Book reviews by Vivian
Hurry Home, Candy by Meindert DeJong
Every time I read this when I was little I absolutely loved it. The plot centers around a small dog called Candy. It shows his life from puppyhood with children and their parents, getting beaten and abused until one day he accidentally runs away. It shows his life as a stray and later fortunately finds a final owner who stays with him. The point of view is a narrator feeling what a dog feels and gives insight to what the dog's life is. This book truly does have a special place in my heart considering that I haven't read a book quite like this before. Compared to other books that revolve around dogs, I feel that this is one of the most accurate and most touching. It makes you think about what you would do if you were in the dog's situation. Overall, it's a good read if you have nothing on your agenda.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fahrenheit 451 ;has ultimately been one of my absolute favorite science fiction books. It is an enjoyable classic to read. The plot is a futuristic society without any books. Pleasure and happiness are only achieved by having some sort of technology or conversing in a meaningless conversation. Books are most sinful, so are banned. ;Fahrenheit 451 ;follows Montag, a fireman who begins to change his point of view on his life and what the world has become, once he meets a young girl named Clarisse. To me, this book has some very interesting concepts that have come true today. This book is amazing and it gets you thinking!
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
When I was reading the novel, it stuck in my mind that this story would really be a true love story. ;However, I began to read more and realized that it is a more realistic version. (Which I very much adore and like.) I entered the book feeling that it would take forever to read but exited happy to think that it was worth the read.
This novel revolves around a young woman named Elizabeth Bennet, who is very prejudiced, and a young gentleman named Mr. Darcy, who is very prideful. Elizabeth deals with real life problems like love, feelings, misunderstandings, and relationship problems.
The Giver ;by Lois Lowry
When I first read this book, I was in the sixth grade. After reviewing and reading it again, I realize that there are very deep morals and feelings within the book.
Throughout the story, we see a young boy named Jonas, age twelve, living in a dystopia. The society is free of crime and sadness. While still young, children are assigned "jobs" of which the elders think they portray. The jobs are crucial for what they will do in the future and contribute to the community. Parents and partners are also chosen for the people in the community. But standing apart from the rest of the regulars, Jonas gets the 'job' as the "Memory Keeper." The memory keeper receives the good and bad memories in the past that have been kept from the rest. "The Giver" gives Jonas these memories so he can give them to the future memory keeper.
I think this book is very interesting and unique. The ambiguous ending is also one of my favorite, considering that you can picture it how you want it to end. The escalation of events was especially exciting and very much kept my interest. Overall, it is worth the read.
Book reviews by Lorenzo
Who Killed My Daughter? by Lois Duncan
If you like mystery novels, this is the right one for you. It's based on Lois Duncan's real life; she lost her daughter due to a shooting and she can't solve who killed her daughter. It deals with corrupted cops, Vietnamese gangs, a secret admirer, and an unsolved mystery. Due to a thing Kaityln (Lois's daughter) saw, it led to the death of her own life.
My opinion is this is a good book because it's not a made up story. Kaitlyn's death was an actual crime that occurred in New Mexico. Then it deals with a corrupted police system, so it makes you wonder whether to trust the police or not. Finally, it teaches you to be careful with who you meet.
Deadline ;by Chris Crutcher
Ever wonder what it would be like to only have one year to live? In this novel, the main character Ben Wolf had a doctor's check-up where he was told he will only have one year to live. Instead of telling his friends, family, and girlfriend, he kept it to himself and decided not to leave everyone with grief, but to make every day count. He is not the best athlete but he tried hard and made it to the varsity football team. He asked out his crush, got to know his brother (even though his brother was a really bad person) and finally was able to finish his senior year and graduate.
In my opinion, this book has a little bit of everything; romance, suspense, mystery, and tragedy. It makes you wonder why Ben doesn't just tell everyone that he's dying. Also, why doesn't Ben drop out of school once he was dying? To me it just makes you wonder if Ben was a role model for finishing school, or for keeping a deadly secret to himself even though it will still bring tragic news to his relatives and friends.
The Alchemist ;by Pablo Coelho
What is a personal legend? What is alchemy? What are we made to do in life? The Alchemist is about a boy named Santiago who wanted to travel the world. His father, wanting him to be a priest, told him that only shepherds from his class see the world. Eventually a gypsy tells him about what he must do in his life to find treasure. He goes on a big journey to learn what is known as the language of the world. He learns that everyone has a personal calling; God's purpose to put us on this world.
I think they present us this book to help us as students figure out what we want to do in life. If it's not a college or university, then what are we going to do? It made me wonder what I was meant to do, since I personally don't know what I want to be when I get older. Therefore, I think that as a personal legend, finding my career choice is my personal legend. ;
Pride and Prejudice ;by Jane Austen
Pride and Prejudice is about how 4 girls are at the point in their lives to find their husbands. These girls will come through challenges like love at first sight, who to trust and sister love. Such as Elizabeth wondering whether to marry Darcy even after there's been so many lies told about him and his aunt warning Elizabeth not to marry him. Then her sister married a military guy once he left and she followed suit. So this book deals with a lot of drama, romance, and sister love.
