Charlene Melinsky
10/16/2017 03:51:49 pm
The mystery novel When by Victoria Laurie was an absolute incredible novel. It was full of suspense, and I couldn’t put it down, literally. The basic plot of the story is that a girl, Maddie Fynn, has a special gift of being able to see people’s death dates above their heads, whether in pictures, videos, or in real life. The text states, “I already knew my shapes- circle, square, triangle- so I picked up on the lesson really fast, and I thought Dad was finally revealing the secret. The secret of why those odd little figures kept hovering above everyone’s foreheads.” (Laurie 1) Although this may seem pretty cool, she struggles with it. Maddie hates seeing people’s death coming near. Some people think she’s the cause of their deaths, and think she’s a witch or a phycic. Her alcoholic mother forces her to start a business with clients to tell them dates so they can get some money. But one day, when a women comes with a picture for Maddie to read, her son goes missing on the exact date Maddie saw above his head. People get suspicious, and suspect Maddie and her best friend Stubby to be the murderers. As more children go missing on the dates Maddies sees, the more trouble she gets into, and the more she starts the true colors of her best friend. As FBI agents search for clues, and find more crime scenes, Maddie and Stubby are put into trials to face consequences. The text states, “ ‘Is my niece under arrest?’ my uncle said. My knees threatened to give out from underneath me, but he held my arm firmly supporting me. Faraday took his time answering, but finally he said, “not yet, Fynn. But soon.” switching his focus back to me he added, ‘don’t leave town, Madelyn.’” (Laurie 136)
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Reilly Venino
10/18/2017 06:25:26 am
Anna Dressed in Blood, a mystery novel by Kendare Blake, was a suspenseful read and a great book. This novel is about a teenage boy named Cas who, with his mother, moves to Thunder Bay, to slay a ghost. That's right, a ghost. Cas's father did to, before he was eaten by something Cas sets off to kill. Source of all of the scary campfire stories in Thunder Bay was Anna Dressed in Blood, a girl who was murdered the night of a school dance in her very old, scary home in Thunder Bay.
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Tyler Buchenberger
10/19/2017 01:59:32 pm
All American Boys, a dramatic and powerful novel written by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely is an amazing read. This book has two main characters but switches there perspectives throughout the story. The main character is Rashad a regular high school student, who one day before a party decides to go get some thing at Jerry’s Corner Market. This time he notices that there is a real police officer with a gun and everything, because people steal from there often. When Rashad opens his bag to get his phone, a lady fell over Rashad and a bag of chips fell right into his bag. The thing is the police officer assumes he’s stealing it, when he pulls Rashad outside, he does everything the police officer tells him to do, but he slams Rashad on the concrete multiple times yelling at him. Rashad and many others think they know why he was so aggressive. Rashad was black, and this is when Rashad and people all around his community learn that they need to do something about this. The other point of view in this story is a character named Quinn. Quinn is a white boy, who plays basketball, and goes to the same school. Just like most kids in the school right? Well no, he was there that night. The night that Rashad was almost beaten to death. There’s also one more thing, the police officer who almost beat Rashad to death, was like an uncle to Quinn growing up. Quinn will have to decide to go against his “Uncle” for what is right or to do the wrong thing. The text states, “There was blood pooling in my mouth-tasted like metal… My brain exploded into a million thoughts and only one thought at the same time- please don’t kill me.”(Reynolds & Kiely 23) This police officer doesn’t even give Rashad a chance he just slams him on the ground multiple times. It’s terrible that Rashad has to even hope not to die, because of a bag of chips. Many people think that it was because he was black, and the fact that the police officer treated him differently than he would’ve treated someone else is terrible. This book gets you thinking about how people are treated differently, and you have to find out how they stand up for themselves.
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Eden
10/19/2017 04:08:26 pm
Have you ever been to a Renaissance Fair? If not, it’s a festival where people re-enact medieval times. They dress up in knight and maidens costumes, fight with swords, and eat huge turkey legs, among other things. Well, in the book All’s Faire In Middle School, Imogene, the main character’s parents were actors who worked at a Renaissance Fair in Florida. Imogene had spent her whole life as part of the show. She was even home schooled there. As she got older, her parents realized that Imogene shouldn’t spend her whole life in a make believe world. So, they enrolled Imogene in a public middle school. Imogene was challenged by starting a new life, making new friends, and learning how to fit in.
