Book+Reviews+1B+2014

Egon Hammar
 * Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck**

This story follows two workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, in California during the great depression. George is quite smart even though he never really went to school, Lennie is a big guy and who is really strong but not very smart and whose favorite thing to do is feel soft things such as bunnies. Together they dream of buying their own patch of land and starting their own farm where Lennie will be able to raise and take care of many small animals. First they have to flee from their first job after Lennie was accused for trying to rape a girl, when all he wanted to feel if the girls dress was soft. As they run away they become great friends and George tells stories about how their farm will look like and all the small rabbits they have to Lennie; his favorite story. Soon they find work at another farm but the good times don’t stay for too long with a very sad ending. I really enjoyed this book, I liked the way it was written and how the author used juxtaposition to better show the two characters personalities. Even though it is a bit of a sad book it is still really good and I recommend it to all. 8.5/10 **The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest** Lucas Pumarejo **9/10**

Book two in the //Girl WIth The Dragon Tattoo// series by Stieg Larsson, //The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest// is a fast paced thrill ride, just as good as its predecessor, if not better. The first book in this series was a thriller that was very much about brooding atmosphere that slowly rose to a climax. This book had much more action, and while still a thriller, there was much less focus on mystery and much more focus on moment to moment excitement. It was a good idea for Larsson to do that, because it allows him to continue the story of Salander and Blomqvist, but not create a carbon copy of the first book. The switching of protagonists is used particularly well in this book, and the suspense that comes from that writing strategy really drives the book. For a significant chunk of the book, one of the main characters, Salander, is missing. This really cranks up the tension, and made the middle the book much more interesting than it would have been without that technique. Overall, //The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest// is a non-stop thrill ride packed of action, intrigue and drama that I would recommend to anyone.

**The Man Who Never Missed** Lucas Pumarejo **7/10**

Written by Steve Perry, //The Man Who Never Missed// is a unique and focused book, but sometimes falls short in excitement. The book follows Emile Khadaji, an ex-confed soldier who is attempting to replace his wrongs with right. The book is set far in the future, where Confed is the huge inter-galactic empire that rules most of humanity with an iron fist. While working for the Confed army, Emile’s job was to help crush rebellions and uprisings, and the memories of slaughtering hundreds of hopelessly out-gunned men, women, and children still haunt him. The book progresses in a somewhat non-chronological order, switching back between the earlier parts of his life and the present. The author’s use of this switching creates mystery, as holes in the progression of Emile’s life are left out until later in the story on purpose. Because of the guilt he feels from his actions in the army, Emile decides to create a resistance against the government on a small outpost planet. Over the course of six years this resistance incapacitates thousands of soldiers using paralysis darts, and causes the government to increase its presence on the planet ten-fold. There is just one catch, Emile is the only member of the resistance. The book is very interesting and engaging for the most part, but it can get a little slow at some some points, and this is due to the Emile not being the most interesting character. While he has had a very interesting life, Emile is quite bland, and this hurt the book quite a bit, as it took me nearly half the book to connect with his character. All in all, //The Man Who Never Missed// is a unique and interesting book that I would recommend to any science fiction fans, but it is held back by an unmemorable protagonist.

**A Dance With Dragons** Lucas Pumarejo **10/10**

Book five in George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series, //A Dance With Dragons// may well be the best book in the entire series, and it ends with the biggest cliffhangers yet. The use of multiple protagonists in the series is one of the things that makes it so engaging, and the constant switching of viewpoints makes for a lot of dramatic irony. To add to that, the fact that there are so many main characters means that they are all expendable. Martin could kill off any one of them and the story would still go on, and the reader’s knowledge of this means that every dangerous encounter a character has could actually be fatal. This alone is one of the series’ best features, and is what keeps fans coming back for more time and time again. Along with that, Martin is a master of foreshadowing, and there are countless hints, clues, and red herrings that offer insight into the future of the plot. The pacing of this book is also very fast, and their is never a chapter that does not end without some form of cliffhanger. In addition to that, all the political scheming that has building up for the last few books is coming to a head. What’s more is that even five books and thousands of pages in, Martin’s writing is still top notch, devoid of the predictability and unoriginality that normally plagues sequels. To sum it up, A Dance With Dragons is incredibly engaging and intelligent book, and is now one of my favorite books of all time.

**Number the stars - Lois Lowry** Tom Lee

Number the stars is a historical fiction by Lois Lowry, published in 1989. This story is told in the view of ten-years old girl Annemarie Johansen. She is living in Copenhagen, Denmark, which was occupied by Nazi. One day, while Annemarie and Ellen, her Jewish friend were walking back from the school, they were stopped by Nazi soldiers and Ellen’s parents, who heard about this happening gets concerned and ends up asking Annemarie’s parents for help. Since they were close neighbors and friends, Annemarie’s parents promise to keep Ellen safe. One night, Nazi soldiers break into their house and asks for Ellen’s family. And then, they found out that Ellen looks different from the other family members since she has black hair. However, Mr.Johansen finds out the photo of Lise, his dead daughter and saves Ellen since Lise had black hair when she was born. After this, they start their journey to send Jewish people to somewhere safe with the help of Annemarie’s uncle. This is a really interesting and somewhat suspenseful book. It was a fun read and I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Holocaust. Rate: 8/10

**Hoot - Carl Hiaasen** Tom Lee

Hoot is a young adults literature fiction book by Carl Hiaasen, published in 2002. In this story, a young boy named Roy Eberhardt moves to Coconut Cave, Florida. He have been moving to several places due to his father’s job. At the beginning of the story, Roy sees a bare-footed boy running by his bus stop while he was getting tormented by a boy named Dana Matherson. Roy, who later beats up Dana gets into trouble but he enjoys it since the vice-principal found out that Dana was actually bullying him. One day, Roy falls into a hole after following a boy he was looking for. There, he is almost bitten by poisonous snakes but the boy comes and saves him. There, Roy finds out that the boy’s name is Mullet Fingers. Later on, Roy becomes friend with Mullet Fingers and Beatrice and finds out that the Burrow Owls are living in the construction area of the Mother Paula’s Pancake House and decides to protest against it by telling this fact to the students in Trace Middle School. This book has really interesting plot and the author’s writing style is fun and enjoyable too. I would recommend this book to any teenagers since this book is entertaining. Rate: 9/10

Tuesdays with Morrie- Mitch Albom Justin Lim

Tuesdays with Morrie, Mtich Albom’s novel that deals with the true meaning of our lives, starts with one of the two protagonists, Morrie who was told that he would die soon. It was rare to start a story with a protagonist who would die soon but I think death really sets the mood of this whole book. Mitch, who is one of Morrie’s stuents, has a special relationship with Morrie. From the beginning of his year with Professor Morrie, he felt that Morrie was different with other professors and really knew the values of life. Along Mitch’s college years, he takes many classes that Morrie teaches. After his graduation and few years, Mitch finally finds Morrie in a TV program called ‘Nightline’. Every Tuesday, Mitch promises dying Morrie that he will visit to be his buddy and every Tuesday, they talk about the virtues of one’s life. Readers can easily agree with the plot as the story can happen in our real lives. An old professor dying in few months because of fatal disease, TV show catches him, student visits and has conversation with his idol professor. I personally think that there is high possibility of this kind of scenario happening in real world. Death, family, love, marriage etc are some topics that two have conversation about. I felt that all of these words are why human beings exist and how they should live with these words in mind. Every chapter really touched me and all these words really came into me as Morrie talked about it. Quotes between chapters also really touched me. “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops’, was one of the quotes and it couldn’t stop me from praising Mitch Albom. I really enjoyed the book. Mitch Albom is seriously awesome.

9.5/10

Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini Justin Lim Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a life story of teenagers to adults that has several messages such as redeeming love. Amir, the protagonist of the novel, recalls several events that happened earlier in his life. At the beginning of the novel, he recalls the memory of himself and his best friend Hassan playing.. One day, other boys called Assef, Wali, and Kamal threaten them and finally put Hassan in trouble one day. There are many key events in this novel but from the beginning, the author really puts in details in characters that build up the plot. I really think Hosseini puts in good details of younger chracters in the story that later makes sense in later lives of them. It’s really interesting that Amir the main character wins the kite tournament 26 years ago and wins another kite tournament with his best friend’s kid, Sohrab with Hassan’s trick. I really think this is a good novel of friendship and love. Even though I had some uncomfort in myself while reading some parts of the novel, I really couldn’t stop smiling in few moments that really touched me.

9/10

Numbering the Stars- Lois Lowry Justin Lim

Lois Lowry’s intriguing novel, Numbering Stars, sets story in 1943, Copenhagen where it is filled with German soldiers. As you can guess from the beginning sentence, the story takes place during Holocaust and it really has suspense that makes the plot intense. Lois Lowry has his unique way of putting in suspense and in this novel it definitely makes the readers to shiver and get nervous. Annemarie the protagonist has a Jewish friend Ellen. One day, German soldiers forcefully bring all the Jewish families to somewhere else and Ellen’s family is also told to. However, Annemarie’s parents earlier found out that there is something going on and takes Ellen with them as they run away. All the suspense is granted as they run away from the Germans; the one I really sweated from was when Annemarie was hiding a very important letter to her Uncle under the picnic basket. German soldiers stop her on her way and check the basket and as they dig through the basket, I was so scared of her getting caught. At the very last moment, the soldiers’ picks up the tissue and says “Why was this so carefully hidden”. I was so frightened that she would be caught when I read this line, but luckily she didn’t. I think this book was not bad, it was good enough for a book that I finished within an hour.

8/10 Gathering blue- Lois Lowry Justin LIm

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry is a novel that continues from the novel The Giver, it is one of the four-series stories. I really liked The Giver so I continued reading the series and I think I liked how all these novels combined and made a story of a whole. This novel starts from a girl called Kira who has a twisted leg that makes her living very hard. After her mother’s death, she gets assigned to this job that is to fix the robe of singers. She has an unbelievable talent in her job and is praised by the former person who was in charge of what Kira is doing now. As I read through the novel, I felt how this novel was related to the one before and the story was boring that disrupted me as I was reading through. However, the ending was foreshadowing that there will be something that will be related to the first novel. She finds her father, Christopher who she thought was dead and he tells her about secrets and something not told about the village, foreshadowing that there will be some connection made in the next book of the series.

7/10

Messenger-Lois Lowry Justin Lim

Messenger by Lois Lowry i a fiction that follows the series of The Giver and Gathering Blue. The way how Lois Lowry mentions the relation in the continuing books is by carrying it the continuing novels’ plots but add in few parts where tiny bits of connection shows up. In The Messenger, Jonas finally shows up. I am pretty sure that everyone has waited for him for so long. The novel starts from introducing Matt who was Kira’s best friend. He lives with Christopher who is Kira’s father. The plot develops as Matt seeks for the title ‘Messenger’. In this novel, Jonas is a leader who has this ability that can look at short future. There then problems start to appear. People get more impatient and angry and forest becomes dangerous. The conflict reaches peak when Kira and Matty get trapped in the forest but this is the coolest part of the book. Matty finally uses his ability; the power of healing and everything goes back to normal. I actually knew about Matty’s ability because the book before this one ‘Gathering Blue’ foreshadowed when Matty healed his dog. I think this book was much better than ‘Gathering Blue’ because it actually had some suspense and fancy abilities that I enjoyed. 8.5/10   The Son-Lois Lowry Justin Lim Lois Lowry’s The Son is the final book of the whole series of The Giver. It is also the longest book in the series. Before I talk about the plot, I was so glad that Gabe was alive. At the end of The Giver, it looks like Gabe died from cold and hunger, but it shows that he is still alive, healthy and strong. Back to the story, Claire the protagonist lives in the same society of Jonas’. She is assigned as a ‘birthmother’ but one day, she starts to think about the outer world of the society. She finally sneak into supply boat that travels around the world and finally meets the real world. I found out that she is very revolutionary; she tries to seek for the true world like Jonas did and it is a twist that Gabe is Claire’s son. I was worried about Claire dying at the end of the book because she lost ‘young’ for finding her son. However, Gabe realizes all of these and finally destroys the ‘Trademaster’ who suggested Claire the deal. I believe that this book ended how I expected it to end. 8/10

**Cinder -** **Marissa Meryer** 9/10

Reviewed by: Emily Niu

Cinder is half human and half cyborg. She was dropped off in a home by her father at the age of 11, anything before that point, cinder could not remember. Years and years after she works as a mechanic for her stepmother and stepsisters. The story sets in a dystopian futuristic world in new Beijing where a deadly plague is roaming through the city. One day, Cinder’s only human friend ,her stepsister Peony, is infected by the disease. Her enraged stepmother blames Cinder and sent her away to a laboratory where she is experimented on to find a cure. Cinder, expecting her death within a few hours received news that she is immune. She then volunteers to help find the cure in order to save Peony. However, while finding the cure, the doctor discovers something else, something different, and something dangerous that will make Cinder question everything, and doubt everything she ever believed in. While trying to regain her lost memories and her identity, she falls in a forbidden romance. This book is one of the books that has one surprise after another. The intense and mysterious plot will keep you turning the pages, I enjoyed reading this book and I would defiantly recommend it.

Switched by Amanda Hocking Andrea Sanchez

Switched is a novel about a 17 year old girl named Wendy who’s life becomes a total disaster when she finds out that she’s not who she thought she was. When Wendy was six years old her mom tried to kill her because she was sure that she was not her child. From then on she has kept to herself, partly because she can never seem to fit in and because she prefers it that way. Now in high school she is taken aback when she feels a very strong and intense attraction towards Fin Holmes. She has always felt like there was something different about her so when Fin Holmes reveals the whole truth about her she cant help but feel reviled. Wendy learns that she is a changeling who was switched at birth and he is the one who is supposed to take her back home. By staying she is putting herself and her brother and aunt whom love her very much in harms way, so she leaves them behind in order to keep them safe. This is a story about a girl trying to find her way in this new life and making sure that she doesn’t lose her way in her old life. Its a funny, heart warming, and a suspenseful book. I recommend it to anyone that likes fiction and romance. Rate: 8/10

Torn by Amanda Hocking Andrea Sanchez Torn is the second book of the series called Switched. When Wendy finds out that she is a changeling she can’t think its possible for the story to get anymore complicated and confusing but to her surprise it does. In Torn she falls in love with her body guard Fin Holmes who the queen her mother has made clear is off limits and has this indescribable connection with Loki, the prince of her Vittra rivals. She is next to the throne and the only way she can beat their rivals whom are threatening her whole kingdom is to marry her only friend in the kingdom Tove. Wendy must choose between love and duty, whatever decision she makes will have a great affect, so she must choose wisely. Throughout this book we see Wendy change from a young moody teenager to a sophisticated loyal princess. She has to adapt from a life where no one expected anything from her, to a life where everyone is depending on her. I recommend this book to any Switched fans, it will not let you down. Rate: 8.5/10

Ascend by Amanda Hocking Andrea Sanchez Ascend is the third and last book of the Switched series. In this book Wendy becomes the Queen of Trylle and is faced with the toughest battle yet. Her vittra rival’s King is immortal and is determined to destroy Wendy and the people she loves. In this book she must save her kingdom, figure out a way to kill the King and save her people. As if that wasn’t enough she must also chose who she will be with for the rest of her life. Will it be the mysterious Fin who she has always loved but could never have, or Loki the funny and caring boy who she has an amazing and epic connection with. Its a book full of twist and turns that will make you dizzy. It will make your heart hurt and your brain explode, but it will be impossible to put it down. Of course I recommend it to all of the Switched fans, it is an amazing book. Rate:9/10

