My Sister's Keeper

My Sister's Keeper
by Jodi Picoult

This story shows just how unbreakable a bond is between sisters. Kate suffers from Leukemia. Kate is 16 and her sister, Anna, is 13. At this point, Kate needs a kidney transplant, and Anna is required to give her own kidney. Kate wants to make her own decisions, though, so she hires a lawyer and sues her parents so she can make her own medical decisions. However, there is one crucial decision that might tear the entire family apart and change their lives forever. This book will be sure to inspire you, and definitely change you perspective on things.

-N. Ortega

The Twinkie Squad

The Twinkie Squad
By: Gordon Korman

The Twinkie Squad is a overall good book. It has a lot of really funny moments in it.Serious moments are in it as well. This book is about a group of kids who are in a after school counseling group,called the Special Discussion Group.This group is also called "The Twinkie Squad". They are all referred to as weirdos and names of that manner. When Douglas Fairchild comes to Thaddues G. Little Middle School, things change.He is the son of the ambassador,but Douglas has also flunked! It does not take long to figure out that Douglas will be in the '' Twinkie Squad'' after all the disasters and troubles he has caused. It's not like his old private school at all! In this book you can see the friendships that Douglas makes, and all the hilarious things that goes on. At first no one wants to even be apart of the Twinkie Squad, but at the end many more students do.

-A. Houston

Stargirl

Stargirl
by Jerry Spinnelli

It was the first day of school at Mica High School and the halls are buzzing about the new girl who calls herself Star girl Caraway. To say she is different is an understatement. Her clothes are different as are her mannerisms, and she has a pet rat she carries around in a bag that has a picture of a Sunflower on it. Leo Borlock learns about Stargirl from his best friend Kevin Quinlan. During lunch, while Leo and Kevin are sitting together, Star girl pulls out a Ukulele and begins to strum on it and dance around the lunchroom. Day after day, she does this focusing on one particular person to whom she sings Happy Birthday. It is unclear how she knows that someone has a birthday. Hillary Kimble says she thinks Stargirl is a "plant," someone put in the school by the administration to get students interested in school, to create school spirit. Through this whole book, she is someone you would most likely never meet at school and that is what makes this book so interesting. There is no one like Stargirl.

-M. Jefferson

The Pearl

The Pearl
by John Steinbeck

The pearl is about a poor family that lives in a small poor town called “Las Paz”. Kino always hears songs in his head that either expresses his feelings or they tell him that something’s about to happen. He has a son named coyotito and his wife’s name is Juana. One morning as Juana was making their small amount of food for breakfast, Kino heard the song of evil and instantly coyotito was bit. As Kino’s small village gathered around to see what the commotion is about, Juana suggest that they go to the doctor. Now the doctor is a very greedy and selfish man, he’s racist and only helps the rich with problems. He tells Juana and Kino that he won’t treat coyotito unless they come up with the money to pay him for it. So desperate to find money Kino, Juana and coyotito sail out on Kino’s canoe and try to find clam pearls. When Kino dives into the water he sees something glisten in a clam and instantly the clam shuts. So he takes the clam and brings it back to the canoe. When he opens it he finds “the pearl of the world” as some pay call it. At first the pearl seems like a blessing, that it will help all of Kino’s problems. Juana warns Kino that such a great pearl will cause many problems for them. Kino doesn’t listen. Many problems come their way such as greed, rubbings’ and even killing. It’s to the point that it’s so crazy, that the family has to run away.

This book was great. It kept me interested the whole journey. It hits all of your emotions. On a scale of one to 10 I give the book a 10.

