time, his dad is never home, so it is just Dave, his brothers and his mother. Then Dave finally ran away and ended up in a nice foster home. I would definitely recommend this book. I really like it because I love these kinds of books. I am sure that people who like these kinds of books would love this one. Also, if they read the first book, A Child Called 'It', they would like this one. (Back to Top)
Witch Child by Celia Rees
(reviewed by Samantha, grade 9) This story is about a
girl named Mary who lived in England with her grandmother. During
the witch hunts, the grandmother is hanged by friends and neighbors.
Mary is now all alone in the world, but her grandmother had arranged for a
friend to watch over Mary and send her to America. Mary is expecting
America to be different than England and the witch hunts there, but she
was wrong. I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to a friend.
I like horror stories because they are interesting and make you think.
I didn't have a favorite character, but I liked that it was in journal
form. It made it easier to tell who was narrating it.
(Back to Top)
Heavier than Heaven by Charles R. Cross (reviewed by Ian, grade 9) This is about the life and turbulent times of rock star Kurt Cobain. It discusses his rise from the streets of Seattle to being the front man of one of the most influential grunge bands of all time and ends with his suicide at age 27. I would definitely recommend this book to another student. I liked this book because I am a huge fan of Nirvana and have read other biographies, but this is the most informational. It gives you a real look into his life: what made him happy, sad, depressed and inspired. (Back to Top)
Artemis Fowl: the eternity code by Eoin Colfer (reviewed by Ryan, grade 9) Artemis Fowl II, a 13-year old genius, made fairies give him a lot of gold in the first book (Artemis Fowl). In the second book, (Artemis Fowl and the Arctic incident), he had to save his father from a bunch of goblins. Now, in the third book, Artemis has constructed a cube from fairy technology. This cube can trace any satellite beam and can tell you anything you want to know. Obviously, others want this cube. It is stolen and this leads Artemis and his allies on a hunt to capture the thieves and to get the cube back. I would recommend this book to a friend if they have read the previous two books in the series. The reason I would recommend this is because it is cool to think about stuff that might be happening around us. (Back to Top)
Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar (reviewed by Vanessa, grade 9) This book is about a girl who gets kicked out of boarding school and isn't welcome back home. Her jealous friends backstab and spread rumors to crush her down and some guys try to mess with her. Nothing ever really works out for her. She just tries to move on by hanging out with a new crowd. I would NOT recommend this fiction book to anyone. It's trashy, has annoying characters and a plot that is hard to find. (Back to Top)
Full Tilt by Neal Shusterman (reviewed by Ryan, grade 9) Blake, his brother Quinn and friends Maggie and Russ to to an amusement park one day. On the rollercoaster, Quinn's hat flies off and he decides to climb up to retrieve it. Like always, Blake has to save his brother from getting hurt. Later, at a game booth, Blake wins a strange stuffed bear with a weird tag on it....this is no ordinary bear as the brothers find out and through suspenseful twists and turns, they are faced with their greatest fears. I would recommend this book to a friend because there are a lot of surprises. I couldn't put this book down once I started to read it. I really like this book because it was very original and had an original plot. (Back to Top)
