The Hunger Games
By Suzanne Collins
Reviewed by Jayson Hibbard
Scholastic
374 pages

In The Hunger Games Katniss Everdeen is a normal person from District 12. Her district is the poorest and smallest of all districts under the Capital's rule. The Capital has an event called The Hunger Games that they have every year and pick two people from each district. those 14 people fight to the death in an area that is loaded with supplies and weapons, but also lethal traps. On the 74th annual hunger games Katniss' sister is selected to take part in the games. Her sister is only 12 years old and the odds aren't in her favor. Katniss has lots of decisions ahead of her: Will she volunteer for her sister?, How will she survive?, What about her family back home?. This book would be very good for high school and middle school students. Mainly for kids that love action and drama books. Students can really relate to Katniss and her family.

The Sword of Summer
By Rick Riordon
Reviewed by Jacob Dunn
Disney-Hyperion
497 pages

The Sword of Summer describes the life of Magnus Chase, a sixteen year old boy living on the streets, two years after his mother's murder. Magnus' prime concern was his next meal, but it becomes so much more when people start looking for him. His uncle Randolph, a man he had been told not to trust, tells him he is in great danger and takes him to retrieve his "inheritance". Magnus ends up dying by falling off of a bride after battle with Surt, an evil fire demon. his life carries on much longer after his death, however. he finds himself in a hotel afterlife for those who died honorably. Magnus discovers he is the son of the Norse God, as are many who surround him in the unimaginably large hotel. After given a quest, he sets off with his three friends, Blitz, Hearth, and Sam to find his inheritance: a sword once wielded by his father. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a well rounded novel, complete with action, humor and mystery as Magnus discovers himself and the nine worlds. I would especially urge those who have read and enjoyed the Percy Jackson Series and/or the Heroes of Olympus Series, for there are connections that can be made between the two series. Join Magnus and his gang as they confront giant squirrels, barter with bag ladies from the ocean, and escape their enemies in the nick of time. Whether you enjoy mystery, science fiction, or adventure novels, The Sword of Summer has it all, nearly five hundred pages of Riordon's finest. Read the story; feel thestory.

A Child Called It
By Dave Pelzer
Health Communications, Incorporated
148 pages

A Child Called It is a wonderful story about how a child was one of the victims of the worst kinds of abuses in California in the 1960's--against all odds--gets through it because of his promise to himself to never give up. There are also two other stories: The Lost Boy, and A Man Named Dave, that complete the story, and show you what he becomes and accomplishes against all odds. I would rate this story 9/10 because the story and the whole trilogy are inspiring stories that teach that you can get over anything and do anything if you set your mind to it. Everybody that wants to better themselves or the world by making a difference should read this book and maybe even all three if they want to.

It's Kind of a Funny Story

By Ned Vizzini
Reviewed by Metayah 
444 Pages

It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a third person narrative novel about a young teenage boy named Craig who suffers from depression. Throughout the beginning of book he talks about how his depression and how his bad eating habits had gotten the best of him. Even when visiting his shrink, Dr. Minerva he still feels like he's all alone. then one night when he couldn't handle it anymore, and he makes a mistake of doing something that most people wouldn't think twice about. He ends up in the hospital for a great while and with the right care and right friends by his side he makes his way to recovery and comes out of the hospital as a changed and better person. I would recommend this book to anyone that is suffering or has suffered from depression and/or eating disorder. It provides lots of good information about how to handle both illnesses and reminds you that you are not alone, and it's okay not to be okay. Therefore, if you know you're not well, get the help you need to help yourself.

Eragon

Reviewed by Trent

Written by Christopher Paolini

528 pages

This a history of dragons, magic, and war in a far away place unknown to today where dwarves and elves roam the map and create monsters and hunt elegant beasts, and an evil king rules over his empire. As a farm boy hunts, his destiny starts with an explosion. Then a new battle breaks out between life and death-- Will he make it? Will he become something worth saving? Can he defeat the hordes of the evil king? As he trains to become a warrior and magician he meets new friends on the way-- fighting shades and evil beasts know as Kull and Urgal-- uttering magic as easy as lifting your finger. Read the book and see what happens. Knopf books for young readers.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

Reviewed by: McKenna

Written by: Stephen King

880 pages

Gallery Books

If you could go back in time and completely alter the past... would you?

When giving the opportunity, a man named Jake Epping did. His good friend Al, the owner of a diner, had discovered a certain rabbit hole in his back room. Because of his sickly condition however, Al recruits his unmarried friend; Jake Epping. Al's request: to go back in time and prevent the assassination of none other than John F. Kennedy. The trick however, Jake has to thoroughly change his identity to prevent alteration of the past to the future. 