-M. Colon

Swindle

Swindle
by Gordon Korman

Did you ever think what money would make a person do? Griffin Bing will do anything to stop a con-artist. One day when Griffin and his best friend Ben decide to have a sleep- over at the soon to be demolished Rockford house. When Ben and Griffin finally realize that everybody else was too afraid to come that’s when they start to look around the house. As they look around, Griffin looks inside of a draw and finds a rare Babe Ruth baseball card. So old that they know they would get fortunes for it. s the next day Griffin and Ben decide to go to the pawn shop and sell it to the owner, S. Wendell. Not knowing of his collectibles to baseball cards, S. Wendell cons Griffin into selling the baseball card. Later finding out of this great fortune he just lost, he holds a meeting at his school with a unique set of talents. He tells the kids what happened to the card and tells them his plans on stealing it back. Hesitant at first, the kids then agree after hearing that they get a cut of the money. In the plans, Griffin is the tools and brains (leader) of the group. Ben is just his partner in crime. “Pitch” is the rock- climber and takes care of the scaling of the house. Logan, the dedicated actor, takes care of keeping the nosey neighbor out the way so he doesn’t know what happens. Savannah, who loves animals a lot, whispers the mean Doberman so he doesn’t attack them. Melissa, who is a computer “whiz”, takes down the alarm systems. The master plan is set and the kids are ready to get the card back.

I enjoyed this book because of the action and the great plan the kids made up themselves. I also likes this book because the kids stand up for kid rights.

-M. Colon

Romiette and Julio

Romiette and Julio
By Sharon M. Draper

This book is about teenage love. Romiette is a very nice smart teenager. She lives with her father and mother. Her father is an anchorman and her mother owns her own shop of African art and clothing. Her best friend is Destiny. Destiny believes in the stars and always tries to find her and Romiettes soul mates. Every night Romiette has a dream that she’s drowning and that a man either saves her or drowns her. She has a terrible fright of water. The closest she gets to it is taking a shower or a bath. Julio is sweet, nice and always dreams of moving back to Texas where he moved from. In Texas he had to move because of the gang violence. He doesn’t like the new state he moved to. His dad tried to move away from the gangs and now there’s a gang at Julio’s school that dislike him because he’s from Texas. Julio doesn’t understand it; it made him very angry because he doesn’t even like gangs. So the first day of school all of his frustration was let out on this boy Ben, he punched him in the nose. After they talked it out, Julio and Ben became good friends. They started talking on the phone and even the computer Julio liked using the computer and so he started to have room chats. There he met Romiette. After a while of them talking they begin to like each other and that’s where all the problems began. But the biggest problem is the gangs don’t like seeing them together, so now they have to fight for their love.

I like this book because it’s about love and shows the troubles people go through. It also shows friendship, which I think is very important in life.

-M. Colon

When Julio and his family leave Texas to move to Ohio, he thinks the worst has happened in his life. He hates the cold weather, and he misses his friends and family down in Texas. But everything changes when he meets Romiette in a chat room and finds out she goes to his high school. The two begin spending more time together, despite objections from the local gang, the DevilDogs, who don’t like Julio because of his Latino heritage. When Romiette and Julio decide to entrap the gang members and get them punished, their plan goes horribly wrong. Will the two make it through the ordeal alive, or are they doomed to repeat the deaths of Shakespeare’s characters Romeo and Juliette? This book will have you on the edge of your seat.

-Ms. McConnel

I thought this book was really good. It kept me interested. Some books get boring after a while, but this one didn't! In the middle of the book it gets REALLY interesting!!! I could not stop reading because I wanted to see what happened next. You want to read books that will make you keep reading. This book also has a very good endiing. I think you should read this book because it's very good. BUt be careful, because it can be addicting!

-B. Clark

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
by Jeff Kinney

This book is about a kid named Greg Heffley. Greg is an ordinary middle school kid, but his brother Rodrick keeps on getting him in trouble. Greg needs to try to ignore Rodrick and try to impress Holly Hills.

The book is really good to read because it has a lot of comedy. This book is the best!

-C. Smith

Small Steps

Small Steps
by Louis Sachar

This is the companion book to "Holes". This book is about Armpit trying to stay out of trouble after being released from Camp Green Lake. Because he wants to make some money, he teams up with X-Ray, a friend from camp, to buy some tickets and scalp them. At the concert, Armpit finds out that the tickets weren't real, and they are about to get in major trouble. Also in this book, Armpit creates a really good relationship with a little girl who lives in his neighborhood. This relationship helps him stay out of trouble, because he wants to be a good role model.

