Monthly Archives: June 2013

Book Review: The Lions of Little Rock by Kristen Levine

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LionsThe Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine is a phenomenal book. It takes place in Little Rock, Arkansas during 1958, focusing on fictional characters named Marlee (who tells the story) and Liz.

Although physically able, Marlee chooses to be a “mute” because she’s afraid she’ll say something stupid. On the first day of middle school, a new girl named Liz shows up. Liz and Marlee quickly become friends. Then one day, Liz suddenly leaves school. According to rumors, she was “passing” as a white student.

Marlee and Liz manage to stay friends through thick and thin, through black and white. Lots of things in this book are things we can relate to such as mean people, crushes, bullies, and personal fears. There are also things we can’t relate to because we’re in 2013 while they’re in 1958. But it all ties together in a remarkable and unexpected friendship between Liz and Marlee.

With plot twists and nerve-wracking scenes, Kristin Levine’s work is an easy story to picture in my mind. I saw this book at a book fair, and was unsure of it because of the title. But it’s an amazing book! If I had to rate it on a scale from 1 -10, I’d definitely say a 10. There’s only one problem with this book: there’s no sequel (yet I hope)! Even though this is a new book (published in 2012), I really want to read a sequel! Kristin Levine did write a previous novel, The Best Bad Luck I Ever Had, which I now want to read.

My favorite part of the book is probably the end. I don’t want to give away too much, but it’s a heart warming, teary-eyed scene that made me want more.

I recommend this book for girls or boys ages 11 and up who aren’t into history. It opens your eyes in a way you and I can relate. This book made me realize how hard and dangerous it was for African Americans during the mid-20th century. It also made me thankful for the peace we have today. I recommend this book for adults too. I read The Lions of Little Rock with my mom and she teared up. I’m not an emotional person, but if I was, I would’ve too.

Bottom line, I really recommend this book for anyone that loves reading!

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, By Ransom Riggs

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miss_peregrines_coverMiss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a fictional narrative of Jacob Portman, who discovers another hidden world on a remote island. As the novel unfolds, Jacob’s grandfather, Grandpa Portman, tells tales of seemingly unrealistic people in his life as a child. A levitating girl, an invisible boy, and a girl who could lift boulders fill his stories. At first, Jacob believes everything. But soon he develops suspicions of the truth.

When Jacob finds Grandpa Portman dead, torn up and bleeding, he is devastated. He senses a creature lurking in the shadows. However, his friend doesn’t see it. When questioned by the police about what happened, Jacob tells them what he saw. Thinking him somewhat insane, the police recommend Jacob see a psychiatrist who leads him to believe nothing really happened, that it was all in Jacob’s head.

After receiving a book that Grandpa Portman had clearly wanted him to have, he finds mysterious clues inscribed inside. He relentlessly tries to decode the clues and eventually finds evidence of Grandpa Portman’s childhood home. He then has the daunting task of convincing his parents to allow him to travel there and explore it for more answers. Continue reading →

Manga Review: Elemental Gelade, vol. 2, by Mayumi Azuma

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elemental_gelade2Note: this manga contains mature content and may be best suited for an older teen audience.

The second volume of Elemental Gelade takes place mere seconds after the first volume ends. The tyrant is holding onto Ren and Cou is having a minor breakdown over the fact that his Edel Raid is saying horrible things about him, and that she is considering working for the enemy. After Ren uses her powers to blind the leader; his Edel raid is now hurt and betrayed that he would choose to pick the “object” he was about to sell over her, and he lashes out at her to work properly. This gives Cou and Ren time to unify and she turns into her weapon form. They take care of the bad guy with haste and they all leave the village. The steam factory is destroyed and the windmill is spinning again providing free power to the villagers.

The story of this issue is given far more room to work with than in the first volume, as there is already a basis for the plot and characters are defined well, with more depth. The comedy in issue is also slightly better, but still the main focus is on the characters and the action– and there is plenty of action.

Out of the first two, this is the better issue and if you were only “meh” on the first issue give the second one a try. It broadens the universe and frankly it’s worth checking out if you liked the first enough to finish it. (See my review of volume 1 here.)

Overall: 8/10. A great read.

-Cameron S., 12th grade

Book Review: The Host, by Stephenie Meyer

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host_coverThe Host, written by Stephenie Meyer, is a science fiction and romance novel. This is an excellent read for teenagers because it involves compelling mystery and thrill. This book is about a different species, alien to any in our Earth. The species is called a Host. A Host is a framework for a soul on the planet Earth. They remain in human bodies and serve as a structure for the soul that is assigned to them. One of the last humans alive, Melanie Stryder fights for the lives of herself and her brother, Jamie. She then meets Jared, another remaining human being, and falls deeply in love with him. Chased by souls looking for mischief humans, Melanie avoids getting captured by jumping down an elevator shaft.

