Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: Silhouetted by the Blue, by Traci L. Jones

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silhouetted_blue_coverThis book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.

We all go through hard times, but it’s family that helps us through. Silhouetted by the Blue by Traci L. Jones is a book about hard times, sadness, hard work, and family. Serena, a seventh grade girl, has her work cut out for her. Not only does she have to juggle grades, housework, and homework, but also two hours of play practice every day. All while taking care of her annoying 8 year old brother Henry without any help from her no good “blue” father, who does nothing but lay in bed crying all day.” You feeling blue still, Daddy?” Serena whispered. As an answer, her father rolled over again, pulled his pillow over his head, and began to cry softly (6).”All Serena wants is to have fun, be a kid, and live a normal life again.

Serena, the main character, is the reason I liked this book so much. Throughout Silhouetted by the Blue I really felt all of Serena’s emotions and her pain. All the work she has to do around the house and at school isn’t what a seventh grade girl should have to go through every day. Although this book had some sad and dark parts in the beginning, I was proud of how Serena handled the situation by trying to stay positive and believe in herself and finally took action to help her dad with his depression. She didn’t give up and was proactive in her situation, which brought her family back together. “Everything was finally back to normal, everyone Serena loved and cared about was right there- front row center, supporting her (200).”

Even though this book wasn’t a real or true story it still teaches you important life lessons. It taught me how important it is to be a helpful, loving sister, daughter, and teenage girl. It inspired me to never give up when life gets hard. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves acting, performing and not giving up on family.

The main themes of this book are: no matter how hard life gets, it will always get better with hard work and help from family and friends, and family is the top priority. These themes remind me of Elijah, Serena’s friend. Through everything Serena went through Elijah stuck by her side. He helped her with homework, chores, taking care of her little brother Henry, and helping with the play. Elijah was the greatest friend anyone could ask for, and he was just what Serena needed.

Silhouetted by the Blue is really a great book about bravery, hard work, and family. Again, I would recommend this book to anyone who loves acting, performing, and never giving up on family. If you want to see if Serena can get her father help, take care of her brother, and act in her school play, you will have to read the book and find out.

-Delanie K., 7th grade

Manga Review: Naruto Introduction Arc, by Masashi Kishimoto

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naruto2This is the next part of my review about Naruto. (See my previous one here.)

The manga series, Naruto, is a huge story that has many smaller story arc that tell a part of the who story. Introduction Arc is the first story arc of the series. This arc covers the first eight chapters of the manga. The first tankobon volume of the series contains the first seven chapters and the eighth chapter is in the second volume.

As the title suggests, it introduces the main characters in the series as well as some of the supporting characters. The main character which the story revolves around is Naruto Uzumaki and his life which starts in the Ninja Leaf Village or Konohagakure.

Naruto is a 12-year-old, blonde-head boy who is full of energy and mischief and is at the bottom of his class. Then there is Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha. Both of them are the same age as Naruto but Sakura is a pink-hair girl, that hates Naruto and is crazy about Sasuke. Sasuke, on the other hand, is child genius that is the last of his family and has a goal to gain revenge against a mysterious person. Sasuke has no other goal or ambition beyond that. Kakashi Hatake is the person that becomes the sensei of the three after they graduate from the Ninja Academy. With silver hair, sleepy looking eyes and a habit of being late Kakashi might not seem much but he has plenty of secrets. Then there is Iruka Umino.

Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke are put through a graduation test, by Kakashi, to see if they are worthy of becoming ninjas and his students. They are presented with the task of trying to retrieve two bells from Kakashi’s belt. This is no easy task since Kakashi is one of the most powerful ninja in the Leaf Village. On top of that only the two students who successfully retrieve the bell will graduate but there is a hidden motive beyond what they were told. Will they ever find out?

This personally was and remains one of my favorite arcs because this is the first time the I ever met the characters. I look back after reading the later chapter and realize how much they have grown. This arc has a lot of comedic parts that made me laugh and enough serious parts to balance them out. The art is simple and well-drawn.

This is a great read for anyone who likes adventure and manga. There are some fighting scenes but I would still recommend this to anyone over the age of 8. The only way to learn more about it is to read it! So read it and find out!

-Sarah J., 8th grade

Book Review: Rush for the Gold, by John Feinstein

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rush_gold_coverThis book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.

