The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Hazel is not your average teenager. Even though she is only sixteen, Hazel has been out of high school for three years and is taking college classes. At her parent's request, she also attends weekly support group meetings for teens with cancer. Hazel was diagnosed at age thirteen with stage IV thyroid cancer which spread to her lungs. She almost died but thanks to an experimental drug and round the clock oxygen therapy, Hazel is terminal but alive.

During one support group meeting, Hazel spies a new guy who won't stop staring at her. This handsome gentleman is Augustus Waters, age 17. Augustus is a survivor who lost his leg but not his humor, wisdom, or thirst for life and truth.

Hazel and Augustus begin a fated friendship/relationship. Hazel shares her favorite book, "An Imperial Affliction" by Peter Van Houten, and Augustus shares his love of sniper video games. When Hazel mentions that she'd like to meet Mr. Van Houten and find out what happens after the book abruptly ends, Augustus has a plan.

Do you believe in fate? True love? Even if we aren't promised tomorrow, someday, or forever, are you living your best life today?

Why I picked up the book: I love John Green and I've read his first two books, "Looking for Alaska" and "The Abundance of Katherines". I think he is one of the best voices in literary YA.

Why I finished it: While the topic is heavy (teens with terminal cancer), the author injects humor, quirkiness, and fun into the novel. I've heard other reviewers say they don't think real teenagers talk the way the Green's characters do but I think that is part of the author's genius. He writes the above-average intelligence character and appeals to the more literary readers. (Secret: I've actually read this book twice. I finished it and immediately wanted to read it again. I did but waited a month before doing so.)

I'd give it to: John Green fans, who will definitely not be disappointed.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Michael Vey: The Prisoner of Cell 25 by Richard Paul Evans

Michael Vey has always known he is different. Michael and his mother have moved a lot, most recently to Idaho, in an attempt to protect him. Because he is small, Michael is often the target of bullies. One day Michael decides enough is enough and fights back in his own unique way, by giving his three attackers a small electric shock. You see, Michael is electric. He doesn't know how this came to be and his mother has convinced him to keep it a secret, although he has told his uber-brilliant best friend Ostin.

As it turns out, Michael isn't quite as unique as he had previously thought. Taylor, a cheerleader at his school, witnesses him shock the bullies and shows him her own ability. The two of them along with Ostin form a group and call themselves the Electroclan. They are on a mission to find out where their powers came from and why they have them. The group soon uncovers part of the mystery, but in the process brings their whereabouts to the attention of the people who have been searching for them. Michael and Taylor are only two of many with electric abilities and the Elgen Academy wants them and will stop at nothing, including kidnapping and murdering, to get them.

Why I picked up the book: It was recommended to me by a teen and seemed like it might be a good possibility for an upcoming One Community One Book: Middle School.

Why I finished it: It is a fast read. Even though I wasn't super wowed by the writing at the beginning of the book, before I knew it I was halfway through.

I'd give it to: fans of "I Am Number Four"; teens, especially boys, looking for a fun, fast-paced, exciting read. It will be a series, with the second book being released in August 2012.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Revolver by Marcus Sedgwick

"Even the dead tell stories". Sig's father, Einar, has told Sig and his sister Anna this many times and until now Sig hasn't quite understood what his father meant.

It is 1910 and they are living in a cabin by a frozen lake, six miles outside of the Swedish mining town where Father works. Father had gone into town and but never returned to the cabin alive. Sig found his father's dead frozen body on the ice and was barely able to bring home the body without falling through the ice himself. Anna and their step-mother Nadya have gone to find help and left 16-year-old Sig alone in the cabin with Father's frozen body.

An unexpected knock at the door changes everything. The burly, menacing stranger, who calls himself Wolff, claims to know Sig's father from when they lived in Nome, Alaska 10 years before and has come for what Einar owes him. Wolff wants to the gold Father stole from him and won't leave until he gets it. The revolver on Wolff's hip tells Sig just how serious this stranger is. But Sig doesn't know anything about gold. He does, however, know where Father's Colt revolver is hidden.

Why I picked up the book: It had been on my radar due to it being a Printz Honor Book. When it was picked by the teachers group at CY, I finally took the opportunity to read it.

Why I finished it: The first sentence draws you in "Even the dead tell stories." It is fairly short novel and very well written.