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater Andrea Sanchez Forever is the third and last book of the Shiver series. Just like the first 2 books this one is exceptional. In this novel Sam and Grace are faced with love and loss. They depend on each other for strength and the will to keep going even when things seem impossible Grace is a wolf and Sam is human their love for each other is the only thing that is keeping them together. While Sam is looking for a cure to help Grace and his dad Beck turn back into humans, Grace is trying to survive in the wilderness and fights to not completely loose her humanity. The pack is harmless but the town believes they are the most dangerous animals, therefore they order a hunt and plan to kill every single one of them including Grace. This book is about Sam and Grace going against fate and fighting with everything they have to stay together, it is an epic love that can achieve impossible things. Alongside Sam there is Cole and Isabelle, they all love Grace and each have their own special connection to the wolfs. They all come together yet again to save them all, but most important to help Grace. I recommend this book to all of the Shiver fans, it won’t let you down. Rate: 10/10

Just listen by Sarah Dessen. Andrea Sanchez Just listen is about a girl named Annabel Greene, she is the perfect, popular, model, pretty girl. She was everything everyone wanted to be, but just as easy as she got that reputation it was taken away from her. It all started when her older sister Whitney almost died of anorexia, her whole family’s dynamic changed and Annabel felt the need to be the perfect daughter. She thought that if she spoke her mind and said the things that she had been wanting to say for a long time she would break her mom. She didn’t want to add to her mom’s sadness, so she kept in the biggest and deadliest secret of all. She had gotten raped by her best friends boyfriend. Keeping all of this in she soon became an outsider, thats when she met Owen. When she had first seen Owen he looked scary and dangerous but know as she is getting to know him and getting closer to him she realizes that he is saving her. Fixing every broken piece. In this book we see a girl dealing with things that no teenager should ever have to deal with. Its a heart breaking story, with a great meaning. It teaches us that things aren’t always what they seem, and in order to judge something or give your opinion on something you have to know all the facts. I recommend this book to everyone from ages 14+ Rate 10/10

Hold Still by Nina LaCour Andrea Sanchez

Hold Still is a devastating story of a girl named Caitlin who is trying to overcome her best friend’s, Ingrid, suicide. Caitlin is filled with anger and frustration, and becomes even more unstable when she finds Ingrids journal. Throughout this book the journal develops from an object that was truly affecting her and preventing her to get better to the only thing that was helping her stay alive. Caitlin realize that there is still hope, and that things might be really bad right now but they will get better. The journal helps bring all the people that loved Ingrid together, it helps them find closure and new friendships We see how Caitlin transforms from a lonely girl to a strong and determined girl. She still has horrible memories and misses Ingrid but instead of letting this situation ruin her. she used it to become stronger and more sure of herself.

**The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy** Lucas Pumarejo **8/10**

Douglas Adams’ //The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy// is an odd, yet hilarious parody of the science fiction genre as a whole, taking apart the tropes of the genre with a charming sarcastic wit. The story follows the extraordinary misadventures of Arthur Dent and his unlikely companions as they hitchhike their way across the galaxy. For fans of the science fiction genre, the book can cause spontaneous bouts of laughter that can be embarrassing in public. The book takes all the regular tropes of sci-fi and twists them around into strange and silly jokes that are ridiculous, yet hilarious. However, for those that are not really familiar with the science fiction genre, the humor and charm of Douglas Adams’ writing is mostly lost. I will admit, if I did not read science fiction as often as I do, I would probably have given this book a much lower rating, not really understanding the comedy. All in all, The Guide a book I would gladly recommend to anyone, and in the 30 years since it was published it has become a must read for any sci-fi fan.

**The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo** Lucas Pumarejo **9/10**

Stieg Larsson’s //The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo// is not your typical thriller, and the books pacing slowly increases to a feverish rate that had me on the edge of my seat. At its core the book is a murder mystery, with a unique setting and an unlikely heroine that is impossible not to like. Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo, is a violent, antisocial, and abnormally intelligent 24 year old punk hacker. Stieg has a way of really bringing his characters to life, and this realism completely immersed me in the story. In addition to that, the book had me constantly thinking, as I struggled to piece together the mystery as it unfolded. Larsson wrote the book in such a way that at some points I suspected four different characters of the murder, second guessing their every word. While the plot started off a little slow, I was quickly drawn in by all the intrigue, and the pace picked up quite a bit after the first half. The last 100 pages or so of the book are incredibly intense, as the perspective switches between the two main characters for the maximum amount of suspense. I also loved how dark everything is about this book, where any man could be a sadistic killer, and violence commonplace, as long as you know where to look. In conclusion, //The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo// is a thrilling and engrossing novel, but it is not for the faint of heart, with plenty of graphic violence.

**Foundation** Lucas Pumarejo **8/10**

Isaac Asimov’s //Foundation// is a monumental work that stands like a skyscraper over the entire genre of science fiction: no matter where you go, you can still see it. Set over 13,000 years in the future, mankind has spread itself throughout the galaxy through an enormous empire that is on the brink of collapse. The book is about Hari Seldon, a scientist attempting to minimize the thousands of years of chaos that will follow the collapse. When Asimov finished this book, he provided inspiration for countless science fiction authors, laying the foundation for (I know, I know) the genre as a whole. The book switches perspective as time goes on, eventually ending several hundred years after the beginning. This gave the book huge scope, but ultimately leads to most of the characters being two dimensional and wooden. However, there was just enough suspense and political intrigue to keep me turning the pages. The book does not focus so much on the future aspect of the story, instead spending more time on psychology and politics. It was the first popular science fiction book that was not all about the cool gadgets or wierd aliens. //Foundation// has been a staple of the sci-fi genre for 50 years, and is still a cut above most of what is our there.

**Fahrenheit 451** Lucas Pumarejo **10/10**

//Fahrenheit 451//, written by Ray Bradbury is a clear and concise dystopia novel about a future America where all information is monitored, censored, and controlled by the government. The novel follows fireman Guy Montag, whose job is not to put out fires, but to start them. Specifically, his job is to burn books, under government orders. At first every thing seems fine in his life, but soon everything begins to unravel. After a series of traumatic events early n in the book, Guy comes to the realization that he has not been actually happy for years. Written in very simple and easy to understand prose, //Fahrenheit 451// has an advantage over other dystopian classics such as 1984. The book can be easily understood from middle school age and onward, and this makes it very accessible to anyone. In addition, the book has quite a few predictions that have actually come to be in their own subtle way. For example, Montag’s wife spends all day doing nothing but watching TV. This is similar to how many people these days, including myself, spend a ridiculous amount of time on our computer/phone/TV just clicking or watching mindlessly. The book’s message is simple, knowledge is power, and always question authority. Overall this is a very good book, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has not read it yet.

**Whale Talk** Lucas Pumarejo **7/10**

Chris Crutcher’s //Whale Talk// is not your typical high school outcast story, and although the plot sometimes goes in predictable directions, it left me with an infectious sense of optimism. The protagonist, TJ Jones is a part black, part white, part asian american teenager who was put up for adoption by his crackhead mother when he was two. His adoptive parents are a free thinking white couple that heavily participated in the civil rights movement during the 60’s. All in all, TJ has a great life: he has a girlfriend, good grades, is a natural athlete, and most people at school like him. However, he has always had anger management problems, especially when it comes to dealing with authority figures. This is why he does not participate in high school sports except during PE, even though he is constantly being urged to join the football, track, and basketball teams by the coaches. So when his favorite teacher enlists his help to form a swim team so that he can get a pay raise, TJ decides its his time to get back at the school’s elitist and overzealous athletic department. His ultimate goal, to get a bunch of misfits into letterman jackets by the end of the season. This is complicated by the racist and prideful members and ex-members of the football team. What follows is a story about friendship, kindness, determination, hard work, and that singular bond formed when you really become part of a team. Written in TJ’s first person perspective, the pages are full of sarcastic wit and philosophical musings. The book is quite engrossing and once I became invested in the characters, it became hard to stop. However, as much as the book breaks free of the usual high school drama cliches, the ending is predictable and almost felt forced to me, like it had to be put in there to give the book some deeper meaning. Overall, I really enjoyed //Whale Talk,// and hopefully those who read it will think twice about not talking to that “weird” kid.


 * The Old man and the Sea **
 * Max Yu **

"The Old man and the Sea", by author, Ernest Hemingway is a classic story about a fishermen. The protagonist is an old fisherman named Santiago, and he lives in Cuba. Santiago hasn't caught a fish in a long time, and everyone considers him as "salao", which basically means really unlucky. He has an apprentice named Manolin, but his parents have forbidden him to fish with Santiago, and encourage him to follow along with the more successful fishermen. On day, Santiago told Manolin that he will sail deep into the Gulf to break his streak. Santiago sails alone and finally arrives at the destination, where he casts his lines. Fortunately, a great big marlin appears and takes the bait. Santiago battles viciously with the beast, to see if he can take home a prize. There is also a before he arrives back safely, where he encounters some dangers that truly test his will power and survival skills. Overall, this was a pretty interesting novel, and it was easy to understand. The story is pretty simple, but the moral behind it is what truly matters. 8/10

Amanda Wisbeck
 * A Promise to Nadia - Zana Muhsen with Andrew Crofts **

A Promise to Nadia is the continued story of the book __Sold__. This is a true story written by the woman who was sold, along with one of her younger sisters by their own father. They are sent away to Yemen and used as slaves, they are forced into marrying one of the men there. Then they are consistently raped over and over to have children; afterwards they are forced to work in the farms, around the house, while taking care of all of their children. Luckily, after eight years of their mother looking Zana, the eldest sister was able to escape this horrible environment. However, before she left, she promised to get her little sister Nadia out of there. This book is about the journey of how Zana fights through all the broken promises and betrayal people and even the governments and embassies put her through as she tries to free her sister. This book did not only bring me to tears, it made me so angry to think that this is in fact a true story and it is still going on today.

Rate: 10/10

Steven Cheng
 * The Lost Symbol - Dan Brown**

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is a thriller novel which revolves around the main character Robert Langdon. Robert Langdon is a Harvard symbolist and is invited by Peter Solomon to give a lecture at the United States Capitol. However, when Robert Langdon reaches Washington, he discovers a gruesome object that relates the mysteries of the Freemasonry, a fraternal organization that holds many secrets. In order to save his friend, Langdon, with Peter's sister Katherine, must crack codes and puzzles to find his captor while being chased by the CIA. I would recommend this book to people that like suspense stories since this book keeps the reader hooked and anticipating for more. Rate: 9/10


 * The Outsiders**
 * Max Yu**

"The Outsiders" by author, S.E. Hinton, is a classic novel that is intriguing. The main character, Ponyboy is part of the lower class of people in their society, and they call themselves the greasers. The upper class are called Socs, and they are the ones who jumped Ponyboy in beginning of the story. The following day Ponyboy and his two friends Johnny and Dally go to the movies, where they meet up with two attractive Socs, Cherry and Marcia. Dally leaves and after the movie Johnny and Ponyboy offer to walk the girls home. Ponyboy arrives home very late and his brother Darry is mad at him. They get into a fight and Ponyboy ends up running away with Johnny only to encounter a gang of Socs hanging around the park. They gang attempts to drown Ponyboy, but he is saved because Johnny kills one of the members, Bob. Both boys are frightened at what they have done, so they meet up with Dally, who gives them a gun, some money, and tells them to flee to the abandoned church. After living there for a couple of days Johnny decides to turn himself in, but right before they left the church caught on fire from some kids, and the two decide to save them. There are a series of both good and bad events. First of all, they are declared heroes for saving those children, but the death of gang member, Bob has escalated the conflict between the Socs and Greasers. The ending of the story is sad and also interesting. Ponyboy uses this story and turns it into an essay for his english class, later on becoming a novel. This book is a pretty interesting read. at some points the story was a bit boring, but the overall plot is well established. 7.5/10


 * Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom**
 * Dan Marino**

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom is a nonfiction memoir. The book is about an old, dying man named Morrie, and a young man named Mitch. Morrie was Mitch’s professor back in college. Years later, Mitch is watching TV and he recognizes Morrie. Unfortunately, Morrie has been diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease, which is fatal. In the little time Morrie has left, Mitch decides to fly to Boston every Tuesday to visit Morrie. Morrie teaches Mitch plenty of moving lessons about life. This is where the book gets its name from, as it focuses on many life lessons including one about love, regret, self-pity, emotions, and death. I really liked the many messages of this book, however, I thought some parts of the book were unorganized. In the beginning, the book jumped around between Mitch’s college days, and his visits to Morrie’s house after college. Nonetheless, the many different meanings and themes of the book were still outstanding. Morrie says that everybody needs a teacher, and to me, this book seems like it’s a teacher to the reader. Even though there is not a thrilling plot, I would recommend this book to anyone because of its meaningful theme

8/10

Egon Hammar
 * The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** **by Douglas Adams**

This book follows Arthur Dent who has just been forced to leave his home since it is to be demolished. He meets Ford Perfect a close friend of his at a bar. Ford tells him that the end of the world is near and that they must escape. Just as an alien race, The Vogons, are about to destroy Earth Arthur and Ford escape in a spaceship. But as they try to escape they are caught by the Vogons. Arthur and Ford are forced to listen to Vogon poetry that is the third worst in the galaxy. When the Vogons have decided to kill Arthur and Ford they are put into an airlock just to be saved by Zaphod. Zaphod is Ford’s cousin who is also the president of the Galaxy. As a few others join them they go for a thrilling journey throughout the Galaxy to find a hidden and mysterious planet. This book is supposed to be very funny but it wasn’t really my type of comedy, I thought that some parts where just not very funny. Even though I didn’t find it very entertaining many others have enjoyed it so I would say that you should give it a try and see if you like it. 6.5/10

Egon Hammar
 * Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher**

This book follows the protagonist Tao Jones but who is more commonly referred to by his initials T.J., who is in his senior year and lives with his adopted family. Even though he is exceptional at sports he has not joined any sport teams because of anger issues as a child. In T.J.’s high school there is a lot of bullying especially from Mike Barbour. One day T.J. is asked to start a swim team by the counselors, since it is not a very violent sport he accepts and it’s a good way to get back at the bullies of the school. He is put as the swim teams captain, but the people he chooses are not the people you would expect. The people he recruits are mostly bully victims and people who don’t really fit in. This book is very interesting and we get a good connection with the protagonist since it is in first person view. This book shows us just the sad truth of what happens in many high schools and also the sad stories behind several families. I really enjoyed this book and I recommend this book for all other students. 9/10

Egon Hammar
 * Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad**

This book is about a man named Marlow who takes a job as a captain on a steamer in Africa for an Ivory-Trading company. He receives a task to go up the Congo River and meet with Mr. Kurtz. But when he first gets the steamer he realizes it has been destroyed and sunk, he has to wait several months for the ship to be repaired before he sets of on his quest. During this time he begins to really want to meet Mr. Kurtz seeing how he has been able to strike fear into people just by his reputation. As he travels down the Congo he sees how the Native Africans are being abused and used as animals for the foreign companies, and experiences many problems such as firewood shortage and fire arrow attacks. As Mr. Kurtz gets more ill it is a race to find him. This book has a very deep theme and has been recognize as a controversial book. The movie //Apocalypse Now// was based on this book, except the movie was placed in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Even though I really enjoyed the book I don’t think I understood all of it because it has several different themes but this book is worth reading.

