My favorite book that I read this year was Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. Its genre is historical fiction. I know this because it takes place at the end of World War 2 and also takes place at the sinking of a ship that really happened but it has fictional characters. Salt to the Sea takes place in January 1945, during the final days of WWII. The Allied forces are gaining ground both to the west and the east, and so German civilians are evacuating, fleeing violence and running towards the Baltic Sea where the German navy will transport them to safety.

The story is told from four points of view: Joana is a Lithuanian refugee who was allowed to resettle in Germany; Emilia is a pregnant teenager who escaped the genocide that wiped out many of her fellow ethnic Poles and is trying to remain off the radar of roving German soldiers; Florian is a former art restorer from Prussia who is smuggling a priceless statue he has stolen from the Nazis as revenge after they killed his father; Alfred is a delusional Nazi soldier working on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Emilia meets Florian in a potato cellar, where he saves her from a Soviet soldier’s attempted assault. Emilia becomes attached to Florian, whom she sees as her “knight,” and begins to follow him on his journey out of East Prussia. That evening, the two hideout in a barn, where they meet Joana and her fellow travelers—Klaus, Eva, Ingrid, and a man called “the Shoe Poet.” Although the other refugees distrust Florian, Joana is a nurse and feels obligated to help him. She removes shrapnel from a wound on his side and stitches the site closed. In the morning, Florian slips out, and Emilia follows him. The next day, Florian and Emilia accidentally run into Joana again when they all decide to spend the night in the same abandoned Prussian mansion. Although Florian’s wound has begun to heal, Emilia is now clearly sick. Joana examines her and realizes that, although only fifteen, she’s almost nine months pregnant. Joana worries the pregnancy is the result of rape, but Emilia assures her that the father of her child is a man named August, whom she loves and is on her way to meet. The two groups decide to travel together. They walk for another day until they reach the coast, at which point they must cut across a frozen bay. As they begin to cross the water, Allied planes shoot through the ice and Ingrid, who had been the first to cross, falls into the water and drowns. Shocked by the death of their friend, the group nonetheless makes it across the bay, where they encounter a German soldier. Florian has altered his identification papers to make it look as though he is on a personal mission for Erich Koch, and so the soldier offers to take him by boat wherever he needs to go. Joana and the rest of the refugees convince Florian to let them tag along, and so the group is transported to the city of Götenhafen, a port town where they will be able to board a ship and, they hope, sail to freedom. In Gotenhafen, the group meets Alfred, who is working on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Everyone but Eva manages to get a boarding pass for the same ship—Joana by trading her expertise as a nurse for safe passage, Florian by forging his. Joana begins to work in the maternity ward. There, she cares for Emilia, who gives birth to a baby daughter, Halinka. As she goes into labor, Emilia reveals that Halinka is not August’s child, but the result of rape at the hands of Soviet soldiers. Initially unable to face the prospect of motherhood, Emilia eventually warms to her daughter with the encouragement of her friends and fellow travelers. Two days after boarding the ship, it finally sets sail. That same day, however, Allied torpedoes pierce the hull and cause the Wilhelm Gustloff to begin to sink. Joana, Klaus, Florian and Halinka make it onto the deck and onto a lifeboat. Emilia asks Florian to carry her baby into the lifeboat. Meanwhile, Florian asks Alfred to briefly hold his pack (which contains a priceless stolen artifact, the amber swan), but then the lifeboat is lowered into the water, and Emilia is separated from her child, and Florian from his belongings. To find out what happens you have to read it!

I choose this book because I hate reading but this book is so thrilling that I enjoyed it. First of all, since it is told from four points of views you get to see what each main character is thinking and you get to see four sides of one story. Another reason is that it has a lot of action and stunning moments. One last reason it’s my favorite book is that it takes place in history which is always interesting to me. If you like history or World War 2 and like action then this is a book for you.

Dry By Neal Shutterman

My favorite book this year that I read is,

“Dry”, by, Neal Shutterman.  This book is

a non-fiction genre, because it is about a

real girl that faces with a big problem.  

The story is about a girl named Alyssa,

that is living during the “California

Drought”. In addition, ever since the

drought began her suburban neighborhood

turned into a warzone area.  Alyssa and her

brother don’t know if they can survive

the 5 year drought. She than has to

make decisions about whom she has to save from here

family.

I would recommend this book to anyone because it is

unpredictable and unique.  There are so many

cliffhangers that want to make you want to keep on

reading. It was so interesting that you would get so

deep into the story that you would loose track in time.   

You could feel the emotions of the characters.  Also,

throughout the story there are so many twists in the

story that my jaw was on the floor.  I hope you will

enjoy this book as much as I did!.

-Brandon F.