    

Once Jake has changed his identity, his entire world begins to change. Most importantly, Jake falls in love with a woman named Sadie Dunhill. Could this action be too much for the past to handle? Could the prevention of JFK's assassination also be too much for the existing world to take on? Find out in this cliff hanger of a novel by Stephen King which brings to life the severity of what our tiniest actions could do to the unforgiving future.

Someone Named Eva

Reviewed by: Bianca

Publisher: Joan M. Wolf

This book is about a ain named Eva, and she is living around the Holocaust time, and she is taken away from her family to train for Hitler youth. She is adopted into a new family, and her name changes. After living with her new family for a while, she friends her real mom and lives with her. Her original name was Matilda. Some things I liked about the book was it was very captivating. it really took you in the book. My favorite character was the main character, Eva, because she was very brave. Some things i disliked were that I was expecting the book to go in a different direction from what I thought. In general, i thought this was a good book. You get mixed emotions when reading, you're happy, sad, relieved and more. 

Rushed

Reviewed by: Kristie

Written by: Brian Harmon
Publisher: Brian Harmon 


A normal guy randomly started getting "Nightmares" in the middle of the night and would wake up with the extreme desire to head somewhere. He had no idea where he would be going because he would always forget the dreams when he woke up. 2 nights of this, he decides to actually go with his random dream and set blindly towards a barn. Arriving at this barn set off the weirdest thing that ever happened in this guy's life in a strange adventure through dimensions. Whoever likes creepy horror. If you're extremely religious, you probably wouldn't like this book as much.

The White Bicycle

Reviewed by: Karli 

By Beverley Brenna

Red Deer Press

216 pages

The White Bicycle is a book about Taylor Simon, a teenage girl with Asperger's Syndrome. Taylor lives with her mom and her mom's boyfriend in Paris for the duration of the summer of her 18th year. Her mother's boyfriend is an artist, who sells most of his paintings freelance. While Taylor is in Paris she builds a friendship with the most unlikely of neighbors. Ninety-two year old Adelaide becomes Taylor's closest friend and mentor during the duration of her stay. She uses her rusty white bicycle to find her way to Adelaide's for afternoon tea and garden walks. Adelaide has a beautiful butterfly garden that calms Taylor when she feels anxious or frightened. She doesn't mind living in Paris, but at first it is hard for her to adjust to her new living situation. Along her journey, Taylor makes many friends and discovers many things, making the transition to Paris much easier on her. This is a great book for young people that are still trying to figure out their identity.

The Call of the Wild

Reviewed by: Tanner

Written by: Jack London
Published: 2008
231 Pages

This story is about a dog named Buck. Buck doesn't know what the real life is about. He has to quickly adjust to the brutal weather up north and being on his own. When Buck is on his own it was kill others and be brave or be killed by others. Now that he is all alone, he needs to abandon all of his house thoughts and start thinking about surviving in the wilderness. Read this book and you will find out if he survives or if he gets murdered by other savage dogs.

The Hunger Games

Suzanne Collins

Scholastic

374

In the Capital of Panem, twelve districts are maintained to control the rebellions. Each district has its own purpose to serve the capitol. Every year twelve boy tributes and twelve girl tributes are chosen to participate in the annual televised event called the hunger games. During these games, only one tribute can survive. Throughout this book, Katniss Everdeen is put to the test to see if she will be the winning tribute. 

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

 by: Rick Riordan

Miramax Books

337 Pages           

This story starts when a young teen is taking a field trip to a museum in New York City,  Three witches try to attack the teenager named Percy Jackson, until his professor protects him by killing these three witches. This scared Percy so he demanded answers. He later found out that he was a demigod, a half normal kid and half son of a god.  Turns out that his father was Poseidon, the god of the sea. Later he is blamed for stealing Zeus' sacred lightning bolt, even though there is no proof he had taken it, so who took the lightning bolt and what are the intentions of this? I prefer this book be read by people who are into Greek Mythology and are willing to learn a new story about a fictional story about the Demigod, Perseus Jackson 

Tiger's Curse

Reviewed by: Amanda 
by Colleen Houck
456 pages

       I read the book Tiger's Curse.  This book is about a girl named Kelsey who lives in Oregon and has a part time job at a circus. Kelsey met a white tiger named Ren. From the moment Kelsey saw Ren she knew that he was different. Ren was different; he was a human.  When he was kid he and his brother had a curse set on them to be tigers. When Ren got to turn human again he knew Kelsey was the key to break the curse. With that Kelsey and Ren set out on an adventure to find his brother and break the curse.
      This book is good for people who love animals, magic, mystery, adventure,  and suspension. If you don't like any of those things then this book is not for you.