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Shani Lynch
10/21/2017 10:34:24 am
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds, was a suspenseful read. I really enjoyed reading it, waiting for what happened next. The novel was about a teenage boy who was desperately trying to save an abused dog. The main character, Marty, lives with a big family in a small house and barely enough money. One day Marty is out adventuring along the hills by his house, when he comes across a dog. A beagle that is skinny and weak that looks like he’s been abused. When he tried to leave it behind, he followed. The beagle comes right to Marty when he whistles and licks his hands. Marty named the dog Shiloh and let him into his heart. Marty developed strong feelings for the dog and he wants to keep it. His parents don’t like the idea of keeping the dog, mainly because they can't afford it. When Marty realizes that the dangerous and mean neighbor, Judd, lost his dog he gets worried. Marty tries to hide Shiloh and feed him so he can be healthy. Marty is conflicted with the decision of doing the right thing. Marty finds himself facing the troubles alone which makes it harder for him. The text states “Especially don’t ask myself how I’m supposed to get the money. All I know is that I can think of only one way to get that dog away from Judd, and that’s what I’m going to have to do.”
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Emily Juco
10/23/2017 11:43:32 am
The mystery novel Nemesis by Brendan Reichs was a thrilling and suspenseful novel. Nemesis is takes place in a small town in Idaho, 16 year old Min Wilder and Noah Livingston share 3 things their birthday, therapist, and a secret. Every other year they both get murdered by a man in black and every time right before he kills them he says, “I’m sorry.” and then he just murders them in cold blood on their birthday. The next day they both wake up miles away from their home in the woods completely unharmed. In the text it states, “No pain. No lingering hurt. Or sadness. Or rage. I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing. Just a tenderness to the scar on my left shoulder. Exactly like last time.And the time before that. And the ones before those.” For years Min has kept this secret hidden because everyone already believes she is insane for thinking someone murdered her since she is obviously still alive. Min and Noah both go to see one of the only therapist in their small town because he believes they see “hallucinations”. Noah believes his therapist and that he is really going insane, however, Min won’t buy it. She knows that there is no way something could feel that real. After finally telling her best friend Thomas aka Tack about her strange murderer. They go on a journey to find out why this keeps happening to her. After a few military vehicles, a burnt car, the man in the black suit, and a couple of bullies everything finally makes sense for both Min and Noah. Min learned that great friends are with you until the end (literally) and to be careful of who you trust.
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Kiley Langan
10/24/2017 05:29:22 pm
The book, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, is an amazing book. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is an historical fiction novel about a boy named Bruno and his family. In the novel, Bruno and his family live in Berlin, a small city where they had “a big house with five floors, if you counted the basement and the little room at the top with the window. And there were lovely streets and shops and fruit and vegetable stalls and any number of cafes.” Bruno also had three best friends named Karl and Daniel and Martin who he loved playing and exploring with. Everything in Berlin was perfect, when all the sudden, his father gets a job offer. His father takes the offer which causes them to then move into a house known as the Out-With. Bruno very much dislikes it there and always complains. All he can think about is that there is no place to explore, which is his favorite hobby, the house isn’t as big as the house in Berlin, he’s so far away from Grandma and Grandpa and that there’s no one to play with.
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Chace Spitale
10/25/2017 05:27:06 pm
I have read The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, it is about a scientist who is know as the time traveler in the book. The book starts out by introducing the time traveler and he looks very beat up when he shows up to scientists who were having dinner, he cleans himself up to show the other scientists his invention. Then after that day, the time traveler arrives even more messy to tell them the story of what happened to him while he used the time machine. He arrives in the distant future of 800,000 ad to find many kids all around him that speak strange language, eat special fruit, and the distant humans not being very strong and not very knowledgeable. He explores the environment as he goes through a crisis, losing his time machine, and having to fight off the other branch of humanity known as morlocks. He also made friends with one of the distant humans as he tries to get back to his own time. I chose some text which basically says his whole problem and this is the text that setups the whole story,” No!” I cried out. “ No it cannot be the same lawn…” Yet the sphinx was facing it. But the time machine was gone.” I would give this book 4 out of 5 stars because it was a great book and a quick read, it had some narrows parts that weren’t very fun as you read the book. In the end, I think that The Time Machine by H.G. Wells is a great and you should definitely read it if you haven’t done it yet. The book had made me worry about what will happen to the Time Traveler next, will he find his machine, what other dangers are out to get him, and more. It had built tension very fast as the Time Traveler must figure out a way to get back to his personal own time. So I hopefully hoped you decided to read, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells.
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Dylan Hyman
10/27/2017 11:44:45 am
Recently I read the book armada by ernest cline and it is about a kid named zack light man and one of the most popular games around is a game called armada and is actually a training to defend the earth from aliens.
