Frindle

By Andrew Clements

Reviewed by Rachel S.

     Have you ever had a teacher who was totally fascinated with the dictionary? Have you ever wanted to make a new word that everyone starts using the second they hear it? Have teachers ever yelled at you for using a word that’s appropriate and not harmful in any way? If so this may be the book for you. Frindle is about a boy named Nick Allen who started to call a pen a “Frindle” all the teachers got mad and held him back for detention. One of his teachers Mrs. Granger made him stay in for detention and had him write on a piece of paper “I am writing this punishment with a pen” a hundred times. But instead Nick wrote “I am writing this punishment with a Frindle” a hundred times. Find out what happens in this amazing book. Maybe Mrs. Granger turns out to be nice. Or maybe Nick Allen tries to stop everyone using the word Frindle. Find out very soon!!!

Red Kayak

By: Priscilla Cummings

Reviewed by: Lauren H.

            How would you feel if your best friends were criminals? That is what Brandy finds out in Red Kayak. Life is going great in Chesapeake Bay until tragedy strikes.  The main character, Digger and his friends played on the land that used to belong to his Grandpa. They played in the pool and sled down hills. Later another family claims the land, the DeAngelos. Digger throws a fit when they are kicked off the land and forbidden from playing there. J.T agrees and says it’s unfair because they were there first. Brandy disagrees but decides to play along and suggests pulling a prank on Mr. DeAngelo. So he said since the DeAngelos have a new kayak, that Digger should drill holes in the bottom so Mr. DeAngelo could go take a swim. Brandy’s idea is longer a joke when it becomes reality. Find out what happens to the kayak.  Will it sink?  Will there be injuries or survivors? Brandy must choose between telling the truth or hiding in the shadows for the rest of his life.     Read the book for a wonderful adventure and to learn some great life lessons.

Spider Wick 2

By: Tony Ditterlizzi, and Holly Black

Reviewed By Mikayla C.

                What would you do if your brother was stolen by goblins? Spider Wick “The Seeing Stone”   was a cool story written by Tony DitterLizzi, and Holly Black. This story is mainly about solving challenging mysteries, but also the importance of relying on brothers and sisters.  Mallory and Jared are out in the creepy, nighttime woods looking for their brother Simon. Unfortunately Simon was stolen by ten fat, ugly, green goblins. Mallory told Jared that goblins eat things like cats, dogs, and humans. Luckily Jared found a seeing stone to help see fairies because Goblins count as fairies.   I like the series because the characters like to explore outside, just like I do. I also like to imagine the fairies in my mind.  The author describes them really well. I also love solving mysteries.  With the help of trolls, hobgoblins, and other creatures across the way, find out if Mallory, Jared, and their little friend Hogsqueel, will find Simon?

Molly Saves the Day

By Valerie Tripp

Reviewed by Prachi J.

            Have you ever been afraid of something? Well Molly McIntire was. She was afraid of swimming underwater.  Molly and her two friends, Susan and Linda, were going to Camp Gowonagin for the first time. They were both nervous and excited. When they got to camp, the camp counselors welcomed them with cheers. Molly had already started to love Camp Gowonagin. Miss Butternut, the camp’s director, announced one of their favorite traditions, the Color War. It is mainly known as the game Capture the Flag, only the teams’ names were colors, the Blue team and the Red team. The next morning when the Color war began, all of the Blue team was put in the Red’s prison because they got captured. But Molly and Susan weren’t captured because their canoe tipped over and they fell behind. Molly was terrified! She began to sink. Will Molly be able to get back to the surface of the water? Will Molly and Susan be able to free the Blue team and capture the flag? Or will the Red team catch Molly and Susan, put them in prison, and win the Color War? This is one of the American Girls Series by Valerie Tripp. If you like this book then you’ll love the American Girls books. I like this series because it tells about how girls used to live in different time periods.  I love this series and I think you’ll love it too.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

By J.K. Rowling

Reviewed by Tyler S.

What would you do if you were entered into a contest by someone else and told that it was too dangerous for kids? Would you agree to participate? Would you agree if you knew that you would be endangering your own life?  In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. Rowling Harry Potter was forced to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Soon Harry has to retrieve a golden egg, save his best friend, and escape a maze. Harry must have the courage to make it past all three tasks. Throughout the book Harry finds the courage to survive the challenges. Harry is still a student at Hogwarts, but as a Triwizard Contestant is excused of his exams. Although Harry doesn’t have to worry about exams, he has bigger worries. Last year his Divination teacher said, “The Dark Lord will rise again.” Will Harry become Triwizard Champion, will the Dark Lord rise again, or will he get severely injured and have to give up perhaps losing his best friend. You will have to read the book to find out.