Have you ever had a dream you worked your whole life to achieve? John Feinstein, a fictional sports author, captures an amazing story of a small town swimmer who dreams of someday competing for Olympic gold. John has written over six other sports books, one of them being the New York Times best seller, The Last Shot. In Rush For The Gold, he tells the story of a girl named Susan Carol Anderson and how her life changed dramatically because of just one swim meet. I strongly recommend this book for any type of athlete looking for an inspirational story, as well as a compelling and captivating read. Athletes will love the competitive nature of the story line, and every reader will love the fast pace that keeps you guessing from beginning to end.

The story starts out with Susan Carol having a flashback to the World Championships in Shanghai nine months beforehand when she beat the world record holder, Liu Zige, from China by two hundredths of a second in the final round. From that point on, Susan Carol stunned the world. That win guaranteed her a spot in the Olympic trials and laid out an amazing financial future for her and her family.  “She had gone to China hoping to swim the meet of her life. She never dreamed that succeeding would completely change her life (pg. 2).” This just goes to show that even good things lead to different sorts of change; some good and some difficult.

“It had been at a Grand Prix meet in Charlotte [North Carolina] that she [Susan Carol Anderson referred to as Susan Carol] had gone from being a solid age-group swimmer to a national contender (pg. 5).” After that meet, her life would never be the same. From people at school treating her like a star, press meetings in her free time, to agents coming to her house pleading for her to become their client.  Susan Carol faced all the changes that come with a small town girl becoming an international celebrity.  A major theme projected throughout this novel is change – being able to accept change and adapt to change, both big and small, good and bad. Although it might seem simple, there are many different types of change. In Susan Carol’s case, accepting and adapting to all the changes in her life is no easy task. Part of her being able to adjust was having the support and loyalty of her boyfriend, Stevie.

After making the Olympic team, Susan Carol swims for her life in both the 100 meter and 200 meter butterfly. She can handle pressure well, but will it be different this time with millions of people watching? From here, you will have to read the book to experience all of the twists and turns of her shocking Olympic journey.  Does all of her hard work and extreme training finally pay off?  Do her Olympic dreams come true?

-Evan T., 7th grade

Book Review: Sure Signs of Crazy, by Karen Harrington

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sure_signs_coverHave you ever walked into the living room, and your parents were watching the news?  Maybe they’re watching a trial. Maybe it’s about something really serious, like a mother killing (or almost killing) their child. It’s scary, but it happens. So what if that child survived, and that child was a girl? What if that child was a twin, and the other twin (which is a boy) didn’t survive? Have you ever thought about this? This is the basis for Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington.

Twelve-year-old Sarah Nelson is very different. Her classmates like Harry Potter, and she likes Atticus Finch. She loves words and books. Her best friend is a plant, and her mom tried to drown her when Sarah when was two. She’s never known her mother since her mother has been in a mental institution since then. Her dad gets drunk a lot, and they move each time somebody recognizes who they are and who her mom is, so Sarah has never truly felt at home…

…until one summer. One summer when she didn’t get shoved to her grandparents’ house for three months. One summer when she got her first real crush. One summer when her English teacher made a difference beforehand. And one summer when she discovered something broken can heal.

I feel like I shouldn’t give away a lot of this book, so I’ll give my personal view of it without any spoilers.

Now I’m not typically an emotional person, so I can’t say I cried and laughed out loud, but I can say I did cry and laugh on the inside. This book is so real it feels like Sarah just “walked out of the book,” as she says about Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I feel Karen (May I call her Karen? Yeah, I think I will.) did an amazing job with this book. I could feel Sarah’s pain and anger and happiness and all of her other emotions. A well done book! It also got me interested in To Kill A Mockingbird, which definitely will be my next book.

 P.S. Although this book is said to be for ages 9 and up, I feel it’s more for 11ish and up. 

-Danielle L., 6th grade

Book Review: Everlost, by Neal Shusterman

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everlost_coverEverlost is a fantasy book, the first in the Skinjacker trilogy, that takes place in a dimension between life and death, populated by spirits of dead children and teenagers who failed to cross over to the true afterlife.

Main characters Nick and Allie meet when they die in the same car crash, and befriend a long-dead younger boy named Lief. The three of them travel the country and learn the rules of Everlost: they can no longer be seen by the living, objects with sentimental value can cross over to their plane, and anyone who stands still for too long will sink to the center of the earth. Allie learns the criminal practices of moving objects and possessing the living, intending to go home and visit her family, but when her friends are kidnapped aboard a ghost ship, her plans are derailed by a rescue mission.