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Dylan Hyman
10/31/2017 12:36:07 pm
this is a retry on this attempt,
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Peyton McGuire
10/28/2017 12:21:58 pm
I recently just finished the novel Fish In a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I loved this novel and I think it’s a very powerful book. It is very hopeful, and you can learn some life lessons from the characters. It is mainly about a 6th grader named Ally. She is a very sassy person and hates to do school work because she can’t read. However, Ally has not told anyone that she has struggles with reading because in the book it states that “ But there are piles of reasons I can’t tell the absolute truth. Not to her. Not to anyone. No matter how many times I have prayed and worked and hoped, reading for me is still like trying to make sense of a can of alphabet soup that’s been dumped on a plate’”(Hunt 10). On the other hand, she loves to draw and be creative. Ally always tries take the easy way out of things. Despite her struggles with her school work, Ally also has some social issues and does not have a lot of friends. She also has to deal with bullies that tell Ally that she is dumb and not smart because they see Ally making silly mistakes. Shay says that “‘ The world gets dumber every time Ally Nickerson speaks’” (Hunt 7). Ally lets herself down thinking that she is the dumbest person in the world. Mrs. Hall, her old teacher who is really oblivious to the bullying and Ally’s reading issues, is leaving because she is having a baby. Luckily for Ally she gets a new teacher, Mr. Daniels, who turns out to be a force of change for Ally in the novel. Ally acts like her normal self until she has to do some challenges in school. Ally figures them out and Mr. Daniels realizes that Ally is intelligent and wants to try to give her more challenges to solve. Shay and Jessica, the bullies, still taunt her about how she is not smart and that she can’t read or write. Luckily for Ally she forms friendships with Keisha and Albert and they make her feel happier at school. The bullies call Ally’s friend group “the island of misfit toys” (Hunt 93) but they do not care. Ally continues to struggle with her work, but she wins a poetry prize and feels what it is like to do well in front on the class though she felt like she received it out of pity. Mr. Daniels continues to notice that Ally is very intelligent and invites her to play chess after school with him. Ally gets closer and closer to Mr. Daniels and they start to do more activities together. One day Ally’s class goes to a museum that is an old house with many artifacts. Shay makes fun of Ally by drawing a picture of her with a dunce cap on to indicate that she thinks that she is stupid. As it says in the novel, “There’s a head wearing a dunce hat and ‘Ally’ is written underneath”(Hunt 154). Ally feels horrible and sprints out of the museum. Mr. Daniels find her crying on a swing, and she tells him that she can’t read and she thinks that she is dumb. He tells her that she might have a reading disorder called dyslexia and wants her to be tested. Ally knows that she does have dyslexia after taking the tests, and she gets practice after school from Mr. Daniels in helping her to read. Throughout the book Mr. Daniels motivates her to keep trying and says “‘ Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it'll spend it’s whole life thinking that it’s stupid’” (Hunt 159). Ally realizes that she must try and be the best person she can be. She tries to help other people, and she will remember Mr. Daniels forever.
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Janey Wright
10/29/2017 11:26:24 am
The book, The Raft by S.A. Bodeen is a fantastic adventure novel. The novel is about a girl named Robie who visits her aunt in Hawaii. When Robie decides to go home, she catches a cargo flight at the last minute by herself. The plane hits bad weather, and the plane goes down. The co-pilot, Max, throws Robie out the plane so that she can get survive the crash. When she hits the water, “I floated down...down...down. It was over. I was over. Dying was so much easier than I ever thought. It turned out dying was too easy. Something in me wouldn’t accept the easy way out.” (Bodeen 39 and 41) Max, the only survivor pulls Robie onto the raft, but things only get worse from there. They have no water, their only food is a small bag of skittles. And to make matters worse, “The words died as a big open mouth with rows of razor-sharp teeth burst out of the water just below the skipjack and snapped shut, taking a mouthful of water and most of the fish below the waves. The shark was gone almost before I’d registered what happened.” (Bodeen 128) Sharks also circle them. Nobody knew that she was on the plane, and nobody knows to come find her. “Then I curled up in the dark and cried.” (Bodeen 136) Robie has to fight for her life. How long will she survive?
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Jackie Rogers
10/29/2017 04:19:28 pm
The book The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is full of interesting characters
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Valentina Gomez
10/29/2017 04:43:19 pm
The book I read was called Towers Falling by Jewell Parker Rhodes. Towers Falling takes place in Brooklyn. The main character is a 10 year old girl named, Deja. Deja has two best friends, Ben and Sabeen. Deja's family lives in Avalon Family Residence where people share a house with other families. Deja doesn't like the Avalon Family Residence because, "Peeling paint. cockroaches, and no water, refrigerator, or stove in our tiny room. We're squeezed together like rats." (Rhodes pg.2) Towers Falling talks about learning about 9/11. Deja never heard about it and is very curious to learn more about it. She doesn't understand why no one is telling her about it. Deja's dad has be acting really depressed lately and has been upset that the school is teaching Deja about 9/11.