Bad Girls Don't Die

Reviewed by: Katie 
Pages:  352

      The girl in this book is seeing another girl in the dark. Which in my opinion I think it's a shadow . It also could have been a dream.  The other girl was saying, "Come on; come here; let's go play outside." I think the other little girl was like no! I also would have thought the little girl was seeing herself in a flashback. 
      Girls that enjoy mystery would like this book , because it's a mystery flashback type of book.

Tyger Tyger: A Goblin Wars Book

Reviewed by: Kersten 
Clarion books
308 pages

Our story begins when our main character Teagan Willtson meets up with her best friend after her part time job at the zoo. Abby, Teagan's friend tells Teagan that she had a dream where Teagan was in danger. Teagan ignores her friend's craziness and returns home enjoying her life.  When she arrives home her mother then tells her her familly relative Finn will be coming to live with them because of family problems.  Upon his arrival Teagan's life takes a very interesting turn. I really recommend this story for those who enjoy a great fantasy adventure and can enjoy this book and its sequels.

Old Yeller

Reviewed by: Connor 

by Fred Gipson
Pages: 144

     The book Old Yeller is a heart warming book about a boy who becomes best friends with a dog that he found but there are some troubles along the way. If you don't like crying or if you don't like books about the Old West then you won't like this book. But if you like sad stories or are interested in the Old West and you love dogs then this is the book for you.

The High King

Reviewed by: Braden 

272 pages

 Author: Lloyd Alexander

The Sword of Drynwyn, the most powerful weapon in the kingdom of Prydain, has fallen into the hands of a Arawn-Death-Lord. Now Taran(protagonist), assistant pig keeper, and Prince Gwydion lead an army against the powerful lord. After a winter expedition filled with danger, Taran's forces arrive at Mount Dragon, evil's stronghold. The guardians of the kingdom are things called Orcs. They are big, mean, and scary. They have no mercy, and are very hard to defeat. There Taran is forced to make the most crucial decision of his life as he confronts the evil enchantress Achren and diabolical Orcs.

The Enemy

Reviewed by: Cody

Charlie Higson

Puffin Books (UK), Disney Hyperion (US)

pg. 440

 The Enemy is about a teen that goes through the zombie apocalypse. He is 16, lives in London, England, and his name is Barry. He starts in his house and is walking to school when the outbreak begins. He and his friends try to survive in this series of horror, mystery, and zombies. I find zombie books interesting but this series catches my attention. This book is perfect for people who love zombies, horrors, mystery, and excitement. It says on the book, "for 13 years and up," but for me it can be for everyone.        

A Stolen Life

Reviewed by: Noelle

By Jaycee Dugard

Simon & Schuster

273 pages

   A Stolen Life is a memoir of Jaycee Dugard at the age of eleven when she was kidnapped and taken from her daily life. Her life would be forever changed during the 18 years of her missing from her mom. Throughout the book you will learn about her captive life and the life of her captor, Phillip Barrido. And how after 18 years how she remains strong through her challenges. 

   People who would enjoy this book are people who like to read personal memoirs and those who can handle mature content, and are not bothered by disturbing events. This book would not be appreciated by young teenagers and younger. 

Divergent

Reviewed by: Ty

By Veronica Roth

Katherine Tegen Books

487 pages

The book Divergent is set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago where everyone is divided into 5 factions. Abengation the selfless, Dauntless the brave, Erudite the intelligent, Candor the honest, and Amity the peaceful. Beatrice Prior just turned 16 and now has the option to stay in her home faction of Abengation, or move to a different faction.When she takes the aptitude test to see which faction she is most suitable for she learns that she is something called a divergent, which is means for certain death so she must keep it a secret. She chooses to get a fresh start at the faction Dauntless. There she must go through initiation which includes intense physical and mental pain. But when a conflict comes up between two factions she must use her special secret to help save her once peaceful society.

Readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic settings such as the Hunger Games or Maze Runner will enjoy this book. It is mainly targeted at a teenage audience as it includes the main character's transition from kid to adult. However, readers who do not enjoy violence may not like this book as it includes multiple incidences of fighting and killing. 

Looking for Alaska

Reviewed by: Emily 

Written by: John Green

Dutton Children Books

221 pages

Looking for Alaska is about a boy who leaves is boarding school to see what his favorite poet (who is dying) called her "Great Perhaps" Any kind of person would appreciate this book because John Green turns something ugly into something beautiful. There's no set age or gender.