Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

In the book Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick, Nora Grey's life is far from perfect. Nora had an attempt on her life yet survived which wasn’t a pleasant thing to go through. She had gained a guardian angel, but sadly her guardian angel was far from angelic, matter of fact quite devil-ish. The guardian angel named Patch had been given a second chance with life, while still not being human or being able to be seen. I personally believe that this book is good for most ages above 9-10 while it all depends on your mental age and how well you can take 18+ themes or themes of violence. Other than that, it’s truly an amazing book. 

I can relate with the character Nora Grey, as I believe she would be a great friend who wouldn’t talk about someone behind their back unless given a good reason, which I believe is outstanding friend material. This book would be the romance and horror category of books, although it rarely states anything truly in the horror category, even though there is gore and topics of such. Some parts of the book remind me of a few of the goosebumps series.

Review by Em0RaInB0w

 

Floods by Lorraine Hopping

In the beginning of Floods by Lorraine Hopping there is a flood that happens because a lot of ice got stuck at a bridge and clogged up the river. The water started to overflow into town. Then the rescue team had to help people get out of water to high ground. They tried to break the ice with a big machine and when they did, all the water went back into the river. There are examples in the book about other floods that happen.

I like this book a lot because it is fun to read and I learned a lot of stuff in this book. You should read this book because you can learn about floods too. I hope you read this book.

Review by fortnite cool dude47

The Marvelwood Magicians by Diane Zahler

The Marvelwood Magicians by Diane Zahler is one of the RICBA Nominees for 2019. This story's main character is Mattie Marvelwood. She travels around the U.S. with her family as they set up their wagon near fairs and circuses to perform. Mattie is a mind reader. When she touches someone, she can read their thoughts. Her whole family have magical abilities, from her disappearing brother, to her floating little sister. But her family knows that if anyone ever found out that their abilities are real, and not tricks or illusions, they would be in danger. The Marvelwoods join a circus run by Master Morogh and suddenly they and all their new friends are in danger of losing their talents. Mattie has to figure out a way to save her family and friends, without losing a part of herself.

I love magical stories and Diane Zahler's decision to place the Marvelwood family in a circus setting was just perfect! I love how Mattie could understand the thoughts of the circus animals. This story has great imagery, I can easily picture it making a fantastic movie. Read it and see if you agree!

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne

The book, Polar Bears Past Bedtime by Mary Pope Osborne is about two kids named Annie and Jack. They go to the Arctic and  meet a man when they get out of the tree house. They go back to his igloo and meet two polar bear cubs on the ice. The mom bear comes and tries to get her cubs. Will she get her cubs across the ice or will something happen to Jack and Annie? This will always be one of my favorite books ever. I Highly suggest this book.

    I thought this book reminded me of a National Geographic clip that I saw about Antarctica. Mary Pope Osborne is one of my favorite authors and has made over 50 books in the Magic Tree House series. I would like to raise awareness for polar bears because their ice is melting due to global warming.

Review by caillouboy

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, it is Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and it is an exciting yet scary year. He has been seeing things in his sleep and his scar has been hurting at certain times, which means Voldemort is mad or near. Hermione, Ron and some other students at Hogwarts want to learn Defence Against the Dark Arts just in case he comes back. The only problem is that the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Professor Umbridge banned any sort of group or club without her permission. Will they get caught and possibly get expelled or will everything be okay? Will Voldemort return? Find out in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I enjoyed this book very much. It is a longer book, but it was interesting the whole way through. I had so many feelings throughout the whole book. At some points I was happy others I was angry or upset. I liked the book because of the fantasy. There are many things in it that could not happen in real life. I think that this is cool. This is one of the things that makes me want to read more.