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Fioan Kelly
10/29/2017 06:51:40 pm
A book of love and hope. A story that shows what it feels like to be lonely. A book that makes you beg for more. The book, Fish In a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt has all of these things. This novel is in the point of view of a girl named Ally and she can’t read. Her father is in the Army so everytime she has the chance to learn, she has to move again. This is a huge conflict because Ally is in 6th grade and most people learn to read in Kindergarten and 1st grade. This affects the character because it causes Ally to act bad behaved to try and fool everyone when inside she is truly a smart, loving girl. Ally expresses many times that she doesn’t want to get in trouble and inside all she wants to do is be able to read and have friends. In the text it states, “No matter how many times I have prayed and worked and hoped, reading for me is still like trying to make sense of a can of alphabet soup that’s been dumped on a plate.” (pg.10 Hunt) But, when Ally is just about to give up, her whole world is turned around when her teacher leaves to have her baby and Mr. Daniels comes to take her place. Ally quickly realizes that Mr. Daniels is actually truly on her side and he will do anything to help her read. As Ally and Mr. Daniels continue to connect, he has Ally take a test to find out why reading is so hard for her. It turned out that all along she had dyslexia which makes reading so much harder. While Ally is still struggling to read, she also has to face the school bully Shay. Shay always teases her very harshly and makes it so hard for Ally to believe in herself. In the text it states, “‘So, dyslexia… Don’t you see words backward or something?’ ‘Sort of,’ I reply, not sure exactly, since I have never seen letters the way other people see have. ‘Figures,’ she says. ‘My brother is in kindergarten and he can see the the right way.’” (pg.246 Hunt) Ally must face reading and the bully when she finds her new friends Keisha and Albert who feel the same loneliness. Will they together overcome Ally’s obstacles or will she still be clueless about reading?
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Fiona Kelly
10/29/2017 06:53:12 pm
*Fiona Kelly
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Sophie Thorne
10/30/2017 12:00:07 pm
The book that I recently finished is called One for the Murphy's. It was a book that really moved me and turned me into a reader. If I saw the future when we did the book selfies I would have chose this book instead of the other book I decided to do for it. This book is about a tween named Carley who is forced into foster care when her mother has a tragic accident. She is forced to live with the Murphy's a family that is so perfect until her mom is better. The Murphy's have three kids Micheal Eric, Adam, and Daniel the oldest. The younger boys are nice but Daniel has had a problem with Carley ever since she came. Carley is not used to a family this perfect because her mom is the type of mom who drinks too much, smokes, parties, and doesn't take great care of Carley. This book is about the struggles of Carley trying to fit into this perfect family.
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Nate Richards
11/1/2017 01:37:49 pm
Over the summer, I read the book Fish In A Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. I found this book to be extremely interesting and fun to read. The basic plot line of this novel is that a girl named Ally is failing in school and is teased a lot by her fellow classmates. But this all changes when a new teacher, Mr. Daniels shows up to become a long term substitute. "Maybe they think I can't hear their words: Freak, Dumb, Loser... I see myself wrapped in rope lying on the train tracks just like in Grandpa's old black and white silent movies." (Hunt 2 and 36) Ally does not o anything about the teasing and name calling, but Mr. Daniels has a big impact on her. He turns her life upside down and she starts to learn many new and important things and how to stand up for herself. She is delivered many life lessons as well. One of the most powerful moments in the novel is when Mr. Daniels hands Ally a piece of paper. "'So, now, Ally... that big piece of paper in your hand says possible. there is no impossible anymore, okay'... 'Now, throw that little piece of paper with the I-M on it in the trash. It's gone forever.'" (Hunt 176) As you can probably tell, this novel is not very action-packed, but is very meaningful and powerful. The theme is debatable, but many could argue (myself included) that the theme is smartest thing to do is to ask for help. This theme shines through the whole novel, and I know that readers feel it too. I would rate this book an eleven out of ten. I can remember this book like it's the back of my hand. I also loved how Hunt developed Ally and Mr. Daniels. Ally was a very interesting character with many different traits. Mr. Daniels was definitely a huge part of this novel, and his character was so fun to read about. This novel was also one of the few that I could not put down and read in three days. Overall, Fish In A Tree was an outstanding novel with many great aspects to it.