I'd give it to: guys looking for a thriller/mystery/adventure or readers who know a lot about guns. Readers who don't mind narratives that switch back and forth through time (1899/1900 Nome, Alaska & 1910 Giron/Sweden). The action is somewhat slow to start but the mystery is worth it.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Kaitlin's Review: In My Hands; Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong

Kaitlin
10th grade
Title: In My Hands; Memories of a Holocaust Rescuer
Author: Irene Gut Opdyke with Jennifer Armstrong

This book is about the tragedy that was the holocaust. Irene was a young Polish girl going to medical school when the Germans invaded. She was forced to either surrender, or join the resistance. This book tells the recollections of young Irene and gives you another perspective on what happened to young beautiful girls during WWII. This book is about a true Holocaust hero and what she went through to save her friends.

I chose to read this book because I am very interested in the Holocaust and I can relate well to Irene and her problems because she was a young girl just like me.
I finished this book because I wanted to know what was going to happen to her after the war.
I would give this book to anyone who thinks their life is hard. They need to read this book and see how hard their life could really be all because of some crazy man.
I give this book 5 stars! *****

Name: Eric

Grade: 12

Book: Lord of the Flies

Author: William Golding

Stephen King is the Master of Horror, and that is generally accepted. However, before his psychological thrillers was a novel that stands alone; it has been banned in many areas because of its' dark message, and any and all who read it experience a level of uncomfortableness rarely found. I speak of course, of Lord of the flies.

In Golding's masterpiece, a plane full of 13 year old and under boys crashes onto a desert island. What follows is a true epic; a metaphorical journey of the rise and fall of civilization, true human nature, and the darkness within us all. What makes it a novel worthy of legend is its ability to illustrate these concepts using a group of 13 year old boys. The reader finds connections in these boys, because they represent humanity; Piggy's naivety, or Ralph's bravery, or Jack's darkness. It is the depth of these simple characters and the expanse of the story that make this novel engrossing, and impossible to put down.

I picked this book up because it was a classic!

I finished this book because of how engrossing it is.

I'd give this book to anyone who appreciates the classics, or wants a psychological thriller.

Rating: *****

Theodore Boone: The Abduction by John Grisham

Theo's friend, April Finnemore, disappears from her house in the middle of the night. The evidence in her disappearance suggests that she was taken rather than running away. There was no forced entry and so it is believed that she left with someone she knew. It didn't appear she had time to pack. And most disturbing, a distant relative, who April had been exchanging letters with, has recently broken out of a California prison and was spotted on a security camera in town.

Theo is questioned by the police, as he was the last person to communicate with her. Theo knows another piece of the puzzle, one he isn't sharing with the police. April had been home alone for the past few nights and was scared. So scared that she had locked doors and windows as well as shoved chairs under door handles. Her father is out on tour with his middle-aged rock band and her mother was on drugs and not home.

When the escaped convict is captured, he refuses to talk. And it isn't long before something is found. Something that suggests April might not be alright. But are the police looking in the right places or are they hitting a dead end. Will Theo Boone be able to help find his friend before it's too late?

Why I picked up the book: I usually don't make time to read sequels, especially because my to-read pile is a mountain, but I just finished the first book for the 2nd time and had to find out what would happen next. He gave enough background that if you haven't read the first book, you wouldn't have felt like you missed anything.

Why I finished it: Just like with the first book, or any John Grisham title, you get sucked in.

I'd give it to: fans of James Patterson. Teen guys looking for a fast-paced novel without a whole lot of mushy feeling stuff.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Name: Serina

Grade: College

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children

Author: Ransom Riggs

Jacob was always envious of his adventurous Grandfather, and loved hearing his intriguing stories about how he had grown up with some children with very special abilities and how they had to stay hidden away on a mysterious island to stay out of the hands of monsters. However, as Jacob grew older, he began to doubt his Grandfather's fantastical tales, even overlooking the bizarre photos that his Grandfather had of the children he supposedly lived with. But at his Grandfather's deathbed, Jacob receives some ominous last words and a strange letter from a mysterious woman named Miss Peregrine that sends him packing and traveling to an island off the coast of Wales, where his Grandfather had spent his childhood. What Jacob finds there is not what he remembered from his Grandfather's stories, and it appalls him as well as sets him off on an adventure he will wish he never had...

As a bonus, this book has vintage pictures of the peculiar children through the chapters.

I picked this book up because it looked interesting.

I finished this book because it was so strange!

I'd give this book to anyone looking for something out of the ordinary.