I think this is a really good book because of the relationship between Armpit and the little girl. I myself think this book is even better than "Holes", but less people know about "Small Steps".

-L. Conyers

Bat 6

Bat 6
by Virginia Euwer Wolff

"Bat 6" is a book about a softball game that is played between two schools that was started a long time ago to bring together two towns. The people who play in this softball game are sixth grade girls only. This year is the 50th anniversary of the game, and it is expected to be the biggest so far. However, both teams receive a new girl. The two girls are very different. Something has happened to one of the girls' father, and this event causes hatred toward the other new girl. This causes a big crisis that happens at the softball game.

This story takes place a few years after World War II. This is a major factor to the event that happens at the softball game. In addition, many other little events hint at clues as to what is going to happen on the field at the big game.

I recommend this book because in a way it's a mystery about what is going to happen at the softball game. There are hints, but nothing give away the whole thing, and when it happens, it only takes a second.

-L. Conyers

The Clay Marble

The Clay Marble
by Minfong Ho

Dara is one of the thousands of Cambodian families that got separated or destroyed by the war, but there is still hope for her family as they head to a refugee camp by the Thailand border. When safely there, Dara meets and becomes friends with a young girl named Jantu who has almost a magical touch in creating things like toys with mud and scraps of fabric. When the camp is bombed, Jantu makes a clay marble to help Dara track down their families and then return to help Jantu and her brother at the hospital. This book is a very intense read, you need to read it to find out what will happen!

-E. Fernandez

Journey to Jo'Burg: A South African Story

Journey to Jo'Burg: A South African Story
by Beverly Naidoo

Mma lives and works in Johannesburg, far from the village where Naledi and her brother, Tiro, stay home. hen their sister becomes sick, Naledi and Tiro know, deep down, that only one person can save her. Bravely, they set off on a journey to find Mma and bring her back. It isn't until they discover the city that they come to understand the dangers of their country, and the painful struggle for freedom that is taking place all around them. Read this book to find out what will happen: will Dineo get well, and will Mma get permission to see Dineo?

-E. Fernandez

Holes

Holes
by Louis Sachar

"Holes" is about a boy who gets sent to a camp in the desert for punishment. His job there is to dig holes all day. There is a secret mystery there that the owners of the camp want to find. Along the way, Stanley makes lots of new friends. Plus, he helps solve the mystery of Camp Green Lake. This camp is located in the Texas desert, and Stanley soon gets along with everybody there and has lots of friends.

I think his is a good book because it has a mystery, and you have to keep reading to figure it out!

-L. Conyers

"Holes" is about a boy named Stanley Yelnats the IV. He is sent to Camp Green Lake, but it is not really a camp. It is really a juvenile facility where kids that made mistakes have to dig a five foot deep hole every day. Stanley got sent there because this pair of shoes fell and hit him in the head. He picked them up and started walking with them. The cops saw him and chased him down. The shoes were from a famous baseball player, who had donated them to the homeless shelter, where they had been stolen. The kid who actually took them was sent to Camp Green Lake too, but for another crime. The boys went through a lot, and eventually Stanley and Zero (the other boy) ran away. In the end they find something important.

You will have to read it to find out what they find! This book is good, it shows that things are sometimes meant to be.

-D. Smith

Sounder

SOUNDER
By: William .H. Armstrong


This book is about this boy and his dog named Sounder. Sounder was a special dog. His bark was so special it was not like any other dog’s bark. Even though Sounder was a street dog with no place to stay, the little boy loved him. The boy and his family were sort of poor: they barely had stuff to eat at night. Even though they went through all this, the little boy always stayed happy. Sounder made the boy feel good.

However, one day there was this big red faced man, he was really mean and evil and he did not like the dog Sounder at all. He was just evil like that. It seemed like he did not want anyone to be happy because he was not a happy person. However, one day he put Sounder in harm. I wonder what he did to him? You must read the book in order to find out!

