Speak of Me as I am

The book I chose to write about is Speak of Me as I Am by Sonia Belasco. This is a realistic fiction book because it is about two teens coping together after the loss of a loved one. The two characters, Damon and Melanie, both lost someone of great importance to them. Melanie lost her mother to cancer while as for Damon he lost his best friend Carlos to suicide. Carlos was Damon's best friend. They spent every second together. Carlos had a camera that he loved and the night he took his life he left it on his bed along with a box of pictures for Damon to find. Melanie's mother left her with the gene of being an artist. Damon sees Melanie for the first time in the park under the tree crying where Carlos overdosed. He took her picture making Melanie look up at him in despair with her makeup running down her cheeks. Soon as Damon starts at Hamilton high school he hangs out with Melanie and her best friend Christian. Damon auditions with Christian for the school play Othello. Christian soon realizes that Melanie and Damon like each other so he tells the director that Melanie wanted to help paint the backgrounds. Melanie hasn't done any art since the passing of her mother so it overwhelms her a little. Soon after Melanie and Damon start to date they learn more about each other's losses and help each other through it. 

In my opinion, I thought this book was not only well written, but it was also very emotional because we got to see the real problems people face in the world today. It was very heart breaking reading and visualizing their thoughts and feelings. How their actions reflected that. At the beginning of each chapter I read a thought from each character that would be explained throughout the story. Switching back and forth between Melanie and Damon helped make the story stronger because it allows the reader to know what they are thinking in that exact moment. The story is very heart touching because the reader can see a different side to everyone, the reader sees what someone is hiding under a fake smile and forced laughter. So if you are looking for something emotional and heart warming to read, I would suggest reading the book Speak of Me as I am. 

-Morgan T. 

A Mango Shaped Space

      The book I read was "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass. This book is realistic fiction because It is about a real girl who faces a real problem. The story is about a girl named Mia who has a disease called synesthesia which makes her see letters and numbers in color. In addition to this, she sees colors every time she hears a sound. Mia thought everyone saw this way and in 3rd grade found out no one else saw things like this. She keeps her strange ability a secret and everything was fine. But now the colored numbers are making her fail math and she starts to fail Spanish because of the colored letters so she has to tell her parents. They dont believe her and send her to a psychotherapist who claims she is lying to get attention. Mia has to prove she really does see colors and find a way around it to pass her class.

    I would recommend this book to anyone because it is very unique and unpredictable. I would have never guessed what the ending would be. It was a very interesting book that got you so into the story you would lose track of time and just want to keep reading it forever. You could feel the emotions of the characters and the ending was very emotional. The story was very relatable because Mia knew she was right but no one believed her and everyone has had that happen to them at some point. The whole story was overall an amazing book and by far my favorite this year. I would recommend this book to anyone.
-Megan S.

The book I chose as my favorite book of the year is If I Stay by Gayle Forman. The genre of this book starts off as realistic fiction but soon changes to fantasy. I know this because the main character Mia starts off as a normal girl with a loving family, as well as a younger brother named Teddy and a boyfriend named Adam. It changes to fantasy when something happens and she comes back as a ghost.  The story starts on a cold winter morning with a thin layer of snow covering the ground. Mia's family all piles into the car to go to their grandma. Mia's dad offers to have her drive but she passes on the opportunity of driving. Then BOOM! They get into a car crash. Thankfully mia survives, or so she thinks. She gets up and walks around. She finds her dad first, then her mom then Teddy. But then, she sees herself. Then she sees herself got to the hospital and more. She sees her grandparents and everything. Then she has a choice... Will she stay a ghost or will she get to heaven? 

I do recommend this book. I think that its great because it always leaves you on the edge of your seat and you would never want to put it down. Also, the detail is really good and you can picture everything that happens in it. lastly, it has a sequel called where she went. 
- Emily H

Hoot Carl Hiaasen

"Hoot" is a realistic fiction book written by Carl Hiaasen. I know the book is realistic fiction because it has events and characters that could happen in real life. The book starts you off by introducing the main character Roy. Roy has just moved from a town in Montana to Florida and Roy isn't to happy about what is going on. One day when Roy is riding the bus to school he sees a kid that looks to be about his age running through everyone's lawns barefoot. He soons meets the kid he tells him to call home Mullet Fingers because he can catch these fish called mullets with just his finger. Roy soons learns that Mullet Fingers has escaped from a juvenile detention center and that he is trying to protect a certain kind of owl. Mullet Fingers tells Roy that he is trying to protect rare owl called a ground owl. Ground owls dens are in the ground and a pancake house is about to be built over them illegally. Mullet fingers tells Roy he going to try and stop the construction be sabotaging the site. Roy thinks he has a better way. Will Roy and Mullet fingers stop the construction of the pancake house? What is Mullet fingers real name? You will have to read the book for yourself to find out.

I would recommend this book to any who likes a little action. There is a lot of it. Any one who likes mystery.Cause you don't know Mullet Finger name. Character development because the character grow.

Life Strategies for Teens

          "Life Strategies for Teens," by Jay McGraw is a Realistic book because of how relatable the book is. The Narrator, Jay McGraw, talks about things that might have happened to you as a kid, or something you can relate to. For example, the Narrator might talk about the different types of people in your school and how they act. Jay McGraw makes these types of connections throughout the whole book. I feel that the Narrator does this to make people think of good times they had, and also to remember funny moments. I sure did remember a lot of things that happened to me when I read the book. It was one of my favorites, and I think that a lot of you would enjoy reading this book.

  I would recommend this book because it's really funny and relatable. I laughed a lot about what it was talking about because it was so true. I liked this book because of the funny pictures that made it easy to visualize what they were talking about. I also liked this book because it felt like the author was taking me back to when I was a little kid. Irs like the narrator knew what happened in school, and all the different types of people there were.  The last reason I liked this book was that the book really made you remember the good times you had. This book is great if you're having a bad day and need something to calm you down. I would recommend this book because it's really funny and makes you think of good times.

           Samantha Rosado

Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters

     One book I read over the course of the year was Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters written by Rick Riordan. This book is the second book in a series of five. The genre of the book is fantasy and Greek Mythology. The genre is fantasy because there are monsters and magic. The genre is Greek Mythology because it involves all the Gods like Zeus, Athena, and Poseidon. The story starts off with Percy and his friend Tyson going to their last day of school. In the gym, they are playing dodgeball. All of a sudden the other team turns into huge monsters and throw giant flaming dodgeballs. Percy's friend Annabeth comes in and saves them from the monsters. Annabeth calls in these weird three woman with only one eye in a taxi. They drive them to camp half-blood, where the camp's borders have fallen. Monster's are invading the camp, which normally shouldn't happen. The new camp counselor chooses Clarisse to go on the quest to get the golden fleece to save the camp. Percy really wanted to go on the quest. At night Percy, Annabeth and Tyson sneak out of the camp and ride dolphins into the ocean, where they come to a cruise ship. They ended up having to leave the ship because it was full of monsters. When they get back to land, they are getting attacked by more monsters. But then Clarisse shows up with her ship and saves them. They steer the ship into the sea of monsters, where they have to go to get to the island where the fleece is. As they try to go through the area where the huge serpents live, they get attacked by them. The ship blows up and somehow Percy and Annabeth survive. They drift over to an island where they get attacked by a woman with magic and turns Percy into a hamster. They leave the island and get on a ship, and go over to the island where the fleece is located. They ended up meeting Clarisse and Tyson there. The walk into the cave only to approach the huge cyclops, Polyphemus. Do they come out alive and get the fleece? Do a huge crowd of ponies attack? Find out by reading Percy Jackson!

     I have read many books during seventh grade, but Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters, was my favorite. I would rate it a 5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book to children boy's and girl's ages 9-14. I would also recommend this book to readers who like action-packed books. Reading this book always kept me on the edge of my seat, urging to know what would happen next. In conclusion, Percy Jackson: The Sea of Monsters is a great book and I definitely recommend reading it.  

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen

The story I chose was "The Running Dream" by Wendelin Van Draanen. This book is realistic fiction. Freak accidents, especially ones causing injuries or deaths to nearby people, are possible in the real world. The main character in this book is Jessica and she is the narrator. She loves to run. In fact, she is on the track team. One day during track, a horrible freak accident involving a bus changes Jessica's life forever. Her leg is severely injured and must be amputated, and she fears she'll never be able to run again. Jessica stays in the hospital, sad as can be, for a few months. Eventually, she gets her prosthetic leg, then she goes back to school. However, things are not the same. Now everyone looks at her oddly or reacts to her differently, not knowing what to say. She is still getting used to her new life. Over time, Jessica starts getting the hang of moving around and doing daily things with her prosthetic leg. She meets a girl named Rosa, who has cerebral palsy. Rosa may have cerebral palsy, but that doesn't stop her from doing anything. The two become friends. One of Jessica's track team friends shows her a prosthetic leg, made just for running. Together with her track team and her friends, Jessica tries to earn enough money for this special leg. Will Jessica be able to do it? Even if she gets it, will the leg work, and will she be able to adjust to it and run the way she used to?
I really enjoyed this book! I loved it because the plot was sad at times, but also had heartwarming and upbeat moments. Some heartbreaking moments were at the beginning of the book, such as Jessica's time in the hospital. There were also parts that showed her daily struggles of every day life. The positive parts when her track team reunites with Jessica and follows her each step of the way. Another reason why I recommend this book is because it had some good messages to follow. For one, never give up and keep trying, even through the most devastating tough times. This story also teaches that people with physical or mental disabilities can be just as strong as other people around them. A third reason why I would recommend this book is because there is much detail describing each scene and moments are drawn out to further evoke emotions from the reader. For example, the author slowed down the moments when Jessica was struggling to go up the stairs and get into the bath tub with her prosthetic leg. I could feel the pain Jessica was feeling. Overall, I recommend "The Running Dream" to kids who enjoy running track (because this book features lots of track-related moments), or anyone! This book was interesting and worth a read!

-Danielle D.

The Red Pyramid

          The title of my book is The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan. This book is the first book in the Kane Chronicles series. The genre of this book is fantasy and I know this because, throughout the whole book, the main characters Carter and Sadie Kane battle mythical creatures and gods by using magical powers. The book starts off with siblings Carter and Sadie Kane getting separated after their mom mysteriously dies. Carter stays with their dad while Sadie goes to live with their grandparents in England. The reason they were separated in the first place is because at their birthday Carter and Sadie got into a fight and make the cake explode. They managed to trigger each other's magic but nobody could know about this so they were forced to get split up. Their dad eventually reunites the two when they are tweens to help him with his work, but he gets captured by an evil god named Set after he tried to unleash Set in a museum. Set is the god of the underworld so their dad wanted to make a deal with Set to get back their mom. This leads to them being taken in by their Uncle Amos who brings them to the House of Life and explains to them that they host Egyptian gods and have magical powers. Now Carter and Sadie go on a quest to defeat Set and get their mom and dad back before Set takes over the world.

          I think that this book is very exciting and entertaining. Throughout the entire book, there are numerous connections that can be made like how Carter, Sadie, and Percy Jackson all have gods in their minds that give them advice and magic powers. Along with that, there are many different quotes that come from the text that really make you think deeply about what you just read. Examples of these quotes are  “It takes strength and courage to admit the truth.” and “In life, you will need to make serious sacrifices.” I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the Harry Potter series, the Percy Jackson series, or just magic books in general because this book is full of exciting adventures and showdowns.

Textrovert by Lindsey Summers

   During this school year, I've read plenty of books but my favorite was Textrovert by Lindsey Summers. This is a realistic fiction book because it has realistic problems, like teens losing their phones and dealing with drama in high school. In the book, Keeley Brewer, a senior in high school loses her phone at a fair, but when she goes back to get it, she ends up grabbing the wrong one. Instead, she grabs another guy, Talon's phone.  It's bad enough that she's lost her phone, but it's even worse when Keeley finds out that Talon just left for football camp. He won't be back for another week and he's got Keeley's phone. The two agree to send each other's messages until they can swap back phones. At first, Keeley thinks Talon is an obnoxious and self-centered jock, but as she gets to know him through their texts she falls for him, hard. Talon likes Keeley, too and isn't shy about it.  Things get between their relationship though, like the fact that Talon wasn't being completely honest about himself to Keeley. After learning shocking things about Talon, Keeley has to decide, is it all worth it?
   Overall, I absolutely loved this book and could honestly read it again. One reason I liked this book was because it had a great sense of humor. I laughed so many times while reading. For instance, Talon is always telling Keeley corny jokes to make her smile. The drama in the book was also amazing. I never wanted to put the book down. One of the many examples of drama involved is when Keeley and her brother argue about Keeley dating Talon. Furthermore, I loved how the book always kept me on the edge of my seat. I never knew what to expect with Keeley or Talon. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers who love a good romance filled with drama.
-Shalika J.

The book I read was hidden figure which was written by Margot lee sherrley this book genre is science fiction as I know this because in the story the main setting is in nasa which involves science and engenering also in the story the begining the three main characters gets a opurtunity to work at nasa but on there way to making sucess they face problems due to being african american an being one of the first to be african americans and work there and the main character Mary works with all whites and is treated differently but in the story she proves why she deserve her spot in nasa as being one of the smartest human claculators there.Also in the story there will be alot of suprises and shocking as people overcome challenges in space.This is a very good book and I recomend reading this because if your into science and or like nasa this will be a good book for you to have

Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls by, Lynn Wiengarter

I choose the book Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls as my favorite book, written by Lynn Wiengarten. The book  is realistic fiction, the book is realistic fiction because in the book the main character, June tries to figure out why her ex-best friend, Delia would commit suicide. Suicide is a very real and problematic thing that happens everyday, somewhere. June is alone all winter break, she does nothing but drive and think. When school starts again, it is announced on the first day back that Delia has commit suicide. June is shocked, Delia is the last person that would want to end her own life, at least from what June knew. June wanted to figure out the reason she would do what she did. Also June is the back of her mind doesn't believe it. June goes to far extents to figure out what happened or if she can find her alive. June slowly starts to lose hope that she will find her alive. she has to try and think like Delia to re-track her steps and contacts just about everyone that she ever knew. Because of one night, their friendship was ruined and it would never be that same from that night on. What happened that one night to ruin it all? Will June find out what happened? Will June even, find her alive? You have to read the book to find out what happens next.
                I 100% recommend this book to anyone who loves a good dark mystery.  Just a little warning: This book, once you start reading it, you will not want to put it down for one second. But an actual warning: This book does contain inappropriate language and actions. But if you can look past that, you can tell the author has a passion for writing and puts effort into her writing. I hope you consider this book to read! I can almost promise that you will love this book. This book contains excitement, mystery, love, romance, damage, and it totally unforgettable.

Gloria R. Spicer 7/8

Restart by Gordon Korman

     The title of my book is Restart, written by Gordon Korman. The genre of this book is realistic fiction and mystery, as all the events that take place in the story could happen in real life. The mystery portion of this book is proved when whole plot of the story is Chase trying to find out the mystery of how he lost his memory, and who he was before he lost his memory. In the exposition of the story, Chase learns that he lost his memory and bits about his life, such as the fact that he was one of the best football players in his school, and that he had two best friends: Aaron and Bear. From this part on, there will be SPOILERS, so scroll away if you don't want this book to be spoiled for you. When the rising action comes, Chase ends up going to his school that he went to before his injury. He begins to realize how much of a bully he was, and how many people were afraid of him. He befriends a victim of his bullying named Brendan, without learning that he ever bullied him. Through Brendan, he joins the film club, and meets Shoshanna. Shoshanna hates him due to the fact that he bullied their sibling to the point that they had to leave the school. Shoshanna and Brendan eventually trust the fact that Chase has changed due to his memory loss, and become friends with him. Everyday that Chase goes to school, he continues to have trouble remembering what happened before he lost his memory. He is forced to serve work at a nursing home, due to him getting in trouble prior to losing his memory, and at the nursing home he meets Julius. Chase soon figures out that Julius once had a medal of honor, but lost it. Chase is really intrigued by the medal of honor, and wants to find it. He and Shoshanna search for long periods of time with not a single sign of the medal anywhere. The climax of the story takes place when Chase is in his attic. In the climax, Chase accidentally finds the medal of honor in his attic, and looks to his neighbors house only to see a painting. The image on the painting was all he remembered about the day he lost his memory, and once he sees it his whole memory comes back to him. He remembers that he was the one who stole the medal, along with Aaron and Bear, and goes to the nursing home to return it to Julius. On his way, he's intercepted by Aaron and Bear, who try to prevent him from giving back the medal. Brendan and Shoshanna show up to the nursing home as well, and try to help Chase get the medal to Julius. Eventually all the kids end up in Julius' room, and Chase gives the medal to him. He explains to Julius and a nearby nurse that he stole the medal before he lost his memory. This causes the nearby nurse to turn Chase into the police. In the falling action, Chase is on trial for stealing the medal. He confesses to the judge, without telling the judge Aaron and Bear were involved in it. The judge is about to sentence him, but asks that if Chase can guarantee that there is no more of his old self left in him, that he can let him walk free. Chase thinks about the offer, and eventually denies it. The judge claims he's forced to sentence Chase. In the falling action, suddenly, Julius rolls into the court on his wheelchair. He lies, and tells the judge that no one ever stole his medal of honor, and that he had it the whole time. The judge, knowing that Chase has trouble remembering things, believes what Julius is saying, and lets Chase walk free. In the resolution, Chase thanks Julius for all that he's done. He apologizes to all the people he'd hurt prior to losing his memory, such as Julius, Shoshanna, and Brendan.
     My opinion of this book would be that I enjoyed it a lot, but there are a bunch of unique things in this book that may change your opinion of it. For example, similar to Wonder, the book is written in first person point of view, but from many different narrators. This may be confusing to some, but in my opinion I enjoyed seeing the different narrators’ thoughts on certain events. Also, if you are sensitive to the topic of bullying, I wouldn’t recommend this book to you as the main character used to be a bully. For example, Chase used to bully Brendan by pushing and shoving him in the halls. He'd also bully Shoshannas sibling by breaking her piano. To conclude, Restart is a great unique book, and if you aren't sensitive to bullying, like realistic fiction, or  enjoyed reading Wonder,  I would definitely recommend this book to you.
-Gabe S. Spicer Pd. 1-2

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

       Over the course of the year 2018 I have read many interesting books going from realistic fantasy to a thriller. The books that stood out to me the most was the book If I Stay by Gayle Forman. 

The genre of If I Stay is fantasy because it is about a girl whose spirit is trying to decide whether she lives or dies.y If I Stay starts off with 17 year old Mia Hall. Mia is a senior in high school who loves to play classical music on her cello, despite her punk rock family and boyfriend Adam. One day she and her family are in their car driving outside in a blizzard. They get into a freak car accident. Her entire family dies in this accident including her younger brother Teddy. Afterwards Mia realizes that she is a spirit. She is wandering the hospital while her physical body is in a coma at the hospital. She watches as her grandparents, best friend Kim, and Adam visit her praying to god that she lives. Her grandmother begs her to come back to life while her grandfather tells her that he wants her to live but it was fine if Mia chose to move on with her family.Mia now has to make a choice; Does she want to stay alive with Kim, Adam and her grandparents? or Does she want to die and move on with her deceased family? 
Overall, this book is amazing because of it's keen drama, it's sentiment and emotions and also it's interesting plot.For example in the scene where Mia realizes that she is a spirit. This is one of the most drama influenced scenes because it is the moment where she realizes that she isn't dead because she cannot walk through walls but she also isn't alive because no one can see her.One of the most emotional moments in If I Stay is when Mia watches her grandparents begging her to come back and how she watches her friend  Kim (who doesn't believe in god) asking to let her previous mistakes be forgotten and help her friend live again. It is interesting because of it's peculiar ploy.Who doesn't get intrigued by a spirit who is trying to decide if she should live or die.It keeps up the action by showing various memories past and present that can easily tip her to wanting to live or die.I would recommend this book to seventh and eighth graders.I also would recommend this book to anyone to likes fantasy and drama.If I Stay also has a sequel called Where She Went.
-Anushka G.

Baseball Genius

      The book that I have chosen for my blog entry was the book Baseball Genius written by author Tim Green and Derek Jeter. The genre of this story is realistic fiction with a little bit of science fiction. This is because the story takes place in a world just like ours, making it realistic fiction. It is also science fiction because the main character who is a baseball player has the power to predict what pitch he is going to get thrown when he is batting. This story starts by introducing us to some of the main characters such as Little League baseball player Jalen DeLuca, his friend and teammate Daniel, and Yankees baseball star James Yager. As the story continues, we learn that Jalen wants to play for the best baseball team in the area, but his father can't afford to pay the nearly $1000 fee. This leads Jalen to attempt to steal some really expensive baseballs from James Yager's house who happens to live nearby. However, Jalen ends up getting caught by Yager. As Yager is taking Jalen home, however, we find out that he could end up being cut by the Yankees for his inability to hit the baseball. Hearing this gives Jalen an idea. He could go to Yager's games and, by using his pitch guessing ability, James could tell Yager what pitch would be thrown to him. After thinking over it for a while, Yager agrees, Jalen then starts to attend every single one of Yager's games and uses his ability to help Yager get hits. After a few games of this going on, Yager gets a call from the Yankees' general manager and he tells Yager that, because of how he's been hitting the ball in the past few games, he can stay in the starting lineup. Even though Yager has still kept his job in the starting lineup, Jalen and Yager continue with their plan all the way throughout the season, and Yager even starts to pay Jalen some mon

ey to help him out with his family's financial situation.

      Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and it was definitely my favorite book that I have read all year. There were many reasons as to why this book was my favorite book for the year. The first reason was that it always managed to keep me on the edge of my seat no matter what was going on in the story. For example, it is stressful as the reader when Jalen is trying to be as quiet as possible while stealing the baseballs from Yager's house because you really don't want to see him get caught. The next reason that this was my favorite book that I have read all year was that the author used great description all throughout the story. One example of this is when Jalen is guessing pitches for Yager for the first time and the author does a great job of describing the stress that Jalen is feeling because he doesn't want to end up giving Yager the wrong pitch. The last reason that this was my favorite book was because it was of the realistic fiction genre which is my favorite genre. The reason that realistic fiction books are my favorite is because I find them very relatable. such as when Jalen hits his first home run, or when Jalen makes a new friend at school. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a suspenseful book and the realistic fiction genre.

Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere - Richard Paul Evans

   
     The book that I will be discussing is, Michael Vey: Battle of the Ampere by Richard Paul Evans. This is the third book in the whole Michael Vey series. The genre of this book is, Science Fiction since the main character, Michael Vey possesses special electric powers that give the ability to harness and control electricity whenever he wants to, just with his hands. The basic summary of this book is that in the very beginning where everything starts off, our main character, Michael Vey is found in the jungle waking from a nap feeling confused and worried. (This situation was explained in the previous book). He soon starts to wonder what happened and how he got here. He also worries about the state of his friends/team, because they somehow got separated from previously trying to stop the Elgen, an organization that wants control over the entire world. In the next part of the story, Michael seems to be calming down and recovering from this situation, and he soon learns that a special jungle tribe found him and brought him here. They healed him from the previous injuries he experienced and were taking care of him. After a while of hanging out with the tribe, he soon finds that another girl that has special powers like him resides in this jungle tribe too. Michael makes friends with her, and they learn about each other. Soon the Elgen somehow discover Michael's location, and he and the girl run away to avoid them. They try to find Michael's team so that they all could work together to stop the Elgen. Eventually, after a long time, Michael finds his team, and they all take some time to think of a plan to take down the Elgen. In the end, they end up sinking the Elgen's ship, the Ampere, and they destroy a lot of work from the Elgen's evil plans. So, in the end, they win and are ready for the next problem that comes across them.
      My overall opinion about this specific book, is that it has good characters that interact and react like normal people do, giving us the chance to connect with them as the readers. For example, in the book, the author has the has the characters express emotions and thoughts through language, that we might fo everyday. Such as, the sense of precaution, the sense of laziness, etc. The overall plot and storyline is interesting, because it is a unique plot that you probably never have imagined. for instance, the whole storyline revolves around these teenagers with special powers that try to stop an evil company together by using their powers and teamwork. The way the author elaborates and runs off the plot is what makes the whole book interesting and recommendation fun read as well. My final reason of why this book is my favorite, is because it has a good amount of pages and word amount on each page making it a just right book. For instance, the author generally uses up the whole page of a book, and uses it in a normal font size. This means that we would be reading a very good amount of text and action as well. The overall book pages is roughly around 352 pages, which is a decent size, because it expands the story more thoroughly, and it is a good read to keep you motivated to read books. My recommendation of this book, is to 7th grade students that enjoy the genre of science fiction and like action/suspenseful situations as well. This book is a very enjoyable read that many people would love to read

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Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

          My favorite book this year was Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Sword of Summer, the first book in the series by Rick Riordan.  The book has the genres of fantasy, mythology, and action, because of the elements of magic, being based off of Norse mythology, and that battles are taking place throughout the book.  In the story, Magnus Chase is a sixteen year old homeless boy, living in Boston, Massachusetts with no parents.  His mother is dead and he has never met his father.  One day, Magnus and his friends Blitz and Hearth come across Surt, the Norse god of fire.  Surt battles Magnus on a bridge, and Magnus ends up dying during the battle.  Magnus then is brought to Valhalla by Samirah al-Abbas, the hotel for dead heroes, where he comes back to life.  This is when Magnus learns that he is the son of a Norse god.  From there, Magnus and a few of his new friends from Valhalla join together to embark on a journey to try to prevent Surt from releasing an evil, immortal wolf from containment.  Also, they must try to retrieve the powerful Sword of Summer.
          Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and a few of those reasons was its constant action, the twists and turns, along with the humor within the book.  There are always some sort of battles going on, keeping you excited.  There is also many surprises that I did not see coming.  Whenever you read a Rick Riordan book, you can expect to have a good laugh.  Riordan always makes sure that even the chapter titles are funny, such as "Phil the Potato Meets His Doom."  I recommended this book to anyone who enjoys magic and action, and people that have read Rick Riordan's other mythology series.
                                                                                                                   -Aidan M.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker

        Over this year I have read many books. Out of all of them, the one I would recommend is Gym candy by Carl Deuker. The books genre is realistic fiction and I know this because the story has realistic but made up characters and events.

        When the book first starts, it is the introduction and all the characters and the setting are introduced. You meet Mick Johnson, a teenager eager to be like his dad Mike Johnson, a star football player in the town who mysteriously never made it to the NFL. Mick played football through all his childhood and was trained by his dad to be the present teenager Mick playing football for his high school. Mick always talks about his dad being a football star and eventually learns from a newspaper why his dad never made the pros. Mike Johnson never made the NFL because he was a failure who skipped practises, skipped games and illegally drank underage. Mick plays football with his best friend Drew and Deshawn. In the rising action, Mick begins going to a gym after school instead of working out in his schools locker room. Later on, Mick is substituted into the championship game and he is tackled a yard away from the end zone to lose the game. Later in the story, the new season starts and new players are on the team that play better then Mick. Also, at Micks gym, he gets a personal trainer to help him keep him fit. During the Climax, with players on the team becoming better then Mick, his mess up during the championship game and the fact that his dad became a failure, Mick turns to steroids to become better at football from his gym trainer. When the falling action begins, Mick's life goes downhill due to steroids and Mick goes insane. During the conclusion,  Mick stops using steroids, goes under rehabilitation and learns from his past mistakes.

        The first reason why I would recommend this book is because it is very interesting. During majority of the book, I always wanted to keep reading through the book to see what happens next even though I never liked reading books. Another reason why I would suggest reading this story is because it is very well written. The book is very descriptive and never leaves me confused on a part and isn't written too long or short. Also, all the characters are very well developed and each have unique features. My final reason why I would recommend this book to read is because, the book has a very good plot/story. Each part flows into the next very well and the concept of somebody trying to manage sports and their life with drugs is very interesting.

Cinder

During this past school year, I've read a plethora of books, but a special book stood out to me. Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a science fiction book with very futuristic technology. The main character is a cyborg named Cinder. She was severely hurt and doctors used robotic parts to fix her up. There is a plague going around that has swooped over the country of New Beijing. With the death tolls so high, medical staff and personnel are working around the clock to find a cure. To fuel research for a cure, a draft had been placed by the royal family that calls for people that are healthy to test the newest prototype for a cure. Soon enough, one of Cinder's family members falls ill with the plague. This takes a toll on Cinder's mental health, and to make things worse, she gets drafted to help find a cure. Though Cinder is unwilling, she has no choice. But, when she contracts the plague, the doctors find out something unique about Cinder, something that others could only dream of.
I would stringly recommend this book because it kept me on the edge of my seat. Every page turn leaves you wanting more. Marissa Meyer did an amazing job painting a picture in my mind. The details used were so vivid and understandable. Lastly, there is a lot of action and suspense, which makes this a real page-turner. Overall, I would recommend this book to any reader who likes futuristic books and likes to read shorter series.

- Sophia C.

Winter by Marissa Meyer

    My book is Winter by Marissa Meyer. This book is science fiction. I know this because the plot revolves around a civilization on Luna, (the moon) and constant space traveling. This book is the fourth and final book in the Lunar Chronicles series. Winter the main character has been living on Luna her whole life with her evil stepmother, Queen Levana. Winter's real mother died when she was just a baby, and when her father remarried, it was the Queen. After her father's death, Levana treated Winter like garbage. Winter was beautiful. Everyone in the city of Artemesia on Luna used their gift which was glamour, to make themselves appear beautiful. Glamour gets rid of all a person's flaws and turns them into a perfect version of themselves. The problem is that nobody's perfect. Winter was the only one besides servants and guards who didn't, but she was still the most beautiful, and this was something Levana could not handle. Levana did everything up to dragging a knife down her cheek leaving three big scars to ordering Winters best friend, a guard, to kill her. Now I know what your thinking, isn't this kind of like "Snow White"? The answer is yes, but a whole lot better. Levana was definitely a maniac, but she wasn't completely to blame. As a child, Levana was tortured by her older sister, Queen Channary. Channary used to force Levana to lie down on burning coals, and after she died, Levana took all her anger out on others. Winter and Jacin have been friends since before they could walk, but their relationship turned into something new over time. Jacin, who is just a guard is afraid to pursue anything with Winter so he pushes her away. Winter, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. When Winter discovers that her step-cousin, Selene, who is the rightful heir to the throne is alive, she realizes that there is hope for Luna. Selene who goes by Cinder is only alive because Levana's plans to kill her as a child failed. Cinder starts a revolution, and Winter ends up being right there beside her to help her free the people of Earth and Luna from Levana' s evil reign.

    I absolutely love this book. All of the books in the series are amazing, but this one is the best because this book has all the characters since the first book in the series which is Cinder. This book has action, humor, and a little bit of romance. This book perfectly completes this amazing series. This book will make you laugh, cry, and smile like crazy. Marissa Meyer does an amazing job explaining what's happening that the reader can visualize everything. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Disney because this is an amazing spin-off of the classic Snow White. I have read this book multiple times, and trust me when I say, it never gets old. 

Ghost by Jason Reynolds

The book I read is called "Ghost" by Jason Reynolds. Ghost is realistic fiction (RF). This book is realistic fiction because The main character, Castle, is a made up character but accomplishes things that people in real life could. For example, he gets into trouble in and out of school. He steals, fights, and gets in trouble. In the book Castle notices a track team while eating sunflower seeds. He gets the idea of joining the track team to get out of schools focus and to prove he is faster than all of them. When he asked his mom she says yes under one condition if he focuses on school. Then the next day he gets into a fight but his coach covers for him as the father. Then he steals shoes for track. Finally, he gets caught and gets kicked off the team. Yet gets back in by proving himself. You would have to read this book to figure out why.


This is overall a book I would recommend to people who can relate to sports and the gear. I would also recommend this book because of the twists turns and page turners. Lastly, this book makes you feel apart of the book. My overall rating to this is five stars due to all the features. of the book. 

13 Reasons Why By: Jay Asher

The book I read was 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher. This book is realistic fiction because someone could actually commit suicide in real life. There is a girl named Hannah Baker and she went to Liberty High school. The one thing you learn about her at the beginning of the story is she commits suicide. Clay, a former classmate of Hannah, was a friend and also co-worker came home to a box in his mailbox. He went to his room to open it and there were cassette tapes in the box. He went down to his basement because he knew he had a player that plays cassette tapes. Clay was riding his bike around town and was listening to the tapes, but then later he fell off it and broke the cassette player. He knew his friend Tony had one because they would play songs on it all the time. So the next day he went to Tony's house and stole his cassette player. The first tape explains that there are 13 tapes and that each tape is a reason why she killed herself. Also, if you got the tape you are on it and when you are done listening to them then you would have to pass it on to the next person. 

This book was really addicting to read and I couldn't stop reading it. The author Jay Asher used so many describing words while I was reading the book, I sometimes got the chills. In the book, there are so many emotions and decision that Hannah felt and went through that it kind of makes you wonder what you would do in her situation. 13 Reasons Why is also a T.V. show, I recommend if you have not had the chance to read the book or see the show you do both in whatever order works for your life.  

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron

Read A Dog's Purpose! It is a realistic fiction novel because the main character goes through realistic events and encounters realistic characters. As the story commences, the main character, a dog, is born and then rescued by an organization that cares for him. After dying from that life, he is born again as a dog who would soon be called Bailey. His owner is Ethan who was only a young boy at the time, but they grow together. Unfortunately, Bailey dies. Ellie is then born as a police dog and then Buddy as an abandoned one. Buddy finds his way back to Ethan who is now old but is alone. Buddy tries to get Ethan and his high school sweet-heart back together in order to make Ethan happy. The only problem is that he's a dog!

This is one of my favorite books and I would definitely read it again and again. The author uses descriptive details to describe occurring events. This paints a clear picture in the mind of the reader.  The characters are very well developed as are the events. W. Bruce Cameron uses very realistic situations to convey the message. Yes, I would recommend this book to people who enjoy reading emotional stories with heartfelt ideas. However, I believe that anyone would enjoy it!

Samantha M.
Pds. 1&2

Gym Candy By:Carl Dueker

My favorite book I read this year was Gym Candy, by Carl Dueker. This book is not part of a series. The genre of this book is realistic fiction because everything that happens in this book can happen in real life like a teenager taking steroids. At the beginning of this book, it starts him off in a football game on the 1-yard line, with 1 play left with a win or lose situation. Mick is about to get the handoff for the last play of the game with all the pressure lying on his back. He gets tackled by a person who he thinks is taking steroids to make him stronger, which causes him to get depressed that he lost it for his team. Mick is training in the summer till one day he goes to the gym and a creepy man tells him about steroids on how they can make him train faster and get stronger faster. Mick is so anxious to do better next season so he agrees to buy some of the steroids. The first take he feels stronger and more powerful, so he keeps taking them, what he doesn't know is all the side effects. He starts getting pimples all over his body, and his mood starts to change from a happy teenager to a grumpy teenager who doesn't want to talk to anyone. That causes him to lose all of his friends during the summer, especially his best friend that he's been friends with since kindergarten. The season finally starts after the summer and he feels as strong as an elephant, before every game he takes a shot of steroids in the bathroom stall which is illegal in sports rules. One game he loses the bag with all the steroids in it which gets him really freaked out because if someone catches him he gets kicked off.

In my opinion, I think this book is a great book  I recommend this book to you this is a 10/10 book in my opinion. This book is a huge rollercoaster, it has happy moments and it has sad moments. Like at the beginning of the book it tells you about how he would always play football in the backyard with his dad, then the sad part is when he doesn't want to play with his dad anymore because he is on steroids. Another reason that I recommend this book is the characters are really relatable. For example, Mick is a relatable teenager by going through all these depressing stages of your life as a teenager. You go through a lot of bad mood swings as a teenager. Lastly, most of us love to play sports, and we all know how competitive we all get playing sports, especially if you are losing. I would recommend this book to all teenagers from the grades 6-8, and for everyone who likes sports. This is on one of the greatest books that I have ever read.

By Michael Tarchichi

Ready Player One by: Ernest Cline

     The book that I just finished is titled Ready Player One. The genre is Science Fiction, because of the OASIS video game console . In 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The world is completely broken down. This is why the only time Wade Watts truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, a virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. The OASIS combines real life aspects with video game aspects as well. The OASIS got popular very quickly. This is how James Halliday got most of his fame. Unfortunately, Halliday got very sick and died. However, before he died, he sent out a video explaining that he hid three keys (copper, jade, and crystal) throughout the OASIS, and that if someone found all three very well hidden keys, and cleared all of the gates for that key, then they will have found the "Easter Egg" and inherit his vast fortune and the OASIS itself. Of course everyone loved the idea. Everyone immediately started to look for the keys, but no one could find them. They are called "Gunter's". Halliday has very clever hints that are really hard to decipher. Wade figures out that the clues Halliday has given all relate to old video games riddles and secrets. That causes him to be the first one to find a key. Soon after, a group called the Sixers tracks Wade's location and reveals the key's location. The Sixers, led by Nolan Sorento, are really bad. They will stop at nothing to win and get all of that power. Along the way, Wade meets and makes a lot of friends and foes, including Daito, Shoto, Aech, Art3mis (pronounces Artemis), and Sorento. Will the Sixers win all the money and power, or will Wade be able to unlock unlock the final gate before them and use the fortune for good instead of evil? Read the book to find out. 

     

     Ready Player One is definitely one of the best books that I have read this year. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action, adventure, video games, and science fiction. One reason why I liked this book is that it has all sorts of video game history (mostly from the 1980's because of Halliday's love of the 80's). To add on, every avatar in the OASIS has their own special outfits, abilities, magical items, weapons, vehicles, etc. making them very unique. Finally, this book leaves you on the edge of your seat. It never gets boring. I never wanted to put the book down. It is an amazing book that everyone should read.

                                          Frank S.