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Madelyn Reppert
11/1/2017 01:59:24 pm
The book The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare was fantastic! I was so hooked that I really couldn't put the book down! I read at night, and during the day. I was like Worm in Max the Mighty! I could literally read anywhere! The Witch of Blackbird Pond is a fictional story about a girl named Katherine Tyler, or Kit for short. She grew up in Barbados, raised by her grandfather after her parents both drowned in a tragic boat crash on a pleasure trip. Kits grandfather was really rich and well known around Barbados. Unfortunately her grandfather dies, and Kit is sent to live with her aunt, uncle and two girl cousins who are her only living relatives. They live in America which Kit thinks is bleak and untasteful. Her aunt and uncle are poor, and so it is a huge change to go from rich girl to the girl known as the greedy “rich” kid, even though she is no richer than her aunt and uncle.The setting takes place a long time ago, so some of the language that they use is a little difficult to understand. There are many plot twists in the book, and many conflicts. From potential suitors, and planned marriages, to work loads, drama between her and her one cousin Judith, and wanting to become friends with the so called “witch” Hannah Tupper.
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Madelyn Reppert
11/1/2017 02:01:44 pm
The theme of the book is to be yourself no matter what anyone else thinks about you. I think this because in the book The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Kit is thought to be a witch when she hangs out with Hannah Tupper. (Who is also supposedly a witch.) But, Kit doesn't let that define her, and makes up her own mind about Hannah.
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Tristan Molinari
11/1/2017 02:18:54 pm
I had just recently read "Journey to the Center of the Earth". In the begging of the book, Axel and his uncle Professor Liedenbrock find a secret not inside of a book. Professor Liedenbrock examines the note, but it is unfortunately written in a different language. They found out that the note is written in some sort of different Icelandic language, that they can't read nor anybody else. Liedenbrock spends hours and hours trying to uncover this secret language but it was no use. Finally, while Liedenbrock is sleeping in the other room, Axel take a closer look at it. Suddenly, he saw what it meant. It was so simple. It read that there was a new world at the bottom of the earth, but the only way to get there is to go to go to the volcano Snaefells. The volcano was in Iceland. So, him and Professor Liedenbrock packed there bags and set of to Iceland. Axel was not as exited as Liedenbrock but he still had to go with his uncle. They could only go just before the month of July because that when they have to fallow a shadow down the volcano to know what path to go down. When the time came to leave they got in the train and road off. The journey was confusing because they had to get on a lot of different boats to get across the big, treacherous, frozen sea when they started getting closer. When they arrived in Iceland, they slept in this little town were they could get all of their things together for the long journey. The town people were nice enough to get them food and water for the journey and a bed to sleep in for the night. When they awoke in the morning, they decided that they would needed a tour guide to get through the obstacles they were about to face. When they got the tour guide Hans that finally set off to the mountain. For a long period of time they had to tide the horses but when they actually reached the mountain they had to walk. Climbing on the mountain was not an easy task because they kept on getting pelted with rock and other things. When they got to the top of the mountain they had to pull out there rode and one by one go down the big dark volcano. Hans went first because he knew what he was doing. When they all reach the bottom they set up camp and waited for the shadow to point to their way. They woke in the morning with the sight of the shadow. So, they raced to where it was pointing and set off. As they walked on, it was getting darker and darker till eventually they couldn't see anything so they had to light a lantern. Walking up and down the rock trying to find the way down they eventually start getting tired and set up camp for tomorrow morning. After they were well rested and packed up all of their things the started walking again. Suddenly, Axel gets separated from the group and can't find his way back to them! Will Axel ever see them again.
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Jackson Hyman
11/1/2017 06:49:35 pm
I recently read a book called " Booked" by Kwame Alexander. It is a realistic fiction story about a kid named Nick Hall and he is the star on his soccer team. This takes place at Nick's house, the soccer fields, and his school. During his season his team gets and invitation to play in the Dallas cup. His best friend Coby isn't on the same team, but they were on the same team all their life. They have intense matches through the season and make a little rivalry, but are still friends off the soccer field. One day he gets news from his parents that they are spreading apart because they need time alone. His mom moves away to Kentucky for a job that deals with horses, Nick is heartbroken after this event had occurred, the only thing Nick has is Soccer anymore. Throughout all this a girl named April comes along and Nick really likes her, but is afraid to say a single word to her. After some time Nick decides to talk to her and finds out that she kind of likes him and has an interest in talking to him. So, Nick finds an another outlet from being heartbroken about his mom leaving him and his dad. Nick and his mom talk on the phone some time, but Nick just isn't ever in the mood to talk to her. Like " My dear Nicky, I'm assuming you've been eaten by a black mamba or pummeled to shreds by a stampede of mammoth shire sport horses, since you haven't returned a single text of mine. Love, Mom." Because of Nick being so depressed his mom decides to come home and try to make things right with his dad. This makes Nick a little happy having his mom home again. Nick then is playing in a soccer in an important when a kid on the other team charges into him and he falls to the ground holding his ankle in pain. Will Nick play in the Dallas cup? Read to find out.
