Treasure Map of Boy by E. Lockhart

This was the third book in the Ruby Oliver books, and in it Ruby Oliver starts the second half of her junior year, still a social "leper" and still with a series of complicated relationships. Ruby stills pines for Noel, who is still unattainable due to her friend Nora. Her sophomore past still bothers her in the halls. Ruby loses her job. Soon everything reaches a boiling point and in an impulse decision Ruby soon finds her self with no friends at all. Will someone step up to help her?

It was fun to read to 2 previous books and then read this. In it Ruby is finally thinking less impulsively and you can't help but to cheer her on and be like a proud parent when she makes a good decision. Full of drama, as usual.

4 Stars
Jessie

The Boy Book by E. Lockhart

The Boy Book is the second book in the Ruby Oliver series, in which Ruby Oliver goes on another adventure at Tate in her junior year. Following the catastrophe of sophomore year, Ruby is left practically friendless except for her neighbor and hopeless romantic, and a confusing boy Noel. And soon her ex Jackson steps back into the picture with strange notes left in her mail. Ruby is completely overwhelmed, and even her shrink can't help her figure herself out.

I thought this book was funny, chatty, and drama filled...what good chick lit should be. Ruby had her flaws at points, but you grew to love her snappy humor and dire predicaments.

4 Stars
Jessie

Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde

Lady Windermere's Fan is a play about London's high society and the scandal that follows with it. Lord and Lady Windermere have been happily married for awhile, and they have a child. But Lord Windemere has been reported to be seen with a mysterious Mrs. Erlynne, who he has been sending large amounts of money. Lord Windermere refuses to tell the Lady why, other than it is for her benefit. Outraged, Lady Windermere leaves for another man, but is stopped by Mrs. Erlynne. In the end, Mrs. Erlynne performs a great sacrifice and her true persona is revealed.

Oscar Wilde is one of my favorite writers for his humor and crafting style. This play was very good, in that there was great foreshadowing and a suspenseful reveal at the end. Some of the characters were pretty pathetic (although I guess most in London's high society were). Fun read.

4 Stars
Jessie

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Perks of Being a Wallflower followed Charlie, an awkward 15 year old going into his first year in high school. At the beginning of the year, he is friendless and shy, but soon becomes friends with two seniors, Sam and Patrick, who take him under their wing. Charlie starts writing letters to an unknown person about his year, books and music.

This book was great. Charlie was such a genuinely awkward kind of guy, but you really grew to care for him. You worried about his family, his friends, everyone. The book was a collection of all the letters that Charlie sent to the unknown person that he thought he could trust. The writing was great, it was truly Charlie. Recommended for maybe older readers, touches on subjects like drugs, etc.

5 Stars
Jessie

Fear Itself by Andrew Clements

This second book in the Benjamin Pratt & the Keepers of the School series, Ben and Jill must solve clues to keep the school from being torn down. Deciphering the hidden meaning is a difficult task, and involves a lot of thinking between the two kids. Lyman, the secret agent disguised as a janitor, is also tracking them, and trying to keep them from stopping the building project. I thought it was a good book, except the ending was a little abrupt.

4 Stars

Sarah

Mary, Bloody Mary by Carolyn Meyer

Mary is the heir to the throne of England, and she enjoys all the luxuries of her royal status. But when her father decides to divorce her mother and marry someone new instead, Mary is indignant. If this new wife has a son, then he will be declared the heir instead of her. This is a historical novel which is rich in historical detail, and it really makes you sympathize with the girl who was later nicknamed 'Bloody Mary'. But it didn't seem to grab my attention as much as other historical novels I've read.

3 Stars
Sarah

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

This book told the story of Esperanza Cordero through her voice in a series of vignettes and poems. Each story crafts a new side of her, her goals, dreams, family, life. Growing up a Latina girl in Chicago isn't easy.

