Paper Chains by Elaine Vickers

 Do you like heartwarming books? If so Paper Chains is the book for you! Paper Chains by Elaine Vickers is about these two middle school girls Kate and Ana. Kate has to keep her secret that she's adopted and also has issues with her heart.  She has to keep these secret because she thinks it will ruin their friendship, also she thinks it might even ruin their family. On the other hand,  Ana’s father has left their family and there’s suspicion that he is not coming back. In this story their actions create more problems because of their secrets. This books appeals to me because of how different the characters are. Will the girls tell each other their secrets? Or will they find out from somebody else?

      Personally, this is one of my favorite books . Paper chains isn’t just like any other book. The author, Elaine Vickers makes and adds and builds this book so that it is organized magnificently.  The characters are so different,  but still they manage to become friends. This book reminded me of one of my best friends. This book talks about the hardships that friends can face, also what they can overcome. Just remember, friends and family are worth fighting for.  How will  Kate and Ana  resolve their problems?

Review by Potato_Girl

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin

Ruby on the Outside by Nora Raleigh Baskin is about a young girl named Ruby who lives with her aunt because her mother is in prison. She visits her mother in prison and it is a frightening experience that she has had to get used to. Ruby has to live without being able to call her mother on the phone, without having her mother to tuck her in at night, or to talk to when she is worried. She has also learned to live with the secret that her mother is in prison. Living with a secret like that, keeping it on the inside is very difficult. Ruby's worlds collide when she meets Margalit who is new in her apartment complex. Ruby thinks she has finally found a best friend, but will her secret and her mother's past make that impossible?

One of the reasons I think reading is so important is because it helps us to understand people who have different life experiences than we have had. We get a chance to be inside their head and know what it might feel like to have the problems they have. This insight allows us to be sympathetic to other peoples' problems. Ruby on the Outside does just this, beautifully.

Mrs. Castro

Penny From Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm

Penny From Heaven was written by Jennifer L. Holm. She also wrote the books, Our Only May Amelia, Trouble with May Amelia, and Turtle in Paradise. Two cousins, Penny and Frankie keep getting in trouble. They are always sneaking into people’s houses and looking for antiques. Then one day Penny and Frankie go to their Uncle Dominic’s meat shop and something terrible happens to Penny. If you want to find out what happened to Penny, read the book. Penny has to go to the hospital and has to stay there for a few weeks. Frankie was blaming himself about Penny’s accident. This book was really sad at the end. Then something good happens to Penny. Read the book to find out what happened to Penny. If you like happy endings, this is a good book for you. I truly loved this book. Penny was my favorite character because she is funny and adventurous. This book has to do with family and secrets. I would recommend this book for 5th and 6th graders.

Reviewed by: panda_bear_9

The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan

The Red Pyramid is written by Rick Riordan.  Rick Riordan also wrote the Percy Jackson series.  The main characters are Sadie and Carter Kane.  They are both teenagers and they found out that they have magic powers . They came from London to New York on a magic boat.  Their dad gets captured by the Egyptian god of destruction.  I think the book is very entertaining and if you're interested in myths I think you would like this book.  Will they save their dad?         

Reviewed by Cement head 

First Light by Rebecca Stead

First Light is written by Rebecca Stead.  She also wrote When You Reach Me, which was the Newbery Medal Winner in 2010.  This is the second of Stead's books that I have read and I enjoyed both of them immensely.  This is another adventurous tale with magical elements.  One of the main character's Peter, is a young boy who goes to Greenland, a land of snow and ice.  Peter's scientific parents are studying the effects of global warming.  At first, the book seems to be about this rather ordinary topic, but then Stead introduces Thea, who we learn lives beneath the surface of ice in Greenland with her people.  Why they are there, and why their existence is a secret, is something you will have to read the book to find out!  Does it have anything to do with what is wrong with Peter?  Why does his vision keep wavering, and why does he keep passing out?

Reviewed by Mrs. Castro

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn

Deep And Dark And Dangerous is written by Mary Downing Hahn. This book is not for people who don’t like mystery. This book is about an eleven year old girl named Ali. She finds a pictures in her attic which has her mother and aunt.But someone else in the picture and no one knows who. And Ali  wants to  find who is in the picture.She goes to a cabin where her mother used to live with her cousin and aunt and meets a suspicious girl. Is she friendly? Does she know about the photo? Who is she really? Check out the book to find out all of the books secrets.

       This book gave me the chills, but in an exciting way wanting to know what's next. I fell in love with the book in 2015 when I read it for the first time. I read it in my spare time during class and at home when I was bored in my room. I thought this book would be boring but you can’t  judge a book by its cover. If you don’t read the beginning or the end you will not get what is happening. When I read it the second time I accidently skipped a couple pages. I didn't get what was happening and that was my second time. I laughed out loud when I realized what I did. But, I truly love this amazing mystery book.

AwesomeA1

The book Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn, is a horror book and also suspenseful. I enjoyed this book because something was always happening and you want to read on, but unfortunately I only had a certain amount of time to read it each day in class so I took it home and read a lot of it. One of my favorite characters is Sissy because she is mean and funny about everything.  That is a good thing, but also bad because you can get in trouble for being mean. Ali is the main character.  She has a little cousin named Emma, who is scared and has bad dreams about someone scary who her mom and aunt hung out with when they were little. This girl had a tragic accident and died. Read this book to find out what happened to the girl and what they do to prevent being haunted.

Reviewed by monster123

Do you like ghost stories? Well, if so, you would love Deep and Dark and Dangerous. Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Downing Hahn is eerie and suspenseful.  A girl named Ali finds a torn photo of her aunt and mom at Gull Cottage. Who is the other girl? Her aunt Dulcie shows up to ask Ali if she wanted to go to Gull Cottage. Once she’s there things start getting strange. She finds out who the girl was in the torn photo, a dark secret about her aunt and mom, and more. I highly recommend this book for people who like ghost stories. Never mess with a ghost!

Reviewed by Bob 2

Deep And Dark And Dangerous is a thrilling and emotional story. A 13 year old girl named Ali goes to Gull Cottage Lake house with her aunt Dulcie and her 7 year old cousin Emma. After a couple of weeks staying at the lake house, Emma, her little cousin meets a 10 year old girl named Sissy, who Ali strongly dislikes until some secrets are uncovered…

Reviewed by Pinkxox003

Deep and Dark and Dangerous by Mary Dawning Hahn is awesome. Deep and Dark and Dangerous will leave you at the edge of your seat.  Ali is 13 years old named and Ali’s cousin Emma go to Gull Cottage. There is a girl named Sissy and she is a bad influence.  Something goes wrong, but you will have to read to find out what it is.  Deep and Dark and Dangerous reminds me of a time my Aunt went to this lake house and there was something strange about that house.  Enjoy Deep and Dark and Dangerous.

Reviewed by Rocco06 J J