The Giver

The Giver
by Lois Lowry

The book "The Giver" was an amazing book about a boy named Jonas, and how he lived in a perfect community, and how when he turned 12 he would receive his final assignment .The assignment he receives is actually the receiver he is meant to receive memories. Also Jonas assignment teacher is called The Giver.
Jonas starts to receive memories that are painful and sad and since he’s not used to these feelings he starts to react to different things very funny. By the end of the story Jonas finds out a lot of things he decided later in life he didn’t want to know he also experiences some things that takes him to a whole different world.

-M. Jefferson


"The Giver" is all about a boy named Jonas and his fighting chance to get out of the world he lives in. Jonas lives in a "perfect" society, an extreme modern day spin on Communism. Everything in his life is equal to everyone else, and the rules are strictly enforced. Once he is assigned the job of Receiver, he realizes there is more to his life. There is a world out there with feeling, emotion, and color: if he could only find a way to reach it. His job as receiver is to receive memories from the Giver, some with pain and some that are fun and happy. Whether he wants it or not, the secrets of his society come out and he is forced to face them. Once he becomes sick of the way he lives, he plans an escape. It's dangerous and daring, but he knows something has to be done. Will he make it out with a future? This book is great, and allows you to use your imagination. The story is beyond belief and makes you appreciate the way we live, with individuality.

-J. McVerry

The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book
by Neil Gaiman

Nobody Owens has grown up in a graveyard. His family was murdered brutally when he was just a baby, but through luck and the interference of some kindly ghosts, Nobody was adopted by the graveyard community. His childhood is unusual to say the least: the only person alive among hundreds of dead souls, Nobody is well educated in history but misses out on simple things like companions of his own age and time period.

Nobody can not remain safe and hidden in the graveyard forever, but the man who assassinated his family is still out there, hunting Nobody. Will the protection of the ghosts and the graveyard be enough, or will Nobody face the murderer before he has a chance to grow up?

This book is a chilling fantasy with well-developed characters. It is the 2008 Newberry Award Winner.

-Ms. McConnel

This book is about a child that is raised by ghosts. There is a murderer after him that killed his family. The child grows up trying to be a ghost. He learns how to fade and has never met a living person until he's six. His teacher helps him understand that he is not an ordinary boy. This book is great for readers who like ghosts or mystery.

-C. McCoy

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm

The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm
by Nancy Farmer

It is the year 2196. The technology of Zimbabwe has become very advanced: hover cars are the main for of transportation, and creatures like speaking monkeys run wild in the streets. This novel focuses on the three kidnapped children of a major military officer and their adventures, dangerous encounters, and near escapes.

The detectives who have been hired to bring the children home are the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm. Each of these men have been genetically mutated and posses superhuman traits: the Ear has amazing hearing, the Eye can see at far distances, and the Arm can feel the emotions of the people around him as if they are his own.

The three detectives make an almost unstoppable team, and you will stay on the edge of your seat waiting for the children to be rescued. This book focuses on adventure and mystery, with just a touch of science fiction elements.

-Ms. McConnel

A Year Down Yonder

A Year Down Yonder
by Richard Peck

In the aftermath of the Great Depression, Mary Alice is sent to live in the country with her eccentric grandmother while her parents get back on their feet. Grandma is a woman to be feared, totally unpredictable and unconcerned with the impression she leaves on other people. At first, Mary Alice can't bear to be away from her life in Chicago, but living with Grandma in the middle of nowhere has certain advantages, like watching Grandma pull out her shot gun whenever things don't go her way.

This is a delightful book with a realistic narrator and the feeling of a classic tall tale.

-Ms. McConnel

Maniac Magee

Maniac Magee
by Jerry Spinelli

Maniac Magee wasn't always called Maniac. His parents named him Jeffrey, but his parents died in a tragic accident when Jeffrey was only three years old. Jeffrey became known as Maniac because of his bravery and how fast he could run. All the kids wanted to be like Maniac, but no one knew the real truth: he was lonely, frightened, and living out on the streets.

This is a fast read about a character who uses his negative circumstances to transform the lives around him for the better. Maniac crosses boundaries of class, race, and location to prove that people are people and home is a precious thing.

-Ms. McConnel

Hope was Here

Hope was Here
by Joan Bauer

Hope and her aunt Addie have never really had a stationary home. Addie is a top-notch chef and Hope is a great waitress, yet the diners they work in seem to close, forcing them to move on. After an awful experience which left them both broke and disheartened, they move from New York to a small town in Wisconsin. At first, Hope is devastated by the loss of big city life and her friends, but she soon begins to find a place for herself in the new community.