I adored this book. Each story was written so beautifully, and each story was a gem in itself. They stories were heartbreaking, joyous, and told her angst so well. Must read for those who love vignettes and for those who haven't experienced them.

5 Stars

Jessie

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

The first book of JK Rowling's series follows Harry on his first adventure as a wizard. Formerly living with the drab and horrid Dursleys, Harry discovers that he is a wizard, and starts his first year at Hogwarts. He encounters Quidditch, which he finds he has a natural talent for, new friends, trolls, and a new enemy, the one they call "You-Know-Who". What is Hogwarts hiding on the third floor?I adore this book. It makes me feel pretty nostalgic, because it remind me of the first time I picked up a Harry Potter book and was hooked. It's cool to see how JK Rowling's writing has evolved since the very beginning, and its fun to see how Harry was at the very beginning. Love this book for the series' signature humor, adventure, mystery, and characters.

5 Stars
Jessie

The High King by Lloyd Alexander

Arawn Death-Lord has stolen Dyrnwyn, the most powerful sword in all of Prydain. Now he and his deathless Cauldron-Born warriors seek to destroy and take over all the lands around them. Meanwhile, Taran, Assistant Pig-Keeper, Prince Gwydion, Princess Eilonwy, Fflewdur Fflam, and many other people join together to over come this evil and recover Gyrnwyn. This book is really, truly, fantasy. I thought it was well written, although since the names are not English names, it's a little bit hard to keep track of all the characters.

4 Stars

Sarah

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Milo is depressed. He doesn't take any joy in his life, and doesn't understand why he needs to learn things. When he gets home, he notices a big box in his room. He unpacks it, and finds a real, genuine, tollbooth. With his electric car, he drives through and finds himself in a world totally unlike anything he's ever seen before. Along with characters like the Humbug and a dog named Tock, he travels through mysterious lands such as the Forest of Sight, the doldrums, and other places as well. But underlying everything, there is a mysterious danger. Milo sets out on a quest to defeat the evil and bring peace back to the Lands Beyond, while learning important lessons about life. A great book for kids who like fantasy. I really enjoyed it, although it was a fairly fast read.

5 Stars

Sarah

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

When Samuel Westing is mysteriously murdered, his will is read to discover the heir to his large estate. But instead of just one, an apartment-building full of people are chosen as heirs - but only if they can solve the riddle. Each pair is given clues, and if they can find out who murdered Sam Westing, they will be the heirs. A fascinating book that was a little complicated at first but grew to be very interesting as the clues were slowly deciphered. And the answer to the whole affair was a lot different than first expected. . .

4 Stars

Sarah

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women is an excellent book! It had a lot of romance and affection. Out of the four sisters, I liked Meg the most. I really like this book!

5 Stars

Anna

White Fang by Jack London

I really enjoyed White Fang. I like White Fang's personality, his loyalty to his original owner. I really wanted to get to the end of the book to see where White Fang would live.

5 Stars
Anna

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

The Tales of Beedle the Bard are a small set of fairy tales written in compliance with the Harry Potter series. There are 5 in the book, each with illustrations.

Each story was witty and humorous, and the illustrations were great. However, it was rather short and at points unsatisfying. Really wish there were more stories.

3 Stars

Jessie

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

I think this book was the 3rd book in the Percy Jackson series. I really remember enjoying this book a few years back, and I decided to read it again just for the heck of it.

Percy Jackson is fourteen now, and is on another adventure yet again. Lord Kronos is on the rise, and his best friend Annabeth and the goddess Artemis has been captured by their former friend Luke. Percy, with four other friends, have set out to find these two and along the way, battle monsters and form tight friendships.

I thought this book was alright the second time through. I wasn't a big fan of the writing, it was pretty chatty and more telling not showing, like "We went here...then this happened". I liked the humor in it though. I think, since I read this book a few years back, my tastes have changed and the book seemed a bit young. I don't know. Would recommend this book to those maybe a bit younger than me and who are interested in adventure and Greek mythology.