8.5/10


 * Merry Christmas, Alex Cross **
 * Max Yu **

“Merry Christmas, Alex Cross”, by author James Patterson is thriller novel, also part of the Alex Cross series. In this story, the main character Alex is disturbed during his Christmas Eve, due to an important case. A man called and said that he had on of Alex’s family members as hostage. Alex meets up with the man and finds out that he was a former lawyer that failed during a case, which led to the downfall of his life because of criminal activity and drug abuse. At that time, a sniper was called to kill that man but Alex saves him and tells him to provide any evidence that can prove for a good reputation. Christmas morning, Alex receives a call from the station saying that Hala a criminal from the previous novel is fighting the policemen. They finally capture her and send her to interrogation. She resists and they begin to conflict. The intense fighting ends in death and blood, but Alex returns back home that night to a happy family. Overall, I really like this series because of the details and action. Like I said before, I would recommend it to anyone who likes crime novels. 9/10

Egon Hammar
 * The Old Man and the Sea by Ernst Hemingway**

This book is about an old fisherman, Santiago, who lives in Cuba and spends his time Fishing in the Gulf Stream. After going 84 days without catching anything he is called a “Salao” which means you have no luck and you are pretty much hopeless. Even the boy who he has trained to fish since he was a young boy has not been allowed to go on his boat because he is so unlucky. But the boy, Manolin, still helps the old man unload and take all the equipment back to the old mans hut each night. They talk about American Baseball, Santiago’s favorite is Joe DiMaggio and the old man nearly worships him. The old man tells Manolin that his unlucky streak is about to end because 85 is his lucky number and that tomorrow he will catch a big fish. Early the next morning the old man sets off and goes very far out; so far he can hardly see land anymore. Then suddenly he feels the large tug of a massive fish, he spends three days fighting a great Marlin. During this time he begins to reflect on his life, has to deal with the constant pain of the fishing line pressing against skin, and having not to give up as he is being pulled about to sea by a mighty Marlin. This book may not be extremely intense or action packed, but it has a very deep and meaningful theme. I have done a lot of fishing and I know the how good it is to reel in a big fish. Whether you enjoy fishing or not I still think this is a classic that you should read. 8/10

Author: Robert Cormier Year published: 1974 Amy Yang
 * //The Chocolate War//** **Review**

Set in an all-boys Catholic school, //The Chocolate War// by Robert Cormier tells a story of a skinny freshman named Jerry Renault. Due to pressure from the school’s secret organization, the Vigils, Jerry refuses to participate in the school’s voluntary fund-raiser to sell chocolates. This inflicted anger from the teachers, and he further infuriates the school when he continued to refuse to sell when the “assignment” from the Vigils is over. When hostility rains down at him from all directions, Jerry finds himself in tighter and tighter situations.

The novel illustrates the dark traits of human nature, such as cruelty, corruption, and greed. When the oppressors of society hold all of these traits, the rest are bound to be abused. I enjoyed the book, though the story is pretty sad. I would rate the book 9/10.

**They Do It With Mirrors - Agatha Christie** 9/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu The book ‘They Do It With Mirrors’ is another book written by Agatha Christie, it is in the Ms. Marple series. The story went straight into suspense in the beginning. The story started with Ms. Marple’s friend Ruth saying that when she visited her friend Carrie Louise, she felt something wrong in their house, something out of place, and asked her to pay a visit to find out what was wrong. Ms. Marple agreed and stayed at Carrie’s house, there were many guests and relatives that were living in the house. One day at night, Ms. Marple felt something off with Edgar Lawson, an assistant of the house owner. Things began to feel wrong to her as well, and shortly after dinner, the lights went out and Edgar Lawson broke down. Gunshots were followed after, when the lights went back on, a guest, Christian Gulbrandsen, who only arrived unexpected a few days ago was found dead. Ms. Marple has another crime to solve, the out come, as usual, would leave the reader surprised and shocked at such a crime committed. I liked this book because it was not confusing like her other books, since it was only set in one location. I also liked the way she set up suspense, it was a really intense book. I would recommend it to everyone, because it is a short read and it is entertaining.

**The Body in the Library - Agatha Christie** 8/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu This is the second book I’ve read by Agatha Christie, she is a well known author for murder mystery, obviously making the book ‘The Body in the Library’ a murder mystery book. The story starts off with the discovery of the dead bodies by owners of the library, Mr. and Mrs. Bantry. The owners had no idea who the body belonged to. After asking and looking for anyone related, we found out that the body belonged to a dancer named Ruby. As the detectives and Ms. Marple (personal detective) gains more information about everyone related to Ruby, another crime was committed.In the following days, another girl, Pamela Reeves was found dead. Ms. Marple tries to connect the two girls, but instead finds something interesting about the dead bodies nails. Ruby’s nails were short and bitten however Pamela’s were long and smooth. The mystery of these two girls’ death leaves the reader craving for information. As I had said in the previous Agatha Christie review, I would read another book by her, I did not regret this choice. I always love the endings of her book, they often leave you dumbfounded by your blindness towards the answer. However, in this book the plot in the middle would leave you confused because they added on a lot of characters, and it was a little difficult to keep up. Overall, I would say that this book was equally as entertaining, and I would recommend this book to everyone who likes murder mystery or Sherlock Holmes.

Bryan Chan The Tao was not born in the best family. He was the result of an accident between his mother and a half-Japanese and half-African-American man. His mother then sent him to another family after she started doing drugs. The Jones accepted him without a question, treating him like their own son. He is mostly known as his initials, T. J. Bullies had always been a problem in his school, so when one of his teachers asked him to form a swim team for their school, he knew it was the best chance to stand up against them. As the captain of the team, he recruited a group of odd people with the goal of diminishing the power of bullies in his school. This book is written in the first person view of T.J., and just like any book written in first person, we learned a lot about the main character. His little ‘anger management’ problem is definitely present in the way he thinks, but we also see it improve as he gains confidence. This also helped him become a better leader. I also liked the surprise ending because I know that the best kind of friend is the kind that knows just how you feel. Just like my last book, it’s once again set in a high school, but I liked this book more because it was starring a more positive character and I would definitely recommend it. 8/10
 * Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher**

Steven Cheng This book about the events of Gandhi's life from when he was born up to 1921. He talks about his various experiments throughout his life, such as vegetarianism, celibacy, non-violence and simple living. These things meant a lot to Gandhi and he drew these concepts from Hinduism. His autobiography is designed to describe all of his discoveries and his failures in relation to right principles and spiritual truth, however, he never claims to have been perfect. I wouldn’t recommend this book to people who don’t like reading for long periods but nevertheless this book was very interesting and informative to me. Rate: 8/10
 * Gandhi's Autobiography: The Story of My Experiment With Truth**

**The Giver- Lois Lowry** Tom Lee

“The Giver” is a fiction book written by Lois Lowry in 1993. This book takes place in futuristic society, where pain, fear, war does not exist. This book is written in the view of Jonas, an eleven-years old boy. The story begins with Jonas thinking about the upcoming Ceremony of Twelve, when all the children with the age of twelve gets their jobs. Jonas is a unique boy since he has pale eyes while all the other citizens have black and sometimes, he is able to see some colors flashing on the objects. Surprisingly, at the Ceremony of Twelve, he is given a unique job, which is becoming the “receiver of memory”. After the ceremony, he starts going to the center where he receives memory from an old man called “Giver” and the memories contain both good and bad ones. There are good memories such as warm sun, bright colors but on the other hand there are painful memories such as death, war, and disease. From the memory, Jonas learns a lot and he ends up setting a plan. This is a really interesting book and I enjoyed reading this book since it describes some of the bad sides of the utopian society, which everyone dreams of. Rate: 8/10

**Don’t eat the Marshmallow yet! - Joachim de Posada** Tom Lee

“Don’t eat the Marshmallows yet!” is a fiction book based on Joachim de Posada’s personal experience. In the story, there is a guy named Arthur, who is a personal driver of Jonathan Patient, a CEO of a famous company. The story begins with Jonathan Patient’s experience, his participation in an experiment planned by the Stanford University. This experiment’s purpose was to find out whether a four years old children can wait for the adults to come in without eating a marshmallow for fifteen minutes for another marshmallow. Arthur, who got really interested and impressed by this story, asks Jonathan for more and more stories every time he drives with Jonathan. Arthur was able to learn lots of lessons from the stories that Jonathan tells him and it ends up changing his whole life. By reading this book, the readers will be able to learn lots of good lessons, which can change their life. There are also many good quotes inside this book too. I would recommend this book to anyone including both teenagers and adults. Rate: 10/10


 * Cross Fire**
 * Max Yu**

"Cross Fire" is another book part of the Alex Cross series by James Patterson, the following novel of my previous book review, "I, Alex Cross". In this story Kyle Craig, a former FBI and serial killer, escaped supermax prison and meets up with Max Siegel, a current FBI agent who questions him. Kyle reveals that he wants to get plastic surgery in order to look like Siegel by gaining his physical features. Kyle then proceeds to kill Max after telling him. Alex is later on called to a sniper crime and conveniently meets up with agent Siegel(Kyle) to investigate the crime together. Alex has been told by the uppers that there have been a series of sniper cases in the recent month, and he should investigate the case. On the other hand, the book tells us about Mitch and Denny, the actual murderers of the sniper crimes. We learn that they are homeless and drive a white suburban. They earned some money from each assassination and later on pay Mitch's family visit while giving them their cash. After they leave Denny kills Mitch's mom without him knowing and takes the money. They decide to make one final hit. After, Denny then kills Mitch to gain full profit. The next day Alex finds Denny defeats him with Siegel. Through a series of events, Alex and Max become friends, however one day Siegel subtly implies that he is Kyle Craig. The ending is action packed and full of blood, but Alex finally enjoys his honeymoon with his wife Bree. In conclusion, once again this was an amazing read. I feel that the plot of each story is interesting which makes me want read through the whole series. 9.5/10

Author: Jodi Picoult Year published: 2004 Amy Yang
 * //My Sister’s Keeper//** **Review**

//My Sister’s Keeper//, written by Jodi Picoult, is a moving story about Anna, the sister of a leukemia patient. Kate Fitzgerald was diagnosed a rare type of leukemia that develops resistance to treatments when she was two, and her parents decided to have another child, one who is genetically engineered so the blood from her umbilical cord can be used for her sister. When Kate relapsed again when she was five, blood was drawn from Anna for Kate’s treatment three times. As Anna grows up, parts of her body continued to be taken for the health of her sister, such as bone marrow and lymphocytes. When she is thirteen, she sued her mom for rights over her own body when her kidney was about to be transplanted into Kate’s body, an operation that Kate might not even live through. The lawsuit pained the whole family there were no happy ending whether Anna won or lost the case. The novel discusses morality, in both medicine and law, through a compelling plot and a stunning ending. However, there are two aspects of the book that I personally dislike: the lack of realism during the adults’ narrative (for some reason, the adults sound a bit like children to me) and the relationship between the lawyer and the guardian ad litem in the case (though they are a sweet couple, it barely added to the plot). Despite these imperfections, the novel is extremely moving and I rate it 9.5/10.

**Breathing Underwater by Alex Flinn** Amanda Wisbeck

Breathing Underwater is written from Nick Andreas’s perspective. He grew up with only his abusive father because his mother ran away leaving him behind. Nick was the top dog at his high school, his sophomore year he started dating Caitlin, and to her he admitted everything to. He had never told anyone about his father’s hitting and he tried to keep it from her, but in the end she figured it out when she saw his face one day after school when Nick had called in sick after one of his father’s beatings. Nick never thought he could turn out like this father, but the more time went on with Caitlin the more he realized that sons really are like their fathers. He ends up losing everything and everyone turns against him, even his best friend since they started school. Nick works to get Caitlin back, but in the journey he is forced to attend a class where he learns more about himself that he’d like to admit. I think anyone who can get their hands on this book should read it, it’s not a normal teenage love story, it shows that abuse is not just physical, it can be verbal and most people aren’t even aware of how easily it is to verbally abuse someone. Rate 10/10

**Dear John by Nicholas Sparks** Amanda Wisbeck

Dear John is written in first person from John Tyree’s point of view. It starts off with him explaining he joined the army how that saved him from wasting his whole life living with his dad and drinking at the same bar his whole life. When on leave from the army in Germany he returns to his dad’s home in North Carolina. John never even considered finding someone when in the army, he didn’t see the purpose to go through the distance and effort when he knew these types of relationships never ended well. Then when least expected, as he is sitting on the beach taking a break from surfing, two girls walk by. The blonde one immediately catches his eye and he’s hooked. He doesn’t know if he has ever felt so strongly for anyone ever before. A few minutes later one of her guy friends accidentally nudges Savannah’s (the blonde girl) bag into the water. Avoiding the fact that sooner or later he is going to have to jump he tries to joke and he asks if she really needs that bag, while he is trying to get himself out of jumping in. John leaps off of the bridge and dives in to get her bag. When he reaches shore Savannah greets him and in return she offers for him to come with them to their campsite for dinner. They continue to meet throughout the two weeks John has left before he has to return to Germany. Before either of them know they are in love. Savannah takes an special interest in John’s father which strikes up a fight about his father’s condition or if it really is a condition. They decide to stay together as John goes back to Germany, they promise to write and twelve months later when John returns to visit. Then when they both believe that his mission in the army is almost over, the eleventh of September occurs and John finds himself staying the army. Shortly after, John’s father has a heart-attack and he finds himself reading another letter from Savannah that breaks his heart. When he finally returns back from the army he goes to visit her not knowing what he is doing, but in the end he finds himself making one of the most difficult decisions of his life. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good sappy romantic read, however, the ending will effect you in some way or another.

Rate: 10/10

**If I Stay by Gayle Forman** Amanda Wisbeck

This story starts off with a teenage daughter, Mia at home with her parents and her brother Teddy. Because of the snow school has been cancelled, therefore, her family except her mother have the day off; however, her mother calls the day off so that she can spend the day with the rest of the family. When they finally decide on their plans for the day, they get in the car and head for Mia and Teddy’s grandparents house. Then the plot is set into action as they get in a car accident. Mia is unaware whether she is dead or alive, she finds her parents gone and her brother physically gone, unseen. When finally she spots her body lying in a ditch off by the side of the street. She is taken to the hospital where she goes through surgery, she’s still alive, but her spirit is floating around. Teddy is taken to another part of the hospital, but Mia is still not sure of how he is doing. Now it’s up to her, does she go along with the rest of her family, does she stay for her best friend Kim, her punk boyfriend Adam, her grandparents and the rest of her relatives? But how can she go on without her parents? To be an orphan? Which choice is easiest? I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys tension and romance. Rate: 9/10

Author: Mitch Albom Year published: 2009 Amy Yang
 * //Have a Little Faith//** **Review**

//Have a Little Faith// is a non-fiction book by Mitch Albom (the author of //Tuesdays with Morrie//). Its chapters alternate in describing the experiences of his Rabbi, a Christian Pastor, and himself. The story starts with Albom’s Rabbi, who he had not contacted in a long time, asking him to speak at his funeral. This surprised Albom, because he had drifted away from Judaism during the years he has been working. He revisits his synagogue and religious traditions once again. Meanwhile, Albom meets a Christian pastor who he is considering to work with for a charity project involving helping the homeless. The pastor is very open about his past, which involves drug dealing, years of prison, and breaking pretty much every one of the Ten Commandments. One of the main themes of the book is that there are certain things universal to every faith, such as love and support. The book includes many incidents that happened to the Rabbi and the Pastor, and nearly all of them touched my heart and many made me see matters from a different perceptive. Each chapter is beautifully written with an honest narration, and I would give the book a 10/10.