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Jonathan Cohen
11/2/2017 10:24:17 am
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Sydney Choff
11/2/2017 02:35:52 pm
The book, The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey is about a girl named Cassie Sullivan who was a regular girl before the apocalypse. When the first wave hit Earth, Cassie and her family were caught off guard… so was the rest of the Earth. The first wave was that all electronics would turn off. When the Earth was hit, everyone panicked and they thought that no one was safe. They were right. As the days went on more people started dying. Then, the second wave hit. The second wave was a plague. Cassie’s dad made sure that everyone would stay in the house. But, that didn’t help. As bad events happen during the 3rd wave, Cassie and her family and go to camp Ashpit. There, bad events will occur and Cassie will be on her own for the rest of her journey. I think the theme of this book is to always move forward even if there are obstacles in your way. Also, as the book moves on and gets more suspenseful, Cassie meets new characters that she gets close with over time.
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Kara Cocozza
11/2/2017 03:09:14 pm
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Kara Cocozza
11/2/2017 03:10:27 pm
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Patrick McGagh
11/2/2017 03:21:13 pm
The Marvels by Brian Selznick is a fiction book written third person about a young boy, named Joseph Jervis. The first half of this book is pictures and also includes some descriptions of the pictures, and then the next half of the book is about Billy Marvel’s Grandson, Joseph. To start off, Billy Marvel and his dog, Tar, are the sole survivors from a shipwreck that had tragically claimed his brother, Marcus’s, life. After the two had been together at sea, waiting to be rescued, and English finally picks them up. Then, the two had finally found home at a London Theatre, and there, they had launched a famous acting dynasty, The Marvels. Then after it changes from pictures to the narration, it is now telling about Joseph Jervis in 1990. 13 year old Joseph then escapes from boarding school and goes on a journey to try and find his uncle Albert. After a long journey in the cold, Joseph finally arrived at his house. He was very nervous but anyways, brave Joseph rang the doorbell. After an interesting conversation between them Joseph asks if he can stay with him. All he gets back is “‘You can’t stay here’” (Selznick 410). After this Joseph was getting a little worried and he wanted to know why he couldn’t stay. Anyways, uncle Albert told him to go in and warm up and Joseph will soon encounter the legacy of the Marvels and try to discover what it has to do with him and his family. Lastly, the theme of this book is that family is number one priority because Joseph learns a lot while spending a lot of time with his uncle.
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Jack Murphy
11/2/2017 03:54:46 pm
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Cate McVeety
11/2/2017 03:56:55 pm
We Were Liars, by e. Lockhart, is an amazing, heartfelt book. We Were Liars, is a realistic fiction book about a girl named Cadence, her two cousins, and Gat, also know as the liars, according to the rest of the Sinclair family. Cadence was the first grandchild to be born in her family, along with two of her other closest cousins who are a couple months younger, Mirren, and Johnny. Candaces grandfather owns a private island off the coast of Massachusetts called Beachwood, that her and her family go to every summer. Every summer her one cousin Johnny brings down his friend Gat, for the whole summer. They all have a normal fun summer as every teenager does, with a touch of romance between Cadence and Gat, until one summer changes everything.
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Abby Mannix
11/2/2017 04:46:18 pm
The book The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey is a continuation of the beloved novel The 5th Wave, and is still written in different points of view, but in this book the story leaves off a couple hours from the last book. Cassie, our main character is reunited with Sammy or “Nugget” and her are rescued by Zombies friends. But Cassie is unsure if Evan who she “loves” is going to keep his promise and come back for here But there is a lot of tension between “Ringer”, a soldier, and Cassie. When Cassie wants to continue to wait for Evan, Ringer loses her patience and decides to leave Their “base”, out the abandoned hotel they have occupied, to look for a new shelter. But when “teacup”, a young recruit, goes after ringer trouble soon follows, literally. Cassie is faced with the choice of her “true love”(many different pages), or the chance of ten lost lives. Each page leaves you on the edge of your sea-t (haha)
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11/2/2017 05:52:11 pm
Tears of a Tiger, a realistic fiction and young adult literature novel by Sharon M. Draper was a novel that from the cover to cover, had me on the edge of my seat and always wanted me to keep reading. After a horrific, fiery car accident killing Robert Washington, the captain of the basketball team. After a while, everybody gradually moves on. Everybody except, Andy. Andy was Robert's best friend and the driver of the car that Robby was in. This destroys Andy, inside and out causing him to blame himself for Robby’s death and thinks that they should have traded plaves. Read to find and go through the struggles and conflicts of Andy and how he gets through this tragedy.