The soul named Wanderer is inserted into Melanie’s body after this tragic incident. The souls do this in order to look into Melanie’s mind and look for more humans that might still be alive. Forming a symbolic connection with Wanderer, Melanie leads her soul into the desert in hope of finding Jamie and Jared. Dehydrated and starved, Wanderer is found in the desert by Melanie’s uncle Jeb. Disregarding the fact that his niece is now stuck in a soul, Jeb takes care of Wanderer and leads her into the last of the human’s hideout. Wanderer recognizes Jamie and Jared as soon as she sees them in the hideout, causing Melanie to jump for joy inside her head.

Soon, the group of humans that live in caves accepts Wanderer and they start to nickname her Wanda. But can an alien being ever be truly accepted among humans?

-Nirmeet B., 9th grade

Book Review: The Merchant of Death, by D.J. MacHale

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pendragon1_coverBobby Pendragon is a seemingly normal teenage boy living in Stony Brook, Connecticut. He has everything going for him: the girl of his dreams, good grades, and a position on the basketball team. But his life is about to be thrown upside down.

When Bobby’s Uncle Press shows up at his door and whisks him off to a flume, or a portal to different worlds, his life takes a huge turn for the worst. The next thing Bobby knows, he’s thrown into a parallel universe, fighting for his life. He comes face-to-face with monsters and despicable villains, and he also learns the true meanings of courage and sacrifice.

D.J. MacHale’s novel Pendragon: The Merchant of Death is a good example of a coming-of-age book. Bobby and his friends must learn the true meaning of friendship, loyalty, maturity, and sacrifice for the greater good. The tight bond they share is shown to be stronger than the obstacles they face. MacHale’s book delivers many messages to adolescents to help them through a difficult time in their lives and does it in a way that captures the minds of the readers and keeps their interest.

This series has many fantasy aspects to it, similar to books like Harry Potter. However, these books are shorter and written to appeal more to the teenage mind. McHale gives the readers a story where a normal teenager goes from being nothing more than an average student and star basketball player to being an important figure who has to help save not just the world, but the universe.

The reader is shown the doubt and fear Bobby faces throughout the book, and how he must grapple with the new responsibility and experiences. This shows adolescent readers that it is all right to be scared, but that doing the right thing is a part of growing up and transitioning into adulthood. This book is a must-read for any pre-teen or teenage reader who loves adventure and fantasy.

-Julia D.

Book vs. Movie: The Hunger Games

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hungergames_bookmovieI read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. I also saw the movie because when I finished reading the series, I didn’t want the story to end. I wanted to see the action on screen. To be honest, I was a little disappointed, and I have to say the book was better.

I did like the movie. It just left out some parts I think were very important. For example, Katniss got the Mockingjay pin from Madge Undersee in the book. In the movie, she got it from Greasy Sae. It also left out one of Prim’s pets: her goat, Lady, was not in the movie. Another reason I liked the book better was because the movie was not as interesting. I know that the book is packed with details and you can’t fit it all into the movie, but that’s what made it uninteresting.

In the beginning of the book, it was slow, but when you got into it, it got exciting and fun. It seemed more thrilling when you read it than when you saw it. When I saw the movie it was exciting right from the start, but it seemed to get slower and slower.

That’s why I think the book was better and how I got disappointed, but that is just my opinion. Some readers might love the movie way more than the book because you can see the action of what happened. Which do you like better?

-Sabrina C., 7th grade

Book Review: The Quantum Prophecy

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quantum-prophecy-theThe Quantum Prophecy is the first book in an amazing series called The New Heroes. These books are engaging and the keep you hooked on for eternity. The author who created this marvelous series, Michael Carroll, has written many books that have been big hits, mainly in the fantasy genre. Michael is still writing more books for The New Heroes series right now. However, the books I have read so far have been so exciting!

As an introduction to the first book, Colin and Danny are best friends. They are just regular kids at a regular school… until they find out something that changes their life forever. At age 12, they find out that they are super humans. Both of them have enhanced powers; for Colin it is ultimate strength and for Danny it is lighting speed. They save the world together as a team with amazing abilities. Colin’s superhero name is Power and Danny is not called by anything special.

Colin’s family and Danny’s family moves to Sakkara, a military base for super humans.  At Sakkara, they meet many other super humans such as Renata. Renata, also known as Diamond, has the power to crystalize anything on the planet she wants– even the whole planet if needed. Butler, also known as Bubble, has the power to create a force field that can hold out a force of any kind. One day, Danny’s fake dad, Façade, captures him, Danny thinking that Façade is his real dad. Façade posed as Danny’s dad, but Danny’s real dad is Quantum. Quantum works to enhance a power drainer. Quantum has the ability to see the future, and he sees Danny leading an army in the future. He also sees that everyone dies as a result of the war. To prevent this, he decides to drain the powers of his son. Once one of them is hooked to the power drainer, their powers will be gone forever– and Danny is forced to make a life-altering decision.