-A. Caldwell

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid
by Jeff Kinney

This book is about a kid named Greg. Greg is a normal middle school kid. He likes to joke around with his friends, and he likes video games. He also has a weakness. That weakness is Rodrick, his brother. Rodrick always teases him. That's why Greg's life is upside down.

The book is a really good one to read. The book has a lot of comedy. That's why I like it so much!

-C. Smith

Summer vacation is almost over! Greg and his friend Rowley are getting ready to go back to middle school.

This book will take you through Greg and Rowley's crazy adventures in school. These two characters always seem to be at the wrong place at the wrong time!

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" is the first book in the Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney.

-N. Heilman

The Outsiders

The Outsiders
by S.E. Hinton

There is a boy named Ponyboy Curtis. He has two older brothers named Sodapop and Darry. Their parents died in a car accident. The brothers are in this gang called "Greasers". They are called that because they have long hair and put a lot of hair grease in it. They have four other people in their gang; their names are Two-Bit, Johnnycake, Steve, and Dally. They all stick together.

There is another group calls "Socs". The Socs are a bunch of West-Side rich kids. They will jump a Greaser walking by them for no reason whatsoever. The Greasers go through a lot in this book. Two of the gang members in the Greasers group will die...read the book to find out who!

This is a very good book, and it shows how brothers stick together. Read "The Outsiders".

-D. Smith

This is a wonderful novel about a boy named Ponyboy. He lives in a divided town. You're either a Soc, or a Greaser. Ponyboy is a Greaser, and has gone through many hardships, such as being bullied by Socs, experiencing a murder, running away, and having to run through a burning building to save some kids. While saving the kids, his friend Johnny gets severely burned, along with a broken back, and ends up being hospitalized. There is also a big fight between the Socs and the Greasers. Read it to find out what happens!

-Y. Zarrouk

This is a story about a boy named Ponyboy. You have to decide if you are going to be a Greaser or a Soc, and Ponyboy and his brothers hang with the Greasers. They currently live in a different town where no Socs should come around. Ponyboy has to go through a lot to learn and understand what life can do to you when you decide to make bad choices. Ponyboy is a great writer and loves to read books. He has a really good friend named Johnny who in the past has been beaten by some Socs. Ponyboy and Johnny experience a terrible murder, run away, and Johnny gets severally burned with a broken back: what will Ponyboy decide to do now?

I think you should read this book because it teaches you lessons that you don't have to experience, and this book is very emotional.

-E. Fernandez

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks
by E. Lockhart

Frankie Landau-Banks was a mildly geeky girl who attended a very prestigious boarding school. That was her freshman year. In her sophomore year, everything changes. Frankie starts growing up, looking more like a woman, and investing in a leave in conditioner to take care of her frizzy hair. Oh, did I mention she secretly heads the largest secret society on campus without anyone knowing it's her? Her intelligence, cunning, and creativity give her the personality of a leader, the leader of the Secret Society of the Basset Hounds. Some of the things she's done are "the night of a thousand dogs", and "the canned beet rebellion", and many, many more. Frankie will grab hold of you and take you for a ride in this very realistic, but somehow not, adventure.

-A. Ellis

Frankie attends an exclusive prep school which was once for boys only but is now coed. Left over from the days of being a school for boys only is a secret society which does not admit girls. Frankie is very upset about this and decides to use the secret society to do her bidding. She has them do all kinds of pranks and pulls their strings in a number of creative and inventive ways.

A major problem for Frankie is that she has a major attraction to Matthew, who is one of the leaders of the secret society and her criminal masterminding has a serious effect on their relationship.

This is a girl power book in the best sense with attractive and interesting characters, both female and male. One wants to encourage Frankie all through the book with, "You go girl!".

-Mr. Dale

Bridge to Terabithia

Bridge to Terabithia
by Katherine Paterson

This is a book about a boy from Virginia who makes a new friend. Back in the woods they create a fairy tale place which they name Terabithia. They go there everyday after school and create lots of fairy tale creatures. One day the boy goes to a museum with his teacher and something terrible happens to his friend. He doesn't want to believe it, but then he realizes that it is for real. He decides to fix up Terabithia and then he takes his little sister there.