3 Stars
Jessie

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan

This sequel to the Lightning Thief was as well written and captivating as the first one. As the main plot builds, suspense rises up along with it, and I found myself really anticipating the next book.

4 Stars

Sarah

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old kid, finds out that he's a demigod, half Olympian god, and half human. The adventures that follow are told in the book. He's narrating, so the writing style is very personal and conversational. I found myself laughing out loud various times. Definitely a good read. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone though, because it has magic in it.

4 Stars

Sarah

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

This Classic Book is great for kids! When I read it, I wanted to keep on reading to find out if Fogg would win his bet. Along the way, there were a lot of delays, but there were also times when Fogg and his group were ahead of schedule. I would recommend this book to my friends.

5 Stars

Anna

The Voyage of the Bassett by James Christensen

I really enjoyed "The voyage of the basset" because of the mythical creatures which the professor and his two daughters meet along the way. The older daughter,Miranda, does not believe in them so she ignores them, until she wears the dress that the fairy queen, Titania, gave her, and she calls for the unicorn and it comes to her. The younger one, Cassandra, unlike her older sister, believes wholeheartedly in fairy tales. The basset is a ship whose area below decks is actually larger than the ship itself, and its crew is made out of Dwarfs and gremlins.

5 Stars

Caleb

Extra Credit by Andrew Clements

Extra Credit is a great book. It tells of a girl, Abby, that is failing class and may have to get held back. She tries really hard to keep up her grades, and does some extra work for extra credit. Her extra credit work is to write to someone in Afghanistan. When the people in Afghanistan received her letter, they let Sadeed's sister, Almira, write back with Sadeed's help because it was improper for a boy to write to a girl, but Sadeed was the best writer in his class.

This book is interesting and it made me want to keep on reading. I would recommend it to my friends!

5 Stars
Anna

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

I really enjoyed reading Breaking Dawn because it was very exciting. To me, the main parts were Bella and Edward's wedding and honeymoon, Renesmee being born, and the Volturi visiting the Cullens. I couldn't wait to see what would become of the Cullens when the Volturi came. Renesmee's birth was also great. I liked reading from both Bella's and Jacob's views.

5 Stars

Anna

Alex Ryan, Stop That! by Claudia Mills

Alex Ryan, Stop That! is a great book. When Alex angers Marcia, she gives him the silent treatment. He tries very hard to make her happy again, but fails. It looks like she will continue to not speak to him during the next few days of camp. In order to make her forgive him, he pulls a prank, but ends up twisting Marcia's ankle. Alex then runs to save her, and carries her back to the campsite in rain.  Marcia forgives him because of her fame, and everyone in town starts telling stories about Alex's save. Alex feels guilty because he was the one that caused the trouble in the first place, and finally announces during the last day of school his wrongdoing.

This book is excellent, and I would recommend it to other friends.

4 Stars

Hannah

7x9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills

This book is pretty good. It's about a boy that can't learn his multiplication quick enough to earn ice cream. He slowly learns to multiply, using tricks from friends and working hard himself. 7X9=Trouble! makes you want to keep on reading to see if the boy will at last earn his ice cream.

3 Stars

Hannah

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon is fantastic. At first, everything was going great. Then, Edward Cullen moves and Bella thinks her life has become nothing. Next, she starts hanging out with Jacob Black, and he becomes her "sun" that lights up her day and makes her forget about her sadness.

Later on, when she found out that Edward Cullen mistook her for dead and was going to go to Italy to kill himself, she rushes on a plane with Alice to save him.

New Moon is filled with adventure and excitement. I really like it!

4 Stars

Hannah

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse, the third book of the Twilight Series, is very mysterious. Seattle has become dangerous because newborn vampires are hunting people. Edward thinks they are outnumbered. Surprisingly, the werewolves decide to help Edward's family fight off the newborns vampires.