I think this book is meant for those who enjoy a romance drama. I'm not a Cinderella fan, but I say this book is better than that. It does include a dance and a mystery of who Elizabeth should marry. Overall it is a nice romantic book. ;
Book Reviews by Angela
Strange, Weird, and Creepy ;Tales by Maria Cisneros Toth
This book was amazing. I loved all the little stories in this book. You just don't really know what's going to happen when you read this. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love to read weird and creepy things because these small stories are amazing. My personal favorite was the Witches House.
The Outsiders ;by S. E. Hinton
I absolutely love this book. I love how this book takes place in a different time than we are used to in reading. I loved seeing the 1965 society and the way they acted. This book gave me a ride with the characters I will never forget. I would definitely recommend this book because I love how you can fall in love with the characters easily and feel the emotions of worry and hate with them.
Fairy Tail ;by Hiro Mashima
I love this Manga series and anime so much. The story line is quite good and the characters are just amazing. Although the series does have a few clichés and plot armor, it's still an amazing book to read. There are so many chapters to read from, and if you'd like, many anime episodes to watch your favorite battles in motion. I would definitely recommend this book for some comedy action.
Kaichou wa maid-sama ;by Hiro Fujiwara
If you love romance Manga, then this is the right one for you. What I especially love about this series is that the main girl isn't like the typical cliché where she is perfect and everyone loves her--no. Misaki is full of flaws and most people, mostly boys, are scared of her. She is driven by the emotions of her father that all boys aren't loyal and therefore doesn't like them. But one boy is different and will cause Misaki's world to be flipped around, Usui. I would recommend this Manga to people who love romance Manga that isn't so clichéd.
Who killed my Daughter? by Lois Duncan
This book is such an amazing story, and sad at the same time. This book is based on a true story of a mother who lost her daughter and wants to find the people who killed her. It's feels like you are with her mother, trying to uncover and understand what happened to her daughter. I would definitely recommend this book for those who love crime and suspense.
Assassination Classroom ;by Yusei Matsui
I must say, this is one of the best Mangas I have read. The story line is amazing and the characters are unforgettable, especially Koro sensei. This is a great comedy Manga but with some intense action going on. The anime is just as amazing as the Manga and is worth the watch after you read the Manga. I definitely recommend this Manga because of the amazing story and wonderful characters that you won't forget easily.
Beautiful Disaster ;by Jamie McGuire
This book is amazing. I'd recommend it to others because it basically represents how life actually is. There are the upsides and downsides to life that happen on a daily basis. It also shows not every relationship is perfect, that there are always ups and downs.
Close My Eyes ;by Sophie McKenzie
This book is so good that I would read it over and over again and the ending would still get me. This book starts off like a daily life of a middle aged woman with a horrible experience of her past when she lost her baby, but changes when someone turns her world around. It shows how a person would go so far that they can get killed, to know the truth. I definitely recommend this book to someone who enjoys reading books with a twisted ending.
Skip Beat Manga ;by Yoshiki Nakamura
If you enjoy reading Shojo Manga, then this is a great one to read. It is not an ordinary love story where a girl finds her true love at school, but doesn't even think about love after her heart is broken in the first volume. She stays the same throughout the volumes and through those volumes other characters fall in love with her. When you read these chapters you can stop and laugh at this weird, lovely main character.
Naruto ;by Masashi Kishimoto
Naruto doesn't even need a review to show how this Manga is awesome.
If you watched the anime then you should definitely read the Manga, because it was the original story where the anime originated. I'd recommend this Manga because it is for all ages and you can watch the anime while reading the Manga to see the original material and awesome fights through anime.
The Outsiders ;by S. E. Hinton
I absolutely love this book. I love how this book takes place in a different time than we are used to in reading. I loved seeing the 1965 society and the way they acted. This book gave me a ride with the characters I will never forget. I would definitely recommend this book because I love how you can fall in love with the characters easily and feel the emotions of worry and hate with them.
Strange, Weird, and Creepy Tales ;by Maria Cisneros Toth
This book was amazing. I loved all the little stories in this book. You just don't really know what's going to happen when you read this. I would definitely recommend this book to those who love to read weird and creepy things because these small stories are amazing. My personal favorite was the Witches House.