This is a good book because it has lots of fairy tale stuff in it, and is very sad at the end. But it's great because of the imaginary land called Terabithia!

-L. Conyers

The Skin I'm In

The Skin I'm In
by Sharon Flake

This book is about Maleeka. Maleeka is very uncomfortable about her skin. She is very dark and kids make fun of her for it. They make up names, jokes, and comments about everything about her. Not only is she mad about her skin, but her mother also sews her clothes. Her mother isn't very good at sewing, but she started to sew when Maleeka's father died. It seems that everything went wrong in Maleeka's life when she lost her father. Before that happened, Maleeka loved her skin, her father made her feel beautiful. Also there was enough money for her to buy clothes. The only reason Maleeka won't say anything to her mother about the clothes it that she knows sewing is the only thing holding her together after her father's death.

There are four main people in Maleeka's life at school. Char, Midd Saunders, Caleb, and John-John. Char is one of the people who give Maleeka problems. Maleeka met her when she went up to Char and asked her to make her cool, offering to do her homework in exchange. At first Char laughs, but then she thought about it and agreed. The next day she brings in clothes for Maleeka, tells her that she always has to stand with her and her back-up crew, Raina and Raise. Char tells Maleeka to do the twins homework, too.

Miss Saunders is a new teacher, who in most students' eyes is very rich. Many people notice that she is big, but they mostly notice this big white birthmark on her face. She gets made fun of just like Maleeka does. Even though Maleeka doesn't like her, she helps Maleeka along with her struggles and helps her to understand that her skin is beautiful.

I like this book because it can relate to many kids that are made fun of. I also like this book because Maleeka likes to read, and so do I.

-M. Colon

Sweet Valley High- #26-Hostage

Sweet Valley High- #26-Hostage
by Francis Pascal

Regina Morrow has returned unexpectedly to Sweet Valley from Switzerland where she is supposed to be getting her hearing restored, when Elisabeth finds out (Regina’s best friend) she figures Regina's there to surprise her boy friend,but to her surprise he didn’t even know she was in town. Therefore, they call the Morrow house, where a strange woman says that no one is home and is Regina ’s aunt, she is watching the house. Elisabeth is suspicious and worried considering the things she just got through and decides she is going to Regina ’s house again to see what is wrong, as the gate was locked and that is arousing her suspicions.

A weird woman answers the door, says Regina is not there, and slaps the door in Liz’s face. Then Elizabeth sees that Regina has entered the foyer! The woman harshly tells Regina ” I thought I told you to stay upstairs”, and Regina ” helplessly” goes up the stairs. Jessica tells Elizabeth she does think that maybe something is wrong at the Morrows’. Jessica has a plan that the twins could ask Eddie Strong, the delivery dude, when he is next due to deliver something at the Morrow house, and they could sneak a note in with the package delivered. In addition, Jess says they could ask Eddie about making the delivery for him. Jess says Bruce can pretend to be the delivery boy. Jessica gets the idea that they can sneak the note for Regina into a fashion magazine, and figures the strange lady won’t pick it up,so they do this and Regina gets the package and they set up a plan by the end of the story a lot is revealed and a lot of relief and satisfaction justice will be served.

-M. Jefferson

Blood is Thicker

Blood is Thicker
by Paul Langan

Hakeem and his family go to stay with his aunt, uncle, and younger cousin. They live in Detroit, Hakeem was coming from California . But when Hakeem and Savon (his cousin) were little they were the best of friends until Hakeem moved away. So Hakeem notices when he gets there that Savon was acting like he was against him. He was taunting him calling him “Cali Boy”. He was wondering why he was acting this way. Then he notices that Savon had all this jewelry and money and all these cd’s. Hakeem is under a lot of pressure right now plus his dad is sick with cancer. And he is thinking about telling his aunt and uncle about Savon. Read this book to find out what happens.

-A. Caldwell