Review by magic / ***

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart

Ever since Mark was a little boy, he had planned to climb Mount Rainier with his grandfather. But one thing stood in the way. Mark was a very sick boy but was tired of being just the sick kid. He was determined to make his grandfather proud. Mark could do it with his dog, Beau, by his side. Climbing up is one thing, but climbing down is another. His whole life, Mark has overcome many things. Will this add to the list of accomplishments, or be the last thing he ever does? Read The Honest Truth to join Mark up the mountain and find out what his fate will be.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I appreciated the cliff-hangers and could never put it down. The Honest Truth  made me happy, sad and nervous all at the same time. The author paints a great picture in the reader's mind which makes you really get to know Mark, Beau, and the rest of the crew. I strongly recommend reading The Honest Truth. It’s a great book!

Reading this book reminded me of when I saw a story on the news about a 14 year old girl who trained for years to climb Mount Everest. Even though Mark didn’t train for years, both of them had a passion for adventure. The girl had Mount Everest on her bucket list for a long time and when she accomplished it, she felt that she made her dad proud.  When Mark was climbing Mount Rainier, he wanted to make his grandfather proud. The 14 year old girl and Mark have a lot in common in my opinion.

Reviewed By-Soccergirl16

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart was not an easy book to read. I cried pretty much through the whole thing. Mark is a young boy who runs away from home. He takes his dog Beau with him. Beau is a loyal, smart dog and Mark is lucky he is at his side. Mark heads toward his goal Mount Rainier. He and Beau will travel by bus, train, and foot. He is often in danger and is terribly sick and hungry. There is a winter storm coming and his family and best friend Jessie are worried. You will be too. I certainly was.

Mrs. Castro

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

In the book Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, there are three children called the Baudelaire children. They are put in a very unpleasant situation. Their parents died in a very bad fire in their house. So now they have another guardian that watches them. They go through lots of stress. Read it and you’ll find out about this terrible guardian.

This story reminds me of my childhood. Not what was happening to the Baudelaire children, but I was always told tales. These tales were very mysterious, just like the one in this book. It keeps me curious. I honestly recommend you read this book. This book has unpleasant tales, but there was nothing stopping me from putting it down. There are very mysterious things happening every moment.

Review by Baller#30

The book I read was the Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket, (Daniel Handler). This book is about the Baudelaire orphans Sunny, Klaus, and Violet whose parents have died. The children now live with a terrible man named Count Olaf who wants to take all their money. Read to find out if Count Olaf gets their money.

    What I liked about the book was that it was a page turner. It really made me want to keep reading.The book is one in a series so you could learn more about the characters and their problems.The reason why I liked this book was because I have a brother and a little sister and we are all curious about something different, just like they are in the book.

Reviewed by:Cheer123

The series of unfortunate events: Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket is about three children whose parents die and they move into a disgusting house with an evil man named Count Olaf. Count Olaf tries to steal the Baudelaire’s money.

I thought the book was very interesting and a bit creepy.  It was creepy because of all the things that Count Olaf did to the Baudelaire’s family. For example, He made Violet marry him so he could steal the money they had. Will they escape?

  By Domenator_D

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket is a thriller story. This book has so many twists and turns that you can never predict what is going to happen. It starts as a tragedy by losing something important, jumps to abuse, to horrible acting, and child like spying to save one another.

I like this book because I feel like I’m a little bit of each character. I think I can be quick on my feet and come up with inventive ideas like Violet. I am like Claus because we both like to study stuff and we are both cautious with stuff. Also, even though I am cautious I sometimes like to take risks.

Puppy98

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin

I read Rain Reign by Ann M Martin over the holiday break. It was a great book and is one of the RICBA Nominees for 2016. The story is about a girl named Rose Howard, she has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a form of Autism. Basically, she's very smart, she just thinks differently then other kids her age. For example, she loves homonyms and keeps a written list of all the ones she can think of. She also loves prime numbers and sometimes when she's nervous she recites prime numbers to help her feel more in control. Unfortunately Rose is just a kid, so there are a lot of things in life that are out of her control. She sometimes has trouble in school, and at home it's just her and her Dad. Her Dad has his own problems with control, which can be scary for Rose (and the reader). Luckily Rose has a best friend, (Rain, her dog), a terrific Uncle, and a sympathetic teacher. They all play a role in helping Rose deal with her problems.