The Mysterious Benedict Society

By: Trenton Lee Stewart

Reviewed by: Jeremy S.

            Would you want to go on a secret mission? Reynie Mouldon, Kate Wetherall, George “Sticky” Washington, and Constance Contraire have been sent on a mission by Mr. Benedict to stop the evil Mr. Curtain. Reynie, Kate, Constance, and Sticky have to go through three big tests to get in the Mysterious Benedict Society. Mr. Curtain made a machine to brainwash people. He brainwashes innocent people to make them his slaves. So Reynie, Sticky, Kate, and Constance try to stop him. Mr. Curtain’s slaves are “Helpers”, “Executives”, and “Recruiters.”  The “helpers” can’t talk to anyone but Mr. Curtain. The “Executives” help Mr. Curtain with his evil plans. The “Recruiters” guard Mr. Curtain’s institute.  If you like mystery, excitement, and adventure this is the book for you.

School of Fear

By: Gitty Daneshvari

Reviewed By Samantha C.

                Imagine being sent to a summer school to overcome your worst fear. A fear you are deathly afraid of!! Well for six weeks of one summer   Theo, Garrison, Lulu and Madeleine have to face their fears in order to graduate. Six weeks with the elusive Mrs. Wellington. She is an all around beauty queen or in her head center of the universe at School of Fear. Madeleine Masterson scared of bugs mostly spiders or anything that crawls. Lulu Punchalower is scared of confined spaces. Theo Bartholomew is scared of dying, and Garrison Feldman is scared of large bodies of water. As the foursome soon discovers the school’s mascot dog, Macaroni is stolen, they go on a quest to find Macaroni and face their fears. But is everything always what it seems to be. One of the recurring themes throughout the book is friendship. Friendship is important in this book because all four students learn to rely on each other, accept their differences, and learn to get along.  Theo often reaches out as a friend to the other three. But their friendship is tested by Mrs. Wellington when she makes them do really unusual things like having to smell each other’s breath, or having to wait for one of their classmates in a time of danger.  I highly recommend you read this book it has a lot of suspense. It is also very dramatic or even silly and humorous at times.

The Lightning Thief

By Rick Riordan

Reviewed By Tyler F.

                How would you handle it if you had to save the world from World War 3, and had to save your mom from the deadly underworld in eleven days? Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan is mostly about Zeus who gets the most powerful weapon in the world stolen from him and blames it on his brother Poseidon. Then another God named Hades faces a similar challenge when his weapon, the Helm of Darkness, gets stolen. His weapon allows him to become invisible. Later Kronos, the titan ruler, convinces a boy named Luke to steal both weapons. Will Luke be successful?  Will Percy Jackson save the world? One major theme is courage. Percy is very courageous to take on the quest to save the world. He also battle Ares, the God of war. Will he save his friends from possible death?  Will Percy die trying to save the world? Will he win the many battles he is faced with? You’ll have to read to find out. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves action and adventure. I couldn’t put it down because there was always a mind blowing event that could lead to possible death in each chapter.

The Book without Words

By Avi

Reviewed by Mitchell R.

                How would you feel if you had a magical book that didn’t have any words and you didn’t know what to do with it? Well that’s how a girl names Sybil feels. Sybil is an orphan on the streets that was taken in by an evil man named Thorsten. He possesses the book without words and is able to read it because he has green colored eyes. Thorsten took in Sybil because he wants to live forever. He is about eighty years old and doesn’t want to die. He learns from the book that in order to make his magical stones of life he needs to take the life away of a young girl and that would be Sybil. With the help of a monk, the book without words, and a young boy with green eyes, read to find out if Sybil is able to get away from Thorsten. I recommend this book to anyone who likes thrilling and mysterious books!  Will Sybil survive? Pick up this book and find out!

The Red Pyramid

By Rick Riordan

Reviwed by Dante A.

How would you feel if your dad just disappeared? The Red Pyramid In there are two main characters brother and sister, Carter and Sadie. Carter is brave and smart. Sadie is shy and courageous. An important theme is family and how brothers and sisters can sometimes get along. Carter and Sadie meet new friends along the way and face new challenges along the way.  They’re on an adventure to save their father. They also need to stop Set from destroying the planet. Set is an evil God and captures people. If you want to know if Carter and Sadie save their dad and defeat Set read The Red Pyramid.

 Dark Fire

By: Chris D’ Lacey

Reviewed by:  Dominic I.

Have you ever wanted to live with dragons?  Well then Dark Fire is the book for you. The author, Chris D’ Lacey, is a New York Times bestselling author.  In this book, Lucy, her mom, Liz, and her mom’s boyfriend, Arthur must find what the message from Gadzooks is. While doing that they meet friends. Lucy almost even died! There is a lot of suspense in this book. There are car accidents and bird attacks, and so much more.  Your eyes will be popping every time you turn the page. Will they find the message from Gadzooks? Will they make it out in time? Read Dark Fire and find out.