Later, Bella finds out that Victoria, a vampire who wants to get revenge on Edward by killing Bella, is leading the newborns.  When the battle comes, the Cullens and the werewolves win, the newborns are defeated, and Victoria is killed.

Eclipse is awesome because it has exciting, mysterious, scary, and romantic parts.

4 Stars

Hannah

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight was an excellent book on mystery and romance. I liked the fact that Bella Swan, the main character, was always full of curiosity and adventure. In the story, she was determined to find out what Edward Cullen was. I really wanted to finish the book quickly.

4 Stars

Hannah

Standing Up to Mr.O by Claudia Mills

Standing Up To Mr. O was a great book. It told of a girl that was against dissections, but wanted an A in biology class. She worked hard to prove to her teacher that dissections were wrong, and got into a ton of trouble. I really liked this book because it was exciting and adventurous; it made me want to keep on reading!

4 Stars

Hannah

The Queen of Air and Darkness by T. H. White

T. H. White shows the huge importance of love in his thoughtful book. Four children: Gawaine, Agravaine, Gaheris, and Gareth, each tells stories about their parents late at night to one another; and as they speak, it is clear that they show a lot of respect to their mother, the magnificent Queen Morgause. She isn't completely interested in motherhood, but she has a desire to unlock her amazing magical powers as her beloved husband King Lot goes off to war against a king. Young King Arthur is still being tutored by Merlyn, the magician. Even though Arthur isn't much of the greatest student, Merlyn still tries to teach Arthur how to form a good society with his new kingdom. However, Arthur is disappointed, and would rather be going off to the world and fight like knights. Later, he finally gets a news from somewhere in the world that he at last can go fight with someone—with King Lot. They, King Arthur and King Lot, finally go off to the final war, and Arthur must defeat Lot.  After reading this book, I felt warmth rising up in my heart. This book actively tells so much about what you have to go through in life. However, this novel might be quite slow-going for some readers.

4 Stars

James

(Image is collection that includes The Queen of Air and Darkness)

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? by Michael J. Sandel

Suppose you’re a trolley car driver driving in sixty miles an hour. Far ahead in the foggy mist, you see five people working on the railroad, but the trolley car’s break is broken. Then you suddenly see a sidetrack that can spare the five, but you realize that another man is working on the sidetrack. Would you do nothing and just crush those five, or would you rather turn to avoid killing those five, but sacrifice the one?This New York Times bestseller I read will give you some hint to this riddle. The author is a professor at Harvard University. His book had more than I thought, but somehow it never overwhelmed me. It will be the perfect “philosophical info-feeder” that will never become boring. This book is obviously written for college students, so some parts may not be understood crystal-clear until you’ve read it multiple times, but it will give a full “lecture” of morality and give you a full sense of what you shall do in your everyday situations.

5 Stars
John

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

No, it isn’t about the end of the human race defeated by humanoids and electric animals. No, it isn’t a rocket science featuring electric androids. By opening Phillip K. Dick’s science fiction novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, you will be surprised.

World War Terminus has left the world the omnipresent radioactive dust and extinct species and hu-mans have built colonies on Mars and abandoned the Earth to escape from the disaster. Only a few people and a handful of companies have not left Earth. Rick Deckard is an officer at the Los Angeles Police Department and has to stay on Earth because he is a bounty hunter—he is a bounty hunter who has to kill androids that have illegally escaped from Mars to Earth. Killing androids is a fairly malignant job; androids are same as humans except that they don’t have empathy—androids are better than humans at killing. Dick persuades that empathy and collectiveness will make humanity and Earth alive; no matter if you have a careless mind Dick succeeds at making you know the importance of empathy and have it in your heart. Dick has an extraordinary and prolific novel, but at the same time it is astonishingly spiritual and theological. I don’t think there aren’t very many sci-fi people who write so spiritually and touching, and I guarantee you that this book will penetrate your soul and deliver a wonderful and meaningful story.

4 Stars

John