**Cinder by Marissa Meryer** **Reviewed by Samantha Li**

Cinder is a spinoff story of Cinderella. This book takes place in the future in New Beijing. Cinder is a cyborg (half human half machine) she works at a mechanic and has two step sisters Penoy and Pearal and a step mother called Adri. One day Prince Kai stopped by her booth and asked her to fix one of his androids, just a few hours later the plague broke out. By the end of the day hundreds were sick and dying. When she got home they were all preparing for the royal ball. Penoy decided to go with Cinder to the junkyard to find some spare parts but during that time she caught the plague. Adri was furious when she heard about this, she blamed Cinder for everything and volunteered her as a test subject to find an antidote for the plague. When they injected her with the virus they found out she was immune. The same time the Emperor caught the plague and was dying Prince Kai and Cinder grew closer but he was suppose to marry Queen Leaven who had a power over people and could make them do anything she wants. When Cinder was working she connected with a programmer that told her Prince Kai was in danger and that she must warn him. To find out what happened read the book. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Sci-fi books. 9.5/10

**The Last Battle By C.S. Lewis** **Reviewed by Samantha Li**

There was once a talking donkey and ape. The ape was cleaver and made the donkey do all the handwork without him knowing it. One day they were walking pass a stream were the stumbled upon lion fur. The ape decided to do something nice for his friend, he turned the lion skin into a coat for the donkey. When the donkey wore it he look liked Aslan the great lion. The ape abused this power he ordered the animals to cut down trees and sold animals to slavery. When king Tirian heard about this he was furious, he didn’t know if it was really the great Aslan or was it an impostor. He and Jewel a unicorn who has been by his side for years rode to see what is happening. They ended up begin captured. He then recalled the story of children from a different world helping the people of Narnia whenever they were in trouble. He called for them and a few minutes later Jill and Eustace were back in Narnia. They first went to rescue Jewel at the same time Jill came back with the donkey who claimed to be Aslan. She explained to them that it wasn’t his fault but it was the Ape. They decided to go back to Narnia to kill the Ape but they were to late Calormenes have taken over the palace. They marched to the palace and started a war with them. The Calormenes retreated into the stable where they followed. When they entered the stable Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Jill, Eustace and Aslan were all there. They together continue their journey as they search for the Shadowlands. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys adventure books. 9/10


 * I, Alex Cross **
 * Max Yu **

"I, Alex Cross" is an intense and action packed crime novel, part of the very famous Alex Cross series, by author James Patterson. In the beginning, Alex receives a call saying that his brother's daughter, Caroline, had recently just been killed and her body dismembered. He is quickly put onto the case and arrives in Virginia, where the crime occurred, to start his investigation. Alex uncovers various clues and surprisingly, he found out that Caroline was in the prostitution business. Later on, he also uncovered that one day she met a mysterious character named Zeus, who wears a mask at all times, but his search comes to a halt because he cannot find anymore clues or leads to investigate. Both the government and FBI want Cross to hand this case over, but Alex refuses because his best friend detective Ned Mahoney steps in right on time and helps by discovering a viable lead to catch this criminal. The ending was both patriotic and touching with an interesting twist. I really, enjoyed this book and the ending is actually very surprising. I feel that the Alex Cross series is one of the best thriller/crime novels out there and would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested, but beware because there are some parts that are very graphical and violent. 9.5/10

Dan Marino
 * The Time Machine – H.G. Wells**

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is one of the first science fiction books ever written about time travel. The Time Traveller, who is never named, builds a time machine and presents his invention during a party to his guests. His guests are skeptical if what the Time Traveller is presenting is what he says it is. Later, the host invites guests over again for dinner. However, the Time Traveller shows up late. He then tells the guests that he has traveled into the future, and he proceeds to tell them about his journey. One thing a found interesting about this book is the point of view it was told in. Technically, it was from the point of view of one of the guests, but the majority of the book was about Time Traveller’s journey, which was told in his point of view. This was one of the only books I’ve read where the point of view changes throughout. The Time Traveller’s account of the future is also quite interesting. He travels into the year of 802701, and says the whole earth is a garden. Also, there are only two social classes, that are very different from each other. I enjoyed this book, and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys science fiction.

8/10

Dan Marino
 * The Stranger – Albert Camus**

The Stranger by Albert Camus is a fiction novel about a man named Monsieur Meursault. The story begins with the death of his mother. Even though he attends the funeral, he really feels indifferent about her death. Meursault’s opinion of indifference is a common theme throughout this book. Later, he kills a man by shooting him five times. The murder could have been easily avoidable, but once again, Meursault does not seem to care. After his arrest, he is placed in prison until his trial. Once again, he quickly adjusts to the prison life, and does not seem to mind. Meursault does not believe in god either. Ultimately, Meursault believes that life is meaningless, which leads him to be able to understand with his eventual sentence. Personally, this book was like no other book I have read. It focused a lot less on plot and suspense, but more on the meaning of life, along with the theme. In my opinion, there is no true conflict in the book. It is more like Meursault slowly form his thoughts on the meaning of life, which in his opinion is nothing. This book is definitely not for everyone. If you are looking for a suspenseful and exciting book, this is not for you. However, if you’re looking for a different book, you might want to give this a look.

8/10

Author: Zora Neale Hurston Year Published: 1937 Amy Yang
 * //Their Eyes Were Watching God//** **Review**

//Their Eyes Were Watching God//, a novel by Zora Neale Hurston, is the best classic book I’ve ever read. Set in an era where racial segregation is common, the story revolves around the marriages of a fierce-willed woman named Janie who had pretty hair and attracts many men. Because of her granny insisting on placing her under a man’s protection, she hastily married a pursuer who, after a few months, started to beat her. Refusing to be the traditional obediently weak wife, she sought freedom from this marriage. Her next marriage gave her a comfortable life, but it is not what she desired either. Only when she met a man some twelve years younger than her did she actually feel love for him. Apart from being a sweet love story, this novel also explores how society judges a person if an unorthodox decision was made. The dialogues in the book is in a Southern dialect, and words such as “like” is written as “lak” and “for” as “fuh.” Though these alterations is a little hard to read, it adds realism to the novel and lets the reader understand the environment better. The language and imagery is absolutely gorgeous. I would give the book 10/10 without hesitation.

**Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks** Amanda Wisbeck

This book really keeps your attention throughout the entire story because it first starts off with an old man named Ira. He wakes up in pain due to the fact that he had driven off the road and rammed his car into a tree. The first chapter is told from Ira’s perspective and his first thoughts go to Ruth, his wife who passed away nine years ago, he relives memories of her as he slowly begins to realize where he is. As Ira is running through the memories of his life Ruth appears in the car; he knows it isn’t possible that she is actually there, but as they continue to talk he listens and talks as if she were there. The story changes focus and instead zooms in on the life of a girl in college, Sophia. She had just recently found out that her boyfriend had cheated on her, once again. As she tries to hide away in her covers, her best friend who is also her roomate kicks her out of bed and makes her go to a party off-campus where she is sure her ex-boyfriend Bryan wouldn’t be. However, Bryan does eventually appear at the party and tries to talk to Sophia; a cowboy Luke steps in and helps her. From there their relationship grows stronger and they soon fall in love with one another. Sparks later ties these two love stories together, ending on as another one blossoms.

Rate: 9.5/10

Amanda Wisbeck
 * Looking for Alaska by John Green **

Looking for Alaska is a book about a teenage guy who has a thing for last words, he is called Miles Halter who is later addressed as Pudge. He leaves for boarding school, the same boarding school as his father once attended. Miles didn’t really have any friends at his school, so this was his chance to seek the Great Perhaps as he called it. His roommate is a well-built, but short little guy who appears to be all tough, but as the story goes on Green shows how he isn’t as strong as he looks, he’s actually a bit of a softie. Alaska is introduced when Miles thinks they are heading to purchase cigarettes at store outside of campus, inside they end up in her dorm. This book takes you through it all, laughter, anger, tears, and the heartbreak that two guys will face as they search for Alaska and her secrets.

Rate: 9/10

Author: PD James Year Published: 2005 Page count: 462 Amy Yang
 * //The Lighthouse//** **Review**

//The Lighthouse// by PD James is a murder mystery novel set in modern day England. A famous writer visiting a private island off the coast of Cornwall was found dead hanging from the lighthouse. Detective Adam Dalgliesh and his team arrives on the island to work on the case, and finds that all the residents of the island seem unlikely be murderers. The island serves as a place of peace and quiet for overworked individuals seeking a secure place to take a break. Many prominent figures live on the island, and they all seem to hold some information back. The novel is slow-paced and most of the action takes place towards the end of the book. Detailed characterization is provided for every one of the characters, even the detectives’ private lives are revealed. To be honest, I found some of the details unnecessary and I feel that there is not enough suspense in the novel, even though many are in danger near the end of the novel. I would rate the novel 7.5 and recommend to mature audiences looking for realistic writing.


 * Of mice and men**
 * Max Yu**

"Of mice and men", by author, John Steinbeck is an interesting novel with many twist and turns that leaves readers sitting on the edge of their seats. There are two main characters, George and Lennie, with great contrast between one another. First of all, George is a small man with a very quick mind. On the other hand, Lennie is a strong, buff-looking man, with a few metal disabilities. They are both workers looking for a job, and thankfully, George lies his way through to gain a land owners trust, offering them an occupation. They meet a series of people on the farm, Curley the overprotective husband and son of the owner, Candy the boss's handyman, and Slim, a character that understands the relationship between George and Lennie, also a very authoritative being. Through certain tragic accidents caused by Lennie, he decides to run away from the farm and avoid being caught by a lynch mob formed by the people. The ending of this novel is tragic, and everyone believes that Lennie is a vicious criminal, except for a person that truly knows the reason behind his actions, Slim. Overall, I really liked this book. it was probably one of the most interesting reads for me this year. It isn't too fictional to the point where it seems completely fake and made up, which adds to the great quality of its plot. I would recommend this to anyone who likes a twist ending with a lot of dramatic tension. 9/10

Dan Marino
 * The Westing Game – Ellen Raskin**

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin is a fiction mystery novel. The book is all about a puzzle: Solve the mystery of the death of the wealthy Sam Westing. Westing gathers 16 people to come to the reading of his will, where the puzzle is introduced. According to the will, one of the 16 heirs took Westing’s life. Their goal is to find out which person is the murderer. Whoever solves the puzzle will inherit Westing’s property and a huge sum of money. This is probably one of my favorite books of all time for many reasons. First, I really thought this book was very unique because there was not one main character. Instead, there were over 15 main characters, all were important to the plot in their own ways. Secondly, I really, really enjoyed the many plot twists throughout the entire book. The book was not predictable at all, which I think is very important to any book. Thirdly, the whole book is connected. Little things in the plot eventually add to the most thrilling plot I have read in a long time. Also, each chapter is significant. From Chapter 1, all of the way to Chapter 30. Each chapter had at least one hint to solving the puzzle. While the book may have been confusing at times, I thought that it sort of added to the mystery of the book. Either way, the confusion eventually cleared itself up. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone. This book was a very enjoyable read, with an extremely exciting plot.

9.5/10

Book report done by Egon Hammar
 * Erebos by Ursula Poznanski**

I really enjoyed this book even though it was a little long. This novel is about a 16-year-old boy called Nick Dunmore who goes to a high school that is just like any other high school. But he starts to notice mysterious packages going around in his school, he is very confused and no one who has gotten the package tells him anything about it. Even his best friend, Colin, gets the package but refuses to tell him anything about it. One day he also gets the package, when he opens it to his surprise it is a video game. When he gets home he starts to play it. He begins to explore the in game world. He is surprised by the graphics and how life like everything and everyone in the game is. One of the characters is called the character is called The Messenger, he knows exactly who Nick is. When Nick tries to lie about his real name it says he s lying. He starts to get issued task in the game. But one day the game asks him to do something out of the game, every time the tasks get more absurd and crazy. One day he refuses to complete a task, then the Messenger kills his in game character and pretty much expels him form the game. After finding others who have also been kicked out of the game he sets of to find out the true meaning of the game. This book has an intense thrilling plot and deserves a read. 9/10

Steven Cheng
 * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams**

This comical book talks about the adventures through space of Aurthur Dent, a Englishmen from Earth. The story also follows other characters, such as Ford Prefect, Zaphod Beeblebrox, Trillian and the depressed robot Marvin. After Earth was destroyed by Vogons, Arthur was teleported out just in time and with his gang, they go on a quest to find the mythical planet Magrathea. There, they delve into the secrets of the planet and find out the origins of planet Earth. I wouldn't recommend to read this book. Even though the story very funny and interesting, I didn’t get some parts, which made me more confused the more I read on. Rate: 6/10

**The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis**

**Reviewed by Samantha Li**

Eustace and Jill were begin bullied at school where suddenly a magical door open. They went through it and the ended up in a land that they were unfamiliar with. That is when the meet Aslan he told Jill that their only hope of returning home is if them find the lost prince who was captured by the evil witch. They were sent the Narnia when 4 instructions that would help them find the prince. When they arrive at Narnia the lords offered them food and cloths but during night time an owl told them that they had to leave because the lords had discovered that they are searching for the prince. On there way to finding the prince they had help of Marsh-wiggle. They had many troubles at first were held by giants who were planning to eat them and then tell down a hole into an underground realm where they found help from the lady. They traveled underground to find the prince and faced many dangers dragons and most importantly the witch. To find out what happened read the book. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in adventure stories.

8/10

**Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom** Tom Lee Tuesdays with Morrie is a memoir by American writer Mitch Albom, published in 1997. In the book, Morrie is a professor of Mitch but he later retires from this job due to a disease: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is also known as the Lou Gehrig's disease. Mitch was a student who enjoyed playing piano and he wanted to be a musician. However, this did not work out well and he had to change his job and he became a journalist. Surprisingly, he finds out that he has great talent in writing journals and becomes a famous journalist. One night, while changing his TV channels, he hears familiar voice on the TV show, which is Morrie's voice. He contacts with Morrie and flies to Boston to visit Morrie. He keeps on visiting him even though he had to fly to Boston every time in order to have a talk with him. This clearly shows how great the advices and lessons are. This book is really impressive and touching because this book gives a direction to a better life just like a teacher. I would recommend this book to anyone, both adults and teens since this teaches readers some great lessons. It was a great read! Rate: 10/10

In the year 2025 the economy has crashed and the social structure has turned into one upper class and one lower class and hardly any middle ground. This is where we meet our protagonist, Ben Richards, a struggling 28 year old with a wife and young daughter named Cathy who is deathly ill with the flu. Ben’s wife, Sheila, has to work the streets to pay the medicine of little Cathy. So one day Ben decides to enter a game show, the game shows revolve around violence, pain, and sometimes even death. He goes to the main TV building and applies for a role in a show. After a variety of various physical exams and mental tests, he is put on the show “The Running Man”. This show is all about a bunch of people getting chased down by bounty hunters; everyday the contestants have to send in a video loge telling to the news network. The contestant is given $100 for every hour they are still free and another $100 for killing a policeman or bounty hunter killed, with the grand prize of $1,000,000,000 for surviving a whole month. Ben first goes to New York then flies over see to England to escape the bounty hunters. This is a good book with a great plot twists, this is a must read for any thriller loving Stephen King fan. 9/10
 * The Running Man by Stephen King**
 * Egon Hammar**


 * Whale Talk**
 * Max Yu**

"Whale Talk" by author, Chris Crutcher, is a realistic fiction novel that is very interesting. The main character, T.J. is an adopted child that has exceeding athletic abilities. At a young age he was abandoned by his mom, who was influenced by various drugs. This caused T.J. to stand up to people, but also have anger management issues, which is why he doesn't want to join any of these sports teams. One day a teacher named Mr. Simet, requested to make a swim team. T.J. decided to participate, and gathered a bunch of kids, all with different hobbies and interests, to join this team. Throughout the season, the members slowly opened up to each other about personal problems and began to form a bond that meant more than just a school team. Their final goal was for the whole swim team including the un-athletic kids to earn a letter jacket, which is a very prestigious item that only "jocks" could attain. In the end, they went through ups and downs to achieve this item, and many obstacles truly tested their friendship. In conclusion, I felt that this book was very inspirational, and since I am in the adolescent period of my life, it was easy for me to understand their problems and relate to the plot. 8.5/10

8/10
 * Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson** is a story set mostly in a high school in the first person view of Melinda. This year, she returned to school with no friends and is struggling to keep the ones who doesn’t know what she has done: she called the cops on a party. No one knows why she did it, and she is going to keep it that way. But when it’s time to speak in order to protect someone, will she be able to overcome her fear? This was an interesting book for me since I have never read a first person novel where the protagonist is a girl, and this created a few points in the book where it becomes hard to relate to her. This is an overall fascinating read with the development of her ‘tree’ and the change in her personality, and the theme of overcoming a challenge in one’s mind. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to see true character development. - Bryan Chan


 * Where She Went by Gayle Forman**

Andrea Sanchez

Where She Went is the second book of the series called If I Stay. It is about a musician named Mia trying to move on with her life after experiencing a car accident where her whole family died. She moves away and tries to forget everything about her past, the only thing she can’t seem to forget about is Adam. Adam used to be her boyfriend,and as they thought their each other soulmate’s, but in order to start all over again she had to forget about him. They had not seen each other for 3 years when out of the blue he shows up at one of her concerts. This is a story about two people who are meant to be together figuring out that the only thing that’s keeping them apart are themselves. It is an amazing book and I recommend it to anyone that likes tragic love stories.