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Drew Gasperino
11/2/2017 05:53:46 pm
Tears of a Tiger, a realistic fiction and young adult literature novel by Sharon M. Draper was a novel that from the cover to cover, had me on the edge of my seat and always wanted me to keep reading. After a horrific, fiery car accident killing Robert Washington, the captain of the basketball team. After a while, everybody gradually moves on. Everybody except, Andy. Andy was Robert's best friend and the driver of the car that Robby was in. This destroys Andy, inside and out causing him to blame himself for Robby’s death and thinks that they should have traded places. Read to find and go through the struggles and conflicts of Andy and how he gets through this tragedy.
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Drew Gasperino ( Pls grade THIS ONE I know I posted like 3 :)
11/2/2017 06:12:20 pm
Tears of a Tiger, a realistic fiction and young adult literature novel by Sharon M. Draper was a novel that from the cover to cover, had me on the edge of my seat and always wanted me to keep reading. A horrific, fiery car accident killed Robert Washington, the captain and star of the Hazelwood High basketball team, causing many people to suffer in sadness. After a while, everybody gradually moves on. Everybody except, Andy. Andy was Robert's best friend and the driver of the car that Robby was in. This destroys Andy, inside and out causing him to blame himself for Robby’s death and thinks that they should have traded places. Read to find and go through the struggles and conflicts of Andy and how he gets through this tragedy.
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Alexa Kiernan
11/2/2017 07:17:24 pm
I recently read the novel, "Tumbling", by Caela Carter. I found this book to be an extraordinary and sensational book. The novel, "Tumbling" is about twelve elite caliber gymnastics who are competing at the United States Olympic Team Trials for one of the five sports on the coveted Olympic Team that is most certainly destained for gold in 2012. The novel takes place at the fictional "Cincinnati SuperCentre" where the 2012 Olympic trials are being held. This book takes the readers into the world of elite gymnastics from a different perspective than what you see on TV. All of the girls competing at trials have dreamt about olympic glory since they were very young and they have sacrificed their entire childhoods to a dream that will be made or broken in the two days that the novel takes place. This book has an emphasis on how your life can change in less than one second. The vivid description ad detail makes the events in the book come alive. With every skill that the athletes gain, you as the reader gain more emotion from the characters. The theme of the book is that you can achieve anything if you work hard enough, the theme is developed mostly through inner thoughts. The text states,"Work harder than anyone. Be the most talented. Sacrifice everything. And if you’re lucky, maybe you will go to the Olympics." (Carter 7) This line shows that the character know that even if they are the very best, there is still a chance that they won't make it onto the team and realize their potential on a worldwide stage. Out of the millions out gymnasts in our country, only 5 get to go to the Olympics! There are lots of inner thoughts and wise words through the course of the story. This novel is also very interesting because it is written through the views of twelve different gymnasts, all facing similar and different obstacles blocking their paths to reach London 2012. How would you feel if you worker your entire life for a dream that might not even come true?
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Alexa Kiernan
11/2/2017 07:18:15 pm
*By not bye
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Julia Molinari
11/2/2017 08:24:48 pm
I recently read the book One for the Murphys, By Lynda Mullaly Hunt. It is about a girl named Carley, and a terrible incident that happened to her. Her stepfather abused her party animal mother, and when Carley tried to help stop it, she ended getting hurt as well. So, she was sent to a foster home, which was not what she was used too. Her new foster home, the Murphy’s, are the average caring, supportive, family. Carley wasn’t use to that at all. She gets scared, or kind of intimidated because she didn’t think they would like or trust her. But as time goes on, she starts warming up, and even made a friend and was starting to fit in! But now, that her mother was getting better and could take her back, she didn’t want to leave. For example, she says, “But most of all, I'll remember how she loved me. I turn away, knowing that I might never get to see Julie Murphy again. But I will know her for the rest of my life.” This shows that Carley really started to care and love the Murphy’s. So, Carley battles between starting to love living with the Murphy’s, especially Mrs. Murphy, and fighting with her own mother in the hospital about what will happen next. I would rate this book a 10 out of 10 because overall it was a good book told the story really well. I would reccomend this book to people who like reading realistic fiction because you get to see what it could really be like in someone else’s shoes, I would say that the theme of this book is to “be someone’s hero” and that you should always look to help others and yourself. I loved this book so much and hope other people will too!