The Quantum Prophecy is a must-read. I cannot imagine my life if I had never read this book. I recommend it for ages 10-18. I enjoyed the books and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

-Satej B., 6th grade

Book Review: Dragon Rider, by Cornelia Funke

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dragonrider_coverFiredrake, a brave young dragon, his loyal friend Sorrel, and a lonely boy called Ben are united as if by destiny. Together, they embark on a journey to find Firedrake’s people where he can live forever in peace, safe from humans. With only a strange map and the whispered directions of an old dragon, they fly for miles to reach the highest mountains in the world and face a treacherous adventure along the way.

Throughout the journey, they discover courage they never knew they had and make new friends in unlikely places. At first they bicker and argue amongst themselves, but they must soon learn to cooperate and accept each other for who they are. Just as well, for the greatest enemy of all is never far behind. A monster far more powerful than any of the dragons seeks to destroy all of the dragons.

This book is one of those truly remarkable, beautifully written stories that can warm a person from the inside out. While the writing is brilliantly done, the plot line is rather basic and straightforward, making it a better fit for younger readers while still holding the interest of readers of any age.

Cornelia Funke has taken a common and greatly feared mythological creature and put her own unique and intriguing twist on it. Dragons and other fantasy creatures, such as brownies, dwarves, and talking rats, are cleverly integrated into the plot and help drive the plot, keeping the reader interested for the whole story.

This was one of my favorite stories when I was younger, and the many exciting events that form the adventure of Dragon Rider mean there is never a shortage of action and excitement throughout the chapters. I found myself captivated and hurrying to turn every page. This story will have you cheering on your favorite characters, and it will entrance you in excitement and wonder right up until the end.

-Julia D., 8th grade

Book Review: The Great Brain, by John D. Fitzgerald

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great_brain_coverI remember when I read this book in the sixth grade. It was one of my teacher’s favorites and at the end of the year he gave everyone in the class a copy.

Written in the late 1960s, The Great Brain is a classic novel. The story is set in Utah in the 1890s and based on the author’s real-life experiences as a child.

In the book, John and his brother Tom have many adventures together. Tom is tricky, clever, and a con man. He is known as the “Great Brain” and is always finding different ways to get money. Tom once charged the neighbor kids a penny each to see the hole that was being dug for the water closet, or outhouse. Tom manages to get their teacher fired as well. With Tom always causing trouble he seems like the bad guy, but he later grows from that. His plan to rescue the two boys lost in Skeleton Cave makes him a hometown hero. He then sees what can happen for someone if you do the right thing. Tom and John (known as J.D.) become closer as brothers as well as their whole family.

And that’s just the beginning. With the other seven books in the series, there are a lot more adventures to be had and lessons to learn. The titles in the series are:

  • More Adventures of the Great Brain
  • Me and My Little Brain
  • The Great Brain at the Academy
  • The Great Brain Reforms
  • The Return of the Great Brain
  • The Great Brain Does it Again
  • The Great Brain is Back

It is a great series filled with excitement, drama, and humor.

-Lauren B., 12th grade

Book Review: The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

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fault_in_our_stars_coverIt was only in December when I started reading again, with The Fault in Our Stars being the third book I read that weekend. I was honestly disappointed in myself because I had chosen to read such a breathtakingly beautiful novel nearly a year after its publication.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green tells the generic story about a girl who meets a boy who completely turns her life around. However, John Green adds in the fact that the girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, is barely getting by with the help of a miracle drug that keeps her thyroid cancer at bay. The boy, Augustus Waters, is an osteosarcoma cancer survivor and amputee who completely changes Hazel’s perspective about life and love. It is during a cancer support group meeting when a simple handshake leads to the creation of their masterpiece of a relationship.

John Green, famous also for writing Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, and Paper Towns, continues his winning streak by beautifully illustrating the locations most important to both the characters and the reader. Green transports the reader as far as an enigmatic author’s home in Amsterdam, or even as close as Augustus’ garage. He makes the lives of both teenage lovers easily relatable, regardless of the degree and only fuels the reader’s desire to meet Augustus and Hazel in person. What really stands out about this book is the fact that John Green effortlessly tells this tragic story without making it seem so tragic, balancing out the seriousness with comic relief.

In between the laughter and tears, this book was an absolute pleasure to read. I recommend this book to anyone who loves John Green’s work, loves a teenage romance, or may have lost interest in reading. I firmly believe that reading this novel will certainly rekindle one’s love for books.

-Danielle G., 11th grade