The major strength of this book is the author’s creative ideas regarding the properties of ghosts. Spirits in Everlost are never older than fifteen or so, because adults are too focused to get lost on the way to the afterlife. Dead children arrive in Everlost wearing the clothes they died in, but after months in ghost form, their appearances can change as they forget what they looked like in life. They can easily get locked into a pattern of doing the same activity over and over until the end of time, especially if encouraged that this is their natural destiny.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes imaginative worldbuilding, adventure, and a focus on friendships rather than romance.

-Miranda C., 12th grade

Book Review: Paralyzed, by Jeff Rud

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paralyzed_coverThis book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.

Accidents happen every day.  So when a tragic accident happens in a high school football game, is anyone to be blamed? In the book Paralyzed by Jeff Rud, he takes on this difficult question.  Mr. Rud has been a sports writer, columnist, and sports editor for over twenty years.  This is an entertaining book for individuals interested in novels with sports backgrounds.  It gives you a remarkable look into obstacles that players may face.

In this outstanding novel, linebacker Reggie Scott tells the story of his difficult journey as a high school football player facing the problem of being accused of “playing dirty” when an opposing player gets injured. Reggie is conflicted about his ability to use contact anymore.  While this is a legitimate feeling, it’s saddening to know that a great player like Reggie would be discouraged from showing off their talent.  Despite how it might appear, Reggie is not actually to blame for the tragic injury of Nate Brown, the opposing player.  Even the coach comments that “Despite how it might appear, this is not your fault.”

The rising action takes place when everyone realizes this, except Nate’s mom.  Reggie faces the wrath of Nate’s mom who blames this accident on Reggie.  “The woman’s face changed in an instant.  Gone was the mournful, confused look.  In its place was a flash of anger.  Her face grew red, and her eyelids twitched…Don’t come back ever! I don’t want you here.  Nate doesn’t want you here.  I saw you dancing around after that play.  I saw you celebrating.  Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

Ultimately, Reggie’s problem is resolved in a most exciting manner when Nate’s mom doesn’t give up on the idea that Reggie is to blame and takes things a step farther than just accusations.

-Justin W., 7th grade

Book Review: Dead Cat Bounce, by Nic Bennett

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dead_cat_bounceAs soon as I read the back of Dead Cat Bounce by Nic Bennett, I knew it was a book that I would like. It had everything I was looking for; action, cliffhangers at the end of chapters, and it kept my attention the whole way through. Even though the subject in the book, banking, was not really something I was interested in, Mr. Bennett managed to keep it exciting. This book is not well known, or by a very famous author, but it is still a good read.

In Dead Cat Bounce, Jonah Lightbody, a twelve year old boy, goes to work with his father David, at Helsby, Cattermole, and Partners. After his parents’ divorce, Jonah believes that his father has lost interest in him, so when his father agrees to let Jonah go to work with him, Jonah is in high spirits. However, Jonah soon meets another banker, the Baron, who is a “Whistler,” or someone who likes to be on the wild side, unlike David, who is a “Drizzler.” The Baron soon discovers Jonah’s amazing photographic memory, and puts him to work, making millions a day, until David finds out and puts a stop to it. However, four years later, Jonah quits school, and goes back to work with the Baron and his group, until the market crashes, everything goes wrong, and something shocking occurs that will change both David and Jonah’s lives forever. Soon, Jonah will never be able to trust anyone again.

I think Dead Cat Bounce makes for a very good entertaining read, and it is a fun book. It is definitely a book that I would read again, and I would recommend this book to other readers. The minimum age level for reading this book would be thirteen years old.

-Will R., 9th grade

Book Review: The Dream Thieves, by Maggie Stiefvater

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dream_thieves_coverIf you could take anything from your dreams, what would you steal? But what if you couldn’t always choose what you took, and you brought back a nightmare?

Ronan has this talent. As far as he knows, he is the only one besides his deceased father, who was killed by this secret. But it isn’t the only secret out there. The ley lines, a kind of energy source for spiritual activity, have awakened, so they should be stronger than ever. Why then are they weaker than before?

Any fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s Shiver trilogy should definitely read this book. There is an air of mystery and magic that pulls the plot along. I liked how this is the second book in a series, yet I felt everything important in the first book, The Raven Boys, was explained well without being repetitive. If at all possible, this book was even better than the first. Although, reading the first book made me appreciate the characters’ growth more than if I hadn’t.