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Johnny Soucheck
11/2/2017 08:59:46 pm
I have just finished reading the book "The Worst Night Ever" by Dave Barry. I found this book to be awesome, adventurous and exciting. This book is realistic fiction. What happens in this book is that Matt's ferret (Frank) was stolen by the Bevin brothers. Wyatt and Matt get Frank back, they see this big lizard forced into an opening. Wyatt and Matt are then in trouble with the police and are grounded. Then, the zoo has these killer kritters for Halloween. But, the animals are dangerous and are the ones the Bevin family own. The father, Frank Bevin is planning using the land the zoo is going to use to expand for a building. Frank Bevin wants to stay powerful. Now it's only up to Wyatt, Matt, Victor, Taylor, and John to save the day. A short excerpt from the book: "I swerved close to Frank, who grabbed for the scooter but missed. He started yelling and running after us as I swerved toward the truck with Troy in it." This is the part where Wyatt, Matt and Taylor (and a secret person) are attacking the Bevins. There is a lot of action in the book.
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Aydan Lindie
11/3/2017 04:44:33 am
The Adventurous book The Honest Truth is about a boy named Mark, friend Jesse, and his dog Beau. When Mark is battling cancer, he finds that he wants to climb Mount Rainier. With only his dog he goes to the Mountain seeking a great experience and to climb the Mountain. With only his trusty dog Beau, he faces many challenges on his journey.He and his dog Beau face many challenges along their journey to the mountain..The theme of Love and friendship develop through Mark and his dog Beau.
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Aydan Lindie
11/3/2017 12:05:01 pm
The Adventurous book The Honest Truth is about a boy named Mark, friend Jesse, and his dog Beau. When Mark is battling cancer, he finds that he wants to climb Mount Rainier. With only his dog he goes to the Mountain seeking a great experience and to climb the Mountain. With only his trusty dog Beau, he faces many challenges, like death, physical challenges, and mental challenges on his journey. He and his dog Beau face many challenges along their journey to the mountain. The theme that friends help each other persevere through obstacles is developed through Mark and his dog Beau.
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Nick Sullivan
11/3/2017 06:12:33 am
One of the most incredible books I have ever read, Prisoner B-3087 had me on the edge of my seat literally every single time I opened it up. And when I needed to stop reading, it was a struggle to put it down. The whole entire story was action filled, adventurous, and most of all, extremely suspenseful. The novel was based on true events, and written by Alan Gratz.
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Robert Shiffman
11/3/2017 10:22:06 am
I have recently read a book by Shelley Pearsall called The Seventh Most Important Thing. In this book our main character (Arthur owens) commits a crime. ¨Attempted homicide¨ was what they called it but arthur wasn't looking to kill or hurt anybody. Now the judge would have sent him back to juvie for five years but James Hampton (the man that Arthur allegedly assaulted) had a different plan. He told the judge that he would rather arthur work 200 hours of community service for him. James had Arthur doing a rather peculiar job he would have to collect foil, lightbulbs, Paper bags and other various items.
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Alyssa Buchanan
11/5/2017 07:34:22 pm
Everything Everything
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Reilly Venino
12/4/2017 11:57:24 am
I recently have finished House Arrest, by K.A Holt. This novel in verse was a great read with a lot of emotion and conflict. The story was about a boy named Timothy and how he loved his little brother so much, he would steal for him. Levi, Timothy’s brother, has a disease, and has to breath through a hole in his throat. Sometimes, the hole gets clogged, and they have to help him breathe and fix him up when he throws up or gags or isn’t able to breath. His mother is always working, trying to make more money, which is something they do not have much of, and they constantly have a nurse in and out, supervising Levi and Timothy. Timothy’s dad also disappeared-right when Levi was born.
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Eden Stein
12/30/2017 11:43:07 am
In the fiction, young adult book We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson, the main character, Henry, was abducted by aliens who ran experiments on him. But, one day they told him that in 144 days the world was going to end, and that he had the option to press a button to save the whole world. For most people, this would not have been a dilemma. They would have pressed the button and saved the world. But, Henry had a very difficult and sad life and did not mind it ending. Specifically, Henry’s boyfriend recently died by suicide, his dad left his family, his grandma was put in a nursing home because she was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, and other traumas just kept occuring. The plot of the book centered around whether or not Henry would choose to save the world. In the beginning of the novel, Henry stated, “Your entire sense of self-worth is predicted upon your belief that you matter, that you matter to the universe, but you don’t because we are the ants” (Hutchinson 4). That is pretty depressing, but at the end of the book Henry changed his mind. He said, “The universe may forget us, but it doesn’t matter because we are the ants and we will keep marching on” (Hutchinson 451). The theme of the book was that life is worth living no matter how hard things are, and it will get better eventually. Henry did not give up, and he told the reader neither should they.
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