Rate: 9/10

**Linger by Maggie Stiefvater** Andrea Sanchez Linger is the second book of the series called Shiver. As a reader i wondered if Linger would be as good as Shiver, I’m happy to conclude that it was better. The story of Sam and Grace continues but there are two new characters. Isabelle and Cole. Isabelle is Graces best friend who in the first book helped Grace find a cure to stop the ware wolves from changing. Isabelle needed it to save her brother who was bitten and turned in to one and Grace needed it to save Sam. They decided that injecting them with meningitis, was their best bet. The cure did not help Jack, Isabelle’s brother, in fact it killed him. Curiously it worked on Sam. Now in Linger Isabelle blames her brothers death on herself. Then there is Cole who is mysterious and dark. He is a new ware wolf recently turned, who is running away from his humanity. Instantly there is a connection between Isabelle and Cole, both running away from something, both trying to escape their past. Now that Sam is back and staying human, nothing could be better in the world of Grace. This book is a sickening trick of fate that would not let them be happy. In the novel we go back to the early years of Grace when she was attacked by wolves and was bitten, but she never turned. They believed that it was because a few weeks later her dad had left her in the car during a hot day and she nearly died. That is how they came up with the idea of meningitis. Now she is feeling as if something in her body is telling her that she needs to shift into a wolf but just can’t. At first she ignores it but there comes a point where she cant because she is so sick. This book is yet another story of them trying to stay together and of Isabelle and Cole accepting their past and their mistakes. It is a tear jerking novel, that just when you thought it was best, Maggie Stiefvater pulls out another twist, and yet again you are left speechless and hungry for more. I recommend this to the lovers of Shiver and everyone else. It will not let you down. Rate: 11/10

Dan Marino
 * Hatchet – Gary Paulsen**

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen is a fiction book about survival. Brian Robeson, a thirteen-year-old boy, was on his way to visit his divorced father, when all of the sudden disaster happens. The pilot flying the Brian in the small plane suffers from a heart attack, and therefore is unable to fly the plane. Brian, who is the only other passenger, is terrified, and he realizes that he has to fly the plane. Nonetheless, the plane eventually crashes, and Brian is left to survive near a small lake on his own. He encounters several problems while he is on the island, including hunger, thirst, and pain. The pain however, is both physical and mental. He often thinks about his divorced parents and the “Secret.” He also thinks about the dead pilot. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the change that Brian undergoes. At one point, Brian contemplates suicide, but after, he becomes a changed person, who never gives up. I liked this book a lot, partly because every chapter had significance. There was always an important event in every chapter, which made for an interesting novel throughout. There were not many weaknesses with this book at all. I think one of the themes in this book is persistence, because Brian ultimately did not give up, which gave him a good shot at survival. I would recommend this book to anyone.

9/10

Steven Cheng
 * Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck**

The story starts off with two migrant workers in California by the names of George and Lennie going to a ranch to work. George is a small but intelligent man, while Lennie is big and strong but has limited mental abilities. They have a dream of settling down on their own piece of land and tending to their own crops and animals. At the ranch, the situation appears to be dire and dangerous, especially when the boss's son, Curley, becomes angry at Lennie since he dislikes larger men. Meanwhile, Curley's flirtatious wife, to whom Lennie is instantly attracted to, poses a difficult problem too. However, there are also many friends at the ranch, such as Slim, and Candy. In spite of the problems on the ranch, their dream becomes closer when Candy offers to pitch in with George and Lennie to buy a farm and live together. But more problems arise, and the duo has to try their very best to make their dream come true. This book has a good plot, but the ending was quite anti-climatic. However, throughout most of the book, it was very interesting and I would recommend this to anyone who likes classics.

7.5/10

Steven Cheng
 * Halo : Primordium (The Forerunner Saga Book 2) - Greg Bear**

The story begins after the events of the game Halo 3. The ONI research team had just discovered a damaged monitor and we find out that the monitor was once a human by the name of Chakas. Chakas starts the story from explaining what happened after the events of the first book. He and another human, Riser were taken away from the Forerunners and dumped onto Halo installation 7. There, Riser and Chakas get separated during their descent into the installation. Chakas is rescued by Vinnevra and her grandfather, who were both humans. They embark on a long journey to seek a safe place, following the geas inside them, which were spirits placed inside them when they were born. After days of perilous walking, they finally meet up with Riser, however, they soon get caught by the monitors of the installation and brought to the Palace of Pain. There, they are tested to their limits and must try their best to keep the Halo from colliding with a nearby planet in order to save everyone on the installation. I felt that there was very much suspense throughout the whole story, and it made me keep reading on and on. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves Halo or just plain old video-games.

9.5/10

Dan Marino
 * Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck**

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck is a classic novel about two men named George and Lennie. George, who is responsible and mature, always looks after Lennie, a big strong man. Lennie and George are best friends and always work together on ranches. However, Lennie often causes trouble, so they have to move between ranches quite often. They set their goals on buying their own ranch, so they would not be bossed around anymore. I actually found the book quite sad, and as the book went on, it seemed that the ending was inevitable. I really enjoyed this book because of the characters in the book, along with the plot. It seemed that each character was realistic, and also important to the plot. I also enjoyed this novel because I think that it did not ramble on, or drag on too long. It was also interesting and suspenseful throughout the entire book, with a lasting and meaningful ending. I would recommend this book to anyone.

9.5/10


 * Hatchet**
 * Max Yu**

"Hatchet" by author, Gary Paulsen, is an intense, action packed novel about the survival of protagonist, Brian Robeson. The story starts off with him trying to visit his divorced father located near the northern woods of Canada. He boards the plane, saddened with the thought of the separation between his parents. Tears were beginning to fall out of his as, but the pilot of the plane insisted that he should have a go at controlling the plane by himself. The pilot said that he wasn't feeling well and had a heart attack, which caused the crash of the plane, stranding Brian in the woods. He endure's different tasks that tests his true ability to survive out in the wild. Burdened by injury, he waits day by day for the time where another plane will come by and rescue him. Overall, i really liked this book because it was very exciting and suspenseful. I will not spoil the ending, but i felt that it was a bit weak because it ended very abruptly. 9/10

Dan Marino
 * The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams**

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a sci-fi comedy book. Arthur, Ford, Zaphod, and a few others all experience different stories and adventures while roaming around the galaxy. Unlike most people, I did not really enjoy this book. This is mainly because I did not find it very funny. The book is written in a very sarcastic tone, and I am not a huge fan of the ironic jokes. Adams tends to have chapters in between the main plot for excerpts from the “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” which I do not think is needed either, and it may make one lose interest in continuing to read. One thing I do like about the book however, is the quirky concepts that Adams uses. No one character or story is the same as another, which I like. There seems to be a big difference in characters too: Humans, Robot, Aliens, and many other creatures from different planets. However, I found that the main focus of the book was the comedic part (which I didn’t like) and not the plot. Overall, this book may be funny to some people, but I did not appreciate the comedy too much. I would recommend this book to only people who enjoy sci-fi comedies.

6.5/10


 * Divergent - Veronica Roth**

Divergent by Veronica Roth is an AMAZING book! It is one of those book you can’t put down because it is so fun and suspenseful. Because it was so suspenseful, I didn’t like the way the author wrote the book. There were so many explanations and descriptions that made me want to skip some of the pages. I was so curious what was going to happen next, maybe that is one of the author’s strength. Divergent is a book set in a dystopian society. They have five faction in a society. Candor, a truthful faction, Erudite, a smart faction, Abnegation, a selfless faction, Amity, a peace faction and Dauntless, a brave faction. People have one of the characteristic and may choose to transfer (in choosing day, when they are sixteen) or stay in the same faction as there parents. Beatrice was originally in Abnegation but she changes to Dauntless. While in the dauntless initiation she meets Four, an instructor. Now that a girl and a boy met, it may seem like a love story but it is more than that. That is why this book is interesting, containing both love and action.

10/10

-Seung-Min Yang

**Hatchet - Gary Paulsen** Tom Lee

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, is a suspenseful young adult fiction published in September 30, 1987. Brian Robeson, a thirteen years old boy was on a plane to Canadian north woods, where is father lives. His father divorced with his mom because of her secret: affair and this fact was pressuring Brian a lot. During the flight, the pilot gives Brian a short lesson on flying the plane. Later, it appears that he is having severe pain around his shoulder and stomach, which turns out that he was having heart attack. The pilot dies soon and Brian, who is forced to take over the control ends up crashing into a lake. He manages to survive but he has less amount of food and is hurt from the accident. The only survival kit he has is a hatchet, which is a small ax and he has to survive until the plane comes with this. The book describes how he overcomes obstacles and how he becomes a real man who can take care of himself. There are lots of thrilling and suspenseful moments such as meeting a bear, a skunk, a porcupine and so on.I would recommend any young adults since its was a fun read. 9/10

Justin Lim
 * Westing Game- Ellen Raskin**

Ellen Raskin’s thrilling novel, Westing Game, sets story in the Sunset Towers Apartment Building where 16 heirs get invited by a millionaire called Samuel W. Westing. Clearly, these heirs get to play a ‘Westing Game’ after Samuel’s death, which you can earn 200,000,000 dollars by finding out who killed him. The way how Ellen puts really small but detailed features into these heirs develops the whole story and it plays a huge role in creating suspense and thrill to the plot. Back to the story, heirs play the game by pairs and they even make allies to solve the mystery of Westing’s death. In many parts of this novel, Ellen uses chess to illustrate many of the scenes and even the hidden clue of the mystery. Furthermore, the outer cover of the novel has a ‘queen’ in the chess game which allows readers to guess that chess is the main metaphor of this whole novel and the ‘Westing Game’. The game looks like it ends with no definite winner as last few chapters only show the afterlife of these heirs, but the hidden clue of ‘Queen’s Sacrifice’ that is the chess move that Westing often used to beat the Judge Ford gets found by the Judge Ford. The judge(who is the judge of the game, cannot win the money) later finds out the Westing wanted Alice(aka Turtle in the novel) to find out about this riddle and win the game ,which later is achieved. I was confused as I read through the novel so I had to read two times to figure out what the author was really meaning and how the general plot was going on. I appreciate how Ellen uses complexity and suspense together to develop the thrilling story but I think the way how she creates mystery makes it more difficult for younger adolescent to read and understand the novel. 8/10


 * The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy**
 * Max Yu**

"The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy", by author Douglas Adams, is a unique, comedic novel. The main character Arthur Dent endure's numerous experiences after his good friend told him about his ideology regarding to the end of the word and the apocalypse. Soon after, aliens called Vogon invaded their world with intentions to destroy the land. Thankfully, they escape onto the Vogon's ship however they are forced to listen to Vogon poetry which is considered as one of the worst forms of punishment. Later on, they are saved by the Zaphod ship and continue their journey while meeting abnormal characters like a computer called deep thoughts, or a robot named marvin. In the end, they try to reach the restaurant at the end of world, which is continued during the next book of the series. Overall, I think this book was decent. It was a bit immature and random at times, but there were parts with good humor. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to explore and expand their reading genres. 7.5/10

**Five People You Meet in Heaven- Mitch Albom** Justin Lim

Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a dramatic and meaningful novel that really touches the readers. The story sets in an amusement park called Ruby Pier and an old man who grew up with Ruby Pier, Eddie. Unlike many other novels, it starts with the protagonist dying on his birthday. As he dies from saving a girl, he find himself without any neither physical nor emotional pain, in Ruby Pier of 75 years ago, when he first came to this place. From then, Eddie starts meeting few people, the blue man, his captain in war that Eddie participated in, Ruby who had her husband built amusement park (Ruby Pier) for her, Eddie's wife, Marguerite, and finally Tala who was actually in the fire when Eddie tried to go in to fire to save a child that he saw but was stopped by the captain above. All these people were related to Eddie's life and every one of them give life lesson to Eddie. Mitch Albom illustrates these details between each lesson that 5 people give Eddie to. The author conveys these messages indirectly by using Eddie's death and it really touches the readers because all these incidents that occured between Eddie and other five people are very possible to occur in real life. I was really touched how all these 5 life lessons: all incidents are connected to each other, sacrifice, forgiveness, love, and the purpose of life. How these messages bring in the meaning of our lives really impressed me as I finished the book, I really enjoyed this book, I think everyone should read this book. Even though this is book review, I really want to recommend this book to everyone.

10/10

Author: Douglas Adams Date Published: 1979 Amy Yang
 * //The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy//** Review

//The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy// is an amusing science fiction novel written by Douglas Adams. Arthur Dent, a regular Earthling, was taken along in alien Ford Prefect’s hitchhiker traveling around the Galaxy after the destruction of Earth. The two encounters a series of very unpredicted circumstances due to some manipulating of probability. Apart from involving the conventional sci-fi figures of aliens and technology, this book also presents some very unusual characters, scenes, and ideas, such as a depressed robot, a planet-manufacturing planet, and mass-produced coincidences. One thing that I found peculiar about this book is that the author keeps inserting stories of events that happened a long time ago in order to give background to the those about to occur, and I think there are too many of these stories. I was also surprised to see a tiny reference to a math theorem from the author, though many probably won’t recognize it (a bit of mathlete pride here, but search up “infinite monkey theorem” if you are interested). Seasoned with math and science philosophies, I would recommend this novel to anyone with a sense of fun. That is to say, everyone. 10/10

Author: Agatha Christie Year published: 1926 Amy Yang
 * //The Murder of Roger Ackroyd//** Review

//The Murder of Roger Ackroyd// is a murder mystery novel by Agatha Christie with a stunning plot and remarkable ending. Roger Ackroyd is a rich man whose wife had died a long time ago. His good friend, Mrs. Ferrars, has recently told him that she had poisoned her husband and soon committed suicide. She leaves a letter for Mr. Ackroyd behind that included the name of someone who had been blackmailing her, but before he could read the letter, he is stabbed to death. Hercule Poirot, the retired Belgian detective living next door to the narrator, Dr. Sheppard, joins he investigation and finds pieces of baffling evidence. The two investigate the case together and brings the reader an absolutely shocking ending. The investigation process described in this book is a tad long, but if you have the patience to read through it, the ending is very rewarding. I would rate the book 9/10 and recommend it to anyone who enjoys murder mystery.

__**Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck**__ Tom Lee

Of mice and men is a fictional novel written by John Steinbeck in 1937. This is a story of two migrant workers, Lennie and George, which takes place in America. George is a small, dark, and wise man. On the other hand, Lennie, a companion of George has just opposite features. He is huge man but he is a bit mentally handicapped and depends on George. Even though George feels tired dealing with Lennie, they still share a dream of buying their own house and raising animals. Later, they get into the ranch that they will work for but George worries how the boss will going to act against Lennie. Unlike George’s thinking, some people doesn’t care that much about Lennie, since he is a strong and good worker. However, this peaceful life ends with one trouble and the story gets suspenseful. I really liked reading this book and it was short but interesting read. I would recommend this book to any young-adults.