Speaking of characters, they were all distinct and complemented one another in their differences. Blue, the only girl, destined to kill her true love with a kiss; Adam, who feels like nothing, but has a greater importance than he realizes; Ronan, forbidden to return to his childhood home; Gansey, obsessed with an ancient Welsh king, Glendower, and will probably die within the year; and the Gray Man, the most mysterious of all, always remaining inconspicuous in order to complete his job as a hit man. The only question is: who is his target?

From the very beginning, the story had me completely hooked. It is one of those books you can’t put down and end up reading late into the night. I only had a couple of issues with this book. The first problem was there were several chapters where Blue wasn’t mentioned once. With such a prominent role, it was strange for her to go missing for chapters on end. Instead, characters who were more secondary had bigger roles, like Ronan and Adam had major parts to play. I understand they were doing important things in that time, but I would have preferred just one chapter from Blue’s perspective intermixed with those chapters. (Everything is in the third person, so you never have to worry who is talking.) Another thing was, even though it wasn’t everywhere, there was too much cursing for my taste. Ronan is the main perpetrator, so with more chapters about him, it makes sense there was more cursing than the last book. Even with those complaints, it a truly amazing read.

-Nicole G., 10th grade

Book Review: Curse of the Spider King, by Wayne Thomas Baston & Christopher Hopper

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curse_of_the_spider_kingSeven kids who live in six places different places in our world. They are all separate but they are linked by their history and race.

Curse of the Spider King is the story is about seven kids who are all thirteen and are living on this earth:  Tommy Bowman, Autumn Briarman, Johnny Briarman, Jett Green, James “Jimmy” Gresham, Kat Simonson, and Kiri Lee Yuen. In this book, they learn about the truth of their birth in another world called Allyra. The learn about the fact that they are elves of royal birth. The seven learn about the one that cause them to be taken from their home to earth and is now their enemy, The Spider King.

Curse of the Spider King  is the first of The Berinfell Prophecies trilogy. 

Curse of the Spider King has an amazing cast of well-formed characters as well as plenty of unique and cool places. This book is a great read for anyone who like adventure and fantasy. Just a warning, first time readers might find this book slightly hard to understand at first since for this particular book it tends to jump around to different places each chapter. It should be easier once you understand some of the jumps. This happened to me when I first read Curse of the Spider King. I had read books from both of the author before I read this. I know that both of them are excellent writers in their own way. This book, I found more interesting and slightly confusing due to that. There is fighting in this book as well as in the rest of the series for those who are watching out for that kind of stuff. Even so, I would recommend it to anyone. Of course, this is only what I think. Read it and decide.

-Sarah J., 8th grade

Book Review: Football Champ, by Tim Green

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football_champ_coverThis book review is part of series of reviews written by students at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for their 7th grade English classes.

“Troy knew they were going to run the slant. He knew adults doubted 12 year olds anyway, but his calls had been good enough to last a three game winning streak. Troy stared hard into the eyes of the defensive coordinator, until he signaled Troy’s play. The center snapped the ball. The defense blitzed. The quarterback dropped back and threw the slant. Seth Halloway leaped in front of the receiver and caught the ball, securing the Falcons fourth win in a row.” (2) Tim Green’s book, Football Champ is a fiction story about how young Troy White makes his way into the NFL, but not by playing, but by calling the plays.

Football Champ is an incredible book that illustrates 12 year old Troy White’s life. Reading from Troy’s point of view, you will learn how he and his two friends, Nathan and Tate, overcome may obstacles to keep their dreams alive and never give up. Troy can predict the plays that other teams will call before they happen. That’s how he got his job in the NFL working for the Atlanta Falcons. “The executives jumped up, spilling their drinks, and began chanting and high-fiving Troy. The Falcons had just won their fifth game in a row, with a little help from Troy.” (93) All is going well for Troy, even his own football team, the Duluth Tigers, advance to the state championship, and the Atlanta Falcons look like they might make a play-off run of their own. But when Troy accepts an interview request with reporter Peele, his world gets flipped up-side down, and learns that some people don’t seem to be who they really are.

This book really interested me because of Tim Green’s writing style. He used many superb and interesting words that made the story much better. The book really flowed together nicely, and I couldn’t put it down. Along with the writing style, I loved the plot. Everything made perfect sense, and as I read on, it drew me in more. I would recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in football, and loves an action packed story.

-Brenden W., 7th grade