Packed with Hope's wonderful outlook on life, intrigue in the race for the local mayor, and the painful absence of Hope's parents, this novel is a wonderful, realistic read. Hope if a character who makes her own way and keeps smiling despite the curves life throws at her.

-Ms. McConnel

Elijah of Buxton

Elijah of Buxton
By Christopher Paul Curtis

Elijah is a particularly special boy in his town: he is the first person to be born free in the settlement of Buxton, Canada, where escaped slaves and free blacks from America make their home. Although Buxton is a safe-haven of education and equality, Elijah finds himself facing hatred and injustice each time he ventures into the larger world. Full of quaint stories about his childhood and passionate descriptions of the injustices of slavery, this is a wonderful historical novel with a character who is endearing, if a bit naïve about the world around him.

-Ms. McConnel

The Egypt Game

The Egypt Game
By Zilpha Keatley Snyder

Moving to a new town is never easy, but for April, who’s used to Hollywood, moving to live with her grandmother in a small apartment is a rough transition. April’s just waiting for her mother to send for her, once she gets her big break into the movies. In the meantime, April sticks out like a sore thumb at school: she wears big false eyelashes, and has a wild imagination. When April meets Melanie, she finds her match in imaginative powers. In a deserted old alley way, the two girls invite the Egypt Game: a world of make-believe and ancient Egyptian magic and mystery that grows increasingly real. More kids join the game, but then the unthinkable happens: a child in the neighborhood is murdered. Will one of the “Egyptians” be next? I loved this book when I was a student, and re-reading it reminded me just how exciting and suspenseful the story is!

-Ms. McConnel

Al Capone Does My Shirts

Al Capone Does My Shirts
By Gennifer Choldenko

Moose hasn’t committed any crime, but he still finds himself forced to live on Alcatraz Island, America’s most famous prison and home to such criminals as the gangster Al Capone. While Moose just wants to play baseball and try to forget about living next door to criminals, his sister, Natalie, needs him to help her while she tries, fails, and tries again to be accepted into a school which can address her special needs. As if Natalie doesn’t make Moose stressed out enough, Moose gets roped in to some schemes with the other children on the island, including the sneaky daughter of the warden, Piper. It’s the Great Depression, and people are out of work everywhere. Will Moose be the reason his father loses his job? Will Natalie ever have a place she will feel at home? Will Al Capone break all the rules of the prison to help Moose? Read the book and find out!

-Ms. McConnel

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle
By Avi

Charlotte Doyle, a well-to-do teenager, finds her world torn apart when her family moves from England to America. Forced to sail after her family, she finds herself the only passenger on a sailing ship with secrets in every corner. There is a stowaway, a cruel captain, and a murder…which Charlotte faces trial for! Will she make it to America, or will she be lost at sea, killed by the crazed captain and the bloodthirsty crew?

-Ms. McConnel

Crispin: The Cross of Lead

Crispin: The Cross of Lead
By Avi

Crispin finds his life turned upside down following the sudden death of his mother. Before, he had been a lonely boy without a father or a friend. Now, he is an orphan, running through the night, pursued by people who are determined to kill him: and he doesn’t know why. As he flees, he meets Bear, a traveling minstrel and entertainer, who begins to care for Crispin as if her were his own son. But who is Crispin’s father, and will he save him if he can be found? Or will Crispin end up facing the same fate as his mother: death?

-Ms. McConnel

The House of the Scorpion

The House of the Scorpion
By Nancy Farmer

Matt has always known he was different: he doesn’t have a father, and the woman who acts like his mother tells him he has only been loaned to her for a short while. When Matt sees some other children, however, he learns the truth: he is a clone of the most powerful man in the country of Opium, and clones are considered less important than farm animals. Slowly, Matt begins to piece together the clues all around him, and when he discovers what his life is for, he can not accept the horrifying answer. This is a wonderful science fiction story set in the not too distant future, and as Matt overcomes more and more challenges, the reader can’t help but wonder when his luck will run out.

-Ms. McConnel

The House of The Scorpion revolves around Matt. A clone made from a high authority person in Mexico. His name is El Patron. When he is not around every body treats Matt like trash. But when he is around, the treat him was well as El Patron. In the book Matt, along with his favorite helper Rosa, tries to find what out what is means to be human. But is it possible that he is not a clone............the truth will change Mat forever. To find out the truth about Matt you have to read the book The House of the Scorpion

-S. Rauf