Rate: 9/10

Justin Lim
 * Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury**

Ray Bradbury’s intriguing fictional novel, Fahrenheit 451, sets the story in the future of United States of America. It starts with introducing the protagonist of the novel, Guy Montag. Guy Montag is a fireman who is to burn books and burn the house of the people who own books. Books are not one of the available sources to people in this society and the job fireman is not to extinguish fire but to burn all the books. At the beginning, Montag builds friendship with his 17-year old neighbor Clarisse McCellan who is a bit weird but incredibly thoughtful and intelligent. One day, she asks Montag whether he likes his job and tells him what firemen did in the past which was obviously significantly difficult. As she turns away, she asks him a question, whether he is happy or not. This is where inner conflict happens to Montag, he later finds out that he is not happy and starts thinking about why were the books prohibited. As the story goes on, Montag gets a illness in himself from the terrible scene of woman dying to protect books, his hatred toward his wife, Millie and death of his beloved friend, Clarisse. The story keeps going on and on with boring episodes. I really liked the first half of the book; it was really new and thrilling. However, the plot of the bottom half was too messed up, Montag killed his boss and atomic bomb blows up in the city and on and on. Too many things were all attached together and it made the whole story very confusing. Overall, I really liked how the author illustrated new society in this book but the flow wasn’t good and unorganized.

6.5/10

__**A Step From Heaven - An Na**__ Tom Lee

A step from heaven is a young adult fiction book, written by An Na in 2001. This is a story of a young immigrant girl named Young Ju, from South Korea. Young Ju and her parents move to America because of their “American Dream”, which is an idea that people will get rich and live a better life if they move to America. Young Ju, who got great impression of America from the talk between her parents, she confuses America with her grandmother’s saying, which describes America as heaven. However, after the arrival, she finds out that America is not a heaven, but decides that it is a step from heaven. Unfortunately, Young Ju’s life in America is neither full of happiness nor peaceful because of her father. Chapters in this book shows how Young Ju was raised in America and how she becomes an adult. In my opinion, this book is a really good book that describes the dark part of the American Dream. Rate: 7.5/10

Steven Cheng
 * __Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher__**

Whale talk is about a teenage boy called T.J (The Tao) Jones in Cutter High school who brings together a bunch of misfits to start a swim team. The story starts off with T.J Jones protecting a mentally handicapped kid named Chris Coughlin from bully Mike Barbour. Then, T.J's teacher Mr. Simet, was ordered to start a sports team. T.J gets together a bunch of social rejects and they slowly become friends. As the season progressed, the team grows closer and closer together from the long hours of training and the long road trips to swim meets. During these times, the swimmers expressed their feelings and told new things about themselves. At the end of the season, if everything worked out, they would all receive a letter jacket, which was the proudest symbol of Cutter High. However, things start to become messy in and out of school and T.J struggles to organize his group of hopeless social rejects and help them turn into something great. Rate: 9/10

//The Sign of Four// Author: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Year published: 1890 Amy Yang

//The Sign of Four// is a novel from the prominent Sherlock Holmes series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, a tale of intensity and mystery. A young woman by the name of Mary Marston has been receiving mysterious yet valuable gifts for the past five years, and she got a letter from the anonymous sender requesting her presence at a certain place at night. Ms. Marston brought along Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, and they too became involved in this mysterious case that involves murder and great treasure. This book is very intense and I really like the characterization for Mr. Holmes. I recommend this short and fast-paced book to pretty much anyone that is interested in a great detective novel. However, one thing of the novel I personally don’t like is that Holmes often read things from impossible technical details instead of using logical reasoning. I would give the novel 8.5/10.


 * Fahrenheit 451-** **Ray Bradbury**
 * Max Yu**

The novel, "Fahrenheit 451", by author Ray Bradbury, is an interesting read containing a lot of vivid scenarios. The setting of this story, is in a futuristic America, where the firemen of the city burn all of the books that the government disapproves of. The novel is shown through the point of view of the protagonist, one of the many firemen, Guy Montag. All was well until he met up with a young girl named Clarisse. She helped Guy realize what life meant and foreshadowed the fact that their society was corrupt. The question came up while they were talking, where Clarisse asked if he was satisfied with his life. Later in the novel, the tragic events of his wife attempting suicide and Clarisse being killed by a car crash occurred, which made Guy decide to rebel against the status quo and search for a solution towards everything. The story unfolds and the city becomes completely destroyed as Guy and the rest of the civilization try to form a new community. The reason why i decided to choose this novel was because it was recommended by a lot of previous readers. In my opinion, the plot and characters are interesting and very dynamic, however the near the middle of the book the storyline started to slow down and it became boring. I think that this genre of novels are not of my liking because I enjoy really suspenseful and horrifying stories. Overall, i would rate this book a 7.5/10. Although i would recommend it to other people because the concept is very unique

Steven Cheng
 * __ Deception Point - Dan Brown __**

Deception Point is a fictional suspense thriller that starts off with a discovery by NASA of a meteorite containing fossils of large bugs hidden under the ice. NASA invites four civilian scientists to verify that the meteorite and its fossils are real and authentic. Rachel Sexton, a intelligence analyst from the NRO, is sent to the Arctic Circle to investigate. Meanwhile, Rachel's father, Sedgewick Sexton, is running against the current President, and the fight is intense between the two parties. However, with this NASA victory, it will permanently cement the current President's place in the White House. Rachel Sexton is brought to the Arctic Circle to confirm the existence of the meteorite. There, she meets the four civilians, among them including Michael Tolland, an oceanographer and they begin to see some strange contradictions. Soon, they set off on a quest to find out the truth behind this fabrication while fleeing from people that want them dead. Rate: 8/10

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Divergent is the first book of a trilogy by Veronica Roth. It is similar to the Hunger Games in the way that their society has been divided up into different parts, however in these novels society is divided up by characteristic traits. It is about a girl called Beatrice who just turned sixteen and has to choose which group she wants to join or if she wants to stay in her faction. However, before they choose they must be tested on to see which virtue fits them best. Beatrice’s results come back and she finds that she is divergent meaning that she doesn’t fit any particular faction. She grew up in the Abnegation faction, but she never felt like she was selfless enough to be part of them. Beatrice decides to leave her family behind for another faction known as the Dauntless. She strives to prove to her new faction that she deserves a spot in their society and that she is tough enough to survive initiation. This book is strongly recommended to any age group that enjoys at good read with action and romance.=====

Rate: 9/10
Justin Lim
 * Of Mice and Men- John Steinbeck**

Of mice and Men, fascinating classic novel by John Steinbeck, sets plot in a small town in California. The novel is a youth story of two main characters, George and Lennie. George, a small but intelligent kid, takes care of Lennie, gigantic but lacking metal ability. The story sets in a place called ranch where George and Lennie works. Although they got kicked from many jobs because of troubles made by Lennie, they still work hard to achieve their dream of buying their own farm. However, they meet several problems as they always did, it makes their path to their dream unclear and difficult. John Steinbeck describes the characters in the story very well even though the character is very minor. This allows the whole plot to be very specified and intriguing, the story is so well-planned and smooth that it makes it so easier for readers to follow the plot easily. Also, I really like how he uses conversations to add details and create better understanding in many situations. This book was pretty enjoyable and pretty straight forward. Although the ending of the book was not very pleasant or likable, I mainly think it is a good book. I was kind of scared of the character of Lennie himself, but I still feel bad about how this story turns out at the end. 8.5/10

Dan Marino
 * Whale Talk – Chris Crutcher**

Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher, is a book about an unlikely swim team at Cutter High School working to earn a letter jacket that is a coveted item at their school. The Tao Jones, or TJ, is the only real swimmer on the team, but he gathers other “social rejects” to participate. TJ decides to form the team, after he sees Chris Coughlin, a special education kid, being picked on for wearing his deceased brother’s letter jacket. TJ, a fantastic athlete who never participated in any Cutter sports before, makes it his goal to earn every person on his team a letter jacket, including Chris. Over time, the kids bond with each other during road trips, which always includes a pizza stop on the back to Cutter. The coach of the team, Mr. Simet, claims that this team is the team that he is most proud of. Even though he has coached swimmers on their way to the Olympic trials, he says that he has never coached a team with the amount of guts as this one. However, there are some obstacles on their way to earning a letter jacket. Meanwhile, back at home, Chris and his family take on a completely different task, which focuses on a child and her abusive father. This book was a bit sad at times, as parts of the plot contains emotional topics. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book, although I believe it had a bit of a slow beginning. Fortunately, it got much more interesting after the plot began to move on. I would recommend this book to anyone who can handle a somewhat emotional story.

8/10

**Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher** //7/10// Reviewed by Emily Niu Whale Talk, written by Chris Crutcher, sets the story in Cutter high school in Washington. The high school isn’t quite like SAS, or any other schools i’ve been to. The school centers around sports, and more importantly letter jackets (it is a huge deal to them). The Tao Jones, aka T.J, is an amazing athlete, but not like any other athletes, he does not participate in any sports at school. However, one day at school when he saw a mentally disabled classmate, Chris, being threatened and picked on for wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket, he changed his mind. He wanted to help him earn a letter jacket, and in order to do this he formed a swim team. The team isn’t like any other, T.J is the only one that can really swim. The swim team is made of disabled, and scarred students. They bonded as they shared their stories on bus rides to the meets. As they work hard for their letter jackets, everyone in the swim team started to come together. This book has a second story plot line that is a little darker than simply earning a letter jacket. It has death, child abuse, bullying, racism, violence etc. I liked this book, however it was a little too emotional for me. There are some parts that are very sad and awful, there are also parts that are very touching. I would recommend this book for people who wants a touching (and maybe sometimes very sad) story, but for someone who wants a cheerful and light story, this book is not for you.

Bryan Chan //Of Mice and Men// by John Steinbeck is a short novel written in the omniscient. It is about two very different men, George and Lennie. George, smart and clever, is small in size and dark in face. Conversely, Lennie is not the brightest of all, but is big and strong. This unlikely pair traveled together for years, working in different places and the most recent being Salinas Valley. There, George and Lennie became ever closest to their dream of owning their own ranch, but everything goes wrong when a beautiful woman approaches one of them. Steinbeck developed his characters really well. Usually, if an author writes in omniscient, characters tend to be less developed and it's more focused on the story. Instead, Steinbeck focused a lot on dialogue and the way a person acts and speaks, such as the southern accent of all the characters. The protagonists are also very likable. George often seems funny when he gets mad at Lennie, who never really understand why George is upset. The only problem, and it's not a small problem either, is that the plot was obvious. In my opinion, the plot is the most important part of a book to keep you reading, but the experience becomes very different when you can already guess the plot. Nonetheless it is still an enjoyable book. 7/10
 * Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck**

Author: Khaled Hosseini Year published: 2003 Amy Yang //The Kite Runner// by Khaled Hosseini is narrated by a boy named Amir, who was a rich boy living in Afghanistan with his father, his servant, and his servant’s son, Hassan. The society at the time looked down upon the Hazara race, which is the race of the servant and Hassan. Though Hassan was his best friend, Amir, on several occasions, acted in a manner that he regretted throughout the rest of his life. The story is set in the last century, and many cultural elements in the book enhanced the story’s realism. The language of //The Kite Runner// makes it extremely believable, while the tone is honest and frank. Hosseini managed to convey the magnitude of influence guilt can have on a person’s life, yet at the same time there is “a way to be good again.” The foreshadowing in the book is impressively effective. This storyline makes the readers look back on certain actions that they hid from others. In my opinion, this is pretty much as good as historical fiction gets, and I would undoubtedly give it a 10/10.
 * //The Kite Runner// Review**

**The Time Keeper - Mitch Albom** //9/10// Reviewed by Emily Niu The Time Keeper, written by Mitch Albom, talks about the story of the inventor of time, Dor. After discovering and inventing time keeping, god sent him to a cave for thousands of years to think about his sin. In the cave he hears all the voices from everyone, when they are tormented by time keeping, or when they talk about time. Some ask for more, some plead to go back, and some hope to give up their time. Everyone keeps a track of time ever since time keeping was invented. In order to set himself free, Dor has to save the two people on earth. Sarah Lemon, a teenage girl who wants too less time, and Victor, a rich old man who wants too much. I really enjoyed reading this book because it doesn’t only just give you an interesting story, it gives you a new perspective on time. I would recommend it to everyone and it is a good read for all ages.

**The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams** //9/10// Reviewed by Emily Niu I very much enjoyed The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, it is a very entertaining book. People who like sci-fi comedy, this is the best book for you.The Story doesn’t bore you with just one main story line. They alternate through many random funny stories. For example passages from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, also including why a towel will be the most useful item to bring to space, and much more. The story evolves around Arthur Dent, a fellow Earthman, and Ford Perfect, an alien researcher for the book Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The story starts when Earth boiled away into space, and Ford and Arthur escapes into a Vogon (alien) ship. Where they like to torture hitchhikers with their horrible poetry. Eventually, they were send out to the vacuum of space and picked up by a space ship, the heart of gold, and by the president of the Galaxy, Zaphod, aka Ford’s uncle. Together with a depressed robot (Marvin), an optimistic computer, Zaphod’s Earth girlfriend, Ford, Zaphod, Arthur, and two mice. They go on a journey to find the greatest, richest and the legendary planet, Magrathea. The Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy is very old, it is published in 1979, however it is still extremely popular. They adapted both a tv show and a movie on the book. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a short book, only around 200 pages so it is a short and light read. I would recommend this book to to both genders and all age groups. It is a very enjoyable and funny book and I liked it a lot.

Reviewed by : Samantha
 * The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe **

Four siblings Peter, Susan, Eduard and Lucy who were sent to live with a Professor because of the London air-raids. The youngest, Lucy found a wardrobe in an empty room. When she went inside she found out that it leads to a mysterious world called Narnia filled with magic, witches and unicorns. She became great friends with a faun called Mr.Tummus, but when she tried to tell her brothers and sister about Narnia they didn’t believe her. She brought them to Narnia so they they could believe her. They soon found out that the Mr.Tummus, was captured by the White Witch. On their way to save Mr.Tummus Eduard slipped away to see the White Witch when Mr. Beaver was telling them about the White Witch and how she cursed the lans. The rest of them went to the Stone Table where they meet Aslan the only person who could save their brother. The sacrifice that Aslan did saves their brother. Aslan had to die on the stone table in order for their brother to be returned to them. The Witch didn’t know that if someone died on the stone table willingly without doing anything wrong will come back to life. When Aslan come back to life they marched to the Witches Castle to rescue everyone that she had turned into stone. They soon joined the witches army in battle. When everyone realized that Aslan had killed the Witch the war ended. Peter became King and Susan became Queen. At the end it was time to good back home. I recommend this book to people who like fiction and adventure books. 9/10

Reviewed by: Samantha Li
 * Girl In Translation by Jean Kwok **

“Girl In Translation” by Jean Kwok is about a young girl named Kim who moved from Hong Kong to New York City with her Ma. They worked at her Aunt Paula’s clothing factory and lived in a rusty old apartment with no heat to sustain them. Kim attended a public school where she struggled to keep up with others because she didn’t understand English but she managed to get good grades in Math and Science. The only person who accepted her was Annette who soon became her best friend. Everyday after school she helped her mom make skirts in the factory so they can get more income. That’s were she meet Matt who became one of her friends.By the end of the year when the National test scores came in she applied for a scholarship at Harrison Prep which was a school for the wealthy. When the results came in she was offered a full scholarship. When she got to the school she realized she couldn’t fit in with the other girls because her cloths were tacky and they couldn’t afford any other cloths. With the help of her best friend Annette and Curt she managed to get trough middle school and high school. When the SAT scores came back she had a perfect score. To find out what happened after than read the book. I recommend this book to people of all age. 9/10

Reviewed by: Samantha Li
 * Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson **

This book is about Cilo who is stuck with his dad this summer while her mom is in Kansas. When she arrived at Italy she found out that she wasn’t spending her summer alone with her dad but with his new girlfriend Julia, her daughter, her assist and Martian. When they arrived at a yacht she realizes that everyone seems to have job so her dad told her to be the chef. On one of the days when they were visiting the island to buy new supplies she decided to swim back to the boat and when she did she was stunned by hundred of jelly fish and ended up having a concussion for a few hours She soon discovers that this wasn’t just a trip to see her dad but they were looking for an object than can change history. When her dad left her alone on the boat bandit came on and took the boat. She an Aidan managed to escape and were floating in the sea for days in the life raft until they were rescued. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in Romance and Adventure. 8/10

**Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater** Andrea Sanchez

In this achingly satisfying novel, Grace, the main character, realizes what love, hope and loss really feels like. Grace’s parents never played a big role in her life, she was always lonely and fixated on this beautiful yellow-eyed wolf. She would watch him, and he would watch back. She always fantasized about turning into a wolf and running away with him. One day she found a boy lying naked in her backyard. She took one look at his eyes and she knew right away that he was her wolf. His name was Sam and he was a ware wolf. Every winter he changed into a wolf and during the summer the heat brought him back to his normal human self. Even though they did not really know each other, after all those years of staring at each other and having this undeniable connection, it made it impossible not to fall in love. They spent wonderful weeks together, everyday learning something new about each other and falling in love that much more. Sadly all good things must come to an end. There comes a point in the ware wolves' life where they simply stop changing back to human and this is Sam’s last year. This book is a unbelievably written story of two teenagers trying to stay together and stop the unstoppable from happening. I loved every single part of this book because it had the perfect balance of romance, and tragedy. Without a doubt, I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fiction. It is truly an amazing, and gripping book! Rate: 10/10

__Beastly by Alex Flinn__

Amanda Wisbeck

This novel is about a teenage boy named Kyle Kingsbury; the most attractive and popular boy in school. However, his appearance and money were the only two things he had going for himself. In the beginning Kyle is portrayed as a jerk and a bully later causing a witch to bring out the ugliness of his personality when he played a cruel prank on her the night of a school dance. The witch cast a spell on him to make him as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside and the curse could only be broken by kissing his true love. Kyle was given two years to find his true love or he would be a beast forever. Because his looks were taken away from him, he felt, along with his father who was also extremely self-centered that he couldn’t go back to school looking like he did. He decided that it would be best to disappear from his previous life and start searching for his true love since he was rejected by the one girl at school that he thought he loved. I would recommend this book to anyone from all ages, if they enjoy reads involving romance and are fantasy based.

