The Art of Keeping Cool By Janet Taylor Lisle

  In the World War II era, Robert’s father is in the Royal Canadian Air Force, bombing Nazi-Occupied Europe, and the family’s Ohio farm is failing, so they move to Sachem’s Head Rhode Island, where Robert’s grandparents on his dad’s side live, but do not tell Robert’s father.  When they get there, Robert meets his grandparents, and his aunt, uncle, and nephew, Elliott, who live with Robert’s grandparents.  While World War II continues, German U-boats are sinking boats all over the coast of New England.  Now people are thinking that Abel Hoffman, the local German painter, is administering information to the Germans because there is a coastal fort in town and Abel is from Germany.  While the town’s suspicion is up between Robert and Elliott, Elliott is secretly an extraordinary drawer, and Elliott is getting lessons on painting from Abel.  Now, Elliott has to protect Abel from the town’s rage against Abel.  Plus, Elliott’s drawing skills give information on the friction between Robert’s grandparents and Robert’s dad.  My feelings for Robert change throughout all the mayhem of this book.  Robert is a normal teenager who seems to be swayed by the majority.  I say his because when Abel is being persecuted by the townsfolk for assisting the Nazis in their U-boat attacks, he agreed with the townsfolk, even though Elliott sided with Abel.  He changes, though, because he sides with Elliott as the book goes on by the books’ end.  I like Robert by the end of the book for the personality change.  Plus, he despises his grandfather for being a crude and unkindly to people who think differently than him.  I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a good plot because the plot is riveting, unique, and keeps you interested in what will happen next.  Overall, I would give this book an 8 out of 10 because of its historical fiction genre and its plot.

  Sebastian B.

  Mrs. Poulton    8/9    

Annie On My Mind By Nancy Garden

Everyone knows about Liza. She made her brother cry, almost got expelled from school, disappointed her parents, disgusted her friends, and got bullied. But all she did was fall in love. It all happened when Liza met Annie. This book is called Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden, a realistic fiction book. The expectations for a girl are finding the man of her dreams, getting married, and having children. That's not what happened to Liza. Instead, she found someone so unexpecting that it would surprise peers and loved ones. Eventually someone finds out and everyone is eating up the news like a flame turning paper to ashes. It's hard to believe that most people in the book can't see beauty in love. They can only judge it as sick and revolting when they see two girls or two guys together. It’s not a disease, or a mental problem. It’s real love. This book is about two young girls who fall in love and discover that life isn't as fair as it seems. Most peoples' reactions aren't kind and the way people treat them is ridiculous.      I recommend this book to everyone. This book tells the struggles of what a lot of people have or had to go through. They have been bullied, hated, and harassed. I think this would help everyone realize and understand that almost all of those people want equality. This was one of the best books I have ever read and it’s definitely a classic.

Don’t want to read a book like this? Think again. A typical girl didn’t want to read this book, but when she reconsidered her decision, she said that the two girls, Annie and Liza, are just like any other girl. Try this book and you will experience the hate, struggles and love of this amazing novel.

Melissa C.

Miss Heater

Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

            Everybody despises your very existence. They try to stay as remotely away from you as humanly possible. Nobody wants to be seen with you. Nobody wants to be seen around you. You are isolated. You are an outcast. Would you be able to handle that? Imagine this every single moment, of every single hour, of every single day. Maybe you had a friend or two, maybe even a clique of friends at one point in your life, but they all vanished before your very eyes. This is Melinda’s world. A world without advocates; almost everyone detests her. One where her words can’t seem to leave her mouth no matter how many attempts she constructs; her apprehensions and perturbations are bottled up so securely that nobody can see them clearly. She’s beguiled in a dark gloomy room, where a secret so gigantic lies, and yet nobody sees it. Would you make it through? A girl can sure try her hardest.

          Speak is a stupendous, well-written novel by Laurie Halse Anderson. Throughout the entire novel you can feel the exact emotions rushing through the body of an outcast with a chancy secret from her past. The novel touches on both of these types of world rolled up into one person. It's a perplexing insight into the two worlds. It's an intriguing page-turner. It proves it’s possible to overcome anything despite the odds you may encounter. The tale keeps you on the edge of your seat and becomes extremely irksome to put down. I am highly fond of this book and suggest you read it because you will be too.

Cassie R.

Miss Heater

A Mango Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

Mia has always known that her family is far from normal.Her sister  dies her hair as often as one would change
their clothes and her brother keeps a chart of all the hamburgers he has eaten in his entire lifetime.And Mia?
Mia seems to be the most normal person in her family but the truth is......she's not.Mia has been keeping a
secret from her friends and family.Numbers and words have color for her.When Mia finally tells her parents
 about this "problem" her parents put her in a disscussion group with other synesthetes(people who see
 colors with numbers and words) after a doctor's reccomendation.Soon enough,the entire school finds out
about Mia's "gift".Mia's personality starts changing with all the attention she recieves.She goes from honest
and trustworthy character to a show-off and cheater.In order to find her true self again,Mia will have to lose
something very special to her.....

The main character of this book was Mia.Mia was a honest,funny and trustworthy character that spent
a lot of time outdoors.Mia changed a lot throughout this book.She went from honest,funny and trustworthy
to a cheater, show-off, and selfish.But overall,I did like this character.She did have some very irritating
qualities but she had even more good qualities than bad.She was artistic,creative,and curious.These traits made her a very
interesting character.I would reccomend this book to mostly girls because Wendy Mass is more of an author for girs
and girls would be able to relate more to Mia and all the tough situations she goes through.This book is an AMAZING
book and should definitly be number one on your books-to-read list!!!


Smriti N.
Mrs.Poulton pd. 8&9

You Have 7 messages by Stewart Lewis

  In this mysterious novel, you will be intrigued by the characters and plot, so much that you will not want to put it down!
Moon (also known as Luna) was born into a wealthy and famous family, daughter of a filmmaker and a model. Luna also has
a little brother, named Tile, and they all live in a penthouse in New York City. One afternoon, while Luna is at summer camp,                                                                                
her father comes and tells her the news. Her mother was hit by a taxi and is now dead. After all of the grieving, she decides to
go into her mother's loft, where she worked. There, she finds her mother's cell phone, on the charger and holding seven
messages. She doesn't want to listen to them, but does anyway, and what she finds may affect her for ever. Now she begins
questioning her mother's death, and finally gets some answer after hunting for them, with her neighbor and crush Oliver.
I really enjoyed reading this book, the author was really descriptive. It was suspenseful, romantic, and overall the perfect
things to have in a novel.It was also funny because Luna is very sarcastic. This book would be good for anyone who likes
mystery books, mostly girls because it is in perspective of Luna, so it's really relatable. I really liked how Luna evolved
throughout the book, especially when she starts hanging out with Oliver. It was a great read, that will keep you guessing.
You will definitely be surprised to find out what really went on that night and why!

Ariana D.
Grade 7
Everest

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Katniss and Peeta have both surprisingly made it out of the arena alive! Everything should be going smoothly now, but every war has an end at some point - and this war isn’t over just yet. They have both returned to district twelve, to their families and their new victors house. But Peeta has turned her back on her. Gale isn’t acting the same. And nothing is going the way it should be. As Katniss and Peeta visit each district for their victory tour, they need to show everyone how deep their love is for each other or else there could be serious consequences.

I was so obsessed with this book I had to take it with me everywhere. I always thought the story was getting better, and then it took a turn for the worst! I recommend this book to anyone who has read the first book. Because you can’t understand this book without reading the first. It had a twist and surprise at every chapter. I gaped right when I started reading the second part of the book. The author is very creative with her style of writing. I think anyone who reads this would become obsessed and wouldn’t be able to put the book down!

Nicole B.

7th grade Zephyr 

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

In this science fiction, action packed, amazingly written novel a 16

year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen must go to the Capitol in Panem and enter a dangerous contest: The Hunger Games. After North America has been destroyed the country of Panem forms, with 12 Districts and the Capitol. After an attempted rebelion the Capitol created the Hunger Games. Each year two tributes are selected to compete. They

enter a huge arena where they have one choice: to fight to the death.

After Katniss's sister's name is called in the reaping she volunteers

to take her place as tribute. She and Peeta Melark (the boy tribute)

go to the Capitol where their journey begins. The Hunger Games becomes

not just a contest of fighting ability, but also one of brains, plots,

and love.

I love this book. It is out of the box and unlike anything I had ever

read before. This may sound cliche, but it is the truth: I was on the

edge of my seat wanting to know what would happen next. The characters

are so well developed that the thought of one of them getting hurt

made my brain spin. I like how once the action started it kept going

and going until the Games were over, and even then there was more

drama and suspense leading up to the abrupt end of the book which made

me want to read Catching Fire more than any other book at that time.

Megan Q- 7th grade Oasis

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Strength. Strategy. Endurance. Intelligence. These may just be words to me and you, but in Katniss’s world, they are the key to survival.
In the alternative future, the United States is the nation of 13 districts. The Capitol, who rules the 13 districts, has unfair and strict policies, so the districts then consequently rose up and rebelled. This rebellion angered the Capitol and the 13th district was destroyed. Every year, two tributes are selected in each district to compete in The Hunger Games, a reality television show where citizens watch helplessly as their children fight to the death. This gut-wrenching show was created by the Capitol, to remind the rebels that not even children is beyond their reach.
Many people would never think about volunteering for The Hunger Games. But things had taken an interesting turn when Primrose Everdeen was selected as tribute. Katniss Everdeen, being the protective sister, volunteered to take Prim’s place without hesitation. Peeta Mellark, a boy from Katniss’s past, was chosen as the boy tribute. Before the games, Peeta was only an average looking boy heading to his death. But soon Katniss found out that he is so much more than she thinks.