Book Reviews by Brianna
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Everything, Everything ;is written by Nicola Yoon. The main character is a girl named Madeline. She's a sick girl who is allergic to everything. She's spent the last seventeen years confined in her house with her mother, who's a doctor, and her caretaker Carla. At one point during her regular routine of reading in her room, she sees new people moving in next door. This raises her spirits because she ends up meeting Olly. Over time she and Olly fall in love with each other. Unfortunately, he had to move away and this caused Madeline to discover more about her illness. While searching through her mother's office, she finds a bunch of documents about her, but none that say she was officially diagnosed. It turns out that her mother lied to her to keep her safe from the world because when Madeline was just a few months old, her father and brother died. This took such a heavy toll on her mother mentally that she kept Madeline away from everybody. Madeline ends up meeting another doctor to help her about her illness, and her mother's mental health. After being officially diagnosed by another doctor, she goes to find Olly and they have a happy ending.
The House ;by ;Christina Lauren
The House ;is a young adult horror novel written by New York Times Best Selling Author Christina Lauren. A young girl named Delilah moved back to Morton City High from an all-girls school because her parents couldn't afford it anymore. With her back, she meets her old friends, her old home, and her old and current crush named Gavin. She befriends Gavin once she returns because he's different form everyone else. They gradually become closer to where they both develop serious feelings for each other. Gavin takes Delilah to his house one day because she, along with everyone else, was curious as to what goes on in his house. His house is no ordinary house. She finds out that his house is possessed and that his parents haven't been around since he was little, which was when the house became possessed. Delilah asks Gavin questions that any teenager would be asked, "What are you going to do after high school?" "Do you know what college you're going to go to?" etc. The house doesn't like that one bit because that means that Gavin will contemplate on leaving House. The house starts to harass Delilah to the point where she's becoming a little paranoid. Gavin soon realizes this and they come up with a plan to try to get rid of the evil spirits in the house. They find an old family friend that ends up saving the day by doing a religious ritual. They both end up feeling comfortable knowing that the house can no longer harm them.
The Maze Runner ;by James Dashner
The Maze Runner ;is written by James Dashner, a New York Times Best Selling Author for the Best Selling Series of ;The Maze Runner. ;Thomas is confused when he wakes up in an unknown place with other boys his age watching him. After communicating with them, he realizes that they've been in there longer than he has and they haven't been able to escape at all. A few days later another kid comes, this time a girl. The girl, Theresa, knows Thomas and that freaks everyone else out. Theresa and Thomas have a great intelligence together and that's what helps them to form a plan on how to get out of the maze. They lose a few of the members along the way and find dead scientists, but end up succeeding in their mission. They dig around a bit and find a message saying that they're an experiment to help save mankind. Soldiers find them and take them to safety, so that way they'll be able to continue their research without them knowing. This is the end of the first book.
Beautiful Disaster ;by Jamie McGuire
Beautiful Disaster ;is written by Jamie McGuire. In this book, two polar opposites meet Abby, the "good girl" and Travis, the "bad boy." Travis tries to pursue Abby despite her protests and ends up falling in love with her. Travis was very friendly with other females so this causes their relationship to be toxic, once they argue, they make everyone else argue and have a bad day. At one point they end up giving it a break thinking that it'll help everyone else and themselves. Instead it made it extremely worse. They try staying friends but give up in the end and tell each other how they really feel about the other. They realize that they can't be without each other no matter how much they go through, that they decide to marry in Las Vegas right away. It ends with them discussing the rest of their future, does that mean a next book will be coming? You never know.
Some Boys by Patty Blount
Some Boys ;is written by Patty Blount. This story represents so much, because the main character Grace is a victim of rape by the school's popular boy Zac. No one believes her at all because when it happened, she was intoxicated. She ends up catching Zac's best friend's attention, Ian, because of how different she is now. They gradually become closer during school and Ian starts to slowly believe her. One day he "forgot" his phone and asked to borrow Zac's and starts snooping through his phone. Ian comes across a video that Zac took of him raping Grace and her saying "No" over and over again. Ian sends it to himself so he could use it as evidence against him. In the end Zac does get caught and Ian and Grace start to slowly fall for each other.
Hush, Hush ;by Becca Fitzpatrick
Hush, Hush ;is the first book in a series that's written by Becca Fitzpatrick. In this story, the main character is a girl named Nora. Nora is your average teenage girl; stressing over grades, her car, and fitting in with other kids at school. The sad thing that's happened to her is that her father passed away the year before so she had to adjust a lot after the time of the passing. She always feels like she's being watched by someone since her father passed away. The downside of that paranoia is that she's always home alone. Then she meets both Patch and Elliot. They both have a guarded past and it makes her suspicions about them grow even more. She finds them confusing but then ends up getting partnered to Patch in one of her classes. Later on in the story she finds out some interesting things about herself that are considered unbelievable and even finds out more about Patch and his life.
If I Stay by Gayle Forman
If I Stay ;is written by Gayle Forman. The main character is Mia. Mia has had a wonderful life full of love and compassion, especially with her family. Unfortunately, she and her family were in a terrible car accident that was deadly to the majority of her family before they all ended up passing away. Throughout the book she's reminiscing about her family before she realizes that she's in a coma. After having a little journey of her life throughout her memories, she's faced with a big question: should she go or should she stay?