Rate: 8.5/10

//The Bluebird Effect:// Uncommon Bonds With Common Birds Amy Yang Author: Julie Zickefoose Genre: Nonfiction Year Published: 2012 Note: Awesome sketches and illustrations by the author are included in the book. Doubtlessly, many of you have heard of the Butterfly Effect, a theory expressing that small differences can make massive impact on the future, such as a hurricane’s formation may be determined by the flap of a distant butterfly’s wing. //The Bluebird Effect//, however, is not a thrilling sci-fi about a bluebird that waved its wings and caused some sort of weather formation—it is a tender collection of the author’s experience with wildlife. Zickefoose studies ornithology (science of birds) and does a lot of rehabilitation work. For example, a typical story would be how she took in a pair of baby eastern phoebes from a woman that found their nest in a soon-to-be-destroyed shed (phoebes are a kind of flycatcher; here’s link for photo of an adult: []). The author fed them about every half an hour from dawn to dust and documents the phoebes’ progress in the book. The author’s willingness to drop everything when there is a chance to rescue a few birds is extremely admirable. Personally, I don’t think you might be extremely engaged in these chapters if you take no particular interest in avian stories, but the sections "Hummingbird Summer" and "Speaking of Starlings" would touch anyone's heart. Besides writing about her experiences with keeping and releasing birds, the author also mentions social issues dealing with birds and references others’ works to give the reader better understanding to the content. The book has an enjoyable mix on scientific writing and emotional descriptions. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and give it a mark of 9/10.

Author: John Steinbeck Year published: 1937 Genre: novella Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck about the tragic tale of a complex friendship between two hopeful workers during the Great Depression. Lennie is child-like and not very bright but he is strong. Due to his mental disability Lennie completely depends on George, and struggles to follow his every demand throughout the course of the book. George is a small, lean, quick thinking man who, even though he said that his life would be better off without Lennie, travels with and takes care of him. Although their characters are very different, they stick together and are good companions. The unlikely pair travel to a small working ranch in Salinas valley of California in the beginning of the book where they meet a wide variety of characters with different stories. Just when they get closer to their dream of owning their own land to farm, and much to Lennie's delight raise rabbits, a beautiful women could ruin it all. The fact that Lennie accidentally harms things he thinks is "purty" or "soft" constantly during the tale, leads the reader to believe that something bad is going to happen.Steinbeck develops the characters very well and he uses very good metaphors until the very end of this mournful ending. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a short, classic read that holds a lot of meaning and really makes them think at the end.
 * //Of Mice and Men// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

Rate: 8/10

**Elephant Run - Roland Smith** Tom Lee

Elephant Run is a historical fiction book by Roland Smith and the story takes place in Burma, which is today’s Myanmar during the WW2. In 1941, bombs drop from the sky of London and Nick’s mother, decides to send Nick Freestone, the main character of this book, to Burma, where his father’s teak plantation is. However, the condition in Burma wasn’t good at all. Japanese soldiers invaded and took most of the plantations away, including his father’s teak plantation. Nick’s father and the head Mahout got captured and put into jail. Nick and his friend Mya, were captured and put into the labor camp but succeeds to escape and make a plan to save their father. I really enjoyed reading this book and it was fun read. 8.5/10

**Whale Talk - Chris Crutcher** Tom Lee

Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher takes place in Cutter High School where sports are the center of the school. The ones who play sports are well-treated but who are disabled like Chris or hurt are often bullied. Tao Jones, who is also known as T.J is a great athlete but he doesn’t join any sports teams at school. However, after he saw Chris getting picked on by other athletes for wearing his dead brother’s letter jacket, he decides to form a swim team with other non-athletes with Mr. Simet. Letter jacket is a pretty big deal in this school since ones who are wearing these are considered as school sports representatives. This story is a bit dark and contains death of people, bullying, abusing, racism, violence, etc but the story is also touching. I really enjoyed reading this book and I would recommend this book to any young adults, who are interested in playing sports, especially swimming. 9/10

Author: Truman Capote Year Published: 1958 Genre: novella/screenplay for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's is a novella by Truman Capote based in the 1940s, not the contemporary 1960s as seen in the film. The novella was later loosely adapted into the 1961 classic //Breakfast at Tiffany's// starring Audrey Hepburn as the infamous Holliday (Holly) Golightly who is one of Capote's best known creations and a world culture icon. Her late-night music sessions of Oklahoma, her nameless red tabby, her gorgeous life and fashion style along with her clear obsession with the jewelry store Tiffany's all add up to the unique and trend-setting character of Holly Golightly. The story starts when an unnamed narrator recalls his adventures with a naive and eccentric woman, Holly Golightly, whom he once loved. Holly Golightly, age eighteen to nineteen, is a country girl turned New York society girl. She has no job and makes money by socializing with wealthy men who take her to fancy restaurants and buy her expensive presents, she wishes to marry one. Through a series of dramatic events we learn more about Holly and the narrator's character. The relationship between the narrator, called "Fred" by Holly after her brother, and Holly Golightly the protagonist is the plot of the whole novel. At the end, we see that Holly fears that she will never realize what she has until she throws it away. Although the novel has major differences from the well credited film, it is still a very intriguing and well-written book, I give it 10/10. So if you enjoy the well known film, and wish to look more into the iconic persona that is Holly Golightly I suggest this book. But be warned there are a few bad words because of the setting it's based in.
 * //Breakfast at Tiffany's// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd **

//Of Mice and Men// is a classic book written by John Steinbeck. It is about an unlikely pair of friends. George is a small man, but very quick and smart, and Lennie is a humongous man, but has the mind of a child. George has taken the responsibility of taking care of Lennie given to him by Aunt Clara. Lennie works really well but every time he starts talking or does something wrong things go bad for the both of them. The story is basically about the life of these two men who just need money. Throughout the story you learn more about how these two individuals act and what happens when something goes wrong. Lennie always has trouble when he does something wrong. He is a great person and all he wants to do is just pet soft things. George and Lennie just want to get money so they can go off and live in their own farm and have their own life. It starts off by George and Lennie getting a new job and everything goes well until the Boss’ son’s wife gets Lennie in trouble and Lennie doesn’t know what to do so he does something bad. I think this book is very interesting to read. It is a good classic and I think anyone who reads this will enjoy it. It may be short, but it is very emotional.
 * __Of Mice and Men__**
 * __John Steinbeck__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * Rate 8.5/10**

//Whale Talk// is about a teenage boy called The Tao in high school who brings together a bunch of people who don’t fit in well with others. The group of students get bullied a lot, so The Tao puts them together to form a swim team. Throughout the story you find out more and more about what his life was like, what people in his school went through, and how there are a lot of people who are mean and disrespectful in the world. The story starts off with The Tao (T.J.) in school. We learn who the characters are, who he hates and so on. Then when you read further and further you see that T.J. is athletic but he doesn’t want to play sports. He believes that the athletic department doesn’t care about the athletes, they only care about the points they win. There is also a boy called Chris and his brother was very popular throughout the school but he died in an accident. There is a bully who is always bullying him because his brother is dead and he can’t do much to protect himself. That leads to T.J coming up with the idea to make a swim team so that all these people that are on the team can earn a blue and gold letter jacket and be proud. I think this book is really dramatic and fun to read; it might look and sound boring, but once you start to read it you will soon start to like it.
 * __Whale Talk__**
 * __Chris Crutcher__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * Rate 9/10**

Author: Ray Bradbury Year Published: 1953 Genre: Dystopian Novel //Fahrenheit 451// by Ray Bradbury is a prophetic novel based in a dystopian society where nobody reads books because there was just to many different opinions and books made people have too many emotions. Instead people watch TV shows where they feel they have a true "family" and that nothing else matters. The story starts by introducing Guy Montag a fireman. His job is to burn books that the government thinks is trivial and pointless. Montag enjoys his life and enjoys burning the books until he meets Clarissa Mcllean, a beautiful girl who introduces him to the world's potential for beauty and meaning with her passionate curiosity. He then sets out on a journey to change the views of society. I personally found //Fahrenheit 451// a very entertaining book except that the story was very heavy but the general metaphor and poetic language are easily understood. I give this book a 10/10.
 * //Fahrenheit 451// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

**The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern** 7.5/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu The Night Circus is the a very dreamy and magical book. It evolves around the two main character, Marco and Celia. They were bound to a competition of magic ever since they were young. In order to let the two competitors meet, the night circus was formed in order of the competition. The night circus, however turned out more than just a setting of the competition. Acrobats, fortune tellers, illusionist all gathered in the Night circus creating extraordinary performances every night. Marco created stunning tents to impress gusts and his opponents. Morgenstern has described the circus with great detail, describing each tent with a magical touch. The ice garden, the twisting ways the acrobats moves, the caramel dipped apples etc were described with such detail that you can picture every single image in your mind. As both the competition and the circus went on, Marco and Celia falls deeply in love. However, what they don’t know is that the game has two players, and there can be only one survivor. I rated this book 7.5/10 because the book was a very slow, the competition (although set in the very beginning of the book) did not start until half way through the book. The first half of the book was slightly confusing, it added too many characters at once. However, I loved the description of everything in the circus, Morgenstern’s writing has created a world of out a dream. I would recommend this book if you want a slow paced and relaxing book to read.

//Witch & Wizard// by James Patterson is an action packed adventure set in a dystopian future. Whit and Wisty Allgood are arrested, and imprisoned for being accused for being a Witch and a Wizard. They try and give evidence that they are not but they are still sent to jail. They learn about The One Who Is The One and how he is known to have magical powers. They go on an adventure throughout this magical land called the Shadow land and learn about powers etc. If you read this book I think you will love because it is a sequel and a long adventurous story. But if you find books that are to action packed I don’t think you will like it, sci-fi for the way.
 * __Witch & Wizard__**
 * __James Patterson__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 9/10**

**Beautiful: Truth's Found When Beauty’s Lost by Cindy Martinusen** Reviewed by: Samantha Li

Ellie is what people considered a perfect girl. She’s smart, popular and beautiful.While her sister Megan was the total opposite. One night Ryan her boyfriend took her to a party but she wanted to go home so she took a ride with Satia. When they were driving through the highway a deer ran in front of them causing the car to flip over. Ellie kept called Satia’s name but no one answered. People came rushing towards them they were able to get Ellie out but not Satia. When she finally woke up she found herself in Davidson burn center with excruciating pain on her left side. When she finally saw what she looked like her whole left side of her body was burnt. Her friends came to see her but she knew that they just wanted to see what she looked like. Ryan came to see her everyday so did Megan. When she was released from the hospital she didn’t go back to school or graduation because she didn’t want people to find out what she looked like. Now she has to discover what it truly means to be beautiful. I would recommend this book to most teenage girls. 9/10

//The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian// is a book about a Native American boy who was born with excess of cerebrospinal fluids in his brain. His name is Arnold. In the Beginning of the story he is in a school called Wellpinit and his best friend called Rowdy who makes things not boring. Throughout the story you learn about the tragic deaths in his life, how alcohol and violence is a horrible thing to do and affects everyone, and what happens when he goes to a new school in Washington. His best friend is not so happy about it because it is a all white school but his parents insist on moving him there. He falls in love with a popular white girl called Penelope but his this leads to the downfall of his relationship with his best friend, Rowdy. Penelope and Arnold’s relationship get close but when he makes the varsity basketball team and has to play against his old school, he faces a lot of sadness. He feels ashamed when his team wins because of the look on Rowdy and his team’s faces after their loss. In the end Rowdy and Arnold resolve their problems and get back to being best friends while playing basketball. I think this book is really funny and a good book to read if you enjoy look at small illustrations. It is very emotional but I think everyone will enjoy it if they read it.
 * __The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian__**
 * __Sherman Alexie__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 8/10**

Author: Douglas Adams Year Published: 1979 Genre: Comedy Science Fiction //The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy// is the first of five books in //The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy// //"trilogy"// by Douglas Adams. This comedy science fiction is a popular novel published in 1979. The book begins with contractors at Arthur Dent's house who wish to demolish it to make way for a bypass. Ford Prefect, Arthur's friend, arrives telling him that the world is going to end. He tries to explain to Arthur that he is actually an alien from the planet Betelgeuse and that Earth is being demolished by Vogons to make way for a galactic bypass, ironically.After escaping the planet seconds before destruction, they end up hitching a lift on the Vogons' ship.The dynamic duo then begin a journey through space aided by quotes of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. For example, "A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have." While meeting a colorful array of characters, such as Zaphod Beeblebrox--the two-headed, three-armed President of the Universe; Trillian, Zaphod's girlfriend, whom Arthur tried to pick up at a cocktail party once, and Marvin a paranoid and chronically depressed android, they embark on a trek to find the legendary planet Magrathea. This is probably the funniest most sarcastic book I've read my whole life. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a good laugh! **10/10**
 * //The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

**Dumb Witness - Agatha Christie** 9.5/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu This is the first murder mystery book I’ve read by Agatha Christie. She is a well known author and after reading her book, I can understand why. The main character is Ms. Emily Arundell, she is an old aged women who is very wealthy. The book starts with a dinner gathering with Emily Arundell’s relatives. Late at night, Ms. Arundell was wondering around the house, and she fell down the stairs. The relatives gathered around her and claimed that she has tripped on her dog’s ball. However, Ms. Arundell was sure she did not feel a ball when she tripped. The doctor claimed that she would have easily died and she is lucky to be alive. After just a simple recovery from shock and a few scratches, she suspected that someone was trying to murder her and wrote to the famous detective M. Poirot. By the time M. Poirot received the letter, it was already a months after the incident, and Ms. Arundell was already dead. This engaging book is impossible to put down, it drops hints and clues as the investigation goes on. It makes the reader wonder and suspect each and every person. I found the book very enjoyable, and I would defiantly read more of her books. I would recommend this book to everyone.

**Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher** Reviewed by: Samantha Li

Whale talk is about a boy named T.J Jones who goes to school in Cutter High. In Cutter High a letter jacket is what defines you everyone wants one and if you want it you have to earn it. People like Rich and Barbour are the people who are considered the jocks and the bullies. It starts when T. J see’s Barbour pick on Chris Choughlin for wearing his dead brothers leather jacket. After that T.J decides to form a swim team so that Chris and any other kids who were rejected from sports could have a leather jacket. The only problem was that T.J was the only one who could actually swim. With the help of their coach Simet and Icko he finally got enough member it consisted of Mott who only had one leg, Chris who was a little bit different, Jakie, Dan, Simons and T.J. As they season continues they get closer together so that they could have a leather jacket that they can call theirs. This book has a lot of violence, abuse, death and racism but it is also a very touching story. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone who can’t take violence. Overall this was a really good book. 8/10

//The Book Thief// by Markus Zusak is a about a young girl in World War II, Nazi Germany, it is narrated by Death. Throughout the book you learn about how her life was, how busy things were, her relationship with her foster parents, etc. The girl is called Liesel living in Germany, 1939. Her mother was taken away because she was a communist and was forced to give up her children, herself and her brother who dies on the way to their new foster home. She meets her foster parents and creates a tight bond between them. We later on we meet Max who is a Jew being hidden by a friend. When Max becomes ill Liesel reads a book to him and gets better. He later on moves because they think their going search his house but they don’t so he left for nothing. In the end she is writing her book in the basement and the whole street is bombed, everyone is dead and she is the only survivor. Her book is later swept up and picked up by death himself. If anyone reads this book I think they’ll find it very dramatic but if your not into history I don’t think it is a good book for you.
 * __The Book Thief__**
 * __Markus Zusak__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 7/10**

Author: Ernest Hemingway Year Published: 1952 Genre: novel The Old Man and the Sea is about the battle between an old, Cuban fisherman and a big marlin. In the beginning of the novel, we learn that the old man is named Santiago and hasn't caught a fish in eighty-four days. He is considered very unlucky, so unlucky that even his apprentice Manolin had to leave and become a more successful fisherman's apprentice. Still dedicated to the old man, Manolin visits him everyday to talk about his day and about Joe DiMaggio, Santiago's favorite baseball player. Santiago tells Manolin that the next fish that he catches will be huge and will save him from his fishing rut. So the next day he goes out fishing and battles a huge marlin only to have it taken from his grasps back to the sea. I think that although the book is written in really simple language, the characters and events in the story is a huge metaphor for life and completing a goal or dream. In the beginning I thought the book was very boring and I didn't understand it but at the end everything seemed to make sense. So, overall this was a really good. 8.5/10
 * //The Old Man and The Sea// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd **

**Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis** Reviewed by Samantha Li

1000 years after Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy left Narnia men took it over. Animals who used to be able to talk couldn’t, giants, fwans,centroids, and dwards went extinct and all magic disappeared form Narnia. The Prince of Narnia the son of Miraz became fascinated with the tales of The high king Peter and magic. He escaped the castle with the help of his tutor who was half dwarf. There he blew the horn that belonged to Queen Susan so help would come and it did. Susan, Peter, Edmund and Lucy were sent back to Narnia when the arrived they were only one year older but the Narnia they knew was gone. The palace was destroyed by Miraz but when Prince Caspian learned that they have arrived the planed on attacking Miraz’s army with the remaining giants, dwarfs, fwans and centroids that have been hiding for centuries. I recommend this book to young teenagers. Any one that is interested in adventure stories would enjoy this book. 9/10

**The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis** Reviewed by Samantha Li

When Lucy and Peter were stuck staying at their cousins Eustace house while their brother Peter and sister Susan were in America something magical happened. When they picked up the painting of the a ship water started pouring out. Soon, they were inside the picture, they were in Narnia. The ship belonged to Prince Caspian's he was sailing to find the seven lords that his father sent out and was going to avenge their deaths. On their journey each island gets stranger the first one turned Eustace into a dragon. The second island has a body of water that turned anything that touched it into gold. That is were they found the dead body of on of the lord in solid gold. As they traveled on they discovered an island inhabited by invisible jumping dwarfs and an powerful magician. Soon they discovered the dark island an dark space that turned your dreams into real life. One of the islands had people who had been asleep for thousands of years just like Sleeping Beauty. They discovered sea people and when they finally reached Aslan’s island they children were sent back home. I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in adventurous books. 9/10

//The Knife of Never Letting Go// by Patrick Ness is a book about a boy called Todd, in fact he is the last boy left in Prentisstown, a small town on New World. Every boy becomes a man when he turns 13 years old. In the beginning of the story, Ness talks about the history of the town and how a germ killed half or the men and all the women released by the native species, Spackle. After that germ was let out, the remaining men in Prentisstown can hear each other’s thoughts, called noise. He soon is forced to leave the town because his dog, Manchee and himself find a moving silence noise. His adoptive parents, Ben & Cillian tell him the truth about the town and history. When he leaves the town on the run he soon meets a girl, Viola who is the cause of the silence. They travel together on the run from the Mayor and his squadron of soldiers. Throughout the story they learn more and more about the truth. They meet other woman and men; they learn things, Manchee dies from the crazy priest, and meets Ben who then tells them the full truth. They continue to their destination, Haven but run into the Mayor’s son who is then killed but shoots Viola. Todd is finally near his destination but is running because Viola, who is dying in his arms needs help but when he arrives at Haven the Mayor, Mr. Prentiss is there to meet him. The Mayor leaves him with a choice to listen to whatever he says so viola can get help. In surrender he does this and then the story ends. This story is very interesting and makes you want to keep on reading because of all the intense action and emotion throughout the book. If you read this book, you will love it and want to read the whole sequel.
 * __The Knife of Never Letting Go__**
 * __Patrick Ness__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 10/10**

**The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd** 8/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu The secret life of bees is about a fourteen year old girl called Lily Owens. She has grown up believing that she had accidentally killed her mother. On top of that, she lives with her abusive father. One day, when her father told her that her mother left her before she died, Lily collapsed and ran away from home with her only friend, Rosaleen, her black servant. She ran away and stayed at a beekeeper’s family. As she enjoys her stay at the beekeeper family she discovers her mother’s past, she is loved again, and she too learns to love. I enjoyed reading this book, it was a light read with a touching story. The book has love, religion, mystery, and romance. I would recommend this book for girls, because the story mostly evolves around female characters. This book also reminds me of more girly version of the the curious incident of the dog in the night-time. If you are looking for a book that will leave you warm hearted and touched I would recommend this book.

Author: H.G. Wells Year Published: 1898 Genre: Science Fiction The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel by H.G. Wells, an English author. It's one of the most commented on novels in science fiction. What's really amazing about this book is that it was published in 1898 before man could even fly! Throughout this tale, Well's narrator jumps from talking about the whole world, to talking about himself, to talking about what his brother's been through. Although this is a little confusing at first, we learn to adjust to the abrupt setting change. And it's the first person narrative of the adventures of an unnamed protagonist and his brother in England while under the attack of extraterrestrials. The story starts when a giant cylinder crashes onto Earth releasing enormous, otherworldly creatures armed with heat guns and huge fighting machines. As the martians conquer more and more of the world it seems to be the end of the world as we know it. I give this book a 8/10 because although the idea of it is interesting it didn't really keep my attention.
 * //The War of the Worlds// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

Dan Marino
 * Fahrenheit 451 – Ray Bradbury**

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a fiction book that is set in the future. Guy Montag, the protagonist, is a fireman whose job is to burn books, because they are banned from society. In the beginning of the book, Guy originally believes he is happy. However, when he meets Clarisse McCellan, his 17 year-old neighbor. After meeting with Clarisse, he realizes that he is not really happy. Guy never fully understands //why// the books are banned, but his co-worker, Captain Beatty, ensures him that they are bad for the population. Eventually, after meeting with an old professor named Faber, he decides to rebel against society. After Captain Beatty finds out about Guy’s hidden book collection, Guy becomes a wanted man. I really enjoyed this book because I though the main conflict was different from most books. I also really liked this book because of Guy’s interesting relationship with his wife Mildred. They never really get along completely, and this is one of Guy’s regrets. Overall, unlike other reviews, I thought the book was interesting throughout the entire plot. The characters were all very unique, and the plot wasn’t too predictable. This book had a very unique setting and society. I would recommend this book to anyone.

8/10

Author: Patrick Ness Year published: 2008 Genre: YA Science Fiction The Knife of Never Letting Go is the first in Chaos Walking, a series by Patrick Ness that takes place in an newly colonized planet called New Earth. The Knife of Never Letting Go is a book about a Todd, soon-to-be man, who lives in Prentisstown where everyone's thought are heard in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. He lives with his two adoptive uncles Ben and Cillian in a small barn on the outskirts of town. His father died before he was born and his mother died due to a disease that wiped out all the women in New Earth. Because there are no women in town, Todd is the the youngest and last to become a man. The disease came from the Spackle an intelligent alien life from as weapon against the humans invading their planet. All women were killed and a majority of men survived but with the side-effect being Noise. One day, Todd and Manchee, his dog who he can hear thoughts of as well, when they went out into the swamp stumble upon an area of complete silence. There they find something terrible is hidden and soon finds himself on a race against a huge army to get to the capital city Haven without being killed first. I highly recommend this book, I found it easy to read and very interesting. Throughout the story we see the progressive development of Todd's character into a man. I rate it 10/10.
 * //The Knife of Never Letting Go// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

Author: Dave Pelzer Year Published: 1995 A Child Called "It" records one of the worst cases of child abuse in California history. Pelzer begins his horrific tale as an abused child with his rescue in 1973 when he was put into a foster home. Then he writes about his mother before she started to beat him. Telling the reader that she was once a lovely mother who cared for everyone and that she loved to clean and decorate their house on holidays. But then Pelzer talks about how his life took a turn for the worse. How his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother began to brutally beat him and starve him on the brink of death. She soon started to play unpredictably terrible games. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive. A mother who no longer thought of him as a person but as an "it." Although some people think that Pelzer's story is completely false, I think that the overall message of the book, that if one person were to stop and help him he could've been rescued sooner. I realize that this is a horrible topic, child abuse, but more people need to be informed of it and it's severe consequences. This book is written with much descriptive detail, so I do not recommend this book to someone who could not stomach it. I rate this book 9/10.
 * //A Child Called "It"// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**

//Fahrenheit 451// by Ray Bradbury is a book set in the future. Guy Montag, who is a fireman whose job is to burn books because they are not allowed in the community. Throughout the book you learn about the confusion Guy is feeling and why later on he rebels against his society. He meets his 17-year-old neighbor called Clarisse. Guy always wondered why books were banned but his co-worker said that they were bad and so he continued to. Later on in the book he makes the decision to rebel against the community. I found this book very hard to understand after a few pages because the theories and ideas in the book are very hard to imagine. Overall I found this book ok but if you are the type of person who does not like fiction don’t read it.
 * __Fahrenheit 451__**
 * __Ray Bradbury__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 6/10**

**To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee** 9/10 Reviewed by: Emily Niu To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the most famous classic book. The story sets in Maycomb, Alabama, it starts with the mystery of Boo(Arthur) Radley. The two children Jem and scout and their friend Dill took interest in Boo Radley and how he never comes out of his house. However, Jem and Scout’s father, Atticus puts a stop their curiosity, saying that they should not poke around in other people’s business. Despite their father’s demands, they visit a tree hole where gifts are left for them. After a while, the tree hole was filled. While the children plays, Atticus was working on a case to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who was accused of raping a white women. As he works on this dangerous case, Atticus and his children were threatened and put in danger. Finally after days and days of defending a Tom Robinson, the court has made a decision between justice and injustice. This book explores the themes of racism (social inequality), right and wrong, good and bad. I liked this book overall and I am glad I read it. I would recommend this book, but I think most people already read it last year.

Author: Sara Gruen Year Published: 2006 Genre: Historical Novel //Water for Elephants// is a historical novel written by Sara Gruen. This book was later made into a well acclaimed film in 2011 and was set during the Great Depression in the United States. The story starts when Jacob Jankowski finds himself broke and recently orphaned by his parents death. He was just walking around, going nowhere, when one day he hops onto a freight train, in that instant his life changes forever. The next day, Jacob finds himself working for an unpopular circus as a veterinarian for the mistreated animals. We soon realize that the animals aren't the only ones being mistreated. Through a series of funny and sometimes sexual events he meets a collection of unique characters that help develop the theme of the book. The story is told through alternating points of view from Jacob as a 93-year-old man reflecting on his life at a nursing home and also through first person when he is younger and is talking about his life at the circus. Although this book contains some mature content I feel that if the reader can read adult level books and enjoys interesting context then they should read this novel.
 * //Water for Elephants// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**
 * Rating: 10/10**

Author: Aldous huxley Year Published: 1932 Genre: Dystopian/Science Fiction Novel //A Brave New World// is a dystopian novel set in London 632 A.F. (After Ford) This novel was published in 1932 and written by Aldous Huxley. In the future the World Controllers have created the perfect society. Using technology and recreational drugs and sex, the community is filled with happy consumers. Amid all of this happiness is a man named Bernard Marx who seems to be the only one who questions society. One day, while taking a trip to one of the few remaining Savage Reservations, where the old life style still continues to be, he meets someone who changes his and everyone's perspectives. This popular novel has many recurring themes and is set as a basis of other dystopian novels. It also shows a shocking look into our futures and greatly defines our present. The ending of the book is both appalling and disturbing, by doing this Huxley creates an ominous mood that leaves the reader thinking. I rate this book **9/10** because I thought that the beginning was a little difficult to understand what was happening.
 * //A Brave New World// Reviewed by Georgia Dodd**
 * Rating: 1/10**

//The Ask and The Answer// by Patrick Ness is the Sequel to The Knife of Never Letting Go. Continuing immediately from the first story of Todd & Viola, Todd has recently been recovering consciousness after surrendering to Mayor Prentiss, in the first book. He is in pain from all the things he has been through but he is mostly concerned about Viola. Like Todd, Viola is also thinking about the whereabouts of Todd, how he is doing, when they will see each other, etc. Throughout the story Todd and Viola find out separately about resistance movement called the Answer, which carried out a series of bombings in the city. President Prentiss forms a unit called the Ask, which took residents of the city into interrogation. Todd later on has to take a side. When Todd comes back from somewhere Viola and Lee, A member of the Ask come to rescue Todd but they get caught and President tortures her for information while Todd is watching. Todd convinces the Guards and Ivan to help save Viola and Lee, and they agree. At the end the Spackle are coming to start a war so Todd releases the president hoping it wasn’t a huge mistake. I think this book is really interesting and a good sequel to the first book. If anyone reads this book I think they will love it.
 * __The Ask and The Answer__**
 * __Patrick Ness__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 9/10**

//Gone// by Michael Grant is a book about a small town in southern California. Everyone over the age of 15 disappears and no one knows why. The people that are left are trapped from the outside world, and there is no help. A magical barrier which cant be broken encases the town. A lot of groups are formed and some survivors have powers that no one has ever seen before. The main characters in the book called Sam, Astrid, and Quinn explore and try to find out why this has happened. Throughout the book you find out how the kids under the age of 15 learn to survivor and form sides/groups to survive. There are a lot of cruel and inhumane things that happen throughout the book like killing, blood violence, etc. I found this book really interesting and fun to read because it was a action packed thriller/adventure which made it interesting to keep reading on. If you read this book I think that you will love it and want to read all 6 of the books which all connects and concludes the story.
 * __Gone__**
 * __Michael Grant__**
 * __Daryl Ong__**
 * 9/10**