S.O.S Titanic

By Eve Bunting

Reviewed by Sarah M.

Would you put your life in danger for someone else? In the book S.O.S Titanic you will see enemies become best friends. This is a great Historical Fiction book. One of the recurring themes in the book is friendship. A fifteen year old boy named Barry will become best friends with a steerage passenger named Peegan and Barry is in first class. There is a huge difference between steerage and first class! In steerage there is so little room that you can’t even fit a life jacket. It’s filthy and dirty. In first class have beautiful and luxurious cabins. First class also gets to eat in dining halls. I enjoyed this book. It taught be a lot about different classes of people.  It made me wonder if this is fair. Especially when the ship began to sink and many of the steerage passengers were left to drown because they were locked below.  It is very interesting. You will feel how the passengers felt and how they saw things.

The Battle of the Labyrinth

By: Rick Riordan

Reviewed by Peter D.

What would you do if the world was going to be overruled by an evil titan named Kronos?  A titan is more powerful than the gods.  Percy, his brother Tyson, and their friends Rachel, Grover, and Annabeth get a quest from the oracle. The oracle shares a prophecy that gives information about the future and assigns someone fulfill the quest. Percy and his gang got a quest to find Daedalus before Kronos and his army, or there will be a big war. Daedalus created labyrinth. A labyrinth is a maze, and in this book, it is a very complex maze which changes the perspective of this story. His labyrinth continues to grow and changes through the book. One of the main ideas throughout the book was trust. They needed to trust that they could win the fight with the weapons that everybody made.

Schooled

By Gordon Korman

Reviewed by Jimi M.

                Would you like to be in the 8^th grade and look like a hippie? Well I wouldn’t but it didn't stop me from reading this really great book.  In the story Schooled, Cap is homeschooled. Then he goes to a real school and is bullied because he is different. The kid who bullied him is named Zachary Powers. Soon the students discover what a generous, honest, and caring kid he is. Cap was very generous with the schools money that he was supposed to be managing. Find out what Cap does with all the money that was collected for charity. Cap is also a peacemaker. He helps his students resolve their conflicts. Read to find out how you can be a peacemaker too. This is a really funny book and I highly recommend it. It will help you learn to be a better person and how to survive middle school.

Swindle

By Gordon Korman

Reviewed by Noah Bell

            Have you ever been swindled out of something valuable?  Well Griffin Bing has. When he and his friend Ben Slovak plan a spooky sleepover at the old Rockford house that is scheduled to be demolished, Griffin finds a baseball card but not just any old baseball card, a rare Babe Ruth baseball card.  But when Griffin Bing tries to sell the “Great Bambino” he gets swindled by a character named S. Wendell Palomino for only a fraction of the real price which is 1 million dollars. When Griffin plans a heist to get back the card three things stand in his way a vicious guard dog, security system and an impenetrable safe. If you like heist books Swindle is the book for you.

Lunch Money

By Andrew Clements

Reviewed by Michael B.

       

                  Lunch Money is about a boy named Greg who is really obsessed with money. Since Pre-k he’s been doing chores around the house to make money. During the fifth grade year he was selling comic books at school until his principal, Mrs. Davenport , came in and told him he couldn’t sell any more comics at school.  Greg approaches his math teacher, Mr. Z., and asks him if he will help him get his comics back into school. Mr. Z says that there’s a meeting at the middle school. Greg goes in the next day and tells Mr. Z that his parents will come to the meeting. Will Mr. Z. support Greg’s interest in earning money, or will Greg learn a more important lesson.  Read to find out if there is something more important than just putting money in your pocket. There are some great lessons to be learned about making friends and doing the things you love.

The Star Fisher

 By Laurence Yep

Reviewed by Mary M.

            In this outstanding historical fiction novel, Laurence Yep has captured the story of his Chinese American mother and her family’s struggle to be accepted in a small West Virginia town. This book has changed my perspective on immigrants and has given me a newfound appreciation for immigrant’s courage and determination. The main character Joan is fifteen and the following experiences are written from her perspective.

            “Thump, thump, thump,” the vast train chugged into the valley.

            Green! It was everywhere. It seemed as if West Virginia was covered in a blanket of green.

            I was “different.”  I was “a monkey.” I was considered “gross.”

            We moved to West Virginia to find more business for our laundry, but it seemed that no one wanted their clothes cleaned by a Chinese person. But I was Chinese American!  Right? I was born right here in America and I am proud of it!

            I had no friends, but then came Bernice. Bernice had a kind heart. But most of all, she wanted to fit in like me. It wasn’t instant friendship, but we became very good friends. She understood me.