The Hunger Games is packed with action, romance and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end. Prepare yourself to go through the biggest emotional roller coaster ride of your life! You may cry, laugh or smile with the characters as you step further and further into their story. This is a book that people of all ages will enjoy reading together.

Yan Yan H.
Everest
8th Grade

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

This high packed thrilling adventure book will catch you off your guard while reading this. There are sickly turning points throughout the book and have you predicting who will be the next victim and who will survive to fight another day. President Snow’s sick mind causes the Hunger Games and cause kids to suffer while fighting to the death. Twenty-four kids have to go face to face against each other and whoever wins, their district will not starve. The other districts... well, they will still go hungry. Katniss is the tribute from District 12 and will do whatever it is to make sure that her mom and sister Prim will be supplied with enough food even if it means that she won’t make it. Katniss and Peeta form an alliance and Katniss has to fend for herself and Peeta who when he was found had a severe booboo to his leg.

If the game makers think that not enough blood has been shed in a certain time period then they will easily add more obstacles in attempt to make the tributes kill each other. In the Hunger Games there a total of twenty-four tributes and twenty-three are supposed to die in the end. Which tribute will get to return home welcomed by glory and fame? And which districts will just receive the dead and mangled bodies of their tributes? Katniss, the main character has a huge burden on her shoulders and a lot of people depending on her success and many more depending on her failure. One critical mistake can expose her hiding spot and make her fight for her life. This book is recommended for everyone even if you don’t like sci-fi. I do not enjoy reading sci-fi but I liked the book and I think that you will to. 

Helen R.

Everest 8

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games

An interference of love between a fight to the death can kill you when it comes to The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Each year, twelve districts will randomly pick a boy tribute and a girl tribute between ages 12 and 18 to fight in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death until only one player is left alive. Katniss, a girl in the twelfth district, was appalled with frozen horror when her little sister, Prim, was chosen out of several thousand slips of boys and girls who could participate in the Hunger Games. Katniss then made a decision that could cost her life.

She would go to the Hunger Games instead of Prim.
The problem is, Katniss eventually falls in love with Peeta, a boy from her own district who was chosen for the Hunger Games, but how can you kill someone you love when there is no one but you two left?! How do you conquer the ambivalence of this? Find out in this fast-paced book.
I would stongly recommend this book because it takes sharp turns and twists and leaves you stuck with the book until the last page. The last sentence in the chapter will suspense you and keep you clinging onto every word the author writes in this amazing novel.
Oh, and read the second and third book too. You would be sure to be hungry for more (pun was intended)!

Wen-Chen 

Zephyr, 7th grade

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Imagine that you live in a country where the majority of the citizens have rebelled against the Capitol and you have been chosen as their leader. You leave your new home and your family to destroy the Capitol in war. As you are on your mission, you lose soldiers one by one and hope that you aren't the next. You keep pushing yourself even when you want to give up, so that you can be victorious. It may seem like you have gone through a lot but the fight has only just begun...

This riveting story is the third book in The Hunger Games series entitled Mockingjay. After being a part of the ruthless Hunger Games twice, Katniss saw that there was an uprising started amongst the citizens of Panem. The citizens traveled to the unknown District 13 where they could plot their rebellion against the Capitol. Katniss rose up among the rebels and proclaimed herself as the Mockingjay. She wanted to overthrow the Capitol, kill President Snow, and save Peeta from imprisonment.

This book was definitely my favorite out of all three. As I read this story, my heart raced and kept me in total suspense. The cliffhanger at the end of each chapter made me want to continue reading and find out what happens next. You  have to read this book to experience the vivid imagery, emotion, and intriguing storyline.

Shannon L, Zephyr 7

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I finished and AMAZING book called The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This book is about a 16 year old girl named Katniss Everdeen. She lives in a district 12 with her sister, Prim, and her mother.  Every year the capitol has a cruel game every year so there wont be a rebellion against the other districts. On the reaping day for somebody to get picked to participate in this game. Katniss's sister gets picked. Katniss suddenly panics. She doesn't want her sister battling to the death against other tributes. So she volunteered herself right away. The second Tribute that was picked was Peeta Mellark. Will Katniss win the Hunger Games? Or is she going to die in the games?


This was my favorite book of all time! It has something for everybody to enjoy; Like romance, action, comedy, drama, and suspense. In the beginning the book was very slow, but by the 4th chapter the amazing book begins. I give this book 5 stars. Enjoy! And remember may the odds ever be in your favor.



Natalia, Phoenix 7th grade

Let the Games Begin!

If you haven't read The Hunger Games yet, what are you waiting for?? Your classmates have given these rave reviews!