Rating: ****

Theodore Boone, Kid Lawyer by John Grisham

Theo Boone dreams of being either a famous trial lawyer or a judge. His parents are both lawyers, as is his Uncle Ike, so he was literally born into it. At thirteen, Theo knows more about the law than most adults and he is on a first name basis with almost every lawyer, judge, court clerk, and policeman in town. Theo even has his own "office" in the library at Boone & Boone, and is often asked for legal advice by fellow students.

Theo's connections enable his government class to attend the opening day of a murder trial, one of the most talked about trials in Strattenburg. With little evidence, it appears that a cold-blooded killer may get off scot-free. That is until Theo is handed a piece of evidence that could change the course of the trial. Is it possible that a thirteen year old could possess the information necessary for a conviction? Witness the start of Theodore Boone: Kid Lawyer.

Why I picked up this book: John Grisham is one of my favorite authors. When I discovered he had written a legal thriller for a younger audience, I had to check it out.

Why I finished it: Theodore Boone is classic John Grisham for a younger audience. Grisham did a great job of explaining legal concepts at the tween/teen level. Rather than the "cliff-hanger" ending, I wish he would have ended it with Theo going after a new case.

I'd give it to: tweens/teens looking for a new series. Fans of other cross-over authors like James Patterson.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg

Have you ever uttered the phrase “I prefer not to”? Like I prefer not to take out the garbage or I prefer not to eat tomatoes. I prefer not to make my bed or go out in freezing cold weather. How about I prefer not to do that math assignment or my homework? I’m sure at one point or another we’ve all preferred not to do something. Margaret Rose Kane would have preferred to spend her summer with her parents in Peru or with her eccentric uncles at 19 Schuyler Place. But neither her parents nor the Uncles had any intentions of her spending the summer with them. The Uncles suggested that since she is an only child the experience of camp would be beneficial to her. So although she preferred not to, Margaret Rose began the process of choosing and applying for summer camp. And that is how Margaret Rose ended up at Camp Talequa. But because she prefers not to join in camp activities, it isn’t long before Uncle Alexander comes to her rescue, springs her from the tortures of summer camp and whisks Margaret Rose back to the tranquility of 19 Schuyler Place. Margaret Rose loves her Uncles and their house. She especially loves the towers they have built in their backyard. For over 45 years, the Uncles have created these masterpieces out of steel, glass, crystals, and a multitude of paint shades. But as Margaret Rose soon learns, not everyone sees these towers as art. The Homeowners Association views them as a safety hazard and a deterioration to property values. And while Margaret Rose preferred not to participate in camp activities, she is determined to find a way to save the outcast towers at 19 Schuyler Place.

Why I picked up the book: The first time I read it, I was drawn in by the cover which has the pattern of rose petals with the tower and by the fact that I love the name Schuyler (pronounced Skyler).

Why I finished the book: I'd prefer not to say. Kidding.

I'd recommend it to: readers looking for a nice, clean story and something that makes you think about what you believe in. If they have read "Silent to the Bone", I think they will appreciate getting Margaret's back story. I haven't read it but will pick it up next.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Found

Name: Michelle Sherwin
Grade: 12th
Title: Found
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
This book begins lady by the name of Angela is having many problems on her first day at work at a company by the name of Sky Trails. She loses codes and is constantly having to ask her supervisor to give them to her. To make things worse an unidentified plane lands at a gate no one is attending to and she therefor has to go and help them. To her surprise all of the passengers on this plane are infants and there is not even a pilot or stewardess. The book then flashes 13 years into the future in the lives of two thirteen year old boys Chip and Jonah who are both adopted. They begin receiving strange letters at the same time. Upon Jonah becoming more upset his parents, his sister and him go to meet with an FBI agent who is said to be connected to Jonah's adoption. When they arrive the agent refuses to give them any more information, saying only that he can not tell them any more and that they should not have even gotten his information, but the children receive information from a folder placed on the table by a man no one saw put it there. From this folder comes information that has something to do with Chip, Jonah and their adoption, but when few people will talk how much information can they really find out? Will this venture tear their new friendship apart or solidify it for life?
This book is very interesting because it provokes the reader to ask how much they know about themselves and how much of what they know can fall apart in an instant. It is also interesting how with each of the new discoveries they make about their adoption the boys begin to wonder more and more who they are.
I picked this book up because my brother got me the rest of the books in the series and I wanted to read this one again before I read the others. I also enjoy the author's writing style and the suspense that is intertwined in every one of her books.
I finished this book because I wanted to remember how it ended.
I would give this book to anyone who enjoys suspense and action stories. I would also give this book to people who were interested in self conflict and a journey of self.
My Rating of this Book:
***** It was amazing