            Of course there was Ms. Lucy, a friend from the beginning; she even helped our laundry with business.

            Mama and Papa didn’t speak English, I was their translator. They had certain beliefs. They thought that someday we would go back to China and we shouldn’t forget where we came from.

            But with many friends and Mama and Papa letting loose, I think that this place could be AMAZING!

            These are a few themes in The Star Fisher by: Laurence Yep. The Lee family had some changes and new experiences when they had to move from Ohio to West Virginia. Also, almost everyone has gone outside their comfort zone to try something new. Some examples of challenges for immigrants are the language barrier between the parents and others. Also, their parents want to be a part of Chinese culture and the children want to be a part of American culture. The entire family has struggled with prejudice from people who live in town vandalizing their property to kids at school calling them names, all because they are a different race.  Joan has tolerated so much and I think that it has made her stronger.       Read this book if you are looking for an amazing historical fiction novel with lots of ups and downs. Even if you don’t typically read historical fiction, I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about immigrants or understand their struggles and triumphs better.      

The Ghost of Crutchfield Hall

By  Mary Downing Hahn

Book review by Olya O

Would you want to be haunted by your evil, older sister’s ghost? For most people the answer would be no. Well imagine being haunted by your sister’s ghost… that’s what James experiences. His sister, Sophia, is a ghost seeking for life after her deadly fall from her roof. Sophia believes James should be dead and not her. She terrorizes James causing him to stay in bed because of a “sickness.” Then a charm gets placed in his room to protect him from evil. Sophia has an evil plan but will it work? When an orphan named Florence comes to live at the manor, she has no idea of the horrible secrets the manor has to hold. Sophia uses Florence by pretending to be her friend to get to James. When Florence explores the manor she wanders into the restricted wing and meets James, learning the truth about Sophia and making a new friend. When Sophia finally tells Florence about her plan, Florence decides not to take a part in it, but Sophia is too strong making Florence obey her. A few themes throughout the story are courage, trust, friendship, and fairness. Think of how much courage you would need to stand up to a powerful ghost like Sophia. Trust is another big theme. Would you trust your cousin with your life knowing she could betray you at any minute? What would you do to protect your friend? I think the lesson in this story is to accept things as they are and not everything in life is fair.      

 Hamster in the Handbasket.

By: Ben M. Baglio.

Reviewed by: Desiree V.

            Have you ever had a pet hamster?  Well, then you should read this book! Mandy & James get picked to care for their class pet hamster, named Henry. Then they meet some kids playing soccer in a field, and a little girl named Leanne. One day Leanne and Henry go missing!!!! Can Mandy, and James Find them before the day is over??!!  Some recurring themes are leadership, and responsibility. Mandy takes a leadership role throughout book, she finds out where to look for Henry, and Leanne, and makes VERY IMPORTANT choices.  This book teaches responsibility for pets, jobs, and even school!! If you don’t take responsibility, your parents may not let you have a pet. If you don’t take responsibility in school you won’t have good education, which makes it harder to find a good job. I think anyone that is an animal lover, or likes adventure books should read Animal Ark books!! I hope you enjoy your book!!!!   

The Last Holiday Concert

By Andrew Clements

Reviewed by Justin M.

Do you love chorus? Well even if you don’t, The Last Holiday Concert is the book for you! This book is about a boy named Hart Evens who does not like chorus at all. But then he finds out why chorus can be a great place. Unfortunately the school is facing tough times and needs to make cuts in the budget. The director gets let go and Hart becomes the chorus director. Will he be able to control the class? Will a 6^th grade boy be able to handle the big holiday concert? Find out why chorus can be the best time ever by reading The Last Holiday Concert by Andrew Clements.

The First Collier

By Kathryn Lasky

Reviewed by Keegan Skinner

How would you feel if you were put in charge of a sacred egg from a king and queen of an owl kingdom? It was told the sacred egg had special powers to save owl kind from deadly crow-owls known as Hagfiends. The title of this book is The First Collier by Kathryn Lasky. It is the ninth book in the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series. The main themes in this story are courage and honor. An owl named Grank had enough courage to take in the egg when Hagfiends attacked the owl kingdom and killed king Hrath. Queen Siv was forced to flee and gave Grank the egg to protect. She said it was to bring him and the hatchling great honor, and the owlet would have a special power to save owl kind.  One major event in this story is when Queen Siv, mother of the sacred egg, looks for her son because she knows he has hatched. She eventually finds out that her son’s name is Hoole. What she does not know is that a pack of Hagfiends are tracking her and her son. Queen Siv has to find a way to protect Hoole from the Hagfiends.  This fantasy story is full of great adventures about life, death, good, and evil. You will want to read the entire 15-book series.