Halo: Legacy of Onyx, by Matt Forbeck

Halo: Legacy of Onyx

I chose to write about the book Halo: Legacy of Onyx, by Matt Forbeck. The genre of this book is Science Fiction because the story has aliens, and does not take place on earth or the current date of today. Molly ́s home planet was destroyed by an alien race that is commonly referred to as the Covenant.  As her and her family were evacuating, there car was hit by an explosion. She somehow survived and is adopted by two family friends. They then move to a recently discovered planet called Onyx. They then move to a city on a recently discovered planet called Onyx. Molly goes to high school and becomes friends with two aliens that are not members of the covenants that also go to her school. Her adopted parents are archaeologists on Onyx and discover an ancient structure under the planet that is beginning to move. In my opinion, some parts of the story were unnecessary but do a great job of setting a mood. Also the conflicts that Molly faces at her school are relatable , and have relatable characters.

The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore

The story I chose to write about is The Stars Beneath Our Feet by David Barclay Moore. The genre of the book is realistic fiction because it has events that could happen in real life. Lolly, a 12-year-old boy, living in Harlem is fighting problems in his life. Lolly has been depressed for the past year because his older brother passed away at a nightclub. Not only is his brother dead but his dad rarely visits Lolly. Lolly also has to be careful in the streets of Harlem from dangers like getting mugged. Lolly helps get through these problems by using legos and building his own sculptures. Lolly makes a new friend he can relate his problems and even hangs outside of the school together.

I highly recommend this book to any middle school. The book makes you smile, laugh, and even cry at some parts of the story. There are heartwarming parts of the book that make you feel good inside. It is an amazing read and will keep you interested throughout the story. All throughout the story you feel curious and think about what will happen next. In my opinion, I give this story a 10 out of 10-star rating.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

           The book I chose was The Maze Runner by James Dashner. The genre of the book is Science-Fiction because there are monsters and the book takes place in the future. The setting of the book is in The Glade and takes place in 2030. The beginning starts with our main character Thomas going up a pitch black elevator. The elevator suddenly stops and the top opens. Thomas sees people looking into the elevator. However, Thomas doesn’t remember anything, even his own name! All the people in The Glade help him get to know The Glade and the people on The Glade. Eventually, he becomes a maze runner and runs through the maze with the other runners every day. One day, while Thomas and the others are running through the maze Thomas, he finds an exit to get out of the maze. The group of runners finds some old lady and she tells them some important information and she tells them what to do.
          I would recommend The Maze Runner because, at all times, the book is never boring. There is always something going on like either action or learning important information. I have read the whole series and this book is my favorite of all of them. James Dashner uses suspenseful words to make you want to read on. The author also gives good details and descriptions.

Far From The Tree By: Robin Benway

The book I read this year that I thought was the most interesting is, Far From the Tree by Robin Benway. This is a realistic fiction book because it is about three siblings who were separated at birth to be put up for adoption. Being a middle child can be good and bad. But, for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovers that she is a middle child is a different journey all on its own. After Grace put her own child up for adoption, she had the urge to find her own biological family more than ever before.

After many e-mails, calls, and texts later, Grace unites with her loudmouthed your sister Maya. She has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Maya is the only choleric brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she is fast to search for any traces of herself among her not-so-quite strangers.

And Joaquin, their impassive older brother has no interest in attaching over their shared biological mother. Joaquin has been in the foster care system for 17 years! He has come to believe that there are no such things as heroes. Fears and secrets are best kept in the harm where they can't heart anyone but him. After so many traumatizing experiences is he ready to be adopted into a family who really loves him?

This book is perfect for anyone who is interested in learning about family ties in all its forms. Robin Benway's beautiful intertwining story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the true meaning of what it means to be family. This will always be one of my all-time favorite books. This is a perfect book to read over the summer.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin

  I chose to write about Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin and is fantasy
because it takes place in heaven. The characters are Liz, her grandmother,
Elizabeth 'Betty' Bloom, Curtis Jest, and Owen Welles. Liz is a 15-year-old
girl that died from a taxi crash when she was heading to the mall. When she
wakes up, she is in a place like and unlike Earth. She is in heaven. She
was about to turn 16 and get here drivers license but ended up dying and
that didn’t happen. She ends up meeting with her grandmother, Betty, and Curtis Jest. Liz is very mad that this happened to her. One day when she tries to escape because there is a way people can escape, but she gets pulled out of the water by a boy named Owen and starts hanging out with him when she is in heaven. The only way people leave heaven is by aging backward which is what happens when people get into heaven and become a baby to return to Earth. She wants to Earth now and see her family and not be stuck in heaven. She watches over her family every day. Liz tries to spend her time here as best as she can while she is dead before she goes back to Earth as a baby. As Liz is going back in her age she does everything she can to spend it with her family on Earth, but there is only one thing that is wrong with going back to earth when people go back as a baby.

I would recommend this book to anyone and people who like fantasy books a lot. It was a very interesting book that made my reading experience while reading this book really good. I couldn’t stop reading it. This book is emotional because a dead 15-year-old girl who watches and misses her family is something that is important in life for everyone. Liz makes new friends in her time in heaven that she couldn’t make in her life on Earth. Liz shows her love for her family and friends on Earth and in heaven for Betty, Curtis, and Owen. All Liz knows is that she will love them forever. If you are looking for a book that you can enjoy reading and like fantasy books, I would recommend this book to read.

- Julianna P.