This really was a very good book, emotional and surprisingly uplifting. Rose Howard is a character that you will really care about. This would be a great book to read out loud for mature students.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The Boy at the End of the World by Greg Van Eekhout

The Boy at the End of the World by Greg Van Eekhout is a very interesting book. The author imagined what a future world might look like.  A world where humans are almost extinct and machines have evolved to destroy life.  The story begins with the main character's awakening to this very scary world, and follows him through his attempts to survive against the machines.  Great characters and a fast moving plot will help you enjoy this book.  If you like futuristic fantasy stories, you'll love this.  I'd like to hear who your favorite character is.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage

One of this year's Newbery Honor books, Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is a great mystery.  The story is about a young girl named Mo, short for Moses because she was found as a baby floating on a river after a hurricane.  Luckily, she is taken in by Miss Lana and the Colonel, a man who lost his memory due to a car accident during the hurricane.  She spends her time looking for her "Upstream Mother", but is side-tracked from her search when a stranger turns up at her family's diner.  The stranger is Detective Starr, who is trying to solve a murder that happened in a nearby town.  Unfortunately, the next person that is murdered is Mr. Jesse, a patron of the diner, and now the story really starts rolling.  Read along as Mo and her best friend Dale start gathering clues to help solve the mystery and protect their families from danger.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage is an amazing book! It is about two kids named Dale and Mo. Just on an average day for the two kids they figure out that someone in their small town in North Carolina has been murdered. As they try to figure out who the murderer is, a mysterious man comes to solve the murder mystery. Read the book to find out who will really solve the crime first. I haven't really read lots of mystery books but my mom and I sometimes watch mystery shows and they kind of remind me of this book, because of the mysterious murders.

What I really like about the book is you don't know what is going to happen next. At one moment you may think that you know who the murderer is, but the next thing that happens may change your guess about who is the murderer. Once you read this book you'll know why I love it so much!    

Reviewed By: Sunset Baller

The PS Brothers by Maribeth Boelts

The PS Brothers by Maribeth Boelts will make a great classroom read aloud.  Basically it's about two boys, Shawn and Russ, who want a dog to protect them from all the bullies in school that pick on them because of the clothes they wear, and the fact that their families don't have much money.  Russ lives in a pop-up camper behind his Uncle's house, because his father is in jail.  Their lives are hard, but the friendship between the two boys is heartwarming.  The boys come up with a scheme to raise money to buy a puppy, and yes, it involves poop!  They also make a frightening discovery about the guy who is selling them the puppy.  With so much stacked against these two young heros, can they beat the odds and win out in the end?  Read the book and find out!

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier

Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes is Jonathan Auxier's first novel and it's a good one.  If you like fantasy books, as I'm sure you know I do, you'll like this one.  Honestly it took me a little while to get in to it.  I think I was grossed out by the beginning of the book, when it explains that Peter Nimble is blind, found as an infant floating on the sea with his eyeballs pecked out by a raven.  See what I mean, gross!  But there is a reason for everything in a book and in the end you'll understand the strange beginning.  This is an adventure story, Peter, a thief and orphan is sent on a quest to find someone who needs his help.   He must follow the clues left on a note that was placed in a bottle and sent adrift on the sea.  There is magic and mystery, danger and swashbuckling fight scenes, monsters and of course a maiden in distress.  Are you interested yet?

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman

What better time to read then during a blizzard?  So, for the Blizzard of 2013, I cracked open Dan Gutman's, The Genius Files: Mission Unstoppable.  It's about a pair of twins, brother (Coke) and sister (Pepsi).  I know, funny names, right?  They are two really smart kids who are targeted by a dangerous group of adults who are trying to kill them.  Their parents are oblivious to the danger they are in, and set out on a cross country road trip.  Thinking they'll be safe once they leave their hometown, the kids have no idea that trouble will follow.  I personally enjoyed following the kids' road trip on the map, as they dodged danger in real places from West to East across the U.S.  Lots of adventure involved in this book and there is an ending that will make you want to read the next Genius Files book, because this is the first in a series.  We have a ton of Gutman books in the library, so if you like his style of writing, you'll enjoy this too.

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro