Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This book science fiction book is set in a future dystopian world. Living in a world full of gorgeous people, everyone normal is considered ugly. Tally Youngblood is super excited to get her operation to turn pretty on her sixteenth birthday. Being pretty means joining her best friend Peris, who turned pretty before her. It also means living in New Pretty Town with other beautiful people, attending in parties, and doing awesome things, such as bungee jumping. Then Tally met Shay, a mysterious girl who doesn’t want to turn pretty. Shay thought that all the pretties looked the same, and she didn’t like to think of normal people as “uglies”. Shay decides to escape from the city to the outside world to join some of her friends who left earlier. Tally, whose operation was cancelled because of her friend’s disappearance, was forced to find Shay in order to turn pretty.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Every girl dreams of being a princess. Having their own Cinderella fairytale moment with Prince Charming. But there are other parts of the Cinderella story that people take for granted. The cruel parts. The hard work and constant put down. These parts make up Cinder, a fantasy novel by Marissa Meyer, based off the Cinderella story.  Cinder and her family live in New Beijing, the “capital city of the commonwealth”. In Cinder, the plague has slowly taken over most of her country, including the emperor. The disease is spreading and now her beautiful home country is slowly dying.  “For half a step, New Beijing Palace could be glimpsed between complexes, sprawling and serene on a cliff that overlooked the city. The palace’s pointed gold roofs sparkled orange beneath the sun, the windows glinting the light back at the city. The ornate gables, and tiered pavilions that teetered dangerously close to the cliff’s edge, the rounded temples stretching towards the heavens.” This is Cinder’s world. This is the world where everything and everyone is dependent on androids and technology. Join Marissa Meyer and Cinder on their journey as they realize that no one is who they say they are. Along the way, Cinder learns who she really is…and how she’ll save the world.

Every book has that one character who is hated, the one person who you just want to disappear. In Cinder, this character’s name is Queen Levana, and her kingdom of rule? The moon. Her citizens are Lunars, or in other words, brainwashers. The pacing of the book revolves around this villain, and her ploy to gain reign of Earth. Every book needs an antagonist, and although we hated Queen Levena, the book wouldn’t have been very interesting without her.  We love the way Marissa Meyer creates her characters and recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction novels set in the future.

Allie Stibler and Jackie Zak

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Ungifted is a realistic fiction story about a kid who gets in trouble at school. but instead of getting suspended, he is moved to a school for gifted students. At this schols, he meets new and mind blowing smart kids. These kids are not ordinary, they are geniuses and that is why there is a schools devoted to only these students. This was one of my favorite books. It was full of laughs, drama, and seriousness, but overall this was an amazing book. I would recommend this book to ANY student. It is great from any student who likes to read books about school, students, pranks, and much more. I would rate this a 9.4 out of 10 stars. It is not a perfect 10 because it was so good that, when I was so hooked in, it ended! But overall I suggest that you give this book a chance. You will definitely not regret it.

The main reason I loved this book was because it was easy to relate to and you could picture what was happening in your mind. It was like the book was a movie. I do not want to give too much away, but this book has a very big surprise. So, you have you read it if you want to find out.☺

Don't Look Behind You by Lois Duncan

High school student, April Corrigan, has a perfectly normal life. In fact, better than most. She has a handsome boyfriend, lots of tennis friends, and a fine family. Except that her father has supposedly worked undercover for the F.B.I. and is now a witness to a huge drug crime. But, it seems to be worse than expected. Someone shot a gun, barely missing her father, as he was testifying. April’s life is about to change completely. Having to run away from her hometown, then joining a witness protection program, everything in April’s life is about to be gone. A killer is seeking out the family as they’re on the run. Will April accept a new life, or will her and her family be in grave danger? Read this book to find out.

This book is one of the most suspenseful novels I’ve ever read. Which is saying alot. Although having a simple plot, I was reading on my bed, biting my fingernails, shaking. Before reading this book, I always wondered, “How can a book be scary?” The main part of a horror movie is the music, but a book can’t have that! Well, Lois Duncan proved that books can be just as scary as movies. My opinion on the main character, April, was that she is very snobby. She made naive mistakes, just for her social life, that could’ve killed her family. But then again, if I was in her position, the book would be about a little boy crying, the entire time. I loved how the book progressively made the situation worse and worse. For example, just hiding at a hotel for a weekend, to completely having a new identity at the end. This book is also not about a killer seeking the family. It’s mainly the family just adapting to new situations. I believe this is a great twist on a regular scary story. The fact that April has to slowly lose everything, made this book twice as sad and scary. Overall, it’s a little more than 200 pages that excite, suspense, and make you cry.

By Allen Sha

The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Drannan

Jessica Carlisle is a high school track star until a tragic bus accident causes her to lose her right leg.  Jessica’s leg isn’t the only thing that’s crushed, but her self esteem as well. She doesn’t want to see anyone and is depressed, but she needs to adjust. Eventually, she has to go to go to school, but she’s not sure if she’s ready for this new life.  Her team mates start a fundraiser to help her run again and meanwhile, she meets a friend with cerebral palsy that she never seemed to notice.  Through pain and struggles, Jessica wonders: Will she ever run again?

We loved this book because it was very inspirational, and eye opening.  It taught us to always move forward and to not dwell on the past.  In almost every chapter, there was a surprise that made you want to keep reading and never stop.  Everything was so well written that you felt like you were right next to Jessica the whole time, and you felt the same pain as her.  We highly recommend this book to everyone, we promise you will enjoy it.  Sprint to your nearest book store, and pick up a copy of The Running Dream, and you’ll be swept away!

Out Of My Mind by Sharon Draper

The story Out of My Mind by Sharon M Draper has created an AMAZING book! Out of my Mind is about a girl named Melody has a special disability (cerebral palsy) that she can’t talk, walk, or write; basically she can’t function like normal kids her age. Melody is an outsider in her own school class.All her thoughts are stuck in her head unable to be communicated.

All these thoughts are making Melody go OUT OF HER MIND!!! In 5th grade something incredible happens that changes her life forever; she is finally able to communicate. Plus, she has made a real friend! Make sure to pick this inspirational book at the library today!

When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

When Miranda’s best friend Sal is punched and shuts her out of his life for what seems like forever, all she wants to know is why. To bad she is busy helping her mom win the game $20,000 Pyramid. With all this on her plate, everything seems like it couldn’t get any worse, but it does. Strange notes and random disappearances lead her to believe that not everything is as it seems. How do these random notes lead to Sal? Who is stealing things from Miranda and her family? Get ready to have your mind blown by When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.

This book was astonishing in many aspects. The suspense and secrets lead you to want to keep reading until the shock at the end that changes everything. Although I had read it two years before this moment, it was so enjoyable that a lot of the information stayed with me. Rebecca Stead is a fabulous author that will hopefully continue to